Scraps from the kitchen table

Yes, it's time for some more random food for thought at the breakfast table. Freckles, come and get it...
My good car-ma has turned sour. In August I shelled out a few thousand dollars in 10 days on my car and Matt's. Then a few weeks later, it turned out my car had not really been fixed. The problems were deeper, more sinister, more...expensive. It was time to give up Mr. '96 Cirrus as an organ donor for other cars who still have a chance at a full, productive life.

Since then, I've been on a hunt for that proverbial "good second car". The one I drive to work, that doesn't matter if it breaks down on the highway cause men can handle themselves in life threatening situations; e.g. car broken down on 4 lane interstate where people are not the least interested that your fan belt went out, you're just blocking traffic.

So, I find that a neighbor down the street has a Toyota Camry for sale at a really good price. I test drive it. Pretty nice. I think I've got a winner, until yesterday. While driving it to a garage to have it checked, a noise starts up. It gets louder as the mechanic takes it for a (very short) test drive. The water pump is going out. How is that? I take a perfectly healthy car for a 10 minute drive to the doctor for a check up, and it gets sick on the way. Corky the Mechanic says to stay away, this probably has more ills where that came from. I am going back to bicycling.

I just imagined myself pulling up to the airport on a bicycle with a luggage rack. That would be fun someday just to see people stare. "Sir, where is the long term bicycle parking lot?"

Speaking of stuff that doesn't work, the laptop I'm working on is a Sony. I've had it for 3.5 years, after my other one was stolen. I love this one. It works great, though its a little slow now. Tired I think. When I turn it on its side, a piece of loose metal on the inside can be heard sliding down the inside casing (that can't be a good sign).

The funny thing is that the wireless connection has worked around the world except one place. And in that one place, whenever I turn on the wireless, the computer screen quickly flashes a message that literally fills the whole screen with various messages of impending doom for my computer, and then it just shuts down. Where is this place? Ahh, The Tokyo Airport, specifically United's lounge, the Red Carpet Club. Everyone around me is steadfastly working on their computers, doing work, sending messages to loved ones about how soon they will be home, etc. and I'm shutting down.

Irony: the only place my Sony will not work is Japan. I think it should work better there. It's home. Visiting its birthplace. Roots. All that. But it just collapses in a heap. Perhaps its just too emotional of a moment. Having been separated from its homeland to live with me, and my broken cars, in Florida. I can understand.

Okay Freckles, we're all out of scraps. Stop begging and go lay down.