Had to run the car out to Saturn this morning for repairs… got a pop-up headlight that won’t pop up. The lights are one of the main reasons I bought my ’95 SC2 in October 1994… they make the car look like a miniature Corvette. I’ve always thought the ’91-’95 SC2 was the best-looking car Saturn ever made.
Wasn’t such a big fan of the car this morning, though. They handed me a bill for $404 – $373 for a new motor for the headlight, and another $31 because I told them to go ahead and do the 3,000 mile oil change and inspection so I wouldn’t have to come back. Then they told me they didn’t have the motor in stock and I’d have to bring it in next Tuesday. So I get to come back anyway. Goody.
So I got out of the dealership around lunchtime and realized I was in an area with a large Hispanic population, so I decided to poke around and see if I could find a good Mexican restaurant. And right up the street, at Raleigh-LaGrange and Covington Pike, I found one. They brought me a huge basket of chips and 3 salsas – the traditional red salsa, a hot green tomatillo salsa, and a reddish-brown salsa. They then pointed to the lunch specials on the back, but I wanted something a little more adventurous than the “Speedy Gonzales” (taco, enchilada, and choice of rice or beans) or the “Burrito Especial.”
So I looked over the rest of the menu and ordered a plate with a Gordita on it, figuring it had to be better than Taco Bell’s version… and it was… ground beef and melted cheese between two ground corn patties. Really good, especially with the green sauce spooned on top of it.
I could have been even more adventurous and tried the “lengua” (beef tongue) but decided not to. Maybe next Tuesday.
Back to the car… they inspected it and said that, despite having 145,600 miles and being almost 13 years old, it’s in perfect running condition. I guess if you have to have something break down on a car, a pop-up headlight motor is the kind of thing you want it to be. Looks like the car will be around for a while longer, as I’m in no mood to drop 25 grand for a new car when there’s a perfectly running one (albeit an old one) out in the garage.
Tonight: Beer. Trivia. Waitresses. It’s the trivia team’s last chance to increase our $280 gift certificate total before we have our next party. We’re minus a few members due to July 4 plans, but so are all the other teams… and since we have 20 members, we’re in a better position to withstand a few absences. Hopefully I’ll be reporting on our first-place victory later tonight or in the morning.