Yo La Tengo

I Should Have Known Better

Yo La Tengo – I Should Have Known Better

Yesterday I took my car in to have the brakes looked at since they had been feeling spongey. I had read that somewhere and it seemed to fit the way they felt but I don’t know if that’s a real thing car people say. They took off the wheels assessed the situation and said, the rear brakes need new shoes, drums, pads, but mostly the cylinders were leaking and it should all be replaced. $600. What are you going to do, say no, put the wheels back on, charge me $100+ for the time and then what? So I spent $600 and headed home in the evening feeling like I had done a good thing and had put myself and the car in better shape for the winter.

Hahaha! My car decided that those new brakes were just the opening act. About 2/3 of the way home the battery warning light came on. I managed to get home and backed the car into the driveway so we could come have AAA take a look in the morning. They came, looked, and said, you need a new alternator. But also, your battery is a mess and has a bad cell and you should replace it. I had specifically asked for them to send someone with a battery in hopes of that solving the problem but it did not. The AAA driver wasn’t in a tow truck so I couldn’t have it towed, but as the battery needed to be replaced, I told him to go ahead and install it. Consensus from the repair shops I called around was that I shouldn’t try to drive it to them, have it towed.

So now I’ve spent $800 on a car that still isn’t driveable. And it’s likely at least another $600 for the alternator. At this point I need to spend the money on the alternator to get my money’s worth on the previous two fixes. Did I mention it’s got 215,000 miles? It is a Toyota but still. Argh!

And there’s a show on Saturday that I have a ticket for and I’ve been looking forward to it. There is no reselling this ticket since it’s a small independent theater. That money was spent months ago but why not add it to the tally?😵‍💫

I just can’t help but feel like every decision I make when it comes to cars is the wrong one. Then I become paralyzed and don’t want to do anything because inevitably I will have made the wrong choice. I wanted to sell my husband’s car to CarMax or someplace, then get something with fewer miles on it for me to drive and let him have my car. But he felt like it could limp along a while longer. Until the serpentine belt broke a few weeks ago and it turned out it also needed a new compressor. $900.

Wish me luck. I am really not looking forward to blowing more money here but I also think I have run out of options.

Nothing to Hide

Yo La Tengo – Nothing to Hide

And another thing. It doesn’t matter if Zelensky never caved to Trump’s demands or that the aid finally went to Ukraine, months late and only after the whistleblower came forward. Just because you are unsuccessful in your illegal behavior doesn’t mean it wasn’t illegal.

Ohm

Yo La Tengo – Ohm

My daughter asked me to help her with her math homework tonight. I’m sure I learned what she’s studying at some point but I have only the faintest clue how to go about solving these equations and the way I was taught is probably not how they teach it now.

It’s hard to counsel kids about advanced math subjects when you have forgotten all of it yourself. I often think it’s sending the wrong message for me to even try because I run the risk of admitting that it’s something I had to memorize for a test, promptly forgot, and have never needed again. This kind of math problem is more my speed.

Today is the Day

Yo La Tengo – Today is the Day

It was snowing as I drove to work this morning. Of course it was. I was driving in the snow, making do with my phone-streaming-Bluetooth combo which was playing some ok music but not exactly what I want, and suddenly I thought, that’s it. I give up. You win, winter, you win.

My eyes stung. A heaviness came over me. It’s like I can feel the weight of all the snow, dragging me down. It’s cumulative, you know? If it could just melt a little in between storms, maybe it wouldn’t be so bad. If it could be even close to an above freezing temperature on the rare occasions when the sun does make an appearance. I’m not asking for a lot. Sure, I want the snow to be completely gone, but I’d settle for a day that’s 35°F and sunny.

I can’t go away. I can’t quit winter. I just have to live with it. Today is the day it got the better of me. You defeated me, winter. You made me cry. Are you happy? Is that what you wanted?

Autumn Sweater

Yo La Tengo – Autumn Sweater

Yesterday I wore shorts and a sleeveless shirt. It was a little chilly in the shade or when the wind blew, I was definitely pushing it but in the house it felt fine. This evening I walked downtown around 6:30pm. Brisk. Sweater weather has arrived.

I saw Yo La Tengo at the old Knitting Factory, back when it was a hole in the wall down on Houston St. with sweaters stapled to the ceiling. I had convinced one of my sisters and her friend to come along by playing Fakebook for them. It’s a great album but doesn’t really hint at their noisier side (like “Mushroom Cloud of Hiss” which they played that night). I ended up losing them in the crowd and found them seeking refuge at the bar later. I think that’s the last time I convinced my sister to see a show with me.

(Source: http://www.youtube.com/)