I think I might be psychic, ok, maybe they are more like premonitions. I had been having a feeling for awhile that something was going to go wrong with my car this past week. Though I suppose you can't consider it supernatural when I've ignored 3 (maybe 4) issues that I knew needed attention for awhile, some might say it was just a matter of time and not due to any special skills I may possess, I'm still gonna tell people I'm a little bit psych though.
Anyway, so Thursday morning I make my way to my car, unbeknownst to me however my car had spent the night thinking of ways to sabotage me, and it came up with a perfect plan. I put the key in the ignition and turn - that's when I hear the telltale click-click-click, which is basically your car saying fuck you in rapid repetition. "Fine", I say to myself/car, "I'll get to work on my own", which I do (that part is not really entertaining so I'm gonna skip it). I spend most the of the day thinking about how I need to make arrangements with AAA and discussing the possible benefits of offering to get a little naked while the dude is fixing my car (just kidding! just kidding! I would never do that...).
Fast forward to 6:30pm - I am sitting on my steps awaiting my saviour/Armenian mechanic from AAA. He arrives and I lead him into my parking garage where my wayward car has been sitting in timeout all day. I fill out some paper work and pop the hood. He (I'm bad with names so let's just call him Armin, I remember it started with an 'a'), so Armin takes one look at my battery and says 'Jesus, well there is no doubt the battery is dead', it is totally corroded, which I have known about, me "yeah, I've known it needed to be replaced for awhile, oops", Armin just glares, he clearly does not take battery maintenance lightly. "How old is this battery?" he asks, "Well, I've had the car for 3 years, but before that I'm not sure", Armin responds with a disapproving "I see". He pulls the battery out, scrapes off some corrosion so he can check the date, "this battery is 7 years old", me "wow really!". Now I'm kinda impressed with my battery's ability to really stick it out, I feel I really got my monies worth. Armin, "You know batteries are only supposed to last 3-4 years", "yeah, I've heard that. I'm pretty impressed", Armin does not respond but gives me a look that lets me know he does not share my sentiment. Some people just don't appreciated things that are built to last.
I pay (let's not even go there), fill out more forms, get a number of additional disapproving looks from Armin and then he is off and my car is back to running again. I realize I am not a good car owner, though I do think I have a bit more knowledge then some about the workings of a car (thanks to a father who was always fixing the family cars), I just don't like cars (don't worry my car won't be reading this, he does not know how to use the internet). I hate pouring money into them, I hate that they break and leave me stranded, I hate that in LA I'm suppose to care that my car is dirty and over a decade old. I am not one who understands the joy of car ownership and for that reason I often, knowingly, neglect my car. Sure, if I had a lot of money I bet he would be in tip top shape but when I have to choose between car upkeep and, hell anything else, I'm probably not going to choose my car, that is until it won't start, then I'm all over it.
