So, there were a couple dings in the paintjob on the new car, so I brought it back to the dealership and they gave me a loaner car overnight until I was able to pick up the Corolla today.
For 24 hours, I was driving a Toyota Sienna MINIVAN. Way more car than this girl needs, but I bet it's pretty sweet on a long trip. Then, yesterday afternoon, Rococo's little weak stomach (euphemism for explosive diarrhea) really needed to be addressed, so I cleaned up a trail of nastiness and packed her off to the vet for an appointment.
I'm far from a soccer mom. But I did get an odd glimpse into a world in which I'm navigating an enormous vehicle, cleaning up poop, and holding a scared little critter who won't let me put her down at the doctor's office.
And I must confess it doesn't seem so bad.
3.10.2007
Release the Hounds?
Or get a BB Gun?
Dress up like a Swan?
I'm going to effen KILL these Geese. Honestly, I love all of God's creatures, but I'm losing my mind. Talking to Amity earlier on Skype and she asked me if there were chickens outside. Nope, just the pterydactyl-like cawing of those birds.
I've lived in houses with ants, roaches, fleas, and houseflies. Nothing comes close to the nuisance these geese cause.
I feel like a bad person for being so intolerant, but I cannot overemphasize how hard it is to live with these birds fighting and flapping and honking at all hours of the day and night. I've been stuck inside this closed apartment with two cats for months just DYING to open the windows and breathe fresh air and feel some sunlight and warmth and it's just ruined. Even with the windows closed I can still hear them.
We're supposed to have swans, dogs, something to scare off the geese. It's only been a few days since their return, but it's a long way until November when they finally move out again. And I'd like to see the birds relocate before they begin to nest, even though that's a couple months away.
I don't deny these creatures the right to live, and I realize that humans and development are encroaching upon their habitats. It's a difficult balance to strike.
Dress up like a Swan?
I'm going to effen KILL these Geese. Honestly, I love all of God's creatures, but I'm losing my mind. Talking to Amity earlier on Skype and she asked me if there were chickens outside. Nope, just the pterydactyl-like cawing of those birds.
I've lived in houses with ants, roaches, fleas, and houseflies. Nothing comes close to the nuisance these geese cause.
I feel like a bad person for being so intolerant, but I cannot overemphasize how hard it is to live with these birds fighting and flapping and honking at all hours of the day and night. I've been stuck inside this closed apartment with two cats for months just DYING to open the windows and breathe fresh air and feel some sunlight and warmth and it's just ruined. Even with the windows closed I can still hear them.
We're supposed to have swans, dogs, something to scare off the geese. It's only been a few days since their return, but it's a long way until November when they finally move out again. And I'd like to see the birds relocate before they begin to nest, even though that's a couple months away.
I don't deny these creatures the right to live, and I realize that humans and development are encroaching upon their habitats. It's a difficult balance to strike.
3.08.2007
New Car!
Even though the "check engine" light shut off this afternoon, I finally went ahead and bought a new car. Yay! I've only been threatening to do so since the total system failure back in September, during which the head gasket blew, causing the radiator and thermostat to implode as well. It was 300 miles below the warranty, meaning I was THISCLOSE from having to pay the $1500 bill at Hyundai myself.
Much as I've maligned the ol' 2003 Elantra, it served me well these last four years. I beat the snot out of it and did virtually nothing but change the oil, and even that I didn't do as regularly as I ought to have. She owed me nothing, and I said goodbye tonight with more than a little nostalgia and gratitude.
Now, I'm driving a Toyota Corolla S, manual transmission, MOONROOF, keyless entry, CD player (my first car to have one come standard). She looks like the Elantra, silver with dark gray interior, but it definitely feels like an upgrade. It's the little things when you spend thousands of miles in a car. The fickle faulty locks on the Elantra were the bane of my existence, and I really missed the moonroof since the Jetta's own catastrophic head gasket incident in 2003 (I wonder if there's a correlation between me and blown gaskets . . . . DON'T say it) :)
So yeah, pix to come soon.
The other thing that's kind of wonderful about getting the new car --- the silver lining to the cloud of the "check engine" light last night --- is that I finally snapped out of "it." I've been in the funk to end all funks this week, trying to force changes that need to happen organically. Afraid I'd break down on a dark cold night between West Dundee and Palatine last night, I crashed at Patsy's last night, and we had a good talk and good tarot card reading session. (Yes, they help me. Don't be a hater). But then I couldn't sleep, and I lay awake for hours sorting out my shit.
In a nutshell: I'm staying put, finishing my doctoral degree. And I refuse to allow myself to second guess it every ten minutes any more. I'm not done here yet. Oddly, having to deal with the car jolted me into fixing my frame of mind. I've decided to blame the overall funk on the interminability of this effen winter. And my trying to force the hand of the universe. No more of that!
Ironically, I makeshifted an affirmation out of the sticker off of a Starbucks breakfast sandwich wrapper just yesterday, and stuck it on the dash in the Elantra:
"Epiphanies happen." Instant karma baby! It's the last gift from the Elantra, but I didn't take it with me. I'll get another one.
In the mean time, my new Corolla and I are vessels waiting to be filled by the hand of the universe.
Much as I've maligned the ol' 2003 Elantra, it served me well these last four years. I beat the snot out of it and did virtually nothing but change the oil, and even that I didn't do as regularly as I ought to have. She owed me nothing, and I said goodbye tonight with more than a little nostalgia and gratitude.
Now, I'm driving a Toyota Corolla S, manual transmission, MOONROOF, keyless entry, CD player (my first car to have one come standard). She looks like the Elantra, silver with dark gray interior, but it definitely feels like an upgrade. It's the little things when you spend thousands of miles in a car. The fickle faulty locks on the Elantra were the bane of my existence, and I really missed the moonroof since the Jetta's own catastrophic head gasket incident in 2003 (I wonder if there's a correlation between me and blown gaskets . . . . DON'T say it) :)
So yeah, pix to come soon.
The other thing that's kind of wonderful about getting the new car --- the silver lining to the cloud of the "check engine" light last night --- is that I finally snapped out of "it." I've been in the funk to end all funks this week, trying to force changes that need to happen organically. Afraid I'd break down on a dark cold night between West Dundee and Palatine last night, I crashed at Patsy's last night, and we had a good talk and good tarot card reading session. (Yes, they help me. Don't be a hater). But then I couldn't sleep, and I lay awake for hours sorting out my shit.
In a nutshell: I'm staying put, finishing my doctoral degree. And I refuse to allow myself to second guess it every ten minutes any more. I'm not done here yet. Oddly, having to deal with the car jolted me into fixing my frame of mind. I've decided to blame the overall funk on the interminability of this effen winter. And my trying to force the hand of the universe. No more of that!
Ironically, I makeshifted an affirmation out of the sticker off of a Starbucks breakfast sandwich wrapper just yesterday, and stuck it on the dash in the Elantra:
"Epiphanies happen." Instant karma baby! It's the last gift from the Elantra, but I didn't take it with me. I'll get another one.
In the mean time, my new Corolla and I are vessels waiting to be filled by the hand of the universe.
Haiku: Car Trouble
The "check engine" light
came on but the car did not
break down. Still, such stress.
came on but the car did not
break down. Still, such stress.
3.07.2007
Interrobang!?
I just learned of a failed attempt in the 60's to introduce a new form of punctuation into the lexicon: the Interrobang. It's a hybrid of the ? and the ! and you can find it in Microsoft Word's "Wingdings 2" font palate if you click on the ~/` key up next to the 1.
Thanks to Mental Floss for the info!
Thanks to Mental Floss for the info!
Read My Mind
The new video by the Killers for their song "Read My Mind" is available on You Tube. They shot it in Japan and it's fabulous. The boys will be at the Sears Centre out in Hoffman Estates on May 10. I finally bought tickets yesterday, so Pats and I will be there! The seats totally suck but I had to see them.
Check 'em out!
Check 'em out!
Haiku: A Full Night's Sleep
Went back to the pills,
Over-the-counter of course,
And slept well last night.
Over-the-counter of course,
And slept well last night.
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