Getting a migraine….see you in a few.

…is it me, in my circumstances, or did everything seem to stop in 2006?

I went to get the transmission fluid and oil changed today.  The shop is the old time independent shop–the kind that those of us of a certain age remember.  It was the “filling station” type gas station.  They had a couple of pumps–maybe four if they were really progressive–and a full time mechanic working.  The mechanic was usually the owner.  You knew him by name and if he was any good, you were a regular customer.

I walk in the place, and it smells of oil and gas of years of working on cars.  It used to be an Amoco station, with red, white, and blue stripes still on what used to be display booths.  There were long fluorescent bulbs, now missing, to highlight the products.  An old wall safe is still in its place.  Countertops have been removed, except for one.  One could tell it was a busy place at one time..situated at a busy corner in town. There is a calendar on the countertop with the year “2006” on it.  Names and times are scribbled on it…customers of days past.  It just made me take a breath by the year –the year I lost my house –and I wonder to myself if everything stopped that year…

Now it has one mechanic that knows his stuff.  He changes the transmission fluid.  When I tell him it’s been seven years since I’ve had it done, he remarks that he’s seen much darker fluid.  Mine still had some “red” to it–meaning the usually red transmission fluid wasn’t completely black.  He said the car was in pretty good shape for the amount of miles on it (225,ooo).  I know, though, it’s days are numbered…I was told by a mechanic that it would probably not make it past 220,000…so I’m already 5k over the engine life.

Anyway, it was good to hear the transmission wasn’t as bad as I thought.  I just hope that solves the car rolling on me when I park it…otherwise, we got issues.

(I’m feeling my migraine coming on…probably won’t be here tomorrow.)