SeeingEyeBlog

The good news is that Arnold Schwarzenegger is paying for a new catalytic converter for $375. The bad news is that I also need a starter, which will cost me $300. With the $100 co-pay for the catalytic converter, Arnold comes out on top, but he’s stronger than me anyway, so I figured it would be like that.

The game-show host has promised me the work will be done by the end of the day today, and he made me feel really good by saying in his game-show voice, “Dude, I’m king of the castle, mm-kay. I don’t screw around, I fix cars.” Hearing him make a caricature of himself was worth the money I’m giving him.

My papers came yesterday from the California Bureau of Automotive Repair, authorizing $500 worth of free smog repairs to my 93 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The arrival of the approval letter coincided with my engine again acting insubordinantly, refusing to start.

So after three days of sitting parallel parked, it was tonight’s task to wait for nightfall and raise the dead. Luckily I live only a half mile from the auto repair shop, so rather than call AAA to tow me, I decided to incur a bodily oxygen debt moving it myself.

It was a testament to life in Los Angeles, that when I was taking up the whole street attempting an engineless three-point turn, someone in an SUV was waiting for me to clear the way so s/he could take my parking spot. I’m sure it didn’t occur to them to ask if I needed help, because they were busy recounting the unusual scene to whoever was on the other end of their cell phone.

But the next person who came was a Good Samaritan, named Henry. But he was in an economy car, and a bumper-to-bumper push failed because of the height differentials of our bumpers. He eventually parked and helped me push.

I was amazed how much easier it was to push the car tonight compared to the first night. My guess is that I was pushing slightly uphill the first time. It makes sense because that’s the direction the flood control channels are, and they lead straight to the Pacific Ocean, via Marina Del Rey. Although, I like to think the easier pushing was due to my heightened stamina because of all the biking I’ve had to do the last few days (and will continue to do until the Jeep is out of surgery).