The Random Comic Strip

The Random Comic Strip

Words to live by...

"How beautiful it is to do nothing, and to rest afterward."

[Spanish Proverb]

Ius luxuriae publice datum est

(The right to looseness has been officially given)

"Everyone carries a part of society on his shoulders," wrote Ludwig von Mises, "no one is relieved of his share of responsibility by others. And no one can find a safe way for himself if society is sweeping towards destruction. Therefore everyone, in his own interest, must thrust himself vigorously into the intellectual battle."

Apparently, the crossword puzzle that disappeared from the blog, came back.


Friday, March 29, 2013

Prepping...


It's Friday and that means I am off playing golf. Yesterday, I took the car in for some maintenance in preparation for our annual trip out to San Diego.

That trip, like most of the others, will have stops in Biloxi and Las Vegas. These are free stays at hotel/casinos. The "casino" part is why I italicized the "free." Just to be honest about it. There will be a stop in Biloxi on the way back, too. I am merely the chauffeur on these trips. Faye plans them, develops the budget, and allocates the money. Oh, she asks me what I want but I don't believe she is actually interested in what I say in response. After 26 years, I have learned how to defer...

On Wednesday, I skipped golf. It was going to be around 35oF at tee off and I no longer want to tolerate that. Instead, I dropped by (when it was warmer) our local Toyota dealership (owned by the same guy who has the GM/Cadillac/Buick/Chevrolet dealership and the Kia dealership and the Ford dealership) to look at and test drive a Corolla.

You see, my Lucerne is a great car and spoils me rotten but gets crummy mileage in town. And that is where most of my driving is done. I know, in my heart, that all I need is a compact, highly economical, little buzz-box to get me around here in Paradise since we have Faye's Lucerne for the long trips and, so, I look at the various small, economical, cars available. I research them, price them, even test drive them. Then I get back in my Lucerne and decide I am not ready to give up comfort and power for economy and practicality. Call me stupid... I no longer care.

Anyway, the car needed (so they told me) to have the power steering system flushed. Before I agreed to that, I looked into it. It didn't seem an absolute necessity. It isn't a routine maintenance recommendation by GM/Buick, it could be a pointless exercise, and (I suspect) it may only need bleeding the system. There's this hum I would hear as I turned the wheel to its limits. The service department claims the fluid is contaminated. They could be right. But, since they have been the only ones to check that fluid, they were likely to be the source of that contamination.

In any event, I figured better safe than sorry when embarking on a 6000+ mile trip.
 

Sigh...

2 comments:

Tom said...

I had a Toyota once -- it was a pretty good car. But the solution to your problem seems obvious: just have Faye pay for your steering flush out of all her winnings!

Douglas said...

I also paid for the repair of a brake light. And then I learned this morning that the brake light is still out. They allegedly replaced it using the bulb that I had picked up at a auto parts store. Perhaps it was faulty or... perhaps the tech replaced the wrong bulb... one that wasn't defective. Will have it fixed tomorrow. And I forgot to mention the same dealership owner also has the local Nissan dealership. He sold the Chrysler dealership a few years ago. He pretty much has a new car monopoly here.