1993 Dodge Dakota
Whoo-hoo this is the last "Auto" Biography entry... at least until we get another vehicle.
Last summer, my parents bought a new truck and gave their old truck to us. Sure, the air conditioner is broken, it might take all the strength in my thumb to turn on the radio, and I may not be able to tell if I am in drive or neutral, but now I can haul stuff! We are grateful... especially with the unbeatable price.
When I decided to start this "Auto" Biography series, I was pretty sure that this post was going to be uneventful because I haven't had much time to bond with this truck. Well, as a few people know, about 10 minutes after I posted AB#1 about an different truck breaking down, I experienced some ironic vehicle problems.
As I headed to work in the truck, I came to the one stop light I encounter on my commute. As the engine slowed to an idle, it coughed a few times and shut off. I made multiple attempts to restart the truck, but it wasn't having it. The truck was blocking traffic so I pushed it as close to the curb as I could. Unfortunately I was still blocking traffic so I had to wave a couple people around me. The road was sloping slightly downhill toward the street light, but I wasn't sure I would be able to push it over the crowned intersection. Standing on the curb, I tried to look slightly pathetic hoping someone would ask if I needed a hand. I really just needed someone to steer while I pushed. After 5 minutes of no assistance, I ran across the street to call my dad for help. He was on his way.
Back at the truck I continued my pathetic appearance making casual eye contact with anyone to see if they would ask if I needed help. Finally a truck was stopped next to me and a window rolled down. A woman was driving and the man in the passenger seat asked if I need anything. I responded that I would like to get the truck out of the way. I could push from the back if someone could simply steer. They drove through the intersection and pulled over. When they got out, I realized the man had one leg and was walking with crutches. Okay, no problem. He can steer and I can push.
Again, when they approached me I said, "I just need someone to steer and I can push it through the intersection." Of course I couldn't work out that easy. The woman said, "You get in and steer, and we will push you." The man said, "We do this all the time."
Not knowing how to respond, there was probably a couple seconds of silence where I was thinking, "I'm sorry, but did you notice that you only have ONE leg?" I was certainly not going to sit in the cab of the truck while a woman and a man with one leg pushed me through the intersection. I opened the door and pushed on the door frame while steering. Nonetheless, we successfully pushed the truck through the intersection.
My dad arrived shortly after and got me to work just a few minutes late for my meeting. When I returned to the truck, it started up right away. I added a little fuel system cleaner in hopes it would help. Now every time I have to stop at the intersection, I cringe a little in anticipation of my engine dying.
Years Owned: August 2009 - Present
Lindsey found some coupons for a few card games that are based on classic board games. I was a little skeptical that they would really live up to their board game versions, but I am now hooked on Monopoly Deal. It really is a 15 minute version of Monopoly. Even though my win-loss ratio is roughly 2-5 so far, I still enjoy it. If you ever enjoyed playing Monopoly, but you don't want to commit 2 hours, then this card game is great! 
