about getting from point A to point B in the most interesting ways possible

If you're a large woman in America, your whole life is an opportunity to feel self-conscious, embarrassed, resentful and way too big. You can hide in the corner or on the couch, you can go to therapy, or you can put on your lycra bike shorts and get out there and move.
—Jayne Williams, Slow Fat Triathlete

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April 12, 2008

motor vehicular breakdown permalink

battered ramThis has not been my week, transportation-wise.

Admittedly, I finally got my transit pass, which makes me insanely, insanely happy. I was losing hope that I would ever get it.

But, I've had two motorvehicles die on me in 6 days. I'm feeling a little superstitious at this point.

I was running out to Tigard to see a friend on Sunday when my clutch failed on Hwy 26. I got up the Sylvan hill, and up the Sylvan exit, and then the car stopped and refused to go any further.

Two days and a lot of money later, I had a car with a new clutch... that still isn't running right. I wish I had a mechanic that I could trust.

Today, I had thought I would be meeting my friend downtown ... but she wanted to meet at her house (not convenient to public transit). Okay, so I jumped on the scooter. We were going to get breakfast at a wildly popular place, and then go to the Farmer's Market, go to her favorite chocolate shop, REI, and then our favorite restaurant for some good yiddish soul food.

But first, I had to stop at the ATM about 15 blocks away.

And when I tried to start the scooter again, no such luck.

I had a big hill to walk the scooter up, and then of course, the rest of the way home. It took an hour and a half.

It was notable that black folks were the only ones to stop and see how I was doing, or if I needed help. I saw lots of people while I pushed the damn 350# scooter home, the vast majority of them white, but I had one woman commiserate and offer her phone; two guys on bicycles stop and ask how I was doing and if they could help; and a clutch of women on a house stoop commiserated, offered the phone, and offered to help.

Two of my neighbors (also african-american) scolded me for not calling them (if only I had had their numbers with me!).

Obviously I need a new plan of action. I'm going to:

  1. get on a towing plan (AAA or BetterWorld)
  2. get a new cellphone where I can actually hear the person I'm talking to

And right now I'm going to take a nap, because I'm exhausted!

Posted at April 12, 2008

Comments

I'm way impressed you pushed your scooter for an hour and a half, let alone uphill. I would have been trying to get a rescue truck somehow.

Posted by: fran at April 21, 2008 11:05 PM

This is Megan (of the long defunct Escape Velocity blog). I check in every once in a while with my old blog friends. Haven't seen you post lately. Everything OK? Hope so!

Posted by: Megan at June 30, 2008 4:46 PM