I have exciting news to report! I am getting over 30 MPG!!!! Unfortunately that is the mileage of the rental car I had to get after Blue blew up! I was driving down the road and a loud explosion unsettled me and my engine. My beautiful Fairlane now sounded like a John Deere tractor, but didn't run nearly as smoothly. I had to pull over on the Dulles Toll Road and wait for a tow. Don't think that it was wasted time, because lots of people stopped by. One lady pulled over and put on her flashers and I was truly touched by her concern, at first. Then, I realized she never asked me if I needed help, she only asked me directions to Vienna. If I had been a newcomer to Northern VA, I would have thought from her accent that she meant the one in Austria, but no, I knew where she wanted to go and how she should get there. I was even able to show her on my GPS, but I am not sure if this person understood my Alabama accent well enough to make it or not - there was a lot of pointing involved.
I also got to talk to a State Trooper. He was very nice, but didn't have much in the way of help. I did ask him where I could go to the bathroom while waiting for the tow truck and he couldn't tell me where, but he did tell me when - when he left was his best answer. I am happy to report that I went at the right time and there were no witnesses and no arrests.
I also have to add some background information from my morning commute. One very angry lady was not happy with me for getting right behind her in the turn lane onto the toll way and gave me some hand waves that I obviously misinterpreted. She was so unhappy with me that she sought me out on the tollway and yelled and shouted and flipped me off for several minutes. I did not notice her until the very end, but from all the sweat on her forehead, it appears that she had been laying into me for quite a while. I had 3d Day turned up too loud to hear her at first, but looking back, I think she said, "You are a miserable wretched creature (a man) and I curse your number 4 spark plug to blow out of your engine on your way home!" I am confident I know what she was saying with her middle finger, but I think she also added, "And if you think I am voting for Barrack Obama, you are a Son of a B___H!" Obviously, she had me confused with somebody else and I was laughing so hard that I couldn't say anything before she drove off. I was considering, "God Bless You, Sister!" "Babies, Guns, and Jesus!" "Hillary 2012!" or "In my mind, I am giving you a big hug!" I just couldn't get any of those quips out before she drove off. I would have sped up and pulled in behind her, but that is sort of what started this whole drama.
So, I think a real live witch put a curse on old Blue, but don't fear, she is back on the road and the hydrogen experiment is still on!
