the sprout dies, and is reborn!

for the four people who read this blog who i don't talk to on a regular basis - my car broke down on monday. it was horrible. and by horrible, i mean - it's already over and done with, but here is the story.

monday was hot. not as hot as tuesday, but pretty hot. so allie and i decide we're going to have boston market for dinner because it's entirely too hot to cook (also we are entirely too lazy). we get in the car (top down) at around 755, make it to boston market and then back onto 110 going north to get back to our house. i make the right turn onto the ramp for 109 and BAM! i lose my power steering. but i think for a moment, "that's ok, the volkswagen didn't have power steering, i can do this.." until i try to step on the gas, and find that nothing is registering. FUN. i pull over as best i can and call my insurance company. being the cheapass i am, i didn't get roadside assistance, so i'll have to pay for my tow out of pocket. fine. whatever. the tow guy finally comes (after only about a half hour of waiting) and puts my baby (the sprout, as jessica has dubbed it) on the truck and brings me to his uncles shop.

i took a personal day on tuesday to mourn what could have been the loss of the sprout and to deal with making obsessive calls to the mechanic shop all day. OF COURSE i take the hottest day of the year off. when there's nothing good on tv (except for the 8 hours of kathy griffin - my life on the dlist that i watched).

the mechanic calls at 430, gives me a REALLY sweet deal (only 130 bucks) and says i can get my car anytime until 8, when they close. awesome.

turns out something with the fuel pump and a firewall and blowing a fuse and i'm bad with cars so i forget. but my car runs more awesome than it did before, and i feel like it's getting better gas mileage. possible? maybe.

but that's not the best/worst part of it all. oh no. the worst part was that on my way home from the mechanic shop (about two miles from my house) I HIT A BIRD.

to be fair, the bird tried to attempt take-off while underneath my moving car, and was killed. BUT I FACILITATED IN THE DEATH OF AN ANIMAL. it's horrible. when i looked back after hearing the thunk, all i could see was a shower of feathers. i'm trying to help myself feel better by saying that the bird had a death wish, and maybe a terminal illness, and that i played the kevorkian in his assisted suicide...but really, i killed a bird!

i'll still be trying to get over it when i see LISA tonight at the KNITTING FACTORY. she goes on at 730 with the Orchid Thieves. and if you're around, enjoy good "americana" music (knitting factory's words, not mine) and have 5 bucks...you should come by.