Further Adventures of Natalina
August 12th 2009 11:29
It's been a while since I've shared some of my wacky adventures, but this by no means is because I've stopped having them. They continue to occur, and my life is no less a series of ridiculous scenarios than it ever was.
The other day, I was driving to Blockbuster, listening to music, and just generally enjoying my afternoon. I pulled into the parking lot and entered the building. After spending a loooong time in the store, I finally made a few selections. Two of the movies I rented were great, one was so-so, and one SUCKED the life right out of me.
Anyway, I went out to the car, put my key into the ignition, and turned it as usual. At the point where a car generally fires up and does what cars generally do, my car just clicked. Hmmm. I figured perhaps old Gloria (that's her name) was feeling a little ornery, so I tried again. Nothing. I tried over and over and over again to no avail. She was not starting. "Fiddlesticks" I cried. Well maybe not "Fiddlesticks" but something like that.
I got out of the car and popped the hood. I stood there for a moment staring at Gloria's innards before I realized that I know nothing about cars and therefore had no idea what exactly I was looking for. I slammed the hood down and got back into the car to try again. Nothin'.
As my husband was unavailable to come and help me, I had to call my brother for assistance. When he arrived, he tried giving Gloria a jolt with the battery pack and tried a variety of other car fixing related things, and nothing helped. She was d-e-a-d.
The next morning, my hubbo and his buddy went to check on the car, and I was informed that it was running fine, and there was nothing wrong. It turns out that I had turned the car off while it was still in gear, and as you may be aware, cars will not start if they're not firmly placed in park. I promise you, I felt like a complete ass.
My car adventures don't stop there. This evening, well this morning actually, my friend Angie and I decided to take a drive out into the country to catch a glimpse of the meteor shower that everyone's been talking about. I went to pick her up and we headed out. Now, I love driving, but when I venture into unfamiliar territory, I tend to get nervous. My goal was to drive as far away from the city as possible so that we were unhindered by light pollution in our stargazing endeavors.
After a while, I realized I was completely lost. That's when I saw it. Normally in this neck of the woods, it's not uncommon to see a "deer crossing" sign. Those annoying bastards are everywhere, and you have to be on the lookout. I'm used to that. Sometimes, you'll even see a "moose crossing" sign. Then you know you're really in the boonies. But this night, the shape on the sign looked familiar and yet slightly odd. "What kind of animal is that sign warning me to beware of?" I asked Angie. As we got closer, it became clear that this was a "cattle crossing" sign.
Now, don't get it twisted. I'm no city slicker. I drive in the country all the time and I've camped and fished and hiked all of my life. But, I think this is the first time a sign has warned me to beware of cattle, and for some reason it freaked me out. Sure, there are cattle all over the damn place in these parts, but usually they're fenced in, and don't cause a road hazard. And I realize in hindsight that the sign probably just meant that I was crossing into a field that contained a lot of cattle and that it would be advisable to proceed with care, but in my already nervous about being lost state, I read the sign to mean that there were rogue cattle stalking the roadside, waiting to jump in front of unsuspecting travelers who'd ventured into their territory.
I slowed my car to a crawl, my eyes darting back and forth, looking for the renegade cow. Angie was pretty much just laughing at me, and finally I decided that we were suitably far away from the city to pull over and gaze at the sky. We sat there for a while when Angie said, "Did you hear that?" No, I heard nothing. I listened closer. Then I heard it. An unmistakable, "Mmmmoooo!" Why this made me so nervous, I cannot logically explain, but after we successfully witnessed a few brilliant shooting stars, I was ready to get the HELL out of there!
When I got home, there was a group of kids sitting in the parking lot, staring at the sky. As it turns out, my parking lot, right across the street from my house, was a perfect view of the dazzling display of meteors as the darted across the night sky. Nice.
The other day, I was driving to Blockbuster, listening to music, and just generally enjoying my afternoon. I pulled into the parking lot and entered the building. After spending a loooong time in the store, I finally made a few selections. Two of the movies I rented were great, one was so-so, and one SUCKED the life right out of me.
Anyway, I went out to the car, put my key into the ignition, and turned it as usual. At the point where a car generally fires up and does what cars generally do, my car just clicked. Hmmm. I figured perhaps old Gloria (that's her name) was feeling a little ornery, so I tried again. Nothing. I tried over and over and over again to no avail. She was not starting. "Fiddlesticks" I cried. Well maybe not "Fiddlesticks" but something like that.
Sadly, this helpful fella was unavailable
I got out of the car and popped the hood. I stood there for a moment staring at Gloria's innards before I realized that I know nothing about cars and therefore had no idea what exactly I was looking for. I slammed the hood down and got back into the car to try again. Nothin'.
As my husband was unavailable to come and help me, I had to call my brother for assistance. When he arrived, he tried giving Gloria a jolt with the battery pack and tried a variety of other car fixing related things, and nothing helped. She was d-e-a-d.
The next morning, my hubbo and his buddy went to check on the car, and I was informed that it was running fine, and there was nothing wrong. It turns out that I had turned the car off while it was still in gear, and as you may be aware, cars will not start if they're not firmly placed in park. I promise you, I felt like a complete ass.
My car adventures don't stop there. This evening, well this morning actually, my friend Angie and I decided to take a drive out into the country to catch a glimpse of the meteor shower that everyone's been talking about. I went to pick her up and we headed out. Now, I love driving, but when I venture into unfamiliar territory, I tend to get nervous. My goal was to drive as far away from the city as possible so that we were unhindered by light pollution in our stargazing endeavors.
After a while, I realized I was completely lost. That's when I saw it. Normally in this neck of the woods, it's not uncommon to see a "deer crossing" sign. Those annoying bastards are everywhere, and you have to be on the lookout. I'm used to that. Sometimes, you'll even see a "moose crossing" sign. Then you know you're really in the boonies. But this night, the shape on the sign looked familiar and yet slightly odd. "What kind of animal is that sign warning me to beware of?" I asked Angie. As we got closer, it became clear that this was a "cattle crossing" sign.
Beware of the Cow
Now, don't get it twisted. I'm no city slicker. I drive in the country all the time and I've camped and fished and hiked all of my life. But, I think this is the first time a sign has warned me to beware of cattle, and for some reason it freaked me out. Sure, there are cattle all over the damn place in these parts, but usually they're fenced in, and don't cause a road hazard. And I realize in hindsight that the sign probably just meant that I was crossing into a field that contained a lot of cattle and that it would be advisable to proceed with care, but in my already nervous about being lost state, I read the sign to mean that there were rogue cattle stalking the roadside, waiting to jump in front of unsuspecting travelers who'd ventured into their territory.
I slowed my car to a crawl, my eyes darting back and forth, looking for the renegade cow. Angie was pretty much just laughing at me, and finally I decided that we were suitably far away from the city to pull over and gaze at the sky. We sat there for a while when Angie said, "Did you hear that?" No, I heard nothing. I listened closer. Then I heard it. An unmistakable, "Mmmmoooo!" Why this made me so nervous, I cannot logically explain, but after we successfully witnessed a few brilliant shooting stars, I was ready to get the HELL out of there!
When I got home, there was a group of kids sitting in the parking lot, staring at the sky. As it turns out, my parking lot, right across the street from my house, was a perfect view of the dazzling display of meteors as the darted across the night sky. Nice.
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