correctiveshoes621

Totally agree with this child's meme; brings to mind a quote from Carl Sagan, that I've always found just so, ♥

“In the vastness of space and the immensity of time, it is my joy to share a planet and an epoch with Annie."

[Dedication to Sagan's wife, Ann Druyan, in Cosmos]



Got my car into the shop tonight - crossing my fingers. Always.

So. Looking forward to this - https://www.facebook.com/JuneBugClassicVW - which is sponsored by these guys - http://www.ulrichsusedcars.com/ - - our personal mechanics; won't go anywhere else!

Look, I loved our old mechanics. LOVED. Well, the 'old guy', anyway. Sadly, he passed away a couple of years ago and left the business to his son and grandson and, needless to say, it aint the same. How I miss Frank, and remember fondly how much he loved mein Dieter, once giving me a paper cone of wine to assuage my crying, saying, "Ja, don't worry - we fix your car.", while warmly patting my hand. ♥

But. The new guys somehow managed to rebuild my entire rusted-out strut tower - for a more than fair price - and that is unheard of. They are dedicated and honest. Imagine. Plus, really cute.



Also - nothing bad can happen while Kraftwerk is playing.

Thinking of getting a personalized plate for my '99 Mk3 Jetta..Of course, I already have my German plate on display..It's become a, 'Classic Car', this year, but I don't want to go that route, as it's my daily driver..

ETA: This is my car - with these wheel covers:





[Poll #1991370]

I love the first one, but am worried that people will think I mean, 'Go for lunch'..thoughts? The, '2.slow' is a common affectionate dig at my engine type..And no, neither Apollo 10, 11, 12, 15, 16 or 17 were available - I didn't even check for, 'Apollo 13' because we ALL know what happened to them :(

*cries*

Just woke up from a dream where I had my old car back! Dieter! It was a beautiful sunny day, and I was showing him off to friends, omg, he was purring like a kitten. Hilariously enough, I was driving, driving, driving, until I finally pulled out the cord to my cellphone..which was plugged in to charge and beeping like the demonscourgemonstrosity it is! I woke up..and it was a wrong number, telling me that I have some eye appointment, tomorrow...

Talk about, 'self-comfort' before my hellish four-day/four-day/four-day schedule starts!

So. 'Put up or shut up'-time, I guess.
For so many things, and so early in the new year.

Brave new world.

I have to hold on to Bernard's attitude, his viewpoint, his bravery. I guess we both foresaw these things, and, at least, there's that..no 'real' shocks.
I have to be ready; anything is possible. And, as someone else said, recently, "This is the youngest I'm gonna be."
Go out and onwards, with a bang - and my head, held high.

My son picked up his new car, today - the 2003 VW 4Motion. It's gorgeous, and he looked so good, so happy, behind the wheel. So proud of my kids.

Also, this: http://www.buzzfeed.com/ryanhatesthis/a-german-retirement-community-did-a-calendar-where-seniors-a?bffb

You guys, you guys.

A-L-T-E-R-N-A-T-O-R.

At least, that's what my mechanic says. No idea on the weird, scary BOOM!-noise - he said he checked around and around, and nothing. The battery was dead, but once charged, it started up enough to get it into the garage. He drove it around, a little, and it sounded, 'normal', to him.

Thankful:

a) These mechanics are just such great guys. They are local and honest, and would not let me drive an unsafe vehicle. They once offered to drive my finished car to my son's workplace, so that he could drive it home, to me - have you ever heard of such a thing? They let me make payments, too.

Yes. I have them on speed-dial, on my phone. I *do* own a VW, after all.

b) So glad that all this didn't happen going *down* my scary driveway. I know I'm a coward/drama queen, but I will never forget the cars that slid down the driveway..THROUGH THE FENCE..AND ALLLLLL THE WAY DOWN TO THE HIGHWAY, BELOW..

c) So glad I'm still off work, at least, for tonight. I *really* need to get back in there - but, not tonight, in this, 'Herculean' mess.

So, here. Have some cocky pre-flight Alan Shepard:

Just putting this here to brighten a pretty stressful day:

Okay. Back to work, tonight.

I've learned:

a) as messy as they can be, these cats are all fuckin' brats treasures, and good company, with their own personalities and idiosyncrasies, but - in the end - just loving little four-legged people beings that never stop surprising me.

b) I actually have WAY more...social anxiety/personal appearance issues than I previously thought - and so do others. MUST work on this. Not getting any younger, folks, and it's all downhill, from THIS, so..

c) having no money frees me from a lot of decision-making, especially when I see how others spend theirs, and the decisions they make.

d) that I MUST quit smoking.

e) that the internet CAN get boring, eventually.

Good things:

a) the teenagers that came up to me in the Thorndale Good Will - freaking out over my NASA teeshirt. We talked for a good while - I told the boy that I got it at Target, of all places - they were cute as all hell, and had been planning a road trip to Johnson Space Center, but, 'summer got away from them'. They were all bright and beautiful, to the last, and their manners and curiosity and friendliness gave me hope for this generation, coming up - and I told them so. I told my son, when I got home, that I'd met my, 'future daughter-in-law', LOL.

b) my son is now in the, 'super-sekrit underground', VW In-Crowd - and is getting roughly two grands' worth of work done on his car for......less than three-hundred. The Mystery Poohbah is going to take him in-hand and do the work with him, so he'll learn, too. DJ is actually thinking of purchasing a...Scirocco, now, as his daily driver..and keeping the Golf in storage with this guy. Twenty bucks a month. Not too shabby.

c) I can be REALLY creative with the make-do cooking. We were the recipients of a TON of broken taco shells.....and I've found loads of uses for them...well, a couple, anyway. Muffins...breading for chicken...I created a, 'pineapple upside-down' cornmeal pudding that aint half bad...

d) music really IS what keeps me alive. :)

Come ON.

a) Late last Sunday night, I arrived home after doing laundry. When I went to turn my key in my ignition? The damned thing twisted like a piece of fucking tinfoil and - voila! - broke off in my hand. Stuck in the ignition. Got through that, the next day, with the help of a locksmith and Geico Roadside Assistance..though they only cover the first $100.

b) Monday? DJ's car died. Mass Air Intake, which he'd fubared, working on it.

c) After driving him all week to work, I arrived, last night, at his workplace, to find he'd already gotten his car back. No biggie - I offered to buy him and his buddy some hotdogs at the local Sheetz - - 2 for $1 special, of course, and they work hard. They eagerly agreed to meet me there, after stopping to get cat food.

d) I get to Sheetz, get out of my car with my wallet and lock my car to go into the store and the lock literally popped out of the door, into my hand. The entire mechanism. My purse, iPod and cellphone are now locked in my car.

e) I call Geico - thank you, Sheetz personnel, for your kindness - to get it towed - and the guys arrive. They somehow get the door open. The Geico lady and I laugh, and THANKFULLY, she gives me a reference number, "because you never know"...I get out to my car AND THE STEERING WHEEL LOCKS UP, TOTALLY. AGAIN.

f) JUST as the guys are pulling away, I scream, "WAIT!!!!", and thankfully, they hear me. About an hour commences, with them trying to get the wheel unlocked without breaking the shitty tinfoil key off, AGAIN, and there is much texting between gayalithiel and myself, who I am supposed to be meeting online.

g) I get home, only to call Geico AGAIN, and said reference number comes in to play. Then, we have to drive all the way back to meet the wise-ass tow guy and have it towed.

Where is this money going to come from? Seriously. Seriously, fuck my life.
( Read more... )

Absolutely indescribable:

DRIVING MY SON'S *GORGEOUS* SILVERY VINTAGE ('88) WOLFSBURG GOLF WHILE *BLASTING*, "FASCINATION STREET", BY THE CURE.


DAMNED RIGHT.