Car Trouble, Yay

Hawk texted and called me urgently when she was driving home from doing a few errands yesterday. The car was flashing warning messages about overheating and then "Extreme overheating". When I came down to the garage I saw fluid pooling beneath the right front wheel. It was a coolant leak.



We called our trusted mechanic this morning to arrange an appointment then called AAA for a tow. We considered trying to drive the car the 5 miles to the shop but decided since coolant would evidently pour out as soon as we poured it in we'd rather not take the chance of causing it to overheat and getting stranded on the side of the road. Plus, we're paying enough as AAA members. We might as well get the free tow from the comfort of home.

At the shop the service advisor noted, "We just saw this car 900 miles ago," and muttered about how they could've missed a coolant problem. That got me thinking, "Wait, it's been months since we've had the car in the shop!" Once upon a time "900 miles ago" would've been 3 weeks... or less. Today, with how little we drive, it's a few months.

I've Achieved... Nothing. Way to Go!

Airlines and hotels have been sending me "The Year in Review" messages this past week. My gut reaction each time has been, "WTF?  2025 ended months ago!" But nope, it's only January 19. They're not that late. It only feels like 2026 began months ago because we've already had, like, three or four manufactured political crises in the US this year. (And that's just in two weeks. Sigh. It's going to be a long year.)

The 2025 travel summary that hit today made me laugh. This one's from a hotel brand family, Choice, that I seldom stay at.



Woohoo, in 19 years with them I've achieved Non-elite status. That means I've achieved nothing. I'm so glad they're trying to make me feel special about that. Way to go, me! 🤣

30 Days in a Row. Just Do It.

As of today I've blogged 30 days in a row. That small accomplishment is an accomplishment because my blogging has been spotty the past few months. Occasionally I've gone days at a time without writing.

I'm calling it a small accomplishment because I've done so much better in the past. Until a few months ago I had blogged nearly every day for years. I had a streak of over 300 days in a row from April 2024 into early 2025. Late last year I slipped from skipping one or two days a year to having several skip days a month. 30 days ago I got back up on my digital surfboard and decided I would just do this.

A small accomplishment is still an accomplishment. There have been a few days among the past 30 where I felt the I-don't-wannas. Evenings where I asked myself, "What does it matter if I post something or not tonight?" I learned from those months and years and writing virtually every day that it's a habit, a practice, that has to be developed. And for me it's an important outlet of communication. I rededicated myself to the task. Just do it.