Got a call from the mechanic about my Monte Carlo today.

So far, they've determined that:

• I need a new battery (no surprise there)
• The gas in the car went bad over the Winter.
• The carburator is probably fucked up because of the bad gas.
• There is a mouse nest in the insulation on the hood.
• A part of the exhaust system is getting red hot, probably due to a blockage.
• This same blockage is probably what caused the split I mentioned before.
• The aforementioned mice have chewed several wires.

So far I know I'll be paying $70 for a new battery. After that it gets a little muddy.

If my entire exhaust system needs to be replaced I'm looking at about $1000.

The carburator work is mostly labor and is estimated at $200 to rebuild, or maybe $400 to replace.

For the wiring, he can't really give me an estimate until he surveys the damage done.

Then there's draining the fuel system to get rid of all the bad gas, and there's also the regular tune-up stuff I want done.

I'm starting to think that my initial $2000 estimate is going to be pretty close.

This of course sucks, but it sucks even more right now because I've got two bills I'd really been planning to use my tax refund to catch up on, and my property taxes are due on May 10th.

I need to figure out a way to keep the damn mice out of that car during the Winters. I've thought about installing a cat door but then I imagine I'd have all sorts of woodland creatures in there. Creatures even more destructive than mice.

I miss the days when I was rich.

Above is a picture of my childhood neighborhood. The buildings on the right are where my car is getting worked on. The empty field to the left is where my house used to be. This is why I trust these people - I grew up across the street from them. At least I did after the dog beater and his family moved away and their house burned down and the mechanic built his business.