car stuff

Friday afternoon I got in my car to head to a rehearsal with a trombonist before my Hairspray rehearsal. As I started to back up, it felt like something was wrong. Indeed, something was wrong. The front driver’s side tire was flat. It had worn through to those metal wires. I just hadn’t been paying attention, not even sure how long ago they were put on the car. Well, I got out the spare, and didn’t see a jack. I’d never actually had to change a tire on this car before; I bought it new 7½ years ago. I assumed there’d be a jack, but I didn’t see one.

I contacted the trombonist, and said I wouldn’t make it to the rehearsal, we’d have to reschedule. And I told the Hairspray director that I had a flat, wasn’t sure how long it’d take and I’d let her know. I spent a little time trying to see if I could get hold of a jack: knocked on a few neighbors’ doors, with no luck. I called a garage, and they told me there ought to be a jack in there somewhere. I looked again. There was. It had just been sort of hiding. (Also, they told me that they don’t carry tires, and would have to order one...they wouldn’t be able to do much that day.)

So, I got the jack out, and started trying to change the tire. The lug nuts were very unwilling to come loose. As I said, I’d never changed a tire on this car; it had been many years since I’d changed any tire, and I’m not exactly what you’d call a strongman. So I kept at it, and they finally started to come loose. It basically required my standing on the tire iron. I realize now that it shouldn’t take that drastic a measure to change a tire, but at the time I was focused on getting it done so I could maybe make it to my second rehearsal.

The first lug nut finally came off, rather suddenly. In fact, it broke off.

I’d never seen this before and wasn’t 100% sure that’s what it was, so I tried to take off a second one, to compare. It also snapped off. I called another auto place (one with “tire” in the name).

I described the situation; they said it sounds like I did break them and sent their tow truck. The tow truck guy briefly checked the other tires and said they’re all like that. It’s likely this thing called “lock tight”. I looked it up. Loctite is basically a thread-locking super glue.

http://www.loctiteproducts.com/ 

The tow truck guy said that you might see this sort of thing in a situation where a car owner gets into an argument with a mechanic, so the mechanic puts Loctite onto the lug nuts so that later when you need to change the tires, you won’t be able to without breaking the lug nuts. I don’t recall ever getting into an argument or disagreement with, or even being rude to, anyone working on my car. I don’t know how to fix my car, and I certainly wouldn’t want to piss off the person who was fixing it. Anyway, who would do that to your car? That’s a shitty thing to do, even if you are pissed off.

Apparently it’s not a simple thing to fix. At the garage they had to call around to get the parts and go pick them up. I’m not sure how they actually got the bolts out once the part that a wrench fits around was broken off, but I was there for about 3½ hours. Eventually I’ll need to get all the lug nuts replaced so it’s not an issue in the future. But the front passenger side tire is pretty thin, and I really need to replace that one right away.

The problem is, whatever the parts were that they needed (was it just new lug nuts or other parts too? I don’t know what they had to do to get the damn things off) they got from the KIA dealer (my car’s a KIA), and that’s not something they keep a lot of in stock. The dealer has no more, and they won’t be in until sometime Wednesday.

Now... Today through Thursday I’m supposed to go to Jamestown for Hairspray rehearsal, about 20 minutes away, in town driving, and then go to Burlington for Guys & Dolls, about 40 minutes in the other direction, mostly interstate, and then back home, 35-40 minutes interstate. I don’t know if my thin front passenger side tire can make it to Thursday. I don’t want a blow-out on the interstate, and I don’t want to miss rehearsal. Is it safer to take a slower route? Should I rent a car?

Ug.

Advice?

Dear CNN.com

I submitted the following earlier this morning to CNN.com via their "contact us" form. Not sure if I'll get any response. 

     Are you guys seriously censoring comments with the word "sex" in an unaltered 

     spelling?

     I tried to post a comment an hour or more ago on this article:

     http://www.cnn.com/2011/US/03/03/illinois.sex.toy/index.html

     My comment was, in part, about the lack of use of the word "sex". The comment 

     hasn't posted yet, and I assume it won't.

     I really do get it if you want to preview posts to be sure they're not offensive or  

     off-topic, etc. But to not post the word "sex" in comments on an article about sex  

     is ridiculous. You seem to be willing to post "s*x"--which looks more like  

     "special effects"--and "$ex"--which I find disturbing, as it brings money into the 

     concept of sex.

     I haven't looked into this by scanning lots of article's comments, so I wonder is it,  

     in fact, your policy to not allow user comments that include the unaltered word  

     "sex"? If so, again, it's ridiculous. "Sex" is a perfectly reasonable word. It's even  

     used in the article I'm referring to.

     And if this is a policy of CNN.com, it seems to support the idea that sex is  

     something that ought not be openly and straight-forwardly discussed. If's that's  

     your position, then why even present such an article? Why not just ignore it, sweep 

     it under the rug, along with the word "sex"?

     (And another thing...)

     I've read your Terms of Use, wherein you state that you reserve the right to edit,  

     refuse to post, etc. Okay, if that's your policy, fine. But then don't say directly under 

     the user comment box that "Comments are not pre-screened before they post." and  

     then show a message that a moderator will have to approve comments. Just be  

     clear, one way or the other.

Now, maybe I'm wrong about the whole thing, and they just have a serious backup of comments. But I doubt it. 

Here is the comment I originally tried to post:

     Why can't people use the word sex instead of "s*x" or, much worse because it brings 

     money into the equation, "$ex". This is an article about sex.

     I once attended (not at school) an educational presentation of sexuality. It was  
     clear that it would be graphic, and no one forced me to go. It was a little odd,  
     but really informative. And providing information was the point. This incident at  
     Northwestern sounds very much the same: an optional after-class demonstration  
     which the students were warned several times would graphic. And it's for a  
     human sexuality class.

     If eating chocolate ice cream makes you uncomfortable, and someone offers you 

     chocolate ice cream, you should say, "No, thank you," and not eat it.

Weird dreams last night

So I lay in bed for what seemed like hours last night half-asleep and half-awake dreaming/thinking about a couple of measures on a single page of music from my Guys & Dolls score—a page and measures which don’t actually exist. I was in rehearsal, but we couldn’t get started. I kept looking at the spot where we were supposed to be starting. It was a tricky spot, and we really needed to work on it, but we never did. It was torture. If I was asleep, I knew it was a dream, and if I was awake, I couldn’t stop thinking about it.

Then I think I was asleep later, because I had what definitely seemed like a dream. (But I was also aware of it being a dream.) I was on a team in a sort of conflict/competition—something like paintball, but it wasn’t actually paintball, just a war or battle simulation or something. It was outside, like paintball probably would be. It felt real—not the dream, but the fighting in the dream.

That morphed into another half-asleep/half-awake thing. My group was planning an attack—I guess you’d have to call it a rebel terrorist attack—against the evil tyrannical government. It involved bombs and guns and unspecified public places. Then the public places turned into a school during a reunion. I guess it was high school, I’m not sure. The attack either failed or was discovered or something and I was trying to escape when I saw 2 friends from college: Tony & Debbie Harne, whom I haven’t talked to in 3 or 4 years. Debbie kept trying to talk to me and find out why I needed to escape. Finally I stole one of those trucks with the huge wheels—not quite “monster” truck-sized, but pretty big.

The escaping morphed into me, as an adult (I think) trying to leave from the house I lived in during high school. My younger brother, who was sort of also my older brother, had just got married that day. I was planning some big escape. Okay, actually I don’t think I was planning very well. It may’ve just been a continuation of the previous escaping dream/fantasy (still not sure if I was asleep or awake or somewhere in between). It was the middle of the night or early morning, and I was in my old room gathering stuff I thought I might need. I kept trying to put on this really weird oriental costume, and sneaked into my brothers’ room to pilfer stuff. And I still had the big truck—stashed somewhere, I suppose—because I kept thinking about how to drive it and not look suspicious.

Eventually—around 7:30?—I definitely woke up and wondered what that was all about. And tried to go back to sleep, but my brain wasn’t having it. So now, I’m really tired, which sucks ‘cause this is a busy day: lessons and coachings from 11-5, with a couple of half-hour slots free, and then Guys & Dolls music rehearsal in Burlington 7-10. I’ll do a little work a few principals and then most of the time with everyone on “Sit Down You’re Rockin’ the Boat” and the finale.

Valentine's Day, Guys & Dolls

As usual, I am single on Valentine’s Day. I don’t actually remember any specific Valentine’s Days when I was with my ex, but I must’ve been around them for at least a couple of them. Other than her, the only time I was dating anyone on Valentine’s Day must’ve been my senior year in high school. That was 21 years ago. That’s like 2 or 3 lives ago, so of course I don’t remember that.

I think Valentine’s Day in elementary school was cute: all those crappy little valentine’s you gave to everybody; and getting excited that some cute girl gave you a valentine...of course she gave everyone a valentine, just like you did. Now it just seems a terrible waste of resources. I suppose I’m somewhat inclined to view it all as a corporate money-making holiday for greeting card companies and flower shops and candy-makers. But to be honest, I just can’t get myself into an uproar about it. It’s just another stupid holiday, when I’m supposed to feel something, but I don’t.

I suppose, as on my birthday, if I were around lots of people who kept telling me “Happy Valentine’s Day!” I’d probably get annoyed. But I haven’t really interacted with anyone yet today. I’ll go to school later and play for a few people in their studio rep classes, and probably for one girl in studio recital after, if we can do it early enough.

The main thing I’m doing today is driving to the next town for the first night of Guys & Dolls auditions. I’m the music director. I feel like I’ve been working on this show forever. I’m doing it with a community theatre, and they can’t afford a decent-sized orchestra for the show. So I’m basically re-orchestrating the show for piano + 5 or 6 other musicians. I’ve done everything except a couple of numbers. I started working on it the week before Christmas, then took a lot of time away from it to focus on Silent Pictures and a couple of days on Heck’s Kitchen. This past week I was in rehearsals for Clue, the musical with some kids from the American Hebrew Academy. I didn’t have a chance to really hang out with them or get to know them well, but I really enjoyed working with them. They’re a good bunch of kids. SO...I still haven’t quite finished the G&D orchestrations. The performances aren’t until April (ah...community theatre...long, slow rehearsal process), so I’ve got time. 

busy doing shows

Haven't blogged lately. Not a whole lot going on that I've really felt like blogging. I've been busy, so I guess I haven't really had time to think and ponder over stuff. 
But here's what's going on with me:
Last week/weekend I had 3 performances of Silent Pictures: a musical for which I wrote the music (book and lyrics by Tommy Trull). This week I'm playing for Clue at The American Hebrew Academy here in Greensboro, and rehearsing Heck's Kitchen: a short little show I also co-wrote with Tommy for the annual Gala (in 2 weeks) of the Greensboro City Arts Drama Center. On Friday I'm going to see the Playwrights' Forum Evening of Short Plays which includes one by me. (Possum Play: it's not a musical, so I haven't been involved and haven't been to any rehearsal.) 
Next week are Guys & Dolls auditions in Burlington. I've been doing new orchestrations because there's no way we can hire all the musicians called for. I'm trying to finish up those orchestrations. I think we start rehearsals the following week.
Later this spring/summer I'll be doing Man of La Mancha, then Tommy here in town (Open Space Cafe Theatre), and All Shook Up (overlapping those 2) a town or 2 over (Theatre Guild of Rockingham County). 
I just played a tuba recital, will do a voice (half) recital this (?) month and in April 2 recitals with 5 trombonists. Plus NATS (state & regional).

So...after all that excessive free time last summer/fall, I'm probably too busy now. It'll be better after the next few weeks though. Whew.


Now...what are you people (you know, you people reading this) doing?

New Year’s

[written around 2am, as I went to bed, after attending a party where most everyone there appeared to be part of a couple]

I understand that having another person, no matter who they are, in my life won’t magically make me happier. Someone else can’t make me happy.

But...!

I just cannot dismiss the idea that another person—the right person (not “Miss Right”, not that one perfect-match/soul-mate who exists out there and is looking for me, because I don’t believe in that, but rather one of many possible “right” persons)—may be able to help me, urge me, inspire me to be better...to be happier...to look for happiness and accept it when it comes...to strive for contentment.

That is what I hope for. I’ve seen glimpses of it, so I know it’s possible...maybe not probable, but possible. I just fear that I’ll try to turn anything and everything [anyone] I find into that and, by doing so, ruin it...as I have done for the past few years.

I don’t know how to be happy as I am. I don’t know how to count my blessings or whatever the optimists out there might advise me to do. I don’t know how to let go of unhappiness while I’m being unhappy. 

The Blah-blah-blues-blog

BLECH:

So, I haven’t written a blog in almost a month.

I was a little bit sick...ish. Well, there was one day several weeks ago when I felt really bad.

And I was a little bit busy...ish. Well, I had a few extra rehearsals and a few juries to accompany.

Mostly I’ve just been lazy/depressed. I still am. I could spend this time writing. I SHOULD be working on some orchestrations for a show I’m doing in the spring. This is when I actually have time, but I’m finding it hard to motivate myself.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS:

I don’t really get into Thanksgiving or Christmas. It occurred to me a couple of days ago that I can’t really make any emotional investment in the holidays, because there’s no real pay-off for me. I don’t seem to feel the warm, fuzzy stuff that everyone is “supposed” to feel. At Thanksgiving some friends invited me to their house for a very tasty dinner. That was nice; I had a good time. But, in general, it’s hard for me to feel thankful when I’m not happy with myself or with my life. Yeah, I’m not homeless and starving, but I live alone and spend most of my time alone. And I’m really worried about money lately. I don’t have any. I haven’t really worked “enough” in 2 years, and I don’t really think I’ll get much more work next year.

As for Christmas...well, I’m not religious. In fact, I’m pretty-much anti-religion. And for those who’d say they’re not “religious” but they believe, well, I’m pretty hostile about “faith” as well. It seems that the people who say that kind of thing (not “religious” but...) are just going along with or have returned to the stuff they were taught when they were children and didn’t have the mental capacity to question it. And now it’s like they have religion-lite, and they conveniently distance themselves from the horrible stuff that religions have done and often don’t even feel much need to actually examine what they believe. They just take their own particular dose of opiate and chill out, not really have to think about it.

The commercial side of Christmas makes me ill, so I haven’t even thought about it much this year. I don’t have a TV, so I haven’t seen those blatantly offensive commercials that suggestion we all must purchase lots of crap we and our “loved ones” don’t need. I think I wrote entire blogs ranting about Christmas for 2 or 3 years. There’s an abridged version of one of them here from December 2006.

ANYWAY:

Maybe I just have seasonal affective disorder. Of course that might suggest that I’m relatively healthy the rest of the year, and I’m not willing to claim that.

So, now I’ve written a blog. Yep, another blog complaining about how I’m unhappy. Maybe I should change the name of this whole thing from Mister Christer’s Variety Show...the blog to something like like The Blah-blah-blues-blog.