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In an age robbed of religious symbols, going to the shops replaces going to the church.... We have a free choice, but at a price. We can win experience, but never achieve innocence. Marx knew that the epic activities of the modern world involve not lance and sword but dry goods. |
Monday, June 29, 1998
One year ago: The Sky of the Cinema
Bowling for Luke's birthday, yesterday; and the parade report has been posted.
I had to wait until seven AM this morning, before the Texaco station opened and I could drop off my keys. I ended up getting to work about an hour later than I normally start. It does seem like I've had a lot of car trouble lately, but I'm not ready to get rid of this car yet. It's paid for, and is generally reliable! If I hadn't left the dome light on, or some such, last Friday, there would be no problems today.
I was still concerned about what to do if there was a serious problem with the car. I have to teach a dance workshop tomorrow evening, and there are various errands connected with it that really require a car, like getting equipment from Jayson and going to the grocery store for food and things to share.
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The notable events at work today: Macadamia nuts brought back from vacation by our group lead, a messed-up database backend on a server that thankfully wasn't up to me to fix, and a new catering company on campus. The cafeteria was mobbed, because everyone wanted to check out the new menus. So far, not much different from the old, except for the $4.25 price for roast beef and one side dish. Adding one small spoonful of underdone carrots and zucchini brought this up to five bucks!
Mike from Texaco called to tell me that the car was successfully jumped by them (Why didn't it work from my sister's car? they have a stronger battery and super-duper cables, I guess!), and that the alternator and charging system seemed ok. They hadn't yet done the oil change I had requested, so I said if it was done by the time I arrived, well and good; if not we'd do it another day.
I took my time going home, stopping off downtown for dinner in the food court at Westlake Center, and taking time to stare at the hair accessories in the accessories store. I restrained myself from buying any, though; they didn't have anything that I don't already have in the way of bows or hairpins. I do have the urge to buy some scrunchies! I could put my hair up in a bun at the crown of my head, then put a scrunchie around it, for dancing.
When I got to the service station, my car was up on the rack getting the oil change it needed, so I walked across the street to City Peoples' Mercantile, and didn't buy candles and didn't buy bath or lotion stuff, though I did see things I liked that were even on sale. I think I have enough right now, in both categories. When I picked up my car, I found that they had had to replace the battery, which I hadn't expected, but they had repaired my right rear tire, which pleased me!
So I was able to go over to Jayson's house to pick up the sound system. This is a term that sounds fancier than the system really is, since it consists of a largish, very nice boom box, with added remote radio-connected speakers. The house was remarkably neat, which I commented on, and he reminded me that they had hosted a Cacophony event last night. "Nothing like guests to make you straighten up the place," he said. After we carried the stuff to my car, I asked him to help me get my car key back on the ring with the other keys. We were standing on the grass planting strip, twirling the keys round and round on the ring, until suddenly instead of the car key getting on the ring, another key came off somehow! So we decided to stop before the situation got worse, and I put the keys together when I got home.
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