I have a rental. I decided it was worth it to me. (My auto insurance doesn't cover rentals for repair issues). I don't like being without a car. And I am kind of the anti-Blanche Dubois; I cannot bear to depend on the kindness of strangers. Or even friends and colleagues, for that matter.

It's some kind of little Pontiac. A G6, maybe? I don't know except three things about it bug me:

1. The gearshift is in the middle, between the seats. On my car it is on the steering column (like God intended it to be*). I have already turned the rental's windshield wipers on twice while trying to put it into park.

2. It is harder to see well out of than my car. I feel like my vision is limited and as if I am in danger of running into things because I cannot see them.

3. I am not a tall person (5' 7" and a 29" inseam) and I have to practically fold myself up to get down into the car. It's not so bad once I'm behind the wheel but getting in and getting out are not fun.

(*Yes, I am trying to be funny. Please don't get angry with me.)

They figured out the belt problem on my car but haven't been able to replicate the dying-at-a-stop behavior. So they want to keep it overnight and keep trying. (Which makes me wonder, with a bit of irritation, if it's going to turn out to be something like a clogged filter or a bad batch of gas.)

So, bah. And our campus is experiencing connectivity problems. I haven't experienced any as of yet but I expect that means I may not be able to print when I want to print. It really does seem as if everything breaks at once.