me: 2; the car: 1

the enemy:

I have added another element to my skills. As a sub-set of car fixing skills I already have ‘tire changing skills’ and ‘almost jump-starting my wife’s car skills’, I can add ‘headlight-bulb changing skills.’ After a mere 20 minutes, some crying and a call to daddy, I vanquished the old light and installed a fresh one. I realize that I typically exude machismo, but it really showed with my sick auto-maintenance display. Go me.

In all seriousness, the recent car-trouble incidents showed how nice the good-folk of the Dena are. The wife and I spent two bloody hours in a Pasadena Wal-Mart parking lot with the hood up, either fiddling with the battery or wainting for the tow-truck (it took 45 minutes for him to make the 2/3 mile trip). In that time, everyone who passed by – including the security guard – just stared at us blankly. Tonight, the wife and I were in the parking lot of a Pearland Wal-Mart with the hood up in 20 minutes while I was engaged in mortal combat with the light bulb. In that time, a family of five parked to our left, and the husband immediately came over, asked if I had any problems, stuck his hand under the hood and tried to explain what I should do; the explanation was a bit over my head as I’m pretty sure he mentioned some type of tool (screw-driver? wrench? spacely-sproket?). A bit later, I had defeated the old bulb and was attempting (vainly) to install the new one. A guy and his wife parked to our other side, and he told us he was a mechanic and asked if there was anything he could do to help. I told him I thought I could do it, but I’d take his help if I was still out there when he was done shopping. As if it wasn’t enough that both of the cars beside me offered to help, the mechanic came back out of the store to check on us. By that time we were testing whether the new light worked (it did), but it was appreciated nonetheless. I guess I don’t hate all people, just Pasadenans.