Another reason why...

I want to join the Foreign Service... cars will be the responsibility of the Automobile Pool and you wouldn't have to go through what I just went through in the past two days. About a week ago, my car started to rattle. I had some problems earlier with a hole in the muffler and went to company M looking for a fix. They fixed it for $100 and not much fuss. I took them back because I thought it was a problem that they may have not fixed too well. They said they didn't write up that there was any problem with the muffler and therefore there was no guarantee. Grrr. I had them look at it anyway because if I have any hope of passing emissions tests this year, I think I need a working muffler. They looked at it, had me look at it (like I had ANY idea what I was looking at.) Then they handed me a bill for $514 saying I needed an entire exhaust system. I was pretty upset because the car wasn't even making as much noise as the last time round. I called A and asked for his step-dad's number because he's a mechanic. The step-dad got on the phone and asked me what's wrong, talked with the mechanic and came back to me laughing. He basically said get out of there, they are trying to price gouge you. I did.

It was only this weekend that I got up to his house about an hour away. 2 days, a myriad of problems later, I have an inspected car and a spot in the poor-house. Hopefully not for long because my new job is starting on Monday!

More soon

Rich as a....

A couple of days ago, I mentioned that a really impressive car came into the driveway at work. I mentioned that I thought royalty would step out of the car. Well, the car has been back. He came back 3 times and I was "lucky" enough to talk to him one day. As I'm writing the ticket out so we can mark his car in our records, I ask for the name.

Rockefeller...

A Tale of Two Cars

America is obsessed with cars. The history of Detroit and the destruction of the railroad are proof. But I'm parking cars now to get me through until teaching starts. Let me tell you, I've seen some crazy cars. Two really stuck out in my mind today.

A mini-cooper drove up with the obligatory Union Jack sticker and I nearly fell over myself to get to drive that car. I have decided it is the perfect car for me - even though, quite frankly I would be PETRIFIED to take it out against some of the monster trucks that masquerade as private cars in this country. Even the owner of the car was cool. He looked very academic, silver hair, black glasses frames etc. He addressed me by my name and I complemented his car. Then I took the car on a four block joy ride to park it. Manual shift and all! (I said I could drive stick shift... white lies don't hurt do they?)

Around lunch time this boat pulls into the drive way. It is a white and silver Rolls Royce convertible. The doors open backwards and it just exudes snob. I half expected some Royal Family member to get out of the car. A jerk who thought he was royalty did. He left orders to "wipe down the car to get rid of the rain spots." That's what happens when it rains!!! Anyway, my boss wouldn't let any of us touch the car. Good thing, since I've lost my sea legs, I may have been ill inside it. The thing that got me was when Prince Jerk came back out of the Japanese restaurant on the corner. I went to collect the $20 fee for parking and he asked for "the other boy." What is this colonial Africa?!?!?! The other boy went and got a tip of $20 for "wiping the boat's bum." Made me think that I should have been nicer to my staff in Africa.

But you can rest assured I never called her "girl!"
(She actually couldn't pronounce my name very well and would call me boy!)