words and objects

so
a couple weeks ago i took my car in
and i was going to get it inspected at that same time
only i need the speedometer and odometer to be working
which they do intermittantly
but
which they were not doing that day
now
you can do it like 90 days out
with this whole new one tag thing
which might not be in all states, not sure
but
i don't think it was just a corroded cable/channel/whatever-you-call-it
because it has done that not starting thing a couple more times
so
i think something is failing intermittantly
and eventually it will just fail
non-intermittantly
but
i wanted to go ahead and pass inspection
because i don't want to spend the money to make repairs
and then have it not pass
i wanted to make sure
i'd be able to drive it at least a year
before i ended up buying a new starter
(which is what i think it is)
now
when you have an old car
there always seem to be things that need fixing
when you get an inspection
which always seemed to me to be a little bit fix and a little bit graft

so
this morning
i'm praying
please let my car start
please let the speedometer and odometer work
please let the whole experience be inexpensive and uneventful
i would really appreciate it
so
it started right up, yay
the odometer was working right off, yay
but
the speedometer was not working, crap
it is almost always working when i leave work
i think it has something to do with baking in the heat
but then it's so hot
and i'm so tired
and it's close to their closing time
and i figure that's suboptimal
i figure i'll just drive it around a little and warm it up
so i go around the block a few time
and it starts working
yay

i take it in
they say oh, what year is it
95
oh we have to use the whatever-it's-called machine
it'll take an hour
that's fine i say
not every shop has a whatever-it's-called machine
that was how i found this place, they had one
but
if it's an hour, or three hours
i'm not walking the mile back home in the heat
forget that crap
the guy takes my proof of insurance
(which ends in two days, so i brought the next one
because i'm not sure how that all works
and i'd hate to have to go home to get it
but i really shouldn't need it
and it turns out i don't)
and i give him my keys

like thirty forty minutes later
he comes in
looking very serious
like he's about to tell me the operation didn't go well
and i'm thinking
shit
the breaks are a little soft
just a little, not bad, shouldn't need new pads just yet
but maybe they're gonna tell me i need em
maybe somethin else is bad that i haven't noticed
what is it, how bad is it

so he looks at me
with like the world most serious look, seriously
and he's like
your wiper blades
they must be replaced
they are dry and cracked
(which they are, they totally are
they work fine, but whatever, seriously)
do you have those, i ask
yes
ok, i say, let's do that

that was it
and i don't think they charged me any more than
if i went to an auto supply either

i'm so so happy
now i just have to keep up with the piece of paper until october first
when i can take it to the grocery with the renewal
(which hasn't come yet)
and get the new tag
yay


also
regarding
topics of race and prejudice
i used to work with this woman
who i really didn't like
she was from south carolina originally, i think
by way of georgia
this was a few years ago
she was defending paula dean
saying that no one gets to be that age without saying the N word
now, i'm not sure how old paula dean is
but i was thinking she's like my age-ish
and i'm all like
that's not true
i've never said the N word
and she's like
oh come on, you must have

and i'm like no
when i was in high school my best friend was black
and she was like N this and N that and N please
like constantly
and i said
now
you know it's all fun and games until you desensitize me to that word
and then one day it comes out of my mouth
and you don't like it
so, please
could you not use it around me
and
she thought that made good sense
so she tried

but
now i think back on it
i might be the only little white girl
askin her black friend not to use the N word