Dearest Rachel – I don’t think of myself as a “car guy”; the idea of popping open the hood and messing around with a car’s engine does not appeal to me. I’m not one for getting my fingers dirty over a vehicle’s mechanical parts, nor do I relish the smell of any oil other thanContinue reading “Tuk-Tuk Temptation”
Tag Archives: auto
Until the Last Minute
Dearest Rachel – This is really not my style, honey; you know that. Raised as I was, arriving somewhere fifteen minutes early was considered late. If we’re heading out to the island, I’d prefer to leave town as soon as possible – and have the car loaded up as much as possible the night before,Continue reading “Until the Last Minute”
Reprieve and Delay
Dearest Rachel – Well, the good news is that it’s not the transmission that’s wrong with my car (or, presumably, yours, were I or Daniel to take it in to get it looked at). The bad news is that all the little things that are wrong with it are going to cost as much asContinue reading “Reprieve and Delay”
Wheels and Feet
Dearest Rachel – So, yesterday had me bringing in the car to the dealership to have it looked at. Officially, I was only overdue for an oil change, but there are places I can go where that can be done quicker and more efficiently, in my opinion (although I can’t necessarily speak for ‘cheaper’; evenContinue reading “Wheels and Feet”
Cold Cranking
Dearest Rachel – Despite having woken up with a dream in my head, I’m going to write you about the reality of the day. The thing is, my dream was about finding a cache of letters you had written to Junior’s daughters upon being asked to be their godmother, which I know never happened. Oh,Continue reading “Cold Cranking”
Solved in an Instant
Dearest Rachel – Well, it’s not as if it’s the most interesting that could be told, but it’s pretty much the only storyline that’s been going on around me for the last couple of days, so it will have to do; the conclusion (maybe?) to the whole saga of me getting myself basically locked inContinue reading “Solved in an Instant”
Frozen in Place
Dearest Rachel – It’s been a while, but it’s it’s not as if this hasn’t happened before of a winter morning. Yesterday, after texting the folks that I was on my way (and pleased with myself at getting closer to nine o’clock every day for the past week), I got in the car, turned theContinue reading “Frozen in Place”
Can’t Fix What You Can’t Find
Dearest Rachel – The Seventh Doctor was probably quoting someone else (actually, many someones else, I’m sure – it’s undoubtably a very common saying, now that I think about it) when he observed that “the difference between comedy and tragedy is a fine one; it’s only a matter of timing.” At the time, he was (characteristically)Continue reading “Can’t Fix What You Can’t Find”
Uncle Mamo
Dearest Rachel – I was planning to make this an epilogue to an earlier letter to you, but that one started to get out of hand, so I decided to create this as a separate one instead. Who knows? Maybe I lost the original thread when I walked away from it for a few hours.Continue reading “Uncle Mamo”
Pound Foolish?
Dearest Rachel – I’m sure this is something that, under other circumstances, one might actually expect of a man my age. After all, isn’t it almost cliché for a man in his fifties to deal with a midlife crisis by quitting his job, finding himself a new woman, and getting himself a sporty new setContinue reading “Pound Foolish?”
Changes of Plan
Dearest Rachel – The thing about yesterday’s synchronicity of inconveniences is that life rarely works out so well (even in the midst of not working out so well); that’s really why I wrote to you about it, because it was so unusual. Not only were each of the main issues out of the ordinary, butContinue reading “Changes of Plan”
Convenient Inconveniences
Dearest Rachel – I don’t know where I heard it originally, but it’s been said that there are no such thing as coincidences; it’s just that God doesn’t always want to sign His name to everything that happens. Considering that some of what happens isn’t exactly what we would call ‘good’ (although, given our collectiveContinue reading “Convenient Inconveniences”
All Happening at Once
Dearest Rachel – For all that I paean my semi-retired state as being one where I’m completely free to do anything I want to at any time, that’s never really been entirely true. There are always constraints to one’s supposed freedom, be they physical, moral, logistical, financial or otherwise self-imposed. It might be taking thingsContinue reading “All Happening at Once”
Let’s Try This Again…
Dearest Rachel – I’m fully aware of the fact that most of the things that are happening to me these days that I keep informing you of are fairly little things, when looked at dispassionately. A swollen thumb is as nothing compared to the loss of a limb, say, or (more to the point) theContinue reading “Let’s Try This Again…”
Between Comedy and Tragedy
Dearest Rachel – It’s been years since I’ve been here at Walker Brothers’ pancake house. I’m pretty sure that the last time we were here (and yes, it was definitely ‘we’ at the time), it was for a similar reason; we had taken my car in to have it looked at. That’s what happens whenContinue reading “Between Comedy and Tragedy”
Little Dollops of Catch-Up
Dearest Rachel – I’ve been amazed some days about how often I’m able to come up with a topic – or two, or three! – to talk to you about. It’s gotten to the point where, if I can’t come up with anything to relate, I get a little concerned. This is one of thoseContinue reading “Little Dollops of Catch-Up”
Haywire
Dearest Rachel – I hear that in certain circles, there has been talk of reducing the work week from five to four days. While I don’t know how that would work for retail in particular, I have to admit that the idea of an extra day off is an attractive one. Of course, I wouldContinue reading “Haywire”
Steering Me Wrong
Dearest Rachel – I’ve been driving for almost forty years – I probably should pull over and get a cup of coffee now again. But what’s been happening to my car is something I’ve never experienced before, and it’s getting me a little bit worried. I’ve been able to manage for a couple of days,Continue reading “Steering Me Wrong”
Mischief Managed
Dearest Rachel – I was just reading the other day something about J. K. Rowling; I think it was somebody admiring her political stands in the face of, how shall we say, rather rabid opposition. The author of the piece actually commented how they weren’t a big fan of the Harry Potter series (being moreContinue reading “Mischief Managed”
In Need of a Jump Start
Dearest Rachel – You’d think, that after nodding off in the recliner sometime between nine and ten last night (I don’t remember exactly when; after all, I was asleep), I wouldn’t have any problem getting up early this morning. you think I wouldn’t have the need to slap the snooze button three times in aContinue reading “In Need of a Jump Start”
Morning Un-Routine
Dearest Rachel – The Army used to have a slogan about how “we do more before 9am than most people do all day.” Considering that I’m sitting in the veterinary parking lot, and it’s a quarter to nine, while I have to confess that while I’m not Army material, I’m at least getting started onContinue reading “Morning Un-Routine”
Letters to Rachel 