Hombres,
This morning I made my way, even brighter and earlier than usual, to work. The weather, as I mentioned previously, sucked ass. It was just cold and damp enough to cover the entire state in a thin layer of ice, which was invisible to the naked eye as it coated the interstate. But since I have lived in Minnesota for nigh unto 20 years now, I know how these things work, and I was careful to consume my oatmeal while still traversing local streets on the way to and from the coffeeshop, and not on the freeway. I am safety-minded at all times, my friends. Near the airport, I saw a car facing the wrong way on the right-hand shoulder, probably having just spun out. The car approaching it seemed to not quite understand, and hit the brakes at the last second, doing a 360 and ending up parked directly behind the first car, also facing backwards. There was so much artistry to that maneuver, I had to wonder if it was intentional. Having almost reached the office in Maplewoodbury, I started to give thanks to the gods of shitty road conditions for allowing me to reach my intended destination. As I switched lanes to exit, I heard an unwelcome noise from the front end of Chico, and the various flashing and pinging noises my car makes when it’s displeased. It sounded like the front tire had blown, but the angry red battery light told me otherwise. I felt the familiar tug from the power steering going out as I propelled my newly-disabled vehicle directly into the poorly-marked handicapped spot in front of PDQ. Now, I might not be a certified mechanic (yet), but I do know car problems. So when I popped the hood, I could at least congratulate myself on the correct diagnosis: the drive belt was gone. Now, having had this replaced, together with the pulley that seized up and broke it, I know that the correct term is ‘serpentine belt’. And to think it only cost me $240 to learn that. Merry Xmas, Chico!Jenni