When Your Car is 13 Years Old...

...you can expect things like this to happen.

On the way to work this morning, all of a sudden, when I stepped on the gas after slowing down, my car started shuddering. It was sluggish and vibrating until it hit third gear, and then the transmission smoothed out. I was going to try to make it to work, but then the check engine light started flashing. Greaaaat.

Called work. Called dealership. Called AAA. Thought, "Hey, I wanted more reading time. This will give it to me." That cheered me up a bit. (FYI, I was reading Something to Talk About by MJ Fredrick, a wonderful contemporary romance I didn't expect to make me want to play hooky!)

Then I had to go to the bathroom. I was parked in a residential area, no gas stations or fast food restaurants nearby. So I walked up to the elementary school half a block away and played on their sympathies. Luckily, they let me in. While I was in the bathroom, AAA called to say the tow truck would be 20-30 minutes.

When I left, it was raining. THAT made me madder than the car did, because my hair looked great this morning. For about half an hour. Then it frizzed and went limp. Yes, both at the same time.

So I get back to the car and start tweeting about it breaking down. I barely get three words typed out when the tow truck driver calls, looking for me. He's right there! After only 10 minutes! So no reading time. :(

Amazingly, I got to work only an hour late, and the problem was gummed-up spark plugs and failing spark plug wires. I can't get my car back until tomorrow, but at least I don't need a whole new transmission or something.

In the meantime, looky what I got!