<<< Handy Dandy Notebook: August 2004 >>>
August 3, 2004:
Hey guys. Yeah, I am actually updating. Pretty crazy, huh? I'm not too into these journal entries anymore so I'm going to keep it short. If you want long-winded, pointless journals to read just head over to Xanga.com.
I moved back from Kenosha in March because I missed the Fox Valley area and I figured I had no good reason to be in Kenosha anymore. After I moved back I realized I probably should have stayed longer and made a little more money with the 3 part time jobs I had. I was not really thinking clearly when I made the decision to move back because I basically wanted to surprise Jenn when she came to visit and did not think about things in the long run. Oh well. I finally got a job which is cleaning Les Stumpf Ford. It is only 3 hours a night which will be really convienent when I start school.
Since moving back I also ended up buying a new ride :(. You wouldn't think that would be sad but it meant selling the Regal which I still miss. You can call me pathetic but it's all good. That car was awesome and if I could have it back I'd take it in a second. The car I bought is a 1996 Pontiac Bonneville SSE. It's a damn nice ride but it has had its....mishaps. When I was driving it back from Michigan (after visiting Jenn) the right rear tire went flat in Indiana (near Burns Harbor in case you cared). Luckily this guy that chases down overloaded semis pulled up behind me right after I pulled over to the side of the road. He had a kit in his car for removing tires. We couldn't put the spare on it because my spare was flat. Luckily there was a guy he knew who had a shop nearby. We took the tire there and plugged it. Once the tire was back on the car I payed the guy, got a new spare from him and was on my way. As soon as I got back on 94 I was in a traffic jam. It had to have lasted for at least an hour. A little after traffic got moving and I got into Illinois, a guy next to me at a toll booth told me my tire was flat. It turned out to be the SAME tire. This time I called US Cellular Roadside Assistance (glad I didn't cancel that) and they told me it would be about an hour and a half before help arrived. So I just kept hopping the fence by the highway and running to the gas station and trying to flag down cops. Finally help came and my spare tire was put on. I slowly made my way down 294 toward Wisconsin. I got off the highway in Lake Forest because I was so sick of being on the highway. I eventually got to 31 after some snaking around and breathed a major sigh of relief when I saw the "Welcome to Wisconsin" sign. A few minutes later I got into Kenosha which had never looked as good as it did on this night. I just stayed at my grandparents cuz it was late and I was exhausted. Ended up getting a new tire the next day and drove home with no problems. Now for the next incident:
It was July 3 (about a month after the tire incident) and I had convinced Siebers to go to Summerfest with me. We wanted Jenn to come with us as well but she couldn't :(. We headed for Kenosha in the afternoon because Siebers wanted to tour the Jelly Belly factory and I figured I could show him my old hood. When we were near KR (Kenosha county line) my airbag light went on. I kinda freaked out a little and shifted my body close to the door. I got off at KR right away and called my dad. He said it was just something wrong with the airbag system and not to worry about it. So we headed into Kenosha. I took care of some business, went to Subway, and then went to Jelly Belly only to find out it had closed an hour before. Oh well, Siebers cheered up when he discovered "Que Buena 105.1" out of Chicago. We headed back up to Milwaukee for Summerfest. Needless to say it sucked because it just kept raining and I parked far away. Luckily Shinedown made it a little better. We left early to beat traffic and make the long walk in the cold rain. I was so happy to see my car after that. We got in, soaked to the bone, and fired up the heat. I found Capitol Drive without much problem and proceeded to get on I-43. At the stop sign before the on-ramp the air bags went off. No I did not get into an accident. I was sitting at a stop sign about to go and before I could even form a thought there was a loud bang and suddenly airbag smoke was all over. I got this weird little purple burn on my arm but that was all. The windshield was cracked to all hell on the passenger side but luckily the wipers still worked fine. If you want an explanation on why this happened as well as some pics to look at, go HERE. After BSing with some lady who wouldn't give me her phone book for free and finding out that Roadside Assistance was unavailable (it was just after midnight so it was July 4th now) I cut the airbag and we drove off. I did not feel like sitting in Milwaukee all night. The drive home took forever because it did nothing but rain (a lot of times downpouring) so I could not see anything. Luckily we made it home safe. It could have been so much worse considering in a few more seconds I would have been on the interstate doing at least 65 or 70. All seems to be alright with the car now. Once the new airbags get installed I might be a bit nervous, though :) Later.
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