i hate my car. take two.

Yesterday Katie and I had to fix our car.

I got out of one of my classes early and didn't have my next one, so I went home and called triple A.  They came and put the spare on, and I went to class.  We planned to meet up after our classes that ended at three.  First we would go get Katie's rabies shots and then we would go to Idaho Falls around 6:30.  We were driving home from the hospital and we decided we should just go right then.  We had to get it done, and the sooner the better.

I went home, grabbed my Sam's Club card, and we were on our way.  The tow man who put on the spare said that we shouldn't go above 55 mph on it.  So we putted along the highway, and arrived at Sam's Club.  The lady at the desk said it would be about two hours till it was done.  Awesome.

We got some dinner, and then walked around the store.  For eons.  Or so it seemed.  It turned out to only be about 45 minutes.  So we found some couches and passed out.

"Attention members and guests.  Would Christine Fleming please come to the tire and battery center."

Our car was FINALLY done.  Nothing else to worry about.  We could get everything done this next week because our car was fixed.

Katie and I were now on our way back to Rexburg.  She was driving and we were about 5 miles away from Rexburg, just outside of Rigby.  When there's a really loud and weird thumping noise.

You guessed it.  Our tire went flat AGAIN!  Sam's Club claimed that they rotated our tires, so it would appear that another tire went flat, because it was the front drivers side tire.  AGAIN.

So we called triple A.  Again.  They came and put the spare on.  Again.  We drove home on the spare.  The next day we drove to Idaho Falls on the spare.  Again.  Waited at Sam's Club for two hours while they fixed the car. Again.  This time they ended up putting a new tire on.  

And it has been fine since.  Knock on wood.  

i have a love/hate relationship with my car. mostly hate.

My parents were gracious enough to let me and my sister take our car to school this year, after much persuasion. We drove our dinky little Mercury Tracer the some 1200 miles out to Idaho.  I was thrilled to finally have my own car at school.  I would no longer have to ask for rides, go to the grocery store whenever my roommates were, and feel guilty for always bumming rides.  I was anxiously looking forward to the freedom it was sure to bring.

It was great for the first few weeks, until it died.  I figured it wasn't that big of a deal, cars die every now and then.  Maybe I left the lights on overnight.  I got it jumped.  And it died again, a week later.  You think I would have learned my lesson, but I didn't.  I just kept jumping it, and it kept dying a week or so later.  The worst two times was when it died at a gas station and when it died at Wal Mart.

My sister and I were finally able to work out our schedules with one of my roommates to drop off the car, get it fixed, and pick it up.

I was so glad to finally have a working car.  My sister and I drove it quite a bit the next few days.  It was nice having a car again.

Then a few days later my roommate came in the house and said that my tires were looking a little low.  Especially the front one on the drivers side.  I went and filled it up (by the way, only one gas station in Rexburg doesn't CHARGE for air.  Chevron, in case you're curious.  Everywhere else charges 25 or 50 cents!  Tell me that's not the most ubsurd thing you have EVER heard.  I refused to pay for air, and drove to every gas station until I found one that didn't charge).  So I filled them up, we went and got dinner, and everything seemed hunky dory.

Enter the next day.  Saturday.  I had to go to Wal Mart.  I drove about two blocks and I noticed a really weird and loud thumping noise.  I couldn't tell where it was coming from.  I pulled over.  Got out.  And saw a flat tire.  It's possible I swore.  I don't really remember.  I was definitely annoyed.

So now, during the busiest weekend and week of the semester, I somehow have to fit in the time to call triple A, have them put on the spare (my sister claims she knows how, but my mom said that driving on a car that Katie has installed the spare on is like walking on a tight rope that Katie set up.  Not a good idea, and death will probably follow), drive to Sam's Club in IF because they'll fix it for free.  And it has to be tomorrow because Katie has to go to IF tomorrow for her second round of rabies shots.  

At least my huge a project for my PR class is due tomorrow, so I won't have that to worry about not working on, since most of my night, if not all, will be dedicated to going to IF tomorrow.