Auto-Neurotic

I was supposed to be back in NJ all this week, but I just found out that it's only for today. you've no idea what a weight that is off my mind. The last thing I want to be doing is driving out to West Armpit (ie. The land that Starbucks forgot), with the car in its current state: dangling precariously on the brink of death.
Ok maybe I'm exaggerating slightly, but true to form, I have absolutely no clue when it comes to the inner workings of a car. My concept of automotive mechanics is sketchy at best. I can fill my gas tank (when I remember) and replace the windshield wiper fluid. That's it. In all honesty, had Stephen not told me there was something wrong with the car, I'd have no idea. Who knew that a car isn't supposed to shake and tremble, like Katherine Hepburn, when you hit 63 mph? Certainly not i.

Having once-upon-a-time (in a suburb far far away) been straight-ish (yup, he dated girls, folks), stephen has some possible diagnoses for what's causing the Kate-like tremors (something about the spark plugs or the transmission or something, I dunno). Now, I know that tranny trouble (hee hee) is pricey, so that kinda made me balk and I'm really not sure what the spark plugs do, so I don't know if they're a major expense (I don't think so). On the way home from our nephew's christening, in long island, stephen starts asking me if I'm prepared for when car breaks down.

Whoa whoa whoa...First off: Who knew that was an option? Secondly: waddaya MEAN "when"...how about "IF"? now, as I've mentioned I was a Boy Scout, so I am actually prepared for many eventualities: I always have an umbrella, my cell is always charged, and there's an emergency $20 in my car. my bag is a bottomless pit of curiosities which include matches, chopsticks, a impossibly small stapler and a sewing kit. I've got lip balm, a mini mirror from the Met, and a small box of toothpicks from our 2nd date. In my wallet I've got a Swiss Army card with scissors, tweezers, a knife and pen. Trust me I'm prepared. I just didn't want to hear that I needed to be prepared for something. the last thing I need to think of is that I'll be flying down Rt 78, belting out a Bjork tune (you should hear my Icelandic accent), and suddenly find the car losing power. This is not a vision I need, nor is it one that I'm EMOTIONALLY prepared for. I'm not ready to deal with (having to deal with) my car breaking down in a foreign land. In my mind, everything is ok til it isn't. when it's not, I'll figure it out, I just don’t want to think about it till I have to. Call me irresponsible, but that's how I see it.

I'm glad I won't be returning here for the rest of the week. When I got in the car this morning I had an amazing amount of agita, over the idea that I wouldn't make it to Starbucks...i mean work. Tomorrow, I'll hop on the express bus. If it breaks down, another one will be right behind it to carry my irresponsible ass to Manhattan where it'll hop on the 1st F train it comes across.