AAAAaaaaaaahhhhhHHHH

Remember how I was looking forward to having a thought beyond, "AaaaaahhhhhHHHHH"?  

Well, today, our car broke down.

I'd finished dropping off everyone, decided to stop at Claddaugh on 7th, and then... somewhere on the way up St. Clair, right after where there's a community garden, the car started to seem to have trouble getting up the hill.  I had to give it more and more gas to get it to go.  I stopped to see what was going on, and also because there was a gaggle of turkeys walking around and I wanted to watch them for a bit.  Then when I tried to get going again it was all sputter and kick and knock and WTF.  

So I pulled over again and tried to take a look.  All I really know to do is check for gas (filled yesterday) and oil.  I thought the oil looked kind of low, so I hiked over to Randolph to the BP gas station there and bought a couple of containers of oil.  I put them in.  Hoped for the best.

Still no joy.

But the car ran.  So limped it home and called Triple-A from the warmth and safety of my house.  Then, I set about calling the car repair people and letting Mason and Shawn know about alternative plans for getting home.  (Mason will catch a ride with a friend; Shawn has a transit pass.)  So, it sucks and is inconvenient, but it's not the end of the world.

Yeah, yeah, it's probably time for a new one.  I know.  But, this is the great conundrum of the poor/not-so-well off.  It's exponentially more expensive to buy a new (or even new used) car than it is to continue to get it fixed.  True, true, I've probably spent the cost of a new/new-used car on repairs for this one, BUT, thing is, we're talking about a hundred bucks here or two hundred there.  I've actually got that to spare, whereas I don't have a thousand extra bucks of month to spend on a new car payment.  Right now, I pay zero a month for the car.  Our insurance is pretty low, too, since I only insure against collision.

In other news, my shoulder still hurts.  I guess it's probably recovering because I do feel like my ARGHWHATWHY moments are shorter in the morning and it gets to a dull sort of ache a lot sooner.  But, wow, I have no patience for this.  I'm not used to having to wait to feel better.  (I know.  Your sympathy for me just dried up.  What can I say?  I was previously fairly indestructible and had a Wolverine style healing factor.)

My birthday month is starting out pretty poopy.  I hope this means that the ending will be somehow be the opposite.