On being stranded in Santa Fe.

I wanted to give this place a chance. Really I did. And in the mornings as I drove to the gym or to work, I'd look up at the mountains and think 'Ah, it's not so bad.' But first instincts are powerful creatures, and are often more correct than we might think. And in the end, the mountains aren't enough. This is a society town, there's too much sprawl, and I just don't like the vibe at all. While it is a good place to visit for a vacation, I've already started counting down the days until I leave.

Granted, it is possible that I'm being a bit hyperbolic due to the fact that my car is broken down, but I doubt it. I left work early yesterday and went to go get groceries and a new tube for my front bike tire, on the other side of town. While idling in traffic, I notice smoke coming from under the hood of my car. Pulling over and calling my dad to describe the situation, I figure out that it's a radiator problem. Hoping to make it the two miles in heavy traffic back home, I pull out and carefully drive while hoping to hit every green light possible.

This doesn't happen. And a half-mile from home, the smoke starts again. So I pull over, and here's where my inexperience in mechanical matters kicks in, as I proceed to pull the radiator cap off while it's still hot. In my defence, I thought that I had to reduce any pressure inside, and would probably have to fill it with water again. It turns out, though, that the radiator was not missing any fluid. I know this because I very narrowly missed getting blasted with ALL of the fluid that was contained in the radiator as it shot out when I took the cap off. So that sucked. I stood in the parking lot on the side of the main highway, four blocks from home, waiting for the radiator to cool enough to pour the rest of my jug of water in it and hopefully get it home. Immediately upon starting it it was making noises I have never heard before, and would do so the entire way home through back streets. But I made it, and immediately called what seems to be the only radiator shop in town that still has a working phone line; they'll (hopefully) come get it Monday morning.

Until then, I'm stranded in my casita. Thankfully I picked a rather central location to live, so it's only 20min. walk (remember, I never got the tire tube to fix my bike) to the gym and to the store if I should run out of food before Monday. That, however, is the only point of optimism on my horizon. Santa Fe, I would say you're breaking my heart. But really, I don't recall giving it to you in the first place.