Sorry the Padres let you down last night Justin.
I had a very strange afternoon yesterday. My Honda had been running loud the last few days and I figured the muffler or something was on the outs. It got really loud yesterday so I decided I better get it looked at. I arranged to leave work a little early to get my car to a repair shop. I was on the interstate for about 3 miles when I heard something drop off my car. I pulled over in the center divide right away. I got out and looked under my car and the exhaust pipe was hanging with one end on the road. I learned later that a C-clamp had rusted off, which was probably the thing I heard go flying off my car.
The problem was though I was stuck in the middle of a busy highway at rush hour, with no cell phone. I stood outside for 20 minutes hoping a cop would drive by, but, as the saying goes, when you need one…
I didn’t have a coat hanger either to string that thing up. I got in my car and just sat there, freaked out, thinking some idiot was going to hit me any minute. Then miraculously, a break in traffic happened and I was able to drive my car to the other safe side of the highway. I got on a call box on the side of the road. The lady on the phone asked if I had triple A, which we don’t (but now will probably get). She said she could send a tow truck for 75$ plus 5$ a mile, I balked at the price, and while I was on the call box, a red car pulled up behind me. I told the lady I had to think about it and hung up. This chick gets out of her car and asks me what’s going on. I tell her about the exhaust. She tells me she’s a part-time mechanic and asks if it’s alright to look under the car. I say go for it.
She explained the whole c-clamp thing, but she didn’t have a coat hanger either. The chick, whose name was Summer, turned out to be a military wife and said she had nothing else going on and thought she would see if I needed any help. She happened to know a tow company near by, called them and said they’d tow for only 35$ plus 5$ a mile. As we waited for the tow truck, Summer offered to stick around and make sure everything went ok. She also called around for me and found a muffler place near by. The tow truck and took my car to the muffler place. The driver unhooked the car and said that’s it, and Summer pulled out her credit card and gave it to the driver.
At this point I told her no way and tried to give my credit card to the driver, Summer physically pushed me away (not rudely) and said she was going to pay for the tow. I was blown away. Summer’s husband just got sent back to Iraq for the second time. She said she does good things here so that her husband has good karma in Iraq and comes home safe. I have to say that Summer was a little strange, in general, and I was just sorta freaked out by the whole situation. To top things off, Summer had told the owner of the muffler place that her husband was in Iraq and asked if I could get a discount on the muffler work!
All the muffler place did was weld a new clamp thing on, which took like 10 minutes and my car was back to normal, but I figured maybe 75 or 100 bucks or whatever for the labor. When I went in to try to pay the guy, he told us to just go and don’t worry about it! He then told Summer to tell her husband that he really appreciated what he is doing in Iraq for his freedom and to have a nice day. The whole deal was so bizarre. But somehow I didn’t spend a dime on the whole situation. I told Summer that we were going to repair her, and she said no way, and said just pray for her husband’s safety. There are a ton more details, especially about this chick and how she was like, but it would take too long to write out. Just a very strange afternoon.
Later on last night Tracey and I were watching a movie and the phone rang, it was Summer. At first I was freaked that she had our number, but then I remembered that she had let me use her phone to call Tracey earlier and tell her what was going on, so our number was on her cell phone. Anyway, Summer tells me that she thinks I brought her good luck because she just found out that she was pregnant. How I brought her good luck, I’m not sure, but she had some sort of weird reasoning. She was just strange, but very nice. Most people don’t go out of their way to do things like she did, at least with not wanting something in return. Wow, this brief retelling does not really come close to everything that happened, but it was just crazy. While we were waiting for the tow truck, we did see like 3 cops drive by, and one, on a motorcycle, actually waved at us and smiled, but that’s it, no stopping to see if we were alright, nothing. Whatever.
Mary comes in tonight. Don’t arrive too early Mary, we still gotta clean. Mom and Dad really messed our place up. Just kidding. Sunday may bring an Encinitas run, meeting up with Lars/wife and the Andys for surfing, then Sanctus is playing a free show in Solana Beach at a church. They are having free pizza there, thus my real motivation. Go stros.
I had a very strange afternoon yesterday. My Honda had been running loud the last few days and I figured the muffler or something was on the outs. It got really loud yesterday so I decided I better get it looked at. I arranged to leave work a little early to get my car to a repair shop. I was on the interstate for about 3 miles when I heard something drop off my car. I pulled over in the center divide right away. I got out and looked under my car and the exhaust pipe was hanging with one end on the road. I learned later that a C-clamp had rusted off, which was probably the thing I heard go flying off my car.
The problem was though I was stuck in the middle of a busy highway at rush hour, with no cell phone. I stood outside for 20 minutes hoping a cop would drive by, but, as the saying goes, when you need one…
I didn’t have a coat hanger either to string that thing up. I got in my car and just sat there, freaked out, thinking some idiot was going to hit me any minute. Then miraculously, a break in traffic happened and I was able to drive my car to the other safe side of the highway. I got on a call box on the side of the road. The lady on the phone asked if I had triple A, which we don’t (but now will probably get). She said she could send a tow truck for 75$ plus 5$ a mile, I balked at the price, and while I was on the call box, a red car pulled up behind me. I told the lady I had to think about it and hung up. This chick gets out of her car and asks me what’s going on. I tell her about the exhaust. She tells me she’s a part-time mechanic and asks if it’s alright to look under the car. I say go for it.
She explained the whole c-clamp thing, but she didn’t have a coat hanger either. The chick, whose name was Summer, turned out to be a military wife and said she had nothing else going on and thought she would see if I needed any help. She happened to know a tow company near by, called them and said they’d tow for only 35$ plus 5$ a mile. As we waited for the tow truck, Summer offered to stick around and make sure everything went ok. She also called around for me and found a muffler place near by. The tow truck and took my car to the muffler place. The driver unhooked the car and said that’s it, and Summer pulled out her credit card and gave it to the driver.
At this point I told her no way and tried to give my credit card to the driver, Summer physically pushed me away (not rudely) and said she was going to pay for the tow. I was blown away. Summer’s husband just got sent back to Iraq for the second time. She said she does good things here so that her husband has good karma in Iraq and comes home safe. I have to say that Summer was a little strange, in general, and I was just sorta freaked out by the whole situation. To top things off, Summer had told the owner of the muffler place that her husband was in Iraq and asked if I could get a discount on the muffler work!
All the muffler place did was weld a new clamp thing on, which took like 10 minutes and my car was back to normal, but I figured maybe 75 or 100 bucks or whatever for the labor. When I went in to try to pay the guy, he told us to just go and don’t worry about it! He then told Summer to tell her husband that he really appreciated what he is doing in Iraq for his freedom and to have a nice day. The whole deal was so bizarre. But somehow I didn’t spend a dime on the whole situation. I told Summer that we were going to repair her, and she said no way, and said just pray for her husband’s safety. There are a ton more details, especially about this chick and how she was like, but it would take too long to write out. Just a very strange afternoon.
Later on last night Tracey and I were watching a movie and the phone rang, it was Summer. At first I was freaked that she had our number, but then I remembered that she had let me use her phone to call Tracey earlier and tell her what was going on, so our number was on her cell phone. Anyway, Summer tells me that she thinks I brought her good luck because she just found out that she was pregnant. How I brought her good luck, I’m not sure, but she had some sort of weird reasoning. She was just strange, but very nice. Most people don’t go out of their way to do things like she did, at least with not wanting something in return. Wow, this brief retelling does not really come close to everything that happened, but it was just crazy. While we were waiting for the tow truck, we did see like 3 cops drive by, and one, on a motorcycle, actually waved at us and smiled, but that’s it, no stopping to see if we were alright, nothing. Whatever.
Mary comes in tonight. Don’t arrive too early Mary, we still gotta clean. Mom and Dad really messed our place up. Just kidding. Sunday may bring an Encinitas run, meeting up with Lars/wife and the Andys for surfing, then Sanctus is playing a free show in Solana Beach at a church. They are having free pizza there, thus my real motivation. Go stros.
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