I decided to take Betty to work (even without a radio) because the weather report said there was a possibility of freezing rain. I’d much rather ricochet that POS off another car than my pickup. It was slow getting off the stop sign, which is normal, but it was going REALLY slow. At the next light, the dude behind me was pissed because I wasn’t keeping up with traffic… I couldn’t get above 10 MPH! Then it sputtered and died. I got it restarted, put the pedal to the floor, and the engine wouldn’t even turn 1000 RPM. Crap, this is just how this car acted when I got it, and it seemed to run correctly after I fixed the vacuum pump. I kept my foot to the floor and turned around and came back home, it died just as I was turning off the main street, again, but I managed to coast in front of my house. It is sitting there now, leaking oil on the street.
Did I mention I had a dentist appointment early this morning? Now I’m late. I get back into the house, get my truck keys and move on with life. It is good to have a backup vehicle when you have this big of a POS! The hygienist pokes around and tells me my gums look worse than normal and she wants to do some deep cleaning, I have two options, do it now, or come back and do it in a month. I figured that wasn’t really the issue, which she revealed in her next sentence. “Dee Dee will be in to talk to you about insurance.” Dee Dee informed me that in addition to the $400 I already owe them from my last visit, I would have to pay $500 for this deep cleaning because my insurance sucks. I say hold off I’ll think about it when I can think and take a few deep breaths of the N2O. (I feel like a druggie, but everyone involved is happier when I’m breathing it) After the cleaning and I’m back to breathing just plain air, I go talk to Dee Dee. She explains how they haven’t offered silver/mercury fillings for 15 years because the white plastic fillings are better because they 1) don’t leak mercury into your blood for five years, 2) don’t bust your teeth due to expansion, and 3) don’t shrink and allow bacteria to enter the cavity. I feel like such a pawn in this game. I don’t really think the dentist is too concerned about my lack of money, and I don’t think the insurance company really has my best health at the top of their priority list. Needless to say, by the time I made it to work this morning I was a little ticked off.
Oh, one more thing, there were no parking spots so I had to park on the 3rd level!
OK, now I feel better.
Indian Chief, ‘Two Eagles,’ was asked by a white government official, ‘You have observed the white man for 90 years. You’ve seen his wars and his technological advances. You’ve seen his progress, and the damage he’s done.’
