GOD DAMN IT, WILD.

Had a lovely evening out with vortex and some of her local friends. Good times.

Until we got back and I looked at my email and had an email from my parents....apparently my mother HAD A STROKE. ON THURSDAY. AND EMAILED ME FRIDAY NIGHT TO TELL ME. I mean, I guess it wasn't too terrible since she can still email, but apparently she woke up and her arm was numb and she went to the hospital and there were MRIs and stuff. And they EMAILED. Wtf.

If not her, then who else?

Janelle Monae.

apparently my mother HAD A STROKE. ON THURSDAY. AND EMAILED ME FRIDAY NIGHT TO TELL ME

I need to know what the subject line was for that. Because that's some "Oh, and in other news" shit. Glad she's okay enough to do this, though.

Like the time my dad serial-emailed my mom with symptom descriptions that maybe he was having a stroke in a hotel room 4 hrs away when she wouldn't be anywhere near email and then drove back home and had his phone off when she was frantically trying to reach him when she did get home and check her email.

PARENTS.

The subject line was "latest: it's always something from (mom'sname)"

The subject line was "latest: it's always something from (mom'sname)"

That's better than "No need to worry!" I guess. But that doesn't really help.

Nightmares in car buying:

We headed to the dealer Hubby's sister had recommended, to look at the Rav4 the dealer was putting a new motor in. We pull in, he says, "I'm sorry, the motor's still in Salt Lake! But I can probably have it done by Tuesday." We told him that we had to find a car today, because the next couple of months were going to be buy with medical stuff. So we took the Honda CRV he had out for a test drive.

It didn't even make it to the repair shop where we had an appointment for an inspection. It lost power three-quarters of the way there, then nearly all the warning lights came on. We pulled into a grocery store parking lot, called the dealer, and told him to have someone come pick us up. So we finally get back to him and to our car, and he says with a sickly smile, "So I guess I lost that sale, huh?" We politely told him we might get back with him later, then went to one of the bigger used car dealers in the state.

Sure, there's a nice building with lots of salesfolk around, all of which has to be paid for, but there was also paperwork to show legal responsibility for things, and we had to sign some stuff to say we wouldn't get stupid with the car on the test drive, as opposed to a smiling person just handing us keys and saying "Go have fun." Perhaps there is a markup to pay for the building and sales force and all that, but there's also the fact that they don't want to have junk sold under their name. They're only as big as they are because they have a reputation.

The guy at the inspection shop pointed out that the little dealerships get the cars that the big dealers don't want to handle, the dregs of the stuff out of the car auctions.

So we're currently looking at a '96 Jeep Cherokee that drives pretty well and carries the marks of honest wear instead of being suspiciously well polished.

I just want a car that will get me to work and won't leave me stranded somewhere and that I can trust to get Hubby to a doctor when needs be.

Sadly, I am pretty sure there is a huge chunk of America that has no idea of who Janelle Monae is and/or thinks she's weird. (Not my kids, because I am raising them right.)

a huge chunk of America that has no idea of who Janelle Monae is

For once, I'm in that chunk of America. ::hangs head in shame::

Somebody quick talk me out of getting a Smart Car lease so that I don't have to make expensive decisions about fixing my dying car.