Is this week over yet?

No? It's only Wednesday? Awesome. Hmm...let's put a positive spin on this depressing little fact and say that there are four more days with the chance to make this week improve!

Can I just say that there is nothing in the world (that I can think of) that makes me feel more powerless and vulnerable than when my car is not functioning properly? Ridiculous, I know. But the second I turn the key and the engine doesn't make the happy, let's-get-moving noise that it's supposed to, I almost instantly start to cry. And when it makes pathetic, dear-G0d-put-it-out-of-its-misery clicking and coughing noises, I just know my car is crying with me. I know it's trying its poor little heart out to start for me. And that happened to me TWICE this week. Heartbreaking.

In addition to feeling awful for my poor car who never wants to disappoint me, there is the helplessness of being stranded and having to pester kindly friends for rescue. Ick. I love my friends and do not want to burden them with my car-less-ness, even if they are sweet enough to assure me that it's no problem. So many questions have to be answered: How am I going to get home? What about work tomorrow? What about taking the car in? Picking it up? What if it's not fixable!??? I can't afford a car payment. I can't even afford to have my nails done! How am I going to get a new car?

Then there is the ever so pleasant trip to the dealership. Woke up bright and early, prayed that my dear friend would start, and was promptly crushed when it didn't. Yet another demoralizing effect of a sickly car, having to call AAA for a jump. Decided against having the car towed because I figured if I was sitting there waiting they would work on my car faster. And it worked. Except that EIGHT hours later (caught up on all the morning news shows, Family Feud, the soaps and Oprah) they still couldn't figure out the problem.

Which leads to the next thing I HATE about having a broken down car. Mechanic talk. ABS module? Error codes? Speed sensors? 16 hours of looking at my car later and finally figuring out the problem, the guy is speaking and it's all making perfect sense. He's explaining it in detail, I'm asking questions....Ten minutes later when I'm trying to explain the problem to someone else? Not the case. What did he say again?

"The thingy, the ABS module, uh, it isn't, like, telling the computer how fast the car is going? So like, the computer, um, freaks out and uh...won't accelerate right? Oh, f***, I don't know."

There is nothing like trying to understand car problems to make me feel like a complete idiot. I don't know how the engine works. No. Freaking. Clue. So trying to explain the intricacies of it to me? Yeah, not gonna help.

Dealing with car problems is the thing that I detest the most about being a (sort-of) grown up. I would rather go to the dentist. Well, I don't really mind the dentist. I should use a different saying. But you get the idea. So here's hoping that I can get my hands on a new car and not have to deal with it breaking down for a long, long, looooonnnnggg time.