Baby, you can drive my car

Happy New Year? A question mark instead of an exclamation point because mine has not started very well. Before I continue, allow me to state that I don't put much or any stock into the timing of my woes. Still, I'm hoping what's been happening doesn't set a precedent for the rest of the year.

Anyway, back in October my car went through a bunch of shit, all of which was taken care of. My inspection sticker had been overdue, so they inspected the car after the repairs were done. It didn't pass because I had new sensors put in and they had to collect the car's data that was stored on the old ones. I was told I needed to drive the car around a bit before taking it back in for another inspection. I did as I was told. Several times, to no avail.

Turns out, I needed to put at least 100 miles on the car before the data could be collected. This was put into place by the RMV so that any problems with the car would reveal themselves within those hundred miles. If this is confusing at all to you, you're in good company. I can barely get my mind around it.

I'm fond of the guys who work at the garage, but I wish it had been made very clear to me that I needed to put on at least 100 miles before I could get it inspected. The advice to take it on the highway for a bit wasn't specific enough. It wasn't until Friday that all of this was made perfectly clear. I had hoped to have it inspected then, particularly because the rejection sticker was about to expire at the end of the month.

On Saturday, I drove up to NH, hit the Barnes & Noble in Nashua for a little browsing, got stuck in the shopper's traffic for about fifteen minutes (I had forgotten how insane that can be) and headed back to the garage. I was beat when I got there (Oh, I forgot to mention, I got another sinus infection - 2nd in the last several weeks) and just wanted to go home. It was New Year's Eve and I spent most of the day driving in gloomy weather wishing I was spending my long weekend differently.

They hooked cables up to my car and, after minutes of finger-crossing, I was told the car didn't pass because the data hadn't been stored yet on one of the sensors. I was fatigued but wanted to get this bullshit over with, so I got back in the car for some more driving, with the hope that the additional miles I put on would do the trick. About a mile away from the garage, my check engine light went on. Fuck!

I drove back to the garage and was told that the check engine light being on meant the sensor had collected the data it needed. "Oh, so that's a good thing, then", I said with relief. "Not really, it means that something is wrong", I was informed. Fuck!

They made a quick determination that I had some wiring issues. "Bring the car by on Monday morning - we'll be in - and we'll fix it. You'll have to drive another hundred miles, though, because we're going to have to reset the check engine light." Fuck!

That was New Year's Eve. I ended up not going out that night, primarily because I was feeling lousy and also because I didn't, in light of the way my day was going, want to be broken down somewhere in the cold and dark, waiting for AAA to arrive. Instead, I worked on music and watched Inception, all the while trying not to think about my car issues and nursing clogged sinuses.

I knew I was screwed if my car didn't pass or if I couldn't afford the repairs. I was painfully aware that the wiring issues might only be one of the problems with my car. It was conceivable that after the car was fixed and after another hundred miles, the check engine light could go on again. A slippery slope, but one I had no other choice but to go down.

I woke up early this morning, heart racing. This has been the norm lately. I took the car over to the garage and walked home. I was told it would be ready around noon. It was ready around two thirty. I walked back to the garage and hit the road. I drove up 93 all the way through Derry and then made my way back. Again, I waited with fingers crossed as they hooked cables up to the car.

After some time, they came over to me with a print out that read "Inspection Cannot Proceed". Below that it stated that I needed to take the car to a Motorist Assistance Center for testing before it can be brought back to an Inspection Center. The mechanics had never seen this before and looked befuddled. They tried calling the number it said to call, but, of course, no one picked up. Fuck!

So that's where we're at. Tomorrow, I'm going to have to miss some work, which is great considering how much money I can afford to lose. Who knows what's going to happen. My mechanic said he was going to call in the morning to see what needs to be done. I know what's going to happen: I'm going to have to locate a fucking place that does this testing, take my car there, and if somehow it passes, then I'll have to take the car back to the garage again for another go round. (Won't be doing that tomorrow. I read the printout more carefully - they're not open. Guess I'll be driving illegally for a bit. )

This is becoming a nightmare. The mechanics have never even heard of these testing centers. I'm guessing the criteria is much more strict, which doesn't bode well for my car. There is a very real possibility I won't have a car to drive in the coming days. And the cherry on top of it all is that I still have to pay for the repairs I had done. I'm trying to stay centered, but it's becoming harder. All the wasted time driving around, all the gas money, all the rejection, and now this. Sometimes it's hard not think the Universe is fucking with me. Stay centered, Kevin. Breathe.

Don't mean to be a downer, but I'm frustrated and spent. I wish things would improve. One day at a time is all I can do. Even though this situation could have disastrous implications (without a car, I'm pretty screwed), I recognize there are bigger problems in life and though this one has felt sinister with the obstacles that keep cropping up, I can manage, enough to see it through.

Serenity now.