Requiem for the Vo

My beloved 1987 Volvo 240 DL sedan died last week after travelling over 318,000 miles. I had said that I would drive it until it wouldn't run and that's what happened. Something broke in the engine that the mechanics wouldn't fix. It was taken away to the wrecking yard on Friday. It was a very sad week for me.

I didn't always feel this way about my car but the dependability and the sturdiness grew on me over the years. It was such a great car. It took me to countless bike races (road and cross), endured tons of mud, and was generally abused. I will miss it deeply.

My Precious

I wish I had some interesting things to comment on. But since I'm fond of lists, here's another one:
I have never been so thrilled about mid-term election results as I was this year. I want Barack Obama to run for POTUS.  The Dixie Chick documentary made me cry. I am so tired that I fell asleep in the car on the way back from a business meeting (I wasn't driving). I'm dreading addressing all of the Christmas cards. My vacation is too far away.  I think my car has finally given up the ghost (waiting to get the official verdict from the shop). I only have to feed 7 people for Christmas dinner (but probably 10 for brunch - which means I may make it through another holiday season without committing homicide.

 

I know that I've said this before but podcasts are fantastic.  My current favorites are Start the Week (BBC 4), From Our Own Correspondents (BBC), and The Political Gabfest (Slate).  It is perfect for the bus commute.  I'm listening to a Frenchman defend America (he's anti-anti-American) and much like me, would rail against Shrub all day long.

Let's see, I got stuck on the freeway last week because of the snow and ice (my blog entry didn't even post and I can't be bothered to replicate the anger so just trust me when I say that I was v. v. angry).  We had to make another trip to the emergency room last night (2nd one this year); crash at cross practice.  Luckily, there were no bones broken, but M's shoulder is swollen and he says he feels like he got beat up with a baseball bat.  Hopefully, he didn't tear any ligaments.  I find that our visits to the hospital help me catch up on my New Yorker reading...