Tuesday, Mar. 04, 2003 - 10:29 p.m.
Sometimes things happen that make me realize life really is one big, elaborate comedy. Really!
Tonight's rehearsal was incredible. We went off book yesterday, which sucked donkey balls, but today everything seemed to gel together a bit more. I have had a great deal of trouble with one of my songs, and haven't for the life of me gotten it right during a rehearsal thus far. Behold! Tonight I did the whole thing correctly. I didn't miss any of my lines, either. I started for home with a broad smile on my face and satisfaction in my heart.
No sooner did I merge onto Newtown Pike from the interstate that I heard a strange sound emanating from the rear of my car. It was something of a "Brrrrrp" whenever I touched the gas pedal. I rolled down the window to better gauge the situation. Each time I left a stoplight, the flatulent "Brrrp" got a little more pronounced until my car was sounding like it had eaten at a Mexican buffet a few hours earlier.
My amateur mechanic skills tell me I have an exhaust leak. The question is, how serious is it? Will it require simply repairing a broken weld? Perhaps I'll have to replace the muffler. Or maybe the whole exhaust line will have to be replaced.
I'm supposed to join a coworker, his partner, and my play director for a weekend in Gatlinburg the week after next, and the reservations for a cabin were just made this morning. One quick look at my bank account tells me there is not enough room for a new exhaust system and a three-day vacation, no matter how cheap a rate they scored on the room.
This is where our hero starts chanting "I will not ask the parents for money, I will not ask the parents for money."
So, this is my quandary. Do I let the exhaust go unfixed, risking a bigger repair in the near future, or risk having some good friends upset that they either can't go on the trip or will have to pay substantially more?
The exhaust must win out, I suppose. So much for financial stability.
