Saturday, June 15, 2019

Putting the Brakes on Re-Tiring

After the usual Saturday morning Barre class (exhausting!) and the monthly DAV meeting (fun!) I had to face doing something about my beloved car's brakes. I've owned my Saturn since 1999; bought it new, and few others have ever driven it. I could tell by the squeaks that something had to be done, and I was not surprised since it had been a lot of years and a lot of mileage since I'd last done them. A little online research fetched me plenty of complaints about repairs spiraling over a thousand dollars so I had to consider options.
I have contemplated going carless. The bus system here is good enough that I could do everything I need to do via metro, and for things that are optional there's always rentals. However, I'm not really ready to take that step.
I stopped by the JiffyLube that has always treated me well. The mechanic there said they didn't do brakes but recommended the Les Schwab down the block. That was as close as I was going to get to word-of-mouth so I gave it a try.
The diagnosis was under a thousand to do the brakes and replace the tires, which I knew I had to get done soon also. I agreed, and spent a few hours just noodling around the Alaska Junction, practicing leisure. It's not easy to have nothing to do, but I resisted the urge to invent a chore to get done on the grounds that the weather was excellent and I had to try a little human relaxation every now and then.
I picked the car up and paid the worker off. I drove around doing my Saturday chores and everything was excellent.
This is not a post with a lesson. This is a record of a success. Note: car mileage 202914

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