I was supposed to do a book signing on Saturday, but the book distributor sent the books to the wrong place, so it got cancelled. That gave me a chance to go see my sister Carolyn as the Second Witch in Macbeth at the Old Globe down in San Diego.
The trip also gave me a chance to meet Bloggernacle superstar Kaimi and his wife, Mardell.
Carolyn did a marvelous job, of course, and the play was well done overall. I don’t think I’d ever actually seen Macbeth before.
Unfortunately, I did not escape the curse. As I was driving home, the AC/alternator belt in my car broke a few miles from Baker, California, which is on the edge of the Mojave Desert.
Fortunately, I managed to get into town and find an auto repair place.
Unfortunately, they did not have the right size belt.
Fortunately, there was an auto parts store in town that might have it.
Unfortunately, they did not have the phone number for the auto parts store.
Fortunately, my car was still able to drive.
Unfortunately, my car ran over a big rock in the parking lot of the auto parts store.
Fortunately, the store was open.
Unfortunately, they did not have the right size belt.
Fortunately, they had one that was probably close enough, being only a half-inch shorter.
Unfortunately, they did not accept credit cards.
Fortunately, there was a gas station down the road with an ATM machine.
Unfortunately, when I went to my car there was a huge puddle of oil underneath it.
Fortunately, it was still able to drive to the ATM and back. So I bought the belt and headed back to the repair shop.
Unfortunately, my car stalled and I coasted to a stop just across the street from the repair shop.
Fortunately, my car started agin and I was able to get into the repair shop parking lot.
Unfortunately, it turned out my oil pan had a huge crack in it.
Fortunately, the mechanic knew how to replace the oil pan.
Unfortunately, the nearest place that might have the right oil pan was in Barstow.
Fortunately, the mechanic had repaired this sort of thing before by draining the oil, cleaning the exterior of the pan, and sealing the crack with silicone.
Unfortunately, the silicone would take ten hours to dry.
Fortunately, there was a motel I could stay at.
Unfortunately, it was almost a mile away and the temperature was 109 degrees.
Fortunately, I did not die of heatstroke while walking to the motel.
Unfortunately, when I returned to the repair shop the next morning, my car wasn’t ready.
Fortunately, they finally fixed the belt, the oil pan, and even a tire that was going flat, and I was able to get back on the road.
Unfortunately, the next time I stopped for gas, some idiot sideswiped my car while trying to sqeeze between my car and another car.
Fortunately, there was no damage to my car.
And, fortunately, the rest of my jorney home was uneventful.