It exists. I swear to god.
So, as of today, the Beetle is FIXED! We have a car again! At the recommendation of some folks on the forum as well as e-mails, I wound up upgrading from the stock 22-lb dual-mass flywheel to a 16-lb single-mass flywheel. The car drives great.
But what struck me as… I won’t say odd, because it’s not – but it was a nice reminder of how different things are here… is that on Friday when I dropped the car off with AAA, not only did the tow truck driver offer to give me a ride backm (it’s about 3 miles, and it was bitter cold out) but after I dropped the car off, the OWNER OF THE SHOP himself said he’d give me a ride back – and he did. Nice guy, we chatted about the town on the way. And not only that, but when I called today to check if it was done, he told me he was gonna come and pick me up. All this, and the labor rate was still phenomenally low.
Coming from where I have in CA, that kind of thing just doesn’t happen. When you drop your car off at the shop, I’m sorry – you arrange for transportation back home. They won’t offer, and you won’t ask – it’s not something that’s done. What happens to you outside of the shop is your business – they’re just there to fix your car for you. That’s the kind of friendliness we’ve experienced almost as a RULE down here. It’s one of the reasons that this move is just turning out to be a fantastic decision.
So, a few clarifications on today’s comic, because… well, e-mails demand it. First, we aren’t level 40 – we’re level 66. Almost 67, actually. I said 40 in the strip because that was the level we were back in Stranglethorn Vale… but we’re in Nagrand now. :D
Secondly, I’ve recieved quite a few e-mails lecturing me and telling me that it was actually Hemet Nesingwary Jr. in STV – I would wager that these folks joined the game post-Burning Crusade, because Hemet USED to be the quest giver in STV, but they moved him to Nagrand and put his son in the old place. Trust me – I’ve been around long enough to remember. *laughs*