Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Again, exactly one week after the last incident, this time at a gas station on a far warmer evening. Change of scenery was welcome, I suppose, because if my car must reprise its role, weekly, as the only four-wheeled paperweight known to man, well, we’ve got to mix it up a little. I shelled out another chunk of change today to get my automobile fixed–really fixed this time–and in doing so, I’ve staked my claim. I’m sticking with the Saab, and selling is currently off the table.

I say “currently” because I was looking as recently as this afternoon, scanning different automaker websites for a would-be successor to what’s sitting in the garage tonight, but that’s the farthest I’ve gotten. After checking the trade-in value for my own vehicle this morning, which was truly dismal, and then picturing the whole shopping process–the timing, the haggling, the pageantry of pretending to walk away–I’ve decided I can wait.

Independent counsel has weighed in as well, offering a verdict that’s far more sensible: get that clunker outta here, the sooner the better, before it consumes any more money. When this week comes to a close, I’ll have sunk about $1,600 into repairs, funds that could’ve gone to a new ride. Thinking about it that way makes sense, of course, and yet I persist, firmly believing that I’ve put all my vehicular dilemmas behind me. But the public doesn’t suffer the fool’s errand on which I’ve embarked. To wit: Boss G replied to my post-breakdown phone call yesterday evening with an “interesting.” Or consider how the Chief asked for a ride earlier today, while I was still without car, in a grisly pantomime of my situation.

Also! King Calm took great pains to explain to me, after I had outlined the difficulties of dog ownership vis-à-vis my recent car issues, that having a dog may actually have simplified matters, since I would’ve returned home first to take her for a walk, thereby allowing my car to die in the driveway. You know, from a convenience standpoint. Let me put this to you in nerd terms: Imagine the Fellowship of the Ring, just not helpful whatsoever. I’m all in, a sucker strapped to a Saab, and we shall see what next Monday brings. Now, as far as this Thursday goes, I have some insight. We’re going to talk about revelations, in the written word and otherwise.