And automobiles hate me. I swear I could have the newest, shiniest, best made car in the world—and it would break as I was driving it out of the dealership. Since Sunday I’ve been without a car. I’ve been begging rides off of a friend (thanks E), and taking the bus. It’s been inconvenient—I walked to the grocery store on Wednesday, but nothing too life disrupting. Until last night. I teach later on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I caught the bus on campus just fine—but it was running a tad late, and as a result I missed my connection by what must have been only a minute.

Since it’s solidly evening by this time, the buses don’t come so often. I wait the 20 minutes for the next bus as my feet get colder and colder; and start to hurt more and more. 10 minutes afterthe bus was supposed to have be there involuntary tears were streaming down my face because my feet hurt so much. I had actually taken my gloves off, and put them over my socks and shoved my feet back into my shoes.

At this point I decide to give up. I go to a nearby restaurant, forgetting it’s Valentine’s Day, and call my friend for a ride while lovey-dovey couples out for a romantic evening stare at me. Luckily her and her fiancé were only on their way to their Valentine’s Day dinner and were able to pick me up and take me home.

My feet seem okay, no frostbite. But today, I had the same friend—I know, I owe her dinner—take me to a coffee shop near my mechanic before she went in to work at 8:00 a.m. The car was supposed to be done in the morning. It wasn’t done until 3:00 p.m. So after consuming as much coffee as I dared, I meandered up and down Grand Ave., and ended up getting lunch at Bravo. Bravo is owned by Buddhists and serves vegetarian versions of… well… Americanized Chinese food, mostly. They make their own vegan mock chicken by hand from wheat gluten. Though if I didn’t know they didn’t even serve meat, I’d swear it was chicken. Photo above of the sesame chicken. There’s a Citypages article here

I got my car back, though now is smells like chemicals and makes me woozy. Hopefully it airs out overnight.