Modern Inconveniences

They are everywhere.

PASSWORDS! They are a fact of life. Some days it seems that each time I click on something I'm prompted to say, "OH Crap! What is it again?" It's tempting to make them all the same. Is that good Comm-Sec? Probably not. It might be a good Sanity Check though.

Just when I get over the picture hurdle, I trip on another. I added a link this morning but can't change the color or the font. ALL of the rest of them changed. I just can't get this one to get with the program.

The Celllllll Phone. Some days I just want to take it to the Homestead, hang it from a tree and draw a bead on it with the 7mm Mauser. "Satisfaction Guaranteed!!!" (LD, I promise I will get that thing to "The Hill Country".)

The truck. THE Dodge. My beloved Ferengi Trading Vessel. At 196 almost 197K miles. She's in need of a complete 1 through 4 Phase Inspection. A lot of "Due Items" as well.

Nothing has failed lately but she's getting a little quirky. The cruise control is out but that's what a calibrated ankle is for. She has this really weird thing going on with the Temp gage. Maybe a sticky thermostat. (?)

The quirky things I can handle $70 to $100 at a time. I'm just a little worried about the warp drive.....

I lost a '70 model Road Runner with 440 cubic inches of pure pleasure. She grenaded on me at... uh... competitive velocity one night on an Arizona highway. Her Final Act was to smoke check (yet another Pontiac).

That whole nightmare has been replaying in my mind. Crank in 3 pieces. Cam in 5. Piston rods Twisted 90 degrees and sheared clean. Strange semi-circular divots in the tops of pistons.

Now, I do not hot rod the Dodge. She's only seen triple digits a very few times and those were 'necessary' and brief. I'll get on her pretty good sometimes just to hear that defiant roar. But, I still am not pushing her anywhere near the limit.

She is still stout. Last night I sent a slight impulse through the calibrated ankle and she leaped effortlessly from 55 to 85, Right Then. I cleared the knucklehead doing 50 mph in a 65 zone and eased back to 65.

OK. Thanks. You've convinced me. Get her a friend, some back-up. She's a family member. She's dependable, cool in her own way and PAID for!