holiday ennui and more bad carma
i have never had good luck with cars. accidents that totaled them (and almost me), terminally plagued CV boots, exhaust rebuilds (yes, plural) more axle and tie rod issues than i can count. through it all, i remain (pathetically) optimistic. after all, few if any of these issues have been within my control. i keep thinking - well surely now...this must be it - the car *has* to be happy after all of this. and they never are. after my major accident i went to spain and decided that the burro was a much more appropriate means of transportation for me. i entertained notions of walking my burro (seamus? orcchiette? accord?) to the village and gathering our groceries from the market. i may need to revist this option.
Tuesday afternoon after school i swung by the house to drop off my gear and take stock of my kitchen to see what i needed for my contribution to the thanskgiving feast we enjoyed at jenny & anson's. i got back into the car, started her up and was on my way. about 20 yards in, i heard and felt something very bad. it was a kerklunk. the car slipped out of gear and hitting the gas just yielded a miserable whinny, a cloud of smoke and a rev. i turned the car off, turned it back on again and it was fine. i went about my business at the store, gathering the daily production from an entire dairy and staggered out of the store with my packages. turned on the car, backed out, put it in first and nothing. well, not nothing, i was graced by the grinding braying sound and the ever helpful revving. in the middle of the packed lot. a nice guy helped me guide it into a space and then backed quickly away as he saw my face on the verge of crumple. i sat in the car weeping openly, freaked, tired, and totally overwhelmed. i pulled myself together, grabbed 40 pounds of dairy and walked home. i called rob who told me he'd be working late, so likely unable to help me get home from the body shop when i had it towed there. i called AAA and was dubiously promised that the dispatch would call me when the driver was 5 minutes away. when she did, i booked it back up to the store to find the lot completely jam packed and the most enormous flat-bed tow truck i've ever seen cruising the lot like nessie in a bathtub. the driver (to whom i'll refer as penn, given his resemblance to the comedian) was maybe a little too gleeful about holding up traffic in a high-end grocery store two days before a holiday, but in his defence, the patrons were pretty rude and generally clueless...honking at the truck, waiting to turn in well before he was done (there are many ways into the lot). he was somewhat lathered as we made our way to the repair shop. his righteous indignation about the shoppers ("i know none of them was a doctor...because they didn't have any patience") turned introspective on our journey, the longest mile and half of my life. he decided it was appropriate (attractive? appealing??) to tell me why and for whom his wife had left him last year. i was as unresponsive as i thought was marginally polite. i didn't want any part of any part of that conversation, so when he offered to drive me home, i declined, grabbing my celery root and potatoes and relishing my freedom from penn.
the next morning my mechanic called and i heard the storm clouds in his voice. i think (despite the money they make off me) that in a way, these guys wish i'd find another mechanic. i think i depress them a little. i need a new transmission - he kept saying, girl, i don't understand it - you have a manula transmission, this isn't supposed to happen. meanwhile, the financial pinch notwithstanding - i've become used to this kind of news. so i authorize everything (while they're in there, they might as well replace the clutch since it has 90+K on it too) sure - go ahead - whatever. who needs shoes, or christmas presents or chef coats that don't make me look like a tonka.
all of this car rant aside, i was really really looking forward to having 5 days off and spending some time with rob. too bad it's sunday and i've seen him for 3 hours total since thursday. friday he worked 8-9pm, yesterday 9-9pm and he's been at work since 9:30 this morning. so even though we had a great time on thanksgiving (which i'll devote a separate paragraph to) the weekend has been a let down for me, and poor boy is on autopilot. i'm also somewhat trapped since i have no car. i drove him in yesterday, but i try to drive his car as little as possible since i'm thyphoid mary to cars.
the bright spots in the weekend were those not spent wallowing. friday night jess got a bunch of us together (and came to get me since rob was still at work!) for dinner at buenos aires grill. she wanted to go because they do live tango - which was pretty cool. i thought the food was ok - nothing i'd go back for. she and i shared the parradilla (grilled meat plate) which was interesting because i knew there would be some kind of variety meat on it and that's exactly the way i want to try that stuff - with no pressure. the selection that night was sweatbreads, the thymus gland of a cow. just from looking at it i knew it was something i'd never had. it was very dark in the restaurant and we thought it might have just been fatty meat, but it's just the texture - it has a meat-paste or "creamy" texture i just don't enjoy. intellectually i think i understand why people like it - and with the grill flavor the taste was fine, but it was rich in a way i did not care to pursue. rob came and met us for a quick glass of wine which sent me over the moon. we were home at 10 and he was asleep soon thereafter. sigh.
thursday was also really fun. anson and jenny have a gorgeous house, similar to ours in age and size that they've done extraordinary things to - it looks wonderful. they have a great kitchen with good workspace on both sides of the stove. and the layout is great for several people to snack and socialize while others cook, prep or putter. the food, wine, conversation and cooking were all great. i didn't make much (potatoes, ice cream & some salmon canapes) but everything i did went really well with what they made. i loved the celeriac soup (so simple, so good), the brussels and the stuffing, which was very much like my mom's - in the best way. i also think pomegranate seeds kick cranberry sauce's ass. much prettier, much cleaner and better texture. anson's mile-high apple pie and my burnt sugar ice cream were a great match too. it was very cool to like everything on the table with no sweet potato-marshmallow or green bean casserole landmines to avoid. i've managed to be completely unproductive from an academic standpoint this weekend, and so i think i may take my text book up to a cafe and do some reading to get out of here and get some fresh air since it's gorgeous outside. perhaps also servsafe? the reflection of my own glamour is blinding.
Tuesday afternoon after school i swung by the house to drop off my gear and take stock of my kitchen to see what i needed for my contribution to the thanskgiving feast we enjoyed at jenny & anson's. i got back into the car, started her up and was on my way. about 20 yards in, i heard and felt something very bad. it was a kerklunk. the car slipped out of gear and hitting the gas just yielded a miserable whinny, a cloud of smoke and a rev. i turned the car off, turned it back on again and it was fine. i went about my business at the store, gathering the daily production from an entire dairy and staggered out of the store with my packages. turned on the car, backed out, put it in first and nothing. well, not nothing, i was graced by the grinding braying sound and the ever helpful revving. in the middle of the packed lot. a nice guy helped me guide it into a space and then backed quickly away as he saw my face on the verge of crumple. i sat in the car weeping openly, freaked, tired, and totally overwhelmed. i pulled myself together, grabbed 40 pounds of dairy and walked home. i called rob who told me he'd be working late, so likely unable to help me get home from the body shop when i had it towed there. i called AAA and was dubiously promised that the dispatch would call me when the driver was 5 minutes away. when she did, i booked it back up to the store to find the lot completely jam packed and the most enormous flat-bed tow truck i've ever seen cruising the lot like nessie in a bathtub. the driver (to whom i'll refer as penn, given his resemblance to the comedian) was maybe a little too gleeful about holding up traffic in a high-end grocery store two days before a holiday, but in his defence, the patrons were pretty rude and generally clueless...honking at the truck, waiting to turn in well before he was done (there are many ways into the lot). he was somewhat lathered as we made our way to the repair shop. his righteous indignation about the shoppers ("i know none of them was a doctor...because they didn't have any patience") turned introspective on our journey, the longest mile and half of my life. he decided it was appropriate (attractive? appealing??) to tell me why and for whom his wife had left him last year. i was as unresponsive as i thought was marginally polite. i didn't want any part of any part of that conversation, so when he offered to drive me home, i declined, grabbing my celery root and potatoes and relishing my freedom from penn.
the next morning my mechanic called and i heard the storm clouds in his voice. i think (despite the money they make off me) that in a way, these guys wish i'd find another mechanic. i think i depress them a little. i need a new transmission - he kept saying, girl, i don't understand it - you have a manula transmission, this isn't supposed to happen. meanwhile, the financial pinch notwithstanding - i've become used to this kind of news. so i authorize everything (while they're in there, they might as well replace the clutch since it has 90+K on it too) sure - go ahead - whatever. who needs shoes, or christmas presents or chef coats that don't make me look like a tonka.
all of this car rant aside, i was really really looking forward to having 5 days off and spending some time with rob. too bad it's sunday and i've seen him for 3 hours total since thursday. friday he worked 8-9pm, yesterday 9-9pm and he's been at work since 9:30 this morning. so even though we had a great time on thanksgiving (which i'll devote a separate paragraph to) the weekend has been a let down for me, and poor boy is on autopilot. i'm also somewhat trapped since i have no car. i drove him in yesterday, but i try to drive his car as little as possible since i'm thyphoid mary to cars.
the bright spots in the weekend were those not spent wallowing. friday night jess got a bunch of us together (and came to get me since rob was still at work!) for dinner at buenos aires grill. she wanted to go because they do live tango - which was pretty cool. i thought the food was ok - nothing i'd go back for. she and i shared the parradilla (grilled meat plate) which was interesting because i knew there would be some kind of variety meat on it and that's exactly the way i want to try that stuff - with no pressure. the selection that night was sweatbreads, the thymus gland of a cow. just from looking at it i knew it was something i'd never had. it was very dark in the restaurant and we thought it might have just been fatty meat, but it's just the texture - it has a meat-paste or "creamy" texture i just don't enjoy. intellectually i think i understand why people like it - and with the grill flavor the taste was fine, but it was rich in a way i did not care to pursue. rob came and met us for a quick glass of wine which sent me over the moon. we were home at 10 and he was asleep soon thereafter. sigh.
thursday was also really fun. anson and jenny have a gorgeous house, similar to ours in age and size that they've done extraordinary things to - it looks wonderful. they have a great kitchen with good workspace on both sides of the stove. and the layout is great for several people to snack and socialize while others cook, prep or putter. the food, wine, conversation and cooking were all great. i didn't make much (potatoes, ice cream & some salmon canapes) but everything i did went really well with what they made. i loved the celeriac soup (so simple, so good), the brussels and the stuffing, which was very much like my mom's - in the best way. i also think pomegranate seeds kick cranberry sauce's ass. much prettier, much cleaner and better texture. anson's mile-high apple pie and my burnt sugar ice cream were a great match too. it was very cool to like everything on the table with no sweet potato-marshmallow or green bean casserole landmines to avoid. i've managed to be completely unproductive from an academic standpoint this weekend, and so i think i may take my text book up to a cafe and do some reading to get out of here and get some fresh air since it's gorgeous outside. perhaps also servsafe? the reflection of my own glamour is blinding.
posted by the pieces @ 12:24 PM
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