There are some who start their retirement long before they stop working. -Robert Half

Friday, February 27, 2009

Headlights.

One night I came back from rehab and asked Grammy if WalMart sells headlights because one of mine is out. Grammy got really excited and went and yelled down to Papa to come upstairs and go to WalMart with us because my headlight was out. When Papa came up, he started quizzing me on what I know about changing lights on cars. I told him that I’m a professional because my car’s lights used to go out all the time.  He responded with: “What?! Not while you lived here, right?!”  I told him it was when I was in college, so I had to learn how to change them all. We all piled in the car and headed to WalMart.  When we got there, we discovered that a small, red car had parked in Papa’s parking spot. Not a good way to start off a WalMart trip.  One time I asked Papa what he does when someone parks in his spot and he told me he just goes home.  He didn’t do that when Grammy and I were with him, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t do it when he’s by himself. 

Anyway, Papa and I headed back to the auto section and while passing the paints, Papa flagged down an employee to help us. Papa likes to get help from the employee’s at WalMart. Like when we bought the TV and he became besties with the electronics guy. The employee took us right back to the car bulbs and helped us find the right one. Papa was impressed with his knowledge.  The man that helped us find the bulb is the same man who helped me pick out a new car stereo, complete with a CD player and an iPod plug. (I know. I finally joined the world of new technology. I also just got texting this year. I’m so technologically advanced!) While he was helping me pick out the perfect CD player, the guy asked me: “You’re not going to listen to your music with the bass on full-blast, because I cannot handle that and I think it is one of the rudest thing someone can do! I hate those stupid teenagers who pull up next to me and make my car shake!”  It was a pretty intense lecture. I told him I never listen to my music loudly and I turn the bass completely off (like I would EVER admit that I listen to my music on full-blast after that sermon!) Anyway, my original car stereo was more of a static-player. It only picked up two stations, and I was usually lucky if I got those.  The only way I lived with it for 2 years is because I had an iPod and an iPod adapter. Then, this summer, my iPod was stolen so I was left music-less. I don’t know why someone would want to steal my iPod. It was one of the really old, really chunky, really heavy white ones. I guess a really old, really chunky, really heavy iPod is better than no iPod, though.

Papa is really impressed with my auto mechanic skills.  After we bought the bulb, we went home and I started installing it. Papa kept asking me: “Are you sure you know what you’re doing? Have you really done this before?”  I knew what I was doing. I have done it before. Many, many times. Poor SnowShamrock.  Anyway, Papa just watched me work and when I was done, he looked at me and asked me: “Have you ever thought about being a mechanic?”  I just laughed.  The only things I really know how to do on my car are check my fluids, change my bulbs, check/change my fuses, and fill it with gas.  And connect a new stereo. Well, I guess it was more of a CD player. Whatever it is called, I must admit, I am very proud of my stereo-inserting skills.  I had no idea what changing the stereo would entail and it turns out, you have to unscrew the whole front panel to pull out the old stereo. This was the easy part. After that, I had to connect all these wires by twisting them together and taping them all with electrical tape and then fitting the CD player into a sort of stereo cradle that would fit in the car and then connecting some more wires and then putting the front panel back on.  Papa and I made many trips to WalMart on our stereo day.  Every time we went, Papa found the employee in the car section and asked him what to do. He turned out to be an expert in inserting car stereos. Convenient. Maybe I should be a mechanic. Perhaps I’ll get my master’s degree in car stereos and headlights instead of public health. 

1 comment:

  1. I bet it was a young kid who thought he found a "retro" ipod...

    ReplyDelete