We met our friend, Jim, for lunch today at Flavors, an Indian restaurant in Addison. While I enjoyed the food, it wasn’t exceptional like it was the last visit. But I am not one to complain about an Indian buffet from which I left stuffed, after two trips through the buffet line.
After bidding good day to Jim, we headed to All Star Automotive, the shop we’ve been using for car maintenance and repair for quite a while. I’d felt and heard thuds from the front of the car at slow speeds and I guessed the beast might have a broken motor mount (having experienced similar thuds before, which were fixed with a new motor mount). We asked for a diagnosis. Sure enough, I was right, but it wasn’t just one, it was two, the front and back mounts.
Motor Mount
Back in the real world USA, the cost to repair two broken engine mounts in our aging Camry will be $575. The parts, alone, will $181 for each one. So, tomorrow morning I will drop it off and will either walk or take the bus home. I could have my wife drop it off and I could pick her up in the beater truck, but I’d just rather pretend I lived in the real world, where not every couple has two cars.
Some people who know I could buy a new car for cash, if I chose to, think I’m odd for preferring to drive cars into the ground. I don’t mind being thought of as odd, though; one of the reasons I have the wherewithal to buy a new one is that I have opted not to trade vehicles frequently. My rule is that a car should be kept for at least 12 years, and preferably longer. An exception to my “rule” was my purchase of a Honda Pilot that I kept for only two years. That purchase helped, I hope, cure me of SUV fever; it was not at all a bad vehicle, but it’s mileage was atrocious in comparison to the cars I’m used to and its maneuverability left a lot to be desired.
There’s a lot more on my mind, but it simply won’t make its way to my fingers at the moment. Maybe if I focus on reading A Briefer History of Time (Stephen Hawking with Leonard Mlodinow), which my brother gave me a few days ago, my mind will be more cooperative with my fingers. We shall see.
I just recalled a conversation that took place on our way home from All Star Automotive…about time. The conversation started when I mentioned the name of a subdivision as we were driving by it: Reflections. I thought it an odd name for a subdivision. I commented that I would have far better names for subdivisions, were I developing them. For example, I said, I might name a subdivision The Past or The Future. People who lived in those places could have fun by telling strangers, “I live in The Past,” or “I live in The Future.” At the time, I thought it hilariously funny. Now, I’m not laughing as hard. Could I have regressed back to 8th grade for just a few minutes during the drive home?
