Well, that was a bit of a bummer.
By now, I’m pretty sure most of my readers are acquainted with my work situation, but in case you aren’t: I work days at the Berkeley Library doing IT and programming work, and due to medical and caregiving costs, work nights delivering food and necessities to people via Uber Eats.
I actually love both jobs. Contributing to an institution as revered as Berkeley, and the education of thousands of people, means so much to me even if my contributions are relatively small. And being able to bring dinner to someone disabled, to bring diapers to the dad that can’t get away, to bring ringworm treatment for a child to her elderly grandmother who can’t drive at night – all things I’ve genuinely done – makes me feel so good. Helping others has always been my life’s true calling, and I am truly blessed to be able to do that in both my jobs.
And so, last night I had just delivered dinner to a lovely woman and her dog, off Route 66 in Sapulpa. I was driving back up Main Street to intercept the Turner Turnpike, hoping to find another fare. I stopped at the traffic light where Main intersects Line Street as I have done dozens of times before. The light changed to green.
Vlrpt-vlrpt-vlrpt. “Engine Trouble” on the dash. Could not get above 8 MPH (13 km/h), the RPM gauge wildly fluctuating between 1300 and 2000. Pulled to the side, hazards on. I have a mobile OBD-II code reader (link earns commission) stored in the boot from when I worked at IBM, so I went to fetch it. It showed three codes, all related to the O2 sensor and fuel bank 2 too lean.
Sigh.
This could be just dirty fuel injectors or a spark plug issue, but I’m not hopeful. And this is exactly what I don’t need when I already have the emergency department visit from last month glaring me in the face as Yet Another Bill I Can’t Afford.
I was able to actually make it back home without further incident, so it doesn’t seem inherently fatal. But it sure does sound expensive to fix. And without a car, I very obviously can’t drive Uber to be able to make the money to afford to fix it.
But I can still create, so this weekend, I will be burying myself in that and trying to make the most of it. It’s not how I want to be able to create, but I also know how precious this time is. I can’t sit here and mope about finances. Not when there are stories to tell and Dalmatians (and Collies, and cats, and foxes) to draw!
Well, I don’t think that’s right. After all, money rules the world these days. It’s better to look for other ways to earn money until the car gets fixed (delivery, but on foot. At least there will be some money, though it’s much more exhausting than driving).