100,000 Miles Later

It took about seven and a half years for the odometer on my car to travel from a bank of zeroes to 100,000 miles. We've had a pretty nice relationship along the way. Sure, there have been times when I thought about what my next car might be. And yes, I've even built a few models online...but the truth is I really like my car and have yet to see another model that I like as much.

About two weeks ago the car started to sound a little sad. There was a rattling coming from somewhere and even though I could have easily turned up the music and ignored the noise I knew it was a cry that meant something. Kevin, my mechanic had a tough time diagnosing the issue. His first diagnosis was something called the serpentine belt "tensioner." That would be the coiled spring that gives the serpentine belt the proper tension. He replaced it sometime late yesterday afternoon, and yet the rattle remained. It was late, he was tired--too tired to re-diagnose--so the car stayed over night and I got to work by cab this morning. Fortunately, Kevin's second diagnosis was right...it was the water pump. Unfortunately, it was more expensive to fix.
One water pump, two new tires, an oil change, fluid flush plus a whole bunch of labor came out to about $1,1oo. Ouch.

No matter for now, as soon as I settled into the driver's seat and turned the key I was over it, because still I can't think of another car I really want right now.

Channel Surfing

I once heard Tom Hanks say that when channel surfing he will always take the time to stop and watch an Elvis Presley movie. I've actually only seen one Elvis movie, Viva Las Vegas, and I don't think I actually saw the entire thing. I probably wouldn't stop flipping to watch an Elvis movie but there are a few that I always stop for.

They are:
1. Doctor Zhivago
2. The Sound of Music
3. Out of Africa
4. Jaws
5. Castaway

Post-Op

I've spent the last two days dealing with the post-op effects of some vein surgery. Venous Reflux disease is more common in women than men and somewhat hereditary. Lucky me, I'm a woman with a genetic history of varicose veins.

Fortunately, the fix for this problem is pretty simple. It involves two days of out patient procedures followed by a few days in compression stockings. Sure, there will be a bit of bruising, but I'm thinking once all that clears up my legs will feel better than they have in years.

Nothing to Do

It was last Wednesday that I was granted an early dismissal from work. Tomorrow will be my first day working since then. I know a lot of people think that summer break is the biggest perk of teaching, but really it's the snow day. Summer break can get filled with commitments pretty quickly, and while I'm in no way complaining of those ten weeks off, I'm just saying the snow day has a whole other feel. A snow day is a day when those commitments one has (like work) get thrown to the wayside. Suddenly a gift of "nothing" is presented. Nothing- as in "no thing" on the day's schedule.

With my schedule cleared I was able to see a total of four movies and get in a little time at the gym. I did some laundry and even put the clean clothes away where they belong. I looked over a few new recipes and look forward to making some Tuscan Chicken soup later in the week.

All in all, I did a lot of nothing.

What's Playing?

Yesterday's storm started off as a bit of early morning snow. It was followed by a little bit of rain and gray skies. My favorite weather blog said the storm would return with a vengeance at 3:00pm. Even with all the weather facts available to me I was still shocked when the announcement came that school was closing two hours early. I walked through the cold mist to my car and headed for a matinee showing of The King's Speech.

The movie was delightful. I've always loved the Queen Mum, and seeing a little more of her life story made me love her just a little more.

I got to see another movie today thanks to the first snow day of the year.

An hour ago I was completely shocked to find out that school will be closed again tomorrow. Another movie? Why not.

Whatever Happened To?

I wrote about Frankie back in September. We got off to a rocky start but managed to forge a positive relationship in the end. I haven't had a problem with him since the binder incident back in the fall.

With the hype of the end of the football season there's been a good deal of sports talk in the classroom. I try my best to promote my hometown team, the Baltimore Ravens, to a group of mostly Steelers, Redskins, and Dallas fans. With very few Baltimore fans around I never count on much camaraderie. So, you can imagine my surprise and delight when Frankie confided that he would root for the Ravens. That was on Thursday before the big game. On Friday he came in wearing a purple shirt.

"Did you wear that for the Ravens?" I asked.

He smiled and nodded.

I smiled. So much has changed since September, and that's a good thing.

Small Talk

I was chatting with one of the secretaries in the main office on Friday when I asked if she remembered the inauguration of John F. Kennedy 50 years ago. She recalled that she was in high school at the time. We chatted a bit about the passing of time and I walked around the corner to use the copier.

I turned to find the secretary standing beside me.

"You know, I was in college when he was shot. I never thought that bad things like that happened, it was then that I lost my innocence. Nothing bad had ever happened to me...until then."

Clearly, what started as small talk was not so small after all.