View From the Bushes

There are some books which are so long, that the page count alone is tragic. Merely reading them takes so much effort that regardless of the actual plot of the book, by the end you're tired and depressed. This is the way it is with my car. In terms of total expense it hasn't really been that bad (especially when you consider how much I paid for the car initially), but in terms of length, effort and pathos it's easily the War and Peace of cars. Okay, okay War and Peace may be an exageration, but How to Eat Fried Worms would certainly be appropriate.

The latest thing I'm trying is replacing the catalytic converter. Apparently, some of the symptoms I've been having could be caused by that, and sure enough, when I took it in during lunch today there was about 2 lbs of back pressure. Unfortunately, I didn't know if that was merely slightly bad or collosally bad. I was hoping for the latter, actually. What I wanted to hear was, "Man! It's a wonder you were able to get here under your own power. You should notice a 200% improvement once we replace this!" Instead, what I got was, "Yeah, it's bad, but it could be all kinds of things, so if it isn't this, make sure you find out what it is, because it could quickly screw up your brand new catalytic converter."

I'm always amazed how much energy one nagging problem can suck out of you, but hopefully I'm near if not at the end of this particular headache, and I'll be able to focus on getting those Xenogenic NPCs out the door. In any event, with a wish for good news, I'll end for today.

Carpe Diem Quam Minimum Credula Postero
Ross