[OT] You'd think that I could own at least one working vehicle

[Tab]

Frickin' car hesitated, check engine light went on, came to a halt on the side of the highway.

I swear, every year I at least have some incident where I get my money's worth from AAA. However I had to do some walking uphill to get to some cell service to call them because frickin' AT&T has crap service up here.

My other one (an antique roadster) isn't inspected, so I can't drive that.

(sigh)

This has nothing to do with cooking, but I do confess to being mighty thirsty by the side of the highway.

[Warpy]

1. An emergency kit where I live is a blanket and a big jug of water

the blanket provides shade from the sun and the water makes sure you won't croak before the highway patrol wanders by.

[Tab]

2. On the bright side

at least it wasn't raining.

We're going through a nasty severe storm right now.

[Stinky The Clown]

3. We just renewed our AAA. I hope yours is not a portent for the future!

And I hope **your** troubles are minor.

[Tab]

4. Didn't mean to bitch here

but this is where my friends are.

With luck, it's under warranty, but I really don't recall.

Every month brings a new multi-hundred dollar expense, and in Bush's economy, it's hard to afford. Surgery for my dogs, surgery for my car, co-pays, whatever....

What I really want to do is knock down the wall between my kitchen and dining room, open it up, and build a kick-ass kitchen.

Might require a different home, though. This one isn't quite configured in a way that would lend itself to that.

Screw it. I'm going to bed. 'night, all.

[Gormy Cuss]

5. Well, to turn this into a food thread....

You must have an emergency picnic kit in your car at all times. Be prepared to drink fizzy water and eat smoked, shelf stable cheese with crackers and a small bag of dehydrated fruit the next time your car decides to stop cold on the highway.

[grasswire]

6. I agree.

When my mother went any distance she always took fig newtons, bananas, and a thermos of coffee.

Before I gave up my beloved Volvo in favor of public transportation and my own two feet, I always had a can of mixed nuts, some power bars, fruit leather and bottled water or gatorade.

One never knows what lies 'round the bend.

[Tab]

7. One of life's little victories

at the last minute I had the tow truck take me to the dealership (closer to where it bellied up, but about 45 mins from my house). I had meant to have it towed to my mechanic near my house, but at the last minute I had the inspiration that my warranty might still be in force - and it was! The fuel sending unit was shot, and it in turned had fouled the spark plugs. I had to pay for a new set of plugs, but not for labor and definitely not for the fuel sending unit - thank god. It's a Saab 9-5 - they're wonderful cars and rarely break down, but they can be damned expensive to fix. A set of spark plugs I can handle. Lord knows what a fuel sending unit would have cost.

[grasswire]

8. no public transportation in your neck of the woods, is there?

A family member of mine is located in southern New Hampshire, and I was looking around to see how far it was from spot to spot and whether there was any bus that connected communities. Nada!

How do people get around who don't drive? How do little old ladies get their groceries?

I haven't figured that out.

Beautiful country, though! I heart New England, in a huge huge way.

[Tab]

9. Well, yes and no.

First, you can call a taxi - there are always a few private companies, but it's not New York where you hail a cab. I don't know if they have volume discounts or not. They'll take you to Texas as far as I know if you want to spring for it.

There are coach bus companies that'll get you to the Boston airport or whatever.

Most communities have some form of a shuttle bus that would pick you up - say, if you were a little old lady who wanted to get groceries - but their range is limited to local communities. When I lived further north (yes, there is a further north) some of the shuttles would serve a relatively large range (maybe 20+ miles) but as a rule they only do so much. You don't just walk to the nearest subway station.

In my case, I was about halfway between Concord (the capital) and Dartmouth College. I live further south, and have to drive into Cambridge (where MIT is, next to Boston) for work. So, no, no affordable public transportation. In fact, I was pissed as I recently switched phones, to a BlackBerry (which I hate) and AT&T service, and AT&T has many coverage holes in that route, as opposed to Verizon who always had coverage, forcing me to walk a good half mile (and I have a leg injury) just to go uphill and get cell service.

Whatever.

My MG goes in the shop tomorrow, so at least I'll have a second car.

Yes, up here, you need multiple cars, because if anything screws up you're hosed, and you just can't walk to the nearest supermarket or bank or work or whatever. Most people have at least two.


On edit: My original thinking was to get the car back to my home town, because (at least up here) you can get a ride in the tow truck. But I'm glad I decided to take it to the dealer instead and have my wife pick me up, because it would have cost a fortune for repairs otherwise. On the negative side, and this is the "food" portion of the post, I had hoped she'd buy me dinner at this great chinese restaurant nearby, but no such luck.

Ah, well.