Car Trouble Times Four

Super Bowl tale of two quarterbacks. What the experts were saying about Cam Newton: He didn’t want it. Lack of hustle. Lack of desire. Needs to grow up. Quitter. Hired of getting hit. It was all about him and not the team. The Denver defense took away his will to win.

Wild weekend. After two mostly sleepless nights, Ceil left Charlotte Friday afternoon to meet us in Athens. I left work at noon and picked up M at home. We stopped by Moe’s for lunch. For some reason the Civic radio was skipping, cutting out for a few seconds here and there. Never happened before. One time the car cut off, but later started back. Drove to Athens and stopped by a store. Came back and it wouldn’t crank. Had to call a tow truck.

 

Meanwhile a light came on Ceil’s car about low tire pressure. Ceil added air but the light kept coming back on. Then she almost ran out of gas because she hadn’t checked the gauge. Anna drive over to get us. Since it was a pretty day she rolled the window down – but she couldn’t get it to come up again. Plus her coolant level was low – a recurring problem. And Will’s Jeep was back home with a dead battery. All four cars were giving us problems at the same time. Super.

I gassed up Anna’s Jeep, then we met C at the Athens Tacueria del Sol for supper. I had one Memphis soft taco. After C freshened up in the down we went to Stegeman Coliseum to watch the Gymdogs take on undefeated number one ranked Florida. UGA was down a point but on the last rotation  slowly closed the gap and took the lead on the third to last routine. A couple from our JFBC Sunday School class sat behind us. Close to a sellout crowd. After the meet we went downtown for a social for the parents and girls. A former co-worker was there with his daughter, and we met the parents of Anna’s roommate for next year.

We didn’t leave Athens until 11 pm. Ceil was tired and struggled to drive back. I had to drive Anna’s Jeep with the window down in the freezing cold. I donned M’s stocking cap and my gloves. Later I grabbed Anna’s sleeping bag to use as a blanket. COLD. Got home at 1 am.

 

Both C and I were so tired we slept until almost 11 am. I cleaned upstairs, with started on the mounds of laundry that hadn’t been down for basically three weeks. After working on that all day there were still several baskets to go. Sunday I did more laundry but still didn’t finish. Turned on the Phoenix Open on NBC. C and M went to the grocery store. Checked the CRV tire pressure. It was ok. Added coolant to Anna’s Jeep. Pushed out Will’s Jeep and jumped it off. Let it run for a while before cutting it off. Should’ve driven it around. Sunday it would not start.  

 

Somewhere along the line I lost the TV remote, so we couldn’t change channels. I looked everywhere on both Saturday and Sunday, digging through the trash and piles of laundry. Wherever it is I think my wallet is there as well. Sunday C and M went down to Grace Midtown Church. I think they arrived too late for the 9 am service and stuck around for the 11:00. It was after 1 pm before they got home. I watched North Point Online and cleaned upstairs and did more laundry. Watched more Phoenix Open. Drove M to Cumming.

 

Becky Norman came over to ride with us to the Hurts. Charles turned 21 and works at the coffee shop at Vickery Creek. He attends Brookhaven Presbyterian. David Norman and wife Beth attend a Presbyterian church downtown in the old Abbey Restaurant building. She had gone on a mission trip an met people affiliated with the church. Catherine Norman  is still teaching in Memphis but has been accepted into graduate school at Vanderbilt for next year. She has also applied to both Harvard and Oxford in England.

 

We were the first to arrive at the Hurts. They’ve got a contract on their house and close later this month. Not sure where they’re moving, and may have to move in with his mother until they decide. Haley was home to make sure Mary didn’t sell/give away all the childhood memory items Haley wanted to save. Haley graduates in May and works at a coffee shop in downtown Auburn. She lives so close to it that she doesn’t ever fix coffee where she lives, she just makes the short work to the shop and fixes herself a cup. David, 60, is getting more work as a cameraman.

 

Food: BBQ chicken, beef, ribs, baked beans, slaw, potato salad, Ceil’s salad, Becky’s veggies, pigs n’ blankets, bean dip, the Stephens’ black bean dip, brownies, and Dan Toholsky’s birthday cake. Mark Stephens’ work is going well. Daughter Ansley is expecting a baby in 3 months. Daughter Lydia just got married.  

 

You may know more about the Toholskys, who are well. They are longtime members at FBC Woodstock. Two of their kids attended. Lila graduates from UGA in May and already has a job lined up with Rubbermaid in Atlanta or Charlotte. Lila attends FBC Watkinsville and knows Catherine Ritchie, who I’d mentioned last week. Marshall Toholsky is a high school senior planning on matriculating to North Georgia College in the fall.

 

Jim Ewing is 64 years old with no plans on retiring from his consulting job. He enjoys living alone. Son George attended. George works for the railroad and lives at the corner of Northside Drive near Peachtree Creek and the Bobby Jones golf course.

 

Since the Hurts have two daughters at Auburn and Leah Stephens went to Auburn, they were all cheering for Carolina. Leah wore an orange and blue scarf that no one noticed except me. Before the game David acknowledged that Cam had some maturity and over-celebratory issues, and I agreed that he was a great talent. So the gang was definitely pro-Panthers. After a Carolina turnover I made it clear I was pulling for Denver. When Mark Stephens asked if I wasn’t a Carolina fan, I asked him if he wasn’t an old man fan. Eventually I migrated into the other room with David, Jim, and George.

 

We left with 8 minutes remaining in the game and drove to Cumming to get M. That’s where I learned that the Broncos had won. Arrived home around 11 pm. Took Ceil’s CRV to get gas, so it was midnight before I got to bed. Didn’t sleep well. Drove Anna’s Jeep to work, with the window down in the cold. With the sleeping bag keeping me “warm.”

 

Car update: Civic won’t be ready until Wednesday at the earliest. Getting Will’s Jeep towed to the shop. Will take Anna’s Jeep to the shop tomorrow.

 

THURSDAY: When I came downstairs to go to work, Barney went upstairs to bed. Spent too much time last week working on trivia questions for work. It was fun. I hate long days that go on and on. Similar to my days when I get back from making a Cumming run, like last night. Worked until 6:40 because there was stuff to do (and I’m leaving early again today). Drove straight to Cumming and picked up M at 7:45, and got home about 8:15. Watched the new show “You, Me, and the Apocalypse” and the ESPN 30 for 30 about the 1985 Bears.

 

My beef with fast food places. Most are slow, with the exception of Chickfila.   

 

Johnny from Cumming doesn’t sell much of his stuff. The last time I went to his house a lady who used to work for the Braves was moving to Florida. She was cleaning out and gave all her old Braves stuff to Johnny.

 

At www.crackle.com you can watch Sports Jeopardy hosted by Dan Patrick. Just like the regular game with only sports questions, and a sports feel. I watched two episodes yesterday while I was cleaning. Questions were challenging but not super hard. You ought to check it out.

 

Athletes I’ve seen: Montana for Notre Dame at GT, Artis Gilmore for Jacksonville, Bird, Kareem, Magic, MJ for UNC at the Omni (and the Bulls). Billy Lothridge, Illie Nastasi in Macon, Gary Player, Arnold, Tiger, Jack, Tarkenton, Unitas, Merlin Olsen and the Fearsome Foursome, the Purple People Eaters, Roger Clemens, Randy Johnson, Cal Ripken Jr, Hank Aaron, Willie May and McCovey, Bob Gibson, Derek Jeter, Herschel Walker, Bo Jackson at Auburn, Chris Collinsworth at Florida, Lawrence Taylor at UNC, William Perry at Clemson.