Prejudice much?

Well, I usually don’t get annoyed with cars or mechanics but I was really annoyed with the Saturn guy. So let me back up. Yesterday, I went to get some “too good to pass up” sale items from around the city…you know pencils for 10 cents, folders for a penny, scissors for 12 cents…thing that make teaching and shopping a rewarding experience.
So I drove to Wal-mart (I’m not proud but I am cheap ☺) I parked my car, Pacifico, and went to turn off the engine as one does when they are parking a car. I turned and nothing, I jiggled and then turned nothing, I jiggled and then turned and then swore and nothing. So I moved my car to a different spot assuming that Pacifico was having a bad day and tried again. Nothing again. Now I am extremely annoyed at having my day of shopping nirvana interrupted.

I drive to National City to the Mile of Cars in attempt to go to the dealership there. I drive up and down Mile of Cars Way and don’t see a Saturn dealership. I get out my new GPS toy and program in and sure enough there is one in the area and it takes me to where the Saturn dealership used to be…now it is a Subaru dealership. So I then look at the next closest dealership…Kearney Mesa (about 15 miles away).

I drive up there and park in the service area and go inside. Of course there is your usual smattering of semi-annoyed/bored people sitting around looking at magazines that they have no interest in….Muscle Cars Today, Homemaking in the 21st Century, Pop Culture R Us….you know these magazines-the herpes of waiting rooms around the world. There are also the usual cast of mechanics and service people…all named Joe, Mike, Tom, Bob, or some other one-syllable name. Lee (my service guy) asks what the problem is and I look straight at him and say, “My car won’t turn off.” He looked at me like I was quite possibly the dumbest person on earth. I was expecting this so I smugly watched as he went to my car, got in and then tried to turn it off. He shifted gears, tried again. Jiggled the key and tried again. Essentially repeating the same few steps that I went through. He got out and said in a truly astounded voice, “It really won’t turn off” I refrained from using the phrase, “No shit” but was willing him to get the message by my general body language.

We went back inside and he took my information. When looking up my name he asked if it was under my parents name…I know I am young looking but honestly! He then took at deep breath like he was preparing to inform me that I only had 2 weeks to live and said in a very serious manner, “Well it is either a problem with your key or your ignition.” Again I had to refrain from stating aloud the phrase that was bobbing around in my head. He said it would be a few hours and I replied that there was nothing I was planning on doing besides reading Outdoor Fishing and Hunting Weekly and luckily I could do that here. After I had settled among the various secondary characters in the waiting room he came out again and with a grim expression informed me that he was going to have to keep it overnight. I called the Greifes and they rescued me from Kearney Mesa.

Fast Forward to this morning. Lee at the Saturn dealership called and informed me that it would be this afternoon before Pacficio was ready so I happily gave up my to do list in favor of sleeping and watching Netflix. My friend Michael drove me up to Kearny Mesa and on the way I was venting about how irked I was when mechanics treat me like I am to stupid to understand even the most basic concepts about cars and maintenance. Anyway, I picked up my car and it was cheaper than they had quoted which was a delight.

Michael and I went to dinner as we had already driven up north. We went to the Teri Café, which is an amazing Asian place that has great food. I ordered my usual Chicken Teriyaki bowl and Michael got something that was soup like. When we got our food the guy gave Mike (who is Chinese) chopsticks and me a fork. Talk about salt in the open wound of self-concept/esteem.

Pacifico is now back at home, safe and sound. I ate my chicken, veggies, AND rice with chopsticks to prove to that guy that I too know how to use chopsticks…I really showed him! Now if I can find a way to stick it to the mechanics!