Really, my car doesn't have T.C.

I sit here at the computer waiting for the trick-or-treaters to come to my door. Will this finally be the year when NO CHILDREN come to my door? Will I be reduced to resisting large quantities of leftover candy or will I be able to get rid of all but a manageable amount? I waited until noon today to buy it so that it wouldn’t be around long enough to have to replace.

Luckily, the kids have started to ring the doorbell. Why is it that the phone rings at the same time as the doorbell? Why is it that with at least five phones in this house, there are none within reach? I run to the kitchen, answer the phone, ask them to hold, run to the front door, dispense candy, run back to the kitchen, discover the party has hung up (well, the call was for my son who has left the country…but I thought I might be able to take a message!) hang up the phone and return here, only to discover that I have wrenched the cartilage in one of my knees. Oh Joy. I crank up the music (SRV & Double Trouble – In Step) and discover with the next door bell/phone call combo that if I crank it up just a little louder, I can’t hear either! But then I remember that one of the evening’s goals is to get rid of the candy. Back to this post.

I should be paying bills…but…

Today I took my car in for the emission test that is required in Colorado before you can renew your license plates. Being the last day of the month, there were lines of cars filled with the other procrastinators. While I can sympathize with this as being one of the worst jobs on earth, I think these emission technicians get some kind of sick pleasure out of being contrary and difficult. Since you only have to get inspections every couple of years, I forgot about my car and the discrepancy of traction control. My car does not have traction control but their computers say that it does. The only reason this makes any difference is that there are separate lines for cars with traction control and those without. I always get in the line for cars without traction control because there are more of them (lines that is) and they move faster (and because my car DOESN’T HAVE TRACTION CONTROL). After a 15 minute wait in line, they started testing my car. Then they notified me that my car had traction control and would have to go through the special line. I argued with the ‘technician’ to no avail. He said he would put me at the front of the traction control line and then he proceeded to direct me to the BACK of the traction control line where I waited for an extra 30 minutes. GAAAAA!!!! I guess it doesn’t pay to argue. I was kind of worried that a technician would do something subversive to my car if I argued any more – call me paranoid if you like. Now my little mission is to get a note from my mechanic (certified, of course) that my car DOESN’T HAVE TRACTION CONTROL. I have two years to get this note – I think that is enough time.

Well, Pat (our all-black kitty) is whining to get out but I don’t think this is a very good night for Pat to be out so in Pat stays. In case you were wondering, in the photo from yesterday, Pat wasn’t snarling at the camera but YAWNING. Pat has a very big mouth!