A Horribubble, Awrful, Very Bad Day

I WAS going to do something crafty last night, but it didn't happen. Then today was so SUKKY that when I finally got home, I failed to find the energy to do anything but mope and feel sorry for my lot in life, and ... OH, LOOK, it's too late now to get started, anyway

Sukky? Yeah. On the way into work today (within a few miles of work, thankfully!), the clutch in the Miata felt "different", and I realized it was all the way to the floor, and I was feeling no resistance. For those of you with manual transmissions, you know this is not a good thing. I made it to work, thanked my Mom for looking out for me once again, went to my desk and called my mechanic.

My mechanic should be sainted, he takes such good care of me. I am always afraid a noise = transmission ready to fall out, but he calms me down and usually finds a much less crisis-causing source of the rattle. So today was no different. Here's how the call went:

Me: Hi, yes, I'm fine, but the Miata: not so much.
He: What happened?
Me: The clutch hits the floor and it's really hard to shift. And the engine is racing like I have an automatic and it's in gear, but I'm supposed to be in neutral, so how can that happen? Do I need a new transmission?!?!?
He: Um, no, probably not. Do you need a tow to get it here?
Me: Nah, I'll drive. How's noon sound?
He: Great. Call me if you get stuck.

He is such a good man to put up with me.

So I left work around 11:45, headed up to the main drag (Wisconsin Ave in Chevy Chase, for you local types to get a flavor for my predicament), and within that first mile, my clutch foot hit the floor, and I could not get the car into any gear. I put on my flashers and coasted around the first corner to a side street, stopped, and thanked my Mom again.

Called the mechanic and told him I was going to be a little late.

Called my Roadside Assistance to arrange for the tow.

From this point my day went into the terlet. To cut down on what could be even more extensive whining, let's just say my vehicle was on a tow truck and on its way to the mechanic by 3:45. Yes, that's correct: 3:45. I sat on the side of that road for almost 4 hours.

I was under a nice shade tree, see*?


... and there was a nice breeze, and it really was a beautiful day:

But come on ... after 4 hours, I was hot. I was tired. I was hungry. I was getting angry. I was feeling helpless. I was realizing I would not get my car to the mechanic in time to have him LOOK at it much less FIX it today. AND, now I needed to arrange for a ride home AND a ride in to work tomorrow. #(*$*#(*)&@#)($&@#)(#)&*($

As I began the walk back to work, I stewed. I perspired. I got angrier. (Dogs get mad; people get angry. I know these things.) I treated myself to a frozen strawberry lemonade from Panera. I cooled off a little. I entered the building at work and thanked the heavens for inventing air conditioning. I arranged for a ride home & back in tomorrow. I ate 3465 pretzel sticks and washed them down with my frozen lemonade and called it a late lunch. I found out I probably get to take vacation time for my outage. I got NO work done. I felt like weeping.

5:05 pm, my mechanic calls and asks me to explain again what's wrong with my car. I told him. He told ME he got on the bed of the tow truck to check the fluids, and since they looked fine, he backed the car off the tow truck and took it for a spin. So what's MY problem?

*insert silence here* followed by a WHAT?!?!?! Yep, he even took her for ANOTHER spin, and she was still fine. Sigh.

I did not sit on the side of that road for 4 hours for there to be nothing wrong with my car! I DID NOT! So he's keeping her over night, and will try again tomorrow. (Heavy sigh.)

As my coworker and I walked towards his car for the drive home, and realized this is his car:

Sweeeeet! I got a ride home in that beauty. I smiled. HE smiled when he realized I qualified him for the HOV/carpool lane. We got home really fast. I was happy.

I get a ride back in to work tomorrow in that car. I wonder if I'm allowed to drink coffee in that car. Nah, I'd better not risk it.

So my energy has been sapped and I am too pooped to craft tonight. Let us pray that the mechanic finds out what's wrong and can fix it tomorrow. I know MY fingers are crossed.

Thanks for reading this far, and I really, really hope to have something crafty for you tomorrow.

Thanks for stopping by!

*No, that lovely yellow house is not mine. Yes, I covet that house, and I have for over 19 years. I could not afford to rent the porch on that house. I am not worthy to sit on the curb in front of that house. I was informed by the owner of that house (after she checked on me after about an hour to see if I was alright) that parking is severely and seriously enforced. Um, okay, I really do not want to be here, ma'am, and I'd move my car if I could. Well, the police could give me a ticket. Why, yes they could. At this point I kinda wished they had stopped by. Maybe they could have called for a tow truck.