The Wheels on the Bus go... Back and Forth

Precursor to this post: I love my car. Lucio is, literally, a dream come true- a dream born of 5+ years spent driving my parents' car, which I disaffectionately call 'The Boat' because it is *almost* (6 bregrudging inches short) as long as Tony's Roadmaster.

The backseat of the Grand Marquis was perpetually cluttered with my dad's 'emergency' items, like toilet paper, Catholic booklets (also known as 'truth tracts') and raisins (Abe one time, after eating half a jar of stale peanuts, asked me to "Tell your dad to get some better snacks". Let it be known that Lucio comes fully stocked with two different kinds of granola bars and whatever groceries get lost underneath the seats). The Boat also featured a makeshift back support on the driver's seat, crafted from a leftover cushion of unknown origin and some shoestring, and its soul-crushing beige exterior spoke of my handiwork - scratches, dents, and one long scrape along the driver's side from when I ran it alongside the fence at my high school one afternoon (my parents still don't know about that one... shh). All that being said...

Owning a car sucks. Today, Lucio and I took a field trip to the mechanic's after two unsuccessful visits to the tire shop to get my sleek new wheels checked out. For the past few weeks, I've increasingly noticed my car shaking when I drive it at high speeds. I assumed there was something wrong with my tire alignment, a problem I figured might not be unrelated to my habit of taking Lucio over speed bumps a little faster than the road commissioners probably intended. At least, I *hoped* this was the case, since Lucio's tires come with a lifetime warranty, courtesy of his former owner, Carl Polish-last-name-with-four-no-really-four-z's.

But alas, the motor gods were unhappy today. The friendly folks at Discount Tire let me know that my driver side wheel is slowly working itself loose, a fact confirmed by new mechanic, Sonny (have I mentioned I love the South?) It's never a good sign when their reactions is "wow I've never seen wheel bearings completely worn away like this!" Glad I could enlighten you, Sonny.

Unfortunately, both my budget and sanity are balanced rather precariously on the assumption that no disaster, natural or otherwise, will befall them. What's worse is that the two are rather intimately connected- major hits to the budget typically result in a nervous breakdown, usually followed by large purchases of ice cream and liquor, not accounted for in the aforementioned budget... and around and around we go.

On the bright side, I'm 6 short work hours away from a four-day weekend and a three-day wedding celebration. Mr. and Mrs. McCarthy, here I come!