At Least It's Not The Transmission...

Last week, my car started making a Noise. Not just the average noise, as one might expect from a seven-year-old vehicle. This was a Noise: loud, disturbing, and impossible to rationalize away. It's over 60,000 miles, so it was probably due for something bad... even though I just had it in for another Noise not so long ago. Given the mileage and that the Noise came with a drop in overall power, I figured maybe the transmission had decided to give up the ghost.

The shop called. Turns out it isn't the transmission. It's the catalytic converter.

At least they found the problem.

Every time I get a little extra money stored up, I swear...

Enough With The Rain, Already!

I am well aware of the fact that I live in the Pacific Northwest, not one of the drier regions of the nation. I am also well aware that it is spring - a traditionally wet season in a wet area.

But, seriously, enough with the freakin' rain, already!

We haven't even gotten any decent rainbows out of the thing... or decent storms. All around us are rainbows galore - I see the pictures on the news sites. But we just get the gray and the wet... especially when I'm off work. Or trying to drive. I'm honestly surprised there wasn't an accident on the freeway today when a hail squall hit. It was just like driving through a car wash - wave after wave of solid water battering every inch of the car. Then a couple miles later it was blue skies. And, no, no danged rainbow to make up it, either. At least, not one I was allowed to witness.

There's a theme emerging in 2014 that I don't much care for.