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January 30, 2006
Hey! My car!
I'm driving down the street, minding my own business, when Wham! Pothole. Pothole that ate Manhattan. Boston's housing problems could be solved with this pothole and a bit of drywall. I thought I might have left the wheelbase of the car behind. It was that kind of wham.
But the car kept going. Good, right? Steers normally. I'll check for scrapes/dents when I get out, I think. So I get on the Mass Pike, bound for home.
Just shy of the final toll booth, my oil pressure light comes on. Not the friendly amber really-annoying-Volkswagen-but-what-can-you-do? oil light, but the angry red blinking oil light. I pay my toll and immediately pull over and (and this is important) shut the car off.
I guess that last step was what prevented the engine from completely seizing up. I consulted the car's manual on what to do if the oil pressure light comes on.
Step 1: check the oil levels. Uhoh. Dipstick is dry. Problem.
Step 2: panic.
So I call Jason (and my cell battery dies midway through my directions) and he comes out with some oil and we add it to the tank. And watch it pool around the tires. Big Problem.
Fortunately, my car is pulled over in a tandem trailer parking lot. That is completely empty of tandem trailers. Must be the wrong season or something.
We went home to regroup and get phone numbers. AAA came and towed it to the Wellesley VW lot. Which is closed, because (of course) it's Sunday evening.
Blech. So today, I'm biting my nails. The VW folks say that the oil pan is cracked, which I expected. No comment on the engine at this point, although all the car buffs around work claim that the engine won't seize while it is off, so if it was still running when I turned it off... it should be fine. :I Should. Eep.
It would happen now. I have stuff going on every night this week. This is the final week of Home, the show I've been working on. Which is in the South End (that's what I was coming home from when I explored the pothole of stupidity). I can take public transit to get there, but it's a pain. The show has been fabulous. The people are great, the story is moving and the equipment in the theatre is easy to use. I'll be sad when it's over.
My next show will be at the Hovey again, though. The commute is loads easier. It's nice to be able to go home for supper. :)
Posted by Nicole at January 30, 2006 12:33 PM