Not Much of a Day

I got up early and took the car to the shop.  The hyperactive, screaming child and shrieking care-giver required by state law to be in all public waiting rooms were already there when I arrived, and the care-giver (a grandmother, I think) was telling anybody who would listen about how she was trying to get custody from the child's mother, a person no better than she ought to be, a real drunk tramp who wouldn't sign the adoption papers.  There was one other woman in the room who was listening with that sort of polite, pained smile on her face, arms crossed over her chest, nodding and staring at the door like at any moment her salvation was going to walk through it and get her out of there.  As soon as I sat down, I took out my iPod, popped in my earphones, and let music carry me away from the combination of early morning drama and too loud TV.  I think the care-giver was offended that I didn't want to hear her rant.  Oopsie.

I didn't have long to wait before the manager of the Quick Lube came in to tell me that they'd finished their check of the charging system and that he had both good and bad news.  The good news is that there was a problem; the bad is that it might be the alternator.  (If you don't understand why the fact that they found a problem is good news, then you've never had a vehicle that goes dead randomly or does weird crap and the dealership can't find it with their diagnostic equipment.  Just wait.  Your day will come.  I've had loads of experience with that particular load of joy courtesy of the Evil Jeep.)  He told me to drive across the lot over to the Service Center, and so away I went.

I don't know how long it's going to take to get it fixed.  I sat in the Service Center waiting area for about an hour and a half waiting on somebody to pick me up since the car will probably need parts and/or take several days to repair, especially if it's the alternator, and I got some reading done.  I don't know what this means for me getting to Louisville Friday.  Clearly I'm still going, but in what vehicle remains to be seen.  I did so try to take care of this last month so there wouldn't be this nailbiting "will it/won't it" issue hovering, but to take one of my favorite lines of poetry, "the best laid plans of mice and men"....

I did get to see the cute mechanic today.  That was sort of the highlight of a day without them.  He's cut his hair short, but other than that, he was still awesome.  Still blue-eyed (which I must admit I sort of tend to have a thing for), still same good sense of humor, still same cute tats.  It's not that there was any lasting or meaningful conversation, mind you, it was just nice to have the general cruddiness of the day broken up by somebody cute and clever.

As far as temporary transportation goes, I do have a vehicle, one of the trucks, to drive, but I guess I won't really be going anywhere big until I get my car back.  The trucks aren't exactly what you'd call fuel-efficient or road-worthy for long hauls anymore, so I'm sort of trapped at home.  That might be okay, though.  Maybe I need to rest up and clean house.  It's just...frustrating.