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Weird night last night.
I couldn't sleep, so I went in to do my papers early. Not having slept, I was really tired, so I stopped at the gas station and got two cups of coffee. Working keeps me awake while long drives put me to sleep, so I went first to the farthest, most dangerous part of the route. That way, I was most awake on the worst part and had a break from driving every 5 minutes or so to do another part of the route. I'd end up only 20 minutes from home instead of 40 - less chance of dozing off.
So I stopped at the first place and did 3 papers, then headed for the next. It's a big guesthouse with a big ranch entry just off a winding mountain road. There's a wide shoulder and a lot of pavement there, so I can pull off and put the paper in the box and still be 2-3 feet off the road -- nice.
But there was somebody already there, waving a light. As I pulled up (slowly), I could see that he was young and fairly scrawny (i.e., I could probably take him if need be) and had a dog in the car, which was scraped and dented down the side. He'd been driving to his mom's house for the night after getting kicked out by his grandma, dozed off, went in a ditch, scraped up his grandma's car, and popped the right front tire. There was no place to pull over, so he drove to this wide spot, shredding the tire. This stretch is a cell dead zone. The people at the guest house wouldn't answer, so he flagged me down. He had a spare but no jack, so asked if I had a jack.
I did, and we dug it out. I turned around so my headlights lit up the tire and he could change it, and we chatted while he worked. One lug nut was stuck, so I got some WD-40 from the trunk and sprayed it, let it soak while he broke the others loose. It came loose after that.
When I heard he dozed off, I asked if he wanted coffee, because I had two cups. He kind of goggled at me and asked, "Are you an angel?" I got him the other cup of coffee, so we were all happy except for Chewie, his dog. I had no treats for Chewie.
We talked about all the coincidences that led to me being there, because I'd normally hit that stretch about 4 am instead of 1 am, and not with spare coffee. And the biggest miracle is - we both decided it was coincidence, not some sort of Providence.
I also noticed as I walked around my own car that I had no tail lights and, when I got back in to drive off, no dash lights. So I knew that heading out to do the route, and kept touching my brake pedal if somebody was behind me. The Internet says it's a common problem with my car, so I'm going out to look for a short in the trunk hatch, and to put my spare and jack back together.
So, fun night. Merry Christmas, B. and Chewie! Hope you didn't catch too much s$+& about gran's car.
Got new glasses today. Now comes the awkward walking and slamming into things adjustment period.
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So another birthday, come and gone... Oh well.
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Hello!
I wanted to let you know I'm doing my Christmas giveaway thing again this year.
I'm in!
Happy Holidays are finally here baby! The Christmas Badger is back! ;)
Even though it was made in the 70s, I'm almost certain that I was forced to watch this on VHS when I was in grade school during the 90s.
And they say it's tough to get funding for your movie in Hollywood.
Fortunately, I have no memory of that thing at all. At least, I didn't until I watched that link.
Thank you, Dave.
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Hello!
I wanted to let you know I'm doing my Christmas giveaway thing again this year.
I'm in!
Happy Holidays are finally here baby! The Christmas Badger is back! ;)
♪♫ Deck the hall with bloody faces, ♫♪
♪♫ Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la la la, ♫♪♫♪ See how festive now this place is, ♫♪
♪♫ Claw-claw-claw-claw-claw, claw-claw claw claw. ♫♪
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
Can't find the short in my cheap car's electrical system and don't have enough money to get it repaired, so I have to drive the expensive car until payday Friday. That means I need to deposit my emergency cash to buy gas.
It's one of the many traps of poverty. Truly, being poor is expensive!
Preach it sister!
I am a huge booster of the public transportation system now. Cars are such a ridiculous expense. We need to work on our rail infrastructure. It is a shame how we destroyed it this past century
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I think automated vehicles are more likely to be the focus of future efforts myself.
It's one of the many traps of poverty. Truly, being poor is expensive!
Blergh, know the feeling. Just got my own car back from the shop last week after dropping $500 for a faulty fuel pump. And that's just the latest in a two years and counting saga of things going wrong with my car.
Got new glasses today. Now comes the awkward walking and slamming into things adjustment period.
Stairs are always my biggest challenge with new glasses. It's like trying to walk looking through wrong-way binoculars.
Blergh, know the feeling. Just got my own car back from the shop last week after dropping $500 for a faulty fuel pump. And that's just the latest in a two years and counting saga of things going wrong with my car.
It's one of the many traps of poverty. Truly, being poor is expensive!
Yeah, I would love to use either public transportation or just hire a car when needed. I am really looking forward to automated solutions for my mom, who can still drive but is approaching that point where she probably shouldn't. I think automated vehicles will give the elderly a freedom they don't have right now.
Now that I think about it, it's a sad commentary on people that I feel better about the idea of Mom in an automated vehicle than in one driven by a stranger. :/
Preach it sister!
I am a huge booster of the public transportation system now. Cars are such a ridiculous expense. We need to work on our rail infrastructure. It is a shame how we destroyed it this past century
Streetcars were boss! I can't understand why they discontinued them.
My main issue with public transit is not being able to move on my own schedule.
8 years if using Phoenix's bus system and I didn't realize how much I wanted that until I got a car of my own.
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I would love public transit, but I'm in rural Kansas. I don't see there being much infrastructure investment happening there.
I do miss Des Moines. Easy bus access from my college campus, and I could get to most places without too much trouble.
Yeah that's the other issue. There IS public transit in Chattanooga, but it doesn't come close enough to my home to be practical and doesn't go anywhere I need to regularly go.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Hello!
I wanted to let you know I'm doing my Christmas giveaway thing again this year.
I'm in!
Happy Holidays are finally here baby! The Christmas Badger is back! ;)
♪♫ Deck the hall with bloody faces, ♫♪
♪♫ Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la la la, ♫♪
♫♪ See how festive now this place is, ♫♪
♪♫ Claw-claw-claw-claw-claw, claw-claw claw claw. ♫♪
<3
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Hello!
I wanted to let you know I'm doing my Christmas giveaway thing again this year.
Yay! Honey Badger DO care!
Can't find the short in my cheap car's electrical system and don't have enough money to get it repaired, so I have to drive the expensive car until payday Friday. That means I need to deposit my emergency cash to buy gas.
It's one of the many traps of poverty. Truly, being poor is expensive!
Absolute truth.
Being poor sucks. I'd much rather be a zombie.
Though my paladin side tells me I should help the poor, the sick and the needy.
Also it tells me to sing loudly all the great Christmas carols I know from December 1st to January 6th. Which I do...just not ever single second of the day.
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Being poor sucks indeed. My paladin side says the same thing, and when I have an extra dollar I'll give it to a homeless person or to a charity. And if could sing I'd be right there with you on the caroling.
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I murdered my paladin side in a back alley years ago.
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I murdered my paladin side in a back alley years ago.
That's the spirit, bud! Go on and give 'er!
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I'm not a paladin yet and possibly never will be.
I have the Lawful bit down pat. The Good part on the other hand is more difficult.
I'm not a paladin yet and possibly never will be.
I have the Lawful bit down pat. The Good part on the other hand is more difficult.
Don't worry, you can still be a paladin if you're using the D&D 5e rules.
Don't worry, you can still be a paladin if you're using the D&D 5e rules.I'm not a paladin yet and possibly never will be.
I have the Lawful bit down pat. The Good part on the other hand is more difficult.
I'm not. ^_^ As I said in other threads, I've poured too much time and money into 3e/PF and have too little free time on my hands nowadays that isn't already claimed by something else to dedicate the time needed to learn a new system (or unlearn a current one), no matter how "simplified" it is.
That said I have found or converted many available archetypes for alternative-alignment Anti/Paladins so there are options, though usually not for Neutral alignments on the Good/Evil scale.
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David,
I can't murder my paladin side. It's keeping the Death Cultist of Orcus in check...
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I murdered my paladin side in a back alley years ago.
Dude. So uncool. You know how much resurrections cost? I had to finance a loan with the Vatican Bank. You know what APR they want? Usurious!!
Ahh, I forgive you, ya big lug.
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
Don't worry, you can still be a paladin if you're using the D&D 5e rules.I'm not a paladin yet and possibly never will be.
I have the Lawful bit down pat. The Good part on the other hand is more difficult.
I'm not. ^_^ As I said in other threads, I've poured too much time and money into 3e/PF and have too little free time on my hands nowadays that isn't already claimed by something else to dedicate the time needed to learn a new system (or unlearn a current one), no matter how "simplified" it is.
That said I have found or converted many available archetypes for alternative-alignment Anti/Paladins so there are options, though usually not for Neutral alignments on the Good/Evil scale.
Those are the exact reasons my group and I didn't try 4e and still haven't laid eyes on 5e. We've decided that PF will be the game we "retire" from someday.
Well, my day turned to complete, steaming crap in a hurry. I went out to get the frames of my new glasses adjusted so the fit would be better and had one other stop to make and finish my Christmas shopping. I was in the store maybe 20 minutes and when I came back outside I had a flat tire. And a flat spare. I managed to get a ride home but being physically unable to take the tire off myself it will be tomorrow before I can get help to do that. Then I have to go buy new tires all around. When I told my wife about it she said, "Well, I guess you'll be getting your Christmas present early". Not what I had hoped for for Christmas at all, but they are a necessity.
What a rotten day.
Thanks, John. I'm crossing my digits.
>.<
Car trouble is physically incapable of happening at anything resembling a convenient time, isn't it?
I probably didn't mention that my truck died a week or so ago, did I? 1700 minimum to maybe fix it.
damn.
Yeah, I slid backwards last night into a cliff face and wrecked my bumper. Sad thing is, it will probably cost about 4 paychecks for that route to fix - 4 gross, not 4 net. More like 8 net. 4 months.
Cars suck. At least the vehicle is still driveable, because the other one is sidelined for night driving until next week.
Thankfully, me and Cyz are both gainfully employed, so maybe we can afford a car payment. Or we find el cheapo to get around with until finances are better.
Donate it to NPR and get a tax credit and get a cheapo to drive for now?
S#+&.
I'm sorry Treppa...
Preach it sister!
I am a huge booster of the public transportation system now. Cars are such a ridiculous expense. We need to work on our rail infrastructure. It is a shame how we destroyed it this past century
Streetcars were boss! I can't understand why they discontinued them.
** spoiler omitted **
To promote the sale of cars and fossil fuels. There are documentaries on that (or so I've been told, have not had time to track them down).
I'd believe it. It wouldn't be the last time that was the purpose of a similar scheme.