Nom de Plume

Remember the writer who wanted me to post something on the blog?

Well, someone else did. And it was picked up by Bookslut.

Hmmph.

Steve commandeered my office to store the big vat of IPA he brewed up yesterday, and I seriously think something’s wrong with it. First off, there’s a ton of dirty foam creeping up the insides. Secondly, the little knobby thing at the top that’s filled with vodka is burbling, kind of like the beer has … gas.

That’s just great.

Steve, being male, has gas. The dog, being a dog, also has gas. And, if those aren’t enough to be lethal, the beer is roiling away with an upset stomach directly behind me. I’ve been waiting for it to explode and decapitate me all day.

The problem with optimism is that some weeks, you’re just setting yourself for disappointment.

So retract the bounce from the previous post.

The past two days have been horrible. On top of a major sleep deficit, there was too much work, car woes, cable internet that went out for a morning (killing e-mail and voip phone), dead cell phone and misplaced cord, and lost car key.

But today is a brand new day and I’m caught up!

I set off happily this morning to pick up my car. Well, as happily as one can be with only three hours of sleep, though I did manage a cat nap on the bus. My car is fixed! I am vehicled again! Tra-la-la.

Paid the horrendous bill. (Don’t ask.) Waited for them to bring it around.

“Do you have the key?” I heard one whisper to another.

“No, do you?”

Yep. They lost my key.

Steve decanted the first of his beers this evening–even though it’s only been a week. He swirled. He sniffed. He swigged. And then, like the expert he is, proclaimed the above.

And it’s strangely apropos for today’s political climate.

From The Library of Congress.

We have an old axiom in the advertising world that goes something like this: “You can have it good. You can have it fast. You can have it cheap. Now pick two.”

The beauty of this little zinger is that it pretty much applies to anything in the business world. Such as one’s mechanic, for instance.

Since moving to Seattle, I have been going to a mechanic that specializes in foreign cars. They’re not cheap, as evidenced by their swank Cap. Hill location. So strike that one out from the get-go.

About two months ago, I took my car in concerned about a noise that a Chevron station told me was probably a wheel bearing. I was told my differential needed to be replaced. Three weeks and seven hundred dollars, I had a new differential.

Now we’ve eliminated cheap and fast.

The problem wasn’t fixed. So I took it back in and two weeks later, have been informed that it sounds like a wheel bearing issue.

Sigh. I so wanted to give them the benefit of the doubt. They’re nice guys.

My question to you, my faithful blog audience, is whether anyone out there knows of a good mechanic that specializes in old German cars (a 1974 BMW 2002). Any offers/help/insights/tips on who to go to, OTHER than Car Tender, would be greatly appreciated.

From Wonderful Graffiti:

The copy: Email us a list of your potential houseguests and we’ll turn it into a Graffiti Word Search. We’ll add “welcome” in your choice of colors somewhere in the middle of your word search.

The price: $110

Or there’s this, from the same place:

The copy: Consider creating a custom size and substituting “Jack” with the name of that certain someone who works too hard.

The price: $43