Green on the Inside

May the road rise to meet you. May the wind be always at your back. May the sun shine warm upon your face. And rains fall soft upon your fields. And until we meet again, May God hold you in the hollow of His hand. - Irish Blessing

Monday, March 27, 2006

Saying Goodbye


Last night I watched my uncle say goodbye to my grandfather. We were at the hospital, and my uncle was returning home after a relatively short visit that allowed my parents to take a vacation. I had to fight the tears that came as I watched and as my mother's eyes filled...we all knew that my uncle will never see his father again.

Last week, my grandfather had a mid-sized stroke (or a series of strokes) - he's weak, but his mind is still sharp and his speech is still good when he's not tired. We've all been preparing for his departure from this earth since he was diagnosed with lung cancer a few months ago, but until a few weeks ago, we actually had reason to believe he would be with us for another year or more. Not anymore. The doctor has given his best guess at 1-2 months. We all believe it's for the best, since my grandfather has almost certainly said a nightly prayer for the last few months, praying that he doesn't wake up. None of us want to say goodbye, but in many ways I think it will be easier to say goodbye than to see a formerly strong, independent, proud man lying in a hospital bed, not strong enough to even roll over on his side without help. And I know that nothing would make him happier than to join my grandmother in heaven.

Wednesday, March 22, 2006

The Misadventures of Vehicle Ownership


I got my car back on the 10th as planned, but sadly, that was not the end of things. As I pulled out of the body shop parking lot, I noticed that the ABS warning light was on and promptly turned around and went back, where they opined that it was probably just the sensor, and they couldn't fix it. So I took my car to the dealer the next morning, thinking I'd have it back in just a few short hours.

Amateur.

After spending all afternoon working on my car, the dealer had identified the problem but not the cause, so they were going to have to keep my car. What?! I've already been without my car 8 days, and now I have to wait until Monday?! Alas, they figured out the cause on Monday morning, but since my car is 9 years old, they had to order the parts...from Tennessee...which meant that I wasn't going to get my car back until the next day.

I picked up my car on Tuesday evening. Only to discover, after leaving the dealer, that the horn is not working. Well, it works, sort of, in that it makes a very quiet, useless, hollow, tin-canny sound. I have an appointment with the dealer for this Saturday. Let's hope the saga ends there.

Friday, March 10, 2006

When Life Gets in the Way (and Then Scares the Crap Out of You)


Well, it's been a month since my last post, and for that I am ashamed. But as the title indicates, life simply got in the way. You see, there was a trip to Tampa - a whirlwind trip that had me way from home for a mere 41 hours. And then came the flood of family for a week. Once all that was over, I was spent and simply had neither the energy nor the inclination to post. But I have returned with hopes of greater consistency.

One week ago I had a big scare. It was raining last Friday as I headed for work. Halfway there I realized I'd forgotten the latte I had made at home to avoid the expense of the coffee cart at work. Work and home aren't far apart, so I jumped off the freeway to go back for my coffee...and that was the mistake. You see, I drive a small car, and it isn't particularly heavy. And I had plans to get 2 new tires the next day, as the tread was getting low. As I curved around the on-ramp, I felt the back tires slipping. Instinct (which, as my dad pointed out, is usually wrong) took over, and my attempts to keep/regain control of the car failed miserably. I spun out and ended up on/slightly over the concrete gore point. I'm guessing it's the concrete gore point that resulted in more than $700 in damage to my car, but I think it's also what saved my life by stopping the car so that I didn't continue to spin into rush hour traffic.

Physically, I'm fine. Not a single scratch or bruise, and for that I'm ever grateful. But I've been without my car now for 8 days, grateful for family and co-workers who have helped me avoid the extra expense of renting a car but very frustrated by the inconvenience of it.

I should get the car back tonight or tomorrow at the latest, but the rain has returned, and I am not relishing the thought of driving in it. Especially considering I had a similar incident just over 10 years ago - very lucky that time, too, escaping without injury or car damage. My next car will be heavier. And I'll be the "idiot" driving too slow for your taste whenever it rains.