My car was given the name Melchior by my kids and wife years ago.  When I first started driving it the name was the "red car" then I handed it over to my wife so as to reduce the mileage beating that it received daily and it became the kid transport car. Thus, how it acquired its name. 

Today Melchior has given me a day off.   At 264, 000 miles and about 10 years this has been a good reliable car and still fun to drive and it pulled me through that spin out a little while back quite nicely so I plan on keeping it as long as I can.  But today it is needing a little maintenance.


A while ago the car would shake when I would come in for a stop. It was sort of like the feeling when a jet is landing and the pilot throws the throttle into reverse and the plane shakes. Well that was the way I would come in for a landing at the exit ramps on my commute and when my kids started saying "wooo".   So I took it in and the rotors were warped.  They could try to grind them down to stop the shake and it did work for a couple of months. But not so long ago  the unmistakable noise of pending brake doom (crunch) (skreeh) started to appear and a continuous ticking noise, which my mechanic's wife just told me could be an indicator they put in there to get you to have your brakes looked at.. If it is, it's pretty smart because that was what made me finally pick up the phone to make an appointment.  Of course this hs been on the to do list for weeks but so has taking lunch brakes, and I'm not too good at that either. 

So Melchior is in the garage which is the halfway mark of one of my 5  mile run routes. So I dropped it off and ran home to a low key day of not checking work email or message and just clearing up accumulated shit with a good amount of idleness thrown in for good measure.  Since I am car-less my options are limited which is actually quite fine.  

It appears that the rain has subsided for the moment. I think everyone in the northeast has had enough of it. I went out on the river kayaking last weekend and it was the first time ever I didn't feel entirely comfortable. The river was very high and the current very strong, making it a more strenuous workout at least going up stream and then coming back was about a third of a time and coming in to the shore more precarious than I have ever experienced.  I am not a fan of dunking, unless it is a hot summer day and all the electronics are packed and secure.  But obviously it worked out fine or the story would be longer.

Time to hit the garden and do some quick weeding.

 

So a little rant here that may not stay up for long but I can get it off me for a bit.
A couple very strange things have happened to me over the last couple of weeks. I sat in a meeting last week called because of the ongoing crisis of the week and as the meeting proceeded I and the job I do was being talked about as if i wasn't even in the room. Bizarre beyond the least and a little unnerving. How can people be as insensitive and totally clueless. I was so taken aback that I didn't know even how to respond and I think the person leading the meeting, well I won't say what I think about that person but my perspective of where I fit in or if, has changed dramatically. There is a follow up meeting Monday, oh joy.

The week before I was traveling home on a very very rainy night. Driving at the speed of the regular traffic in the passing lane when the car did a 180 bounced against the center guardrail and then did a reverse 180. I think I was stopped but I quickly engaged and pushed on the gas and moved forward fine. I realized that while things were thrown all over the car the air bags were still unengaged and as I built up speed the car could drive fine.  I had no idea what the outside of the car looked like and assumed that it was near totaled from the hit and couldn't understand how it could still ride. I moved over to the lane and straddled the breakdown lane for miles not knowing if the car would break down any minute. It didn't. Finally getting out at a pull-off several miles later in the continuing downpour I see that there is a big bumper scrape on the front and one on the back and the back trunk panel banged in a little and that was about it. Obviously I had hydroplaned through this whole movement but the car was basically fine as was I. Needless to say I was rattled and all sorts of thoughts ran through my mind such as, if that guardrail hadn't been there I'd probably be upside down in the center ditch, do I report my self to the cops in case someone who saw this call them. Do I call the insurance company? The rest of the ride home was surreal.

I just came home and did nothing, said nothing, banged the trunk panel out mostly and cleaned the mess in the car.  

So when you have an even like I did driving and then have to go through what I described at the beginning, some life realities and what is really important start to seep in.

Time for some changes.