Car Homecoming

My car has been diagnosed healthy and was brought back home today with a prescription for heavy driving and lots and lots of shifting. I guess some water got into the transmission when it was flood out by - ahem - a little water in the road - and they're afraid it's going to rust and lock up, so keeping the gears moving will help prevent that. So, my Studly Hubby has been assigned the task of taking it to work and driving it all around which should give it the ego boost it needs right now.

The car has suffered some permanent damage. The automatic seatbelts, which were on the fritz for many many years, have finally declared life too difficult and thrown in the towel. I will discuss with the mechanic later this week my options for locking them permanently back into place. Also, the "fasten seatbelts" light, obviously traumatized by this whole ordeal, is no longer on or off, but constantly flashing. Since tonight is the first time I've been able to drive it, I still haven't properly washed the carpets so they are starting to stink just a wee bit - I will do my best tomorrow cleaning them out but I fear there may always linger a slight stench. And most disconcerting, and possibly what may be the eventual doom of my car, the clutch now sticks when you push it in, although shifting through the gears is fine. It also idles nice and smooth, starts up well, stops and goes as usual, and maintains a generally cheerful disposition. My 1989 Toyota Camry will never die!

In other news, my mom's car is most likely totalled. She's upset but it was insured so it's not as bad as it could be. We sent off the proofs for my PNAS paper today, which means it will be coming out within the month (or so they say), and I spent the evening helping my Studly Hubby videotape himself pushing his car up the alley so he could have reference material for a "big push" animation he's working on. As he replayed the movie, he discovered some audio commentary on it describing his bulging muscles and amazing strength. I don't know who did that, but it wasn't me!