I've had a couple of disjointed nights. For the second night in a row, I woke up at two in the morning and found myself in bed with a man. Of course, this man was my husband of seventeen years, but where ever my mind was before I woke up, it forget this small detail. Both times! How is that even possible? It's very freaky by the way. I don't recommend doing it. I think I might be be losing my mind. Hubby agrees.
I also woke up at three last night overcome with worry about the serpentine belt in our van. I'd like to point out that up until then, I didn't know there was a serpentine belt in the van.
I know a lot about vehicles. Important things like, they drive places, where the key goes, how to turn on the radio, where the gas goes, and how to open the little door to where the gas goes. I also know that oil isn't supposed to be black, and you should have someone else change it for you before it gets black, because someone with my level of expertise just shouldn't try to do surgery on her vehicle. And finally, I know there is an engine, and it has mysterious parts and tubes that do something and occasionally need to be fixed or replaced.
What these parts are is beyond my capacity to understand, so for me to wake up in the middle of the night worried about my belts is strange. Strange and disturbing. I tossed and turned for an hour before I got up and hit the Internet. After some lame Google searches like: " Do I have belts in my van? What are the belts called in my van?" and, "Do I have to get new belts for my van?" I hit pay dirt. (These searches are in quotes because I muttered them to myself as I typed. I just wanted you to have an accurate mental picture of me at four-ish in the morning.)
It turns out I do have a serpentine belt, and I probably do need to replace it about 5,000 miles ago. It costs around $20.00 Labor costs, well lets just say it's more than the part. Way more. Sigh. Now I'm worried that when I take it in and say, "Hey, I think I need my serpentine belt fixed because I woke up in the middle of the night all stressed about it." they'll poke around in my van's innards and discover a whole mess of things wrong. Then they'll tell me it will cost thousands of dollars, and I'll pass out on the floor. They'll sweep me away with the garbage, and I'll be late to pick up the carpool. But I digress.
I returned to my bed with my hubby of seventeen years, whom I proudly remembered, and lay awake until six worrying about getting the stupid serpentine belt replaced today. Yes, I know that sounds crazy, but I'm calling the mechanic guy as soon as they open. My family is driving to California this weekend, and I don't want to be beltless in the middle of Nevada, and I certainly don't want another night like last night.
11 comments:
I love your blog voice. It's so great. And I tend to learn about car innards the hard way rather than the Google method. Like, the battery should not leak acid because if it leaks A LOT then the acid will drip into the battery cable and corrode it until the battery is no longer attached to the rest of the car, resulting in NO POWER WHATSOEVER and a $600 repair. The prevention for this costs $2.
Also, I learned that once you replace the serpentine belts, the car may squeal loud enough to wake the dead and sound like it's about to join them, but this, while embarrassing, is actually normal and means you have to haul its squealing bulk back to the shop and have them tighten the belts. Luckily, they do this tightening part for free after you've already paid mega bucks for the initial replacement.
Good luck!
I hate nights like that. Yikes.
I hope things go okay at the mechanics and they don't really sweep you out with the garbage. it would be a shame to be late for carpool. :)
Good luck and have fun in California.
Nikki, thanks! It's good to know that when my car screams at me it will be normal. I'm so sorry about the battery thing. Six hundred bucks for a two dollar prevention bites. Ouch.
Jenilyn, I don't like being swept out with the garbage. It's messes up my hair and my ego, not to mention my car pools.
You are a crack-up! I knew there was blogging material when we received the phone call first thing this morning about a mechanic. I seriously can hardly wait to read about your trip!!!
Lol. Car problems scare the bejeebers outta me...
Anita, they can't get me in until tomorrow. I hope I can sleep tonight. Ug. As far as blogging the vacation, I haven't even thought that far ahead yet. I don't know if we'll have internet access. Crossing my finger that we do.
Heather, the bejeebers are bouncing all over my bed, scared out of my slumbering head. I seriously didn't mean to rhyme. Scared people just do that some of the time. He he.
See the part you should be worried about isn't the belt but the serpentine. You will encounter a snake on your trip. Did you get a snake bite kit? Yep, you need to definitely take a snake bite kit and snake handler's tongs. Just call me the dream interpreter. lol.
Blake, what kind of snake? That is important info you, as the dream interpreter should give me. How is a girl supposed to prepare if she doesn't know all the details?
You crack me up - if that was inspiration then can you please start pondering my life and wake up at 4 and give me some direction??!
Leave out the middle of the night part and sound authoritative and they probably won't find anything else wrong with your van. That is unless the engine really is about to fall out on the road or something, ha. ;-)
Carol, I can't make headway with my own life. And we'll find out tomorrow if the belt is busted.
Cherie, I don't know how to sound authoritative about cars. I'm the one who looks at car innards and says, "What is that black tube thing? Do I need it?"
And I'm not even blonde anymore.
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