I drove the minivan around the block. I was afraid the thing would overheat before I made it back. But not only was I fine, it didn't really warm up even as I parked it back on the driveway. I revved it up a couple times to get it to what I think is its maximum temperature on the thermostat if everything was fine. But I didn't want to stay there and wait when I had my traditional Christmas Eve shopping sojourn (lunch at Hooters followed by picking up Cheesecake Factory at Southdale) and I already pushed everything back. However, I popped the hood and saw that the antifreeze I poured into the reserve tank was nearly all gone. I swear the last time I checked it, it was more than full. That convinces me that even if everything is fine with the radiator, I want to have it checked with someone, and probably The Mechanic Around The Corner because I still don't know if I can drive the minivan any farther before it overheats.
I then have to plan on a day to bring it in, probably after work (they'll keep it overnight, hopefully they'll investigate in the morning, and anything they need to fix can be done some time in the afternoon, then I'll pick it back up when I get back from work). It was going to be this week, but since I'll be busy shoveling snow not once but twice this week (let alone worrying about sliding around in an old minivan), I'll just wait until next week and pray my car makes it on its own. I wish I could get this problem -- and, more importantly, my anxiety -- behind me as soon as I can, but the winter storms will make that impossible, and at least I have clarity as to what I cannot do this week.
New Year's looms at the end of the week. I don't think it's as fraught with stuff I plan on doing, even though there is stuff I plan on doing. Unless they have an outbreak of COVID-19, I will be back to ringing in the New Year with my high school friends and their kids. My favorite Hooters waitress was not around last Friday/Christmas Eve, so I'll probably go back there this Friday/New Year's Eve in the hopes of seeing her. And maybe before or after I'll pop by ***e* so she can give me a handjob. This limbo week, the last week of the year, the one between Christmas and New Year's, is weird in that there is a certain segment of the population that has or will take the whole week off, so in essence it still feels like holiday season. And besides, I have Friday off, so I can do all the above things. So I have that going for me.
I just have to find time to figure out what to eat and when. The most pressing concern right now, and I know this is kind of shallow, is to complete this "task" the Chipotle app gave me where they'll reward me with beaucoup points if I order each of the five, uh, "vehicles" in which to eat Chipotle -- burrito, burrito bowl, salad, tacos and quesadilla -- by New Year's Day. I thought I already did it, but I haven't gotten the points yet, and I don't know which of the "vehicles" I have to purchase again in order to finally get those points. And I have to decide which days to buy Chipotle, and I have to order it around the days I need to get home and plow/shovel.
Now, add that to the perishable food I bought -- the two cheesecakes I still have, the prosciutto and cheeses, the lemons and limes for the alcohol I'm making for myself -- and I have to plan, probably more carefully than I am now, what to eat and when. Because, damn, it's a lot. And maybe I bit off more than I can chew. So there's eating out and getting the minivan fixed and, well, maybe this last week of 2021 is going to be busier than it should be. Sigh.
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