Author Archives: Rob MacD

I’ve been a fan of Sarah Silverman for a few years.  If I ever was to do standup comedy, I think I’d want to do the kind of comedy she does.
Here’s a link to a New Yorker article on her.

Here is a link to a video of one of George W. Bush’s State of the Union addresses.  Well, okay, perhaps he didn’t say all of those words in exactly that order, but a little bit of judicious editing of the video gets to the real subtext of his agenda.

"Our first goal is to show utter contempt for the environment. I have sent you a comprehensive energy plan to devestate communities, kill wildlife, and burn away millions of acres of treasured forests."
"One by one, the terrorists are learning we are building a culture to encourage international terrorism."

I guess I never posted the outcome of my stalling vehicle problem from last week.  How could you all go on with your lives without knowing the status of my car?  I am so sorry for leaving you in the dark.

So, last Monday, we called Dave’s Auto Electric.  They had, on Friday, put in a new alternator, and still our car was stalling pretty much all the time.  We suffered through it through the weekend.  On Monday, Dave’s Auto Electric tell us they can’t see us on Monday, maybe can squeeze us in on Tuesday.  We get tired of their apparent lacksadaisacal disinterest in our car and call up Walter Piccott Chev Olds.  Usually, I’m reluctant to take a car to a dealer for service, but this being third option, seemed like a good time to try them out, service charges be damned.  They can’t take us on Monday, but if we drop by, say 7:45 on Tuesday, they’ll look at the car almost first thing.
So, Karyn takes the car in for 7:45, and heads off for work.  I stay home, because last week I was a bum.  At around 10am, the phone rings and it’s WPCO, and the car is ready to be picked up.  My father graciously offers to take me there and I go to the service area.
They tell me, that because the new battery we got, the car’s computer system "wasn’t reading the codes right" and so they basically reformatted the computer, put in all the correct codes, and the car should be fine now.
Uh huh.  I’ve heard that four or five times in the previous week, so I’m skeptical.  I pay the 44 dollars (basically it cost me an hour of labour, or there abouts, no parts, so that’s good), and get in the car to drive it away.  As I’m driving off the lot, the car stalls, just as it had so many times in the past week.  Totally frustrated, I prepare to park the car, get out and try to be rational and calm as I tell them they’ve missed the problem, just like everyone else.  Instead, though, I decide to drive it a bit, to see if it works itself out.  I go to my parent’s for a tea, and when I leave the car stalls again.  Before I take it back to Walter Piccott’s, I decide to drive it around for a bit.  So, I take it on yet another drive around the north shore to see it the long drive allows the computer to reset itself.
Not once during the long drive does the car stall.  It still doesn’t sound so great, though.  I don’t allow myself to get any hopes up.  I decide to drive it around in town, a real stop and start test.  It doesn’t stall once, yet it sometimes sounds like it wants to.  That’s not enough of a reason to take it back to Walter Piccott’s though, so I decide to wait until it begins to stall again.
So far, knock on wood, it hasn’t stalled again since.  And each day, its idle sounds more and more healthy.
Maybe it’s fixed.