Trudel Down!

Spokane, Washington
Driving towards Spokane yesterday, I started to hear a clunking sound from one of Trudel's wheels that sounded like it was going in time with the tire revolutions. It went away, lulling me into a false sense of security, but in the back of my mind I knew a sound like that doesn't just go away. It picked back up last night, and by this morning I knew I would have to take her in.

I pulled over to the side of the road in Spokane, fired up my wireless service (which, if anyone is thinking of getting the service through Cingular, works a little better than dial up but nowhere near high speed), and typed "Westfalia Mechanic Spokane" into google. I came across a site of VW owners and lovers, each of which listed where they are, what they drive, their level of expertice with vans, and whether or not you can crash at their place if something goes wrong with your car. I called a guy on the list named Shaun, and not only did he direct me to a good mechanic in the area, he happened to work two blocks from where I pulled over and he came over to see if there was anything he could do. I have to say, the VW van community sure are a helpful bunch!

At the mechanic, I learned that the left rear axle needs to be replaced for a cost of $225. Not a huge deal, and knock on wood that this is the only thing that goes wrong. The parts are being shipped from Seattle tomorrow, and the auto shop is letting me crash in their parking lot for the night. They even pointed out a patch of gravel where I can take a leak. Nothing but hospitality, I tell ya.

Need something to listen to while you're stuck in your dead in job? Check out my latest road trip segment on the Schnauzer Logic Podcast over at http://schnauzerlogic.tblog.com/ Of course you're going to want to listen to the whole thing, but in case you're pressed for time because you have to run out and get your mom a Mother's Day gift, my segment starts about 26 minutes into the show. Also, without any prompting from me, Robin did me the great honor of capturing my segment on the KSCO morning show today at 6:45 am. Download all the hilarity at http://www.schnauzerlogic.com/jason/jason-ksco-511.mp3, and a HUGE thanks to Robin for doing that! If I ever need an intellectual property lawyer, you'll be the first one I call.

Meanwhile, the popularity of this blog continues to grow thanks to the efforts of all of you who are reading it. I've finally taken over the number one slot on Google when searching for "Jason Nathanson." I've been competing for years with some asshole UCSD science geek named Jason Nathanson who seems to be a lot more accomplished and smarter than I am, so it's good to finally knock him down a peg. And people searching for stuff in Google are randomly bringing up this site. What, you ask, is the most random search term typed into Google that recently brought someone here? "Sizzler Cheese Toast" and "How to make Sizzler Cheese Toast." I doubt those people found what they were looking for, but I'm glad they stopped by.

And don't forget to check out the comments section at the bottom of each post - I'm always looking for fun things to do wherever I am. Currently I'm taking suggestions for the East Washington, Idaho, and Montana areas. Over at the Schnauzer Logic page, I've been invited to Wallingford, Ct., so remember you too can bring the Random to you! The comments are also a great place to see my friends bust my balls, my cousins drop simultaneous guilt trips on me (and they're not even practicing Jews!), and my dad using a fake persona to call himself a hottie.

Tomorrow while I'm waiting for the car to be fixed, I promise to post of ton of pics.