Best laid plans

Last night I was supposed to move bedtime forward 15 minutes. It didn't happen. I went to bed at 11 and read for half an hour, as I've done for the past few days. It was a fitting finale for a day in which plans went awry.

I got off to a good start: slept until 8, shower, breakfast, some writing and meditation. Then a game of CivIII sidetracked me for four hours. On one hand I could consider it recreational down time; on the other it cuts valuable hours I could spend writing and doing other creative pursuits. I chose to sacrifice evening game time so I could go to bed earlier and read more, but old habits die hard. It comes squeezing out a different direction. Inner conflict over motivation causes stress, too. Am I trying to do too much, or do I need more willpower? Creativity requires time present before the naked page.

I had planned to leave for Toronto around 1:00 to stay with Danny until early next week. By the time I washed dishes, packed and made my way downstairs it was 4:00.

The car wouldn't start. It turned over but didn't stick.

I called CAA. They sent somebody to lend a hand, but it still couldn't start. Eventually a tow truck came and took the car away.

It could have become a very depressing evening. Instead I called Lori. We went to the Penny Whistle for dinner. I had wings, salad, two papadums, a pint of cider and a shot of Drambuie. We laughed and told stories.

On the way home, the full moon shot brilliantly through transparent, scalloped, pearlescent clouds. It had a brilliant halo with a ruddy corona, startling hint of blood in a silvery-black sky.

I had a productive writing session on the winter journal, oblivious to the passage of time. When I left my desk it was 10:30. I checked email, got ready for bed and reached my bedroom at 10:50 to find the bed unmade. The laundry is still in the back seat of the car. It took 10 minutes to find a spare pillow slip and make the bed.

I will try again tonight for 10:45.

This morning I called Michael's Automotive. The Sunfire had safely arrived. I'm waiting to hear the damage. One way or another I will make my way to Toronto today, even if I have to take the bus like old times.

Deliverance

If Mike had told me the Sunfire needed a new $400 or $500 fuel pump, I would have believed him.

Yesterday in the process of trying to start the car, the CAA guy and I ran the battery down. This morning Mike began by recharging it. After that the engine started, no problem. The gas tank was terribly low, so he theorizes some water got into the fuel pump and froze. He put in some gas line antifreeze. He offered to keep the car on the lot and try to start it again in the morning, but I opted to take the risk so I can drive to Toronto this afternoon. Running errands around town just now, the car started three times without hesitation.

The total bill was $44.66. This is the second time in six months Michael's Automotive Service has spared me an expensive repair.