Date: 2009-06-03 12:42 Subject: Call It Fate, Call It Car-ma..... Security: Public Location: Wouldn't You Like To Know? Mood: relieved Music: "Why Can't You Fix My Car?" by Leo Kottke

I have recently posted my review of the new Star Trek movie at the LASFS forum.

http://www.lasfs.info/forum3/viewtopic.php?f=22&t=622#p999

If you haven't seen the movie yet, what the heck is stopping you?  Don't come crying to me if you see a spoiler or two in the review.  Better to go bitch-slap Wikipedia, which gives a blow-by-blow and line-by-line synopsis of the film.

In other news, I no longer have cause to complain about my car.  Something dislodged my oil filter while I was driving at freeway speed the other night, and shortly thereafter I was standing at the side of the road next to a 1995 2-door Toyota Camry with a siezed-up engine.  The estimates for repairing or replacing the engine averaged $4,000.00, which (A) I can no way in hell afford, and (B) is greater than the current value of the car itself.

(Since there was nothing interesting on the radio at the time, I was amusing myself while driving by singing the lyrics to "Nobody Does It Better" shifted to the first person, in the loudest, most obnoxious voice I could manage.  Obviously someone from on high took notice and felt that a little object lesson in humility was in order.)

Without an engine, the value of the vehicle was roughly $200.00.  Oddly enough, that's what the labor for diagnosing the problem came to.  One of the mechanics wanted to teach his son the manly art of engine repair, and made me an offer to buy the car for the price of the bill.  As my only other option seemed to be donating it to Kars for Kids for a tax write-off I would never get to apply since my taxes aren't that high to begin with (wage slave, no properties, no investments, no interest to speak of, no capital gains, etc. etc.), I accepted.

My brother has offerred to sell me his long-disused tertiary vehicle, a Toyota pickup truck only 3 years older than the Camry, for a reasonably low sum.  So at least I'll still have wheels.  (For however long a 17-year-old rice-burning pickup truck will last, assuming the same damn thing doesn't happen again.)

On the LASFS front, since the start of my new job my appearances at the front table on meeting nights have been far outweighed by my absences.  Although I am protected against direct retribution for this by the language of the By-Laws, it just doesn't sit right with me that I should be an absentee president.   Neither would I be on hand to reliably serve as VP, let alone any of the other offices.  Therefore I will not be standing for reelection for the coming term, and will refuse any nominations that come my way. 

(The job does not affect my BOD seat, since meetings occur after my Sunday shift.  But I will be largely unseen at procedural meetings for the foreseeable future.)