So, on Saturday I took my car in to get the oil changed, and also to have them check out a certain noise that I have noticed for awhile–“noticed” being an understatement due to the fact that the “noise” is a horrid squeal that occurs every time I turn on the engine, akin to the sound of a cat being tortured. Isn’t it so true that whenever you take your car in to the shop for something small, there seems to be something big that needs to be fixed? Like the times I went to get my oil changed and it turned out that I was basically going to get in a horrible wreck and die if I didn’t replace all of the brake pads and rotors/get all new tires/etc. ASAP.
Boyfriend David took his car in to get the oil changed on Saturday also, and was informed that due to a design flaw in his cute little VW Jetta, the oil cap would not be able to be removed without “stripping the thread” (whenever I hear car-talk like this I just nod and pretend to understand) and that therefore the whole oil pan would have to be replaced to the tune of $1300. But the thing is that he’s already been through this once and shelled out the money, and who’s to say it won’t happen again? So now he’s faced with the dilemma of whether to fix it or get a new car, and if he decides to get a new one, what to get.
Thankfully, I did not receive such devastating news about my car. However, it does need a whole new set of belts. I’m not exactly sure what belts do on a car or why they need them, but if it will abolish the screeching noise, I am all for a new set of them. I am tired of the shocked/worried/annoyed/evil looks I get from passers-by whenever I start up my car in the parking lot.
So this morning I dropped my car off at the little auto shop that I have been going to ever since I could drive which is right outside my parents’ neighborhood. It’s not exactly convenient anymore, but they know me there by face, name, and car, and that is a beautiful thing. After leaving my car there, I walked to my parents’ house to hang out until it was ready. After awhile I realized that it was actually quite hot. But instead of turning the A/C down like any normal person would have done, I decided that it would be a better idea to just take off my pants. I think the decision was made because there was an itch on the back of my leg, and taking off my pants would not only enable me to scratch it more effectively, it would cool me down as well.
So there I am, sitting on the recliner browsing the internet and watching The Ellen Show in a state less-than-presentable, when I hear the door open and in pops my dad. Since my car wasn’t out front he was confused when he saw the TV on in the first place, and was very surprised to see me. I’m sure especially when the first thing he got to hear from me was a very upbeat, “Hi Dad! I don’t have on any pants!” After he recovered from his heart attack and I clothed myself, we had a nice little chat after which he returned to work. But now my leg is starting to itch again.
From Jen Hope:
I love reading your posts. They crack me up! I also completely wish that I could have gone to the Nickel Creek Concert with you.
Anyway, Is it alright if I link your blog on mine?
From Doc:
that is an hilarious story. i somehow doubt that cars need belts for the same reason as pants need belts…though, i’d imagine they have this much in common–in both cases, the lack of a belt often significantly impairs the ability of things usually belted to perform their appointed tasks with full efficiency.
that is to say, although i wouldn’t know quite how to make an appropriately witty comment on the coincidence i’d have noticed in your dad’s place–a car lacking belts somehow initiating a chain of events leading to a daughter’s lacking pants would seem to be ripe with potential humor–i’d have been content to voice some weird or unintelligible rambling in true wit’s stead.