1979-1993 & 94 Conv [Subscribe to Daily Digest] |
Earlier this week I had to drive in rush hour traffic through Los Angeles to get to a 7pm videotaping job. Traffic wasn't all that bad and I was making good time so I stopped at a KFC for a quick meal. I decided to eat while driving (easy to do with chicken strips). I get back in the car and click click goes the starter, but no turnie. This has happened before, usually when the engine is very hot. And it always starts after a time of cooling, or I manage to roll forward a bit and yerk the clutch while turning the key. But the only downhill slope was a brief stretch of parking lot that fed out onto a busy city street. I pondered trying that brief stretch while letting the engine cool. It's now a good 20 minutes and the engine still won't cool down below 190, no matter how loudly I curse it. I'm now heading into a serious shortage of time and decide to try that little stretch of slope. I push it into position, get a good start, jump in, reach the zenith of speed for that slope and try a manual start. It only sputtered and came to a halt midway out onto the street. F#&%! With traffic coming fast I was able to pull it back to where the front 18 inches stuck out into oncoming traffic. It was the best I could do. And of course, the oncoming drivers have no idea I can't move and begin honking and flipping me off. I can't possibly describe the helpless feeling that washed through me right then and there. All the pride in that car I'd been storing up over the past few months washed away in mere seconds. Every rusting two bit ricer that passed by began looking like a chariot of the gods at that point. And I was gonna be sooo very late for the shoot too! Salvation came in the form of a young guy with his date (smoove move - helping a stranded driver in front of girlfriend) who offered to help push the car back into the lot. Then he agreed to help me give it a proper push start. That time it worked! So the final blow? I rush to get to the shoot site, pay for parking, lug my gear, only to find out I was actually a day early!!! But, there was a rehearsal going on so I could at least get an idea of the blocking. Still, what a Stooge! I try my best to never be a Stooge, but sometimes you just have no control over external events. Especially when you drive a quirky C900.
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