Some Saturday Morning Thoughts

This has been one heck of a week. Just about every day ended with me in a terrible mood for some reason or another. There were a couple of moments that all seemed ok with the world.

Earlier this week I came home from work and sat down in one of my patio chairs to just...sit there. Enjoy the cooler weather that followed Hurricane Ike into Texas. I came really close to blogging about how nice it was outside, but my phone wouldn't let me log into blogger...so I didn't.

My in-laws just closed on their new house. I went for the grand tour. It's nice. I already have plans (with my father-in-law) to wire up their house for networking and even (if I can get my mother-in-law on board) install a projection screen with a projector and surround sound for a REAL theater experience! LOL. Ok...so that last one is not likely to happen.

I also, for the first time in my life, watched a few episodes of Monty Python's Flying Circus last night. Sometimes I can appreciate British humor, though sometimes I am left just shaking my head in bewilderment. What really struck me as "funny" was the fact that for a couple of minutes on this episode last night, there was a conversation taking place almost entirely in French. I'm not sure which is funnier...the fact that I still remembered enough French from high school to understand the entire conversation OR the fact that I was actually laughing at what was taking place because it was funny! British humor in French...now that's classy! 

Oh, did I fail to mention that they were not translating the French conversation? That made me wonder just how many people in England speak/understand French. Later on in the same episode they had conversation in Russian. But they chose to translate the Russian. Which is good for me because I know VERY LITTLE Russian. I learned how to say a couple of phrases while I was stationed in Korea...but nothing complicated.

I think the culmination of horrifics this week, however, was basically the whole day yesterday. While I won't bore you with all the little details, one story line from the day is worth noting. Our new (used) Mazda Tribute decided it didn't want to leave the house yesterday. It started just fine, but when I put it in reverse, it would not move. One wheel...ONE WHEEL...would not turn. My first thought was "did I leave my laptop bag under the wheel?" Yeah right...that would have crushed my laptop bag real quick! My next thought was "could someone have blocked the wheel or something as a gag?" I've seen more bizarre, so it wouldn't have surprised me. My next and final thought before checking to see what was in my way was "Oh my gosh! Is a CHILD under my truck???"

I was on my way home from work the other day and there were some kid's playing in the front of one of the yards. A ball inevitably flew into the street followed by an oblivious child followed by a parent stopping the child. I actually had seen it coming because of the circumstances, so I didn't even have to slam my break...I was already slowing down when it all happened.

Because of this experience, I couldn't help but wonder if somehow at 7:15 in the morning there was a child under my truck and THAT was keeping me from moving. I knew it was irrational, but I checked anyway. 

Thank God...no child under the truck.

I couldn't find ANY reason that the wheel would not turn. It was the passenger side rear wheel that was the culprit. I thought maybe it was the parking break stuck on that wheel somehow...I played with that...didn't fix it. I thought through a list of things to check try...breaks, 4-wheel drive, how about going in drive instead of reverse...NOTHING WORKED.

This vehicle did NOT want to move.

Throughout the course of the day, we called and scheduled a tow truck to come take it to the dealership for diagnostics...I wonder if Dr. Gregory House works as a mechanic too. It was going to be a while before the truck showed up...oh well, what can you do?

How about laugh...like a maniac...when they call to tell you that the tow truck got a flat tire! Not only did our truck not want to leave the driveway...it was now using its supernatural telekinetic abilities to flatten tires on tow trucks!

So they sent a different truck and it was going to be a while again...the tow truck finally showed up right as I was getting home from work (I drove a different vehicle). Apparently tow trucks aren't really set up to pull vehicles from the back. He chained onto the tow hitch on our Tribute and started to pull. It was his only option for pulling from the rear. 

I was concerned. I was afraid that during this maneuver to get the truck onto his tow truck, that rear wheel was either going to start turning again and I'd look like fool (but still send it to the shop because...well...duh!) OR the wheel was going to snap clean off. Neither happened. Our stubborn little Tribute fought the pulley every inch of the way onto the tow truck. But the driver of the tow truck emerged victorious.

I don't know the status of our truck now...I need to call the dealership. But a small fact maybe worthy of mentioning...

I'm NOT superstitious. I don't believe that numbers have some supernatural ability to cause good or bad "luck". It may be interesting to know, however, that our new (used) truck just got its new (new) license plates a few weeks back...and they contain a number that many would consider "unlucky".

Gotta be coincidence...