This one is interactive!

September 29th, 2005

Alright, fine. I've finally succumbed to the peer pressure...damn it.

Leave your name and a comment and...
1. I'll respond with something random about you.
2. I'll tell you what song/movie reminds me of you.
3. I'll pick a flavor of jello to wrestle with you in. (Um, this one's dumb. New #3: I'll tell you what your superpower would be.)
4. I'll say something that only makes sense to you and me.
5. I'll tell you my first memory of you.
6. I'll tell you what animal you remind me of.
7. I'll ask you something that I've always wondered about you.
8. If I do this for you, you must post this on your journal. You MUST. It is written.

The Truth About Mechanics

September 21st, 2005

[this phone conversation took place at 11am in Phoenix, AZ between a mechanic and Gustavo]

"Hello?"

"Mr. Camacho, this is Zach from [name deleted]. We've determined the cause of your car's problem, and also ran a diagnostic test to see what else is wrong with the car."

"Eh...okay."

"We found a melted fuse on the EGR valve which we went ahead and replaced. We also had to take off the steering wheel in order to fix the clicking that happened everytime you turned the wheel. We found something in there that we have no idea what it is. We've also located a few leaks in the struts, and a big leak in your oil pan. We recommend a flush of all the fluids in your car...transmission, cooling system, power steering...they're all full of rust and other gunk. The brakes seem okay, but you might want to..."

"I just got the brake pads replaced last semester."

"Ah, yes. Okay, well the front ones are fine...the back ones may need replacement soon. You might want to do it now and get it out of the way."

"Err...how much is this going to run me?"

"Including all the parts and labor, it looks like it's going to be...$1736.00."

"Excuse me?"

"Uh...it'll be $1736.00. But that's with tax included."

"Haha. You're joking right? I can't do that. Haha. Do you realize that would be 2/3 the price of the car...5 years ago? All I want are the most essential things. What needs to get fixed for my car to just run."

"Well, everything is pretty essential."

"What about the struts?"

"Well, if we don't replace them you'll feel every bump you hit on the road."

"Yeah...that's really not a problem. Let's leave the struts out. And I'm already aware of the oil leak...I've been aware of it for 5 years...so don't do anything with that."

"Ah, yes, okay, so that leaves us..."

"And the brakes are fine. They're under guarantee at [name deleted] so they'll replace them for free."

"Hmm. Mmmhmm..."

"Look, here's what I want you to do. Just this. You've already fixed the steering wheel problem and the EGR problem. That's good. Now just do a transmission flush...just the transmission...and that should do it."

"Are you sure you don't want any of the other services? They're highly recommended..."

"If you do them I can't pay for them."

"Ah okay. So the total then comes to...err...ah...$429.00, including tax."

"That's not including the ASU student discount is it? I think ASU students get a 10% discount."

"Okay, that'll be $387.00."

"I've also got this $10 off coupon from your website...it says in the bottom I can use it for any service."

"Really? Huh. Alright, your total comes out to $377.00. You can pick up your car after 5:30pm."

"Thanks very much. What time do you close?"

"6pm."

"I'll be there at 5:55."

[click]

Tough, Immature, and Crazy: The final frontier

September 18th, 2005

This is like three posts in one...prepare for pain and humiliation!!!

Topic One:

I want to be Clint Eastwood.

I want to walk into a strange town for the first time, and immediately "dispose" of several bullies that have been terrorizing the town. Then, when one of the townsfolk asks me "What did you say your name was?", I want to reply in a tough and dangerous voice "I didn't."

I want to demand things like "How fast can you get everybody out of this hotel?" And when the owner of the hotel protests "I can't do that! There are 8 people renting rooms in that hotel. I mean, where are they supposed to go?", I'll reply with the same tough and dangerous voice "Out."

I want to say things like "You see, in this world, there's two kinds of people, my friend. Those with loaded guns, and those who dig. You dig."

I want to be Clint Eastwood.

Topic Two:

I may be a Doctoral student, but I'm still fascinated by children's books. I recently discovered a new book that ranks high up in my top 10 list (but not top 5). Since I make a list for everything, here are my top 5 children's books of all time. We'll start with Number 5...

No. 5: Wayside School is Falling Down. Each chapter tells a story of a different kid in this weird and crazy Elementary school. It makes absolutely no sense whatsoever, and I love it for that. Although at one point, when two stories interact and a kid finds a missing ear from an earlier chapter in his refrigerator...it made sense to me for 3 seconds. For 3 full seconds I comprehended the secret of Wayside School...but then I lost it...and I haven't been able to regain it ever since. Argh!

No. 4: Bridge to Terabithia. I didn't cry. No, I didn't. Men don't cry. We spit and drink beer and chop down trees with axes. Something got stuck in my eye. I have allergies. I was sweating. It was a mirage. I didn't cry.

No. 3: The Outsiders. The movie dissapointed me, but the book was written by Hinton when she was still a teenager. Basically, this book is like "Westside Story", but without the dancing, singing, and staged fighting...that's a good thing.

No. 2: The Harry Potter books. I have to admit, I'm one of those people who jumped on the bandwagon. I had never read a Harry Potter book until the first movie came out. Then I realized that, since I act like a 5 year old most of the time, I would probably enjoy reading about wizards and boggarts and big Hagrids. "Enjoy" is not the right word here...I think I've gotten to the point of fanatical obssession. Thankfully I'm not the only one, so I'm sure a support group with pop up somewhere. HPA = Harry Potter Anonymous. "Hi. My name is Har...I mean, my name is Gustavo Camacho, and I'm addicted to Harry Potter".

No. 1: Where The Red Fern Grows. Little Ann and Old Dan!!!!! No!!!!!!!!!! And that's all I have to say about that.

Topic Three:

Okay, so sue me. I jaywalked. I'm a habitual jaywalker...so what! If everybody waited for every "walk" signal we'd all need an extra hour in our day. If there are no cars what's the point of just standing there scratching your butt. So a few days ago I saw a car very far away, and I began walking across the street. When I looked at the incoming car, I noticed he was going way way waaaaaay too fast...but still he was much too far away for me to get worried. So as I step onto the sidewalk, the big, black SUV is still 50 yards away, but apparently the mad driver didn't like anything in his path that would interrupt his suicide mission because he honked three times at me and then gave me...the finger. Ruined my day.

What's wrong with the world nowadays?