…not quite.

This morning I was headed back to the City, happy from the great weekend I’d had and the beautiful fall weather that had finally blown into town.  I was on the freeway, a good tune was playing, and I actually was not dreading the boring drive ahead of me.

Then I looked down on the control panel and saw the reassuring message, “ENGINE IS HOT. A/C TURNED OFF.”

My friend Tap told me yesterday that he thinks I’m intelligent with everything except “driving and cars.” That’s unfortunately true. I had no idea what that message meant but I envisioned my engine bursting into flames.  So I pulled over on the shoulder and called my dad. He used to fix cars and even attended mechanic school for awhile, so there is no one better to call.  He recommended that I bring it into the shop that he has been a customer at for a long time. So I turned around and dropped my car off.  I didn’t want to be a diva and ask my dad to pick me up while he was at work, so I was prepared to wait for awhile. I texted my brother to pick me up on his way home from class and despite my protests, he left class early to pick me up. I thought it was very sweet of him.

It turns out my thermostat needs to be replaced.  I guess it is not surprising, considering I’ve had this car for only 2 and a half years and have already passed the 52,000 mile mark.  While the mechanics were kind enough to take me in on a short notice, unfortunately they were booked solid throughout the day, so I have to wait to return until tomorrow.  That’s ok. I will just get some work done here and eat more of my mom’s good food. And it allows my week to pass faster, at the very least.  And I’m grateful that Pearl Jr. warned me about this while we were still in town and not, like, in the middle of nowhere, which is where I have to drive through.