I've learnt than when I am nearly out of debt, or am about to have the right amount of sleep, or even think I'm gonna have something nice to eat for a change the universe decides to visit one of it's “Random Acts Of Reality”.
I was driving my brother to PC World to return a game that wasn't working for him when my car started to develop a “tapping” noise. About this time I start to get a bit of a hypochondriac and think I can smell something burning…

Me: “I must be imagining it; I've spent all day burning the brake pads on my ambo”.

Brother: “Can you hear something wrong with your car?”

Me: “Damn-it!”

So we stop at PC World, and while he goes to exchange the game I look at the engine. I'm not mechanically minded but I can do things like check the oil level – which is a bit low, so I top it up and the noise goes away. Excellent, problem solved.

My brother then comes back and we continue on our merry way toward a friends house. Then the noise starts up again – only this time after every 10 or so “taps” there is a “Crunch!”. WE both look at each other and he starts suggesting that it's because I go too fast over speed-bumps.

Then there is a **CRUNCH*** and the engine stops dead. And my heart sinks, just a little…

So I'm stuck on the side of a road on the coldest night of the season with my brother trying to cheer me up by being what can only be described as “perky” (and being “perky” does not suit him at all). I know he is only trying to help but my mind is full of worries like “How much will it cost?”, “How am I gonna get it home?”, “Am I gonna need a new car?” and “Why does this bastard Universe hate me so much?”

I'm big on self-pity you can see.

Our friends came to pick us up, and my mum has agreed to tow me back to my home tonight. Then I can use my day off to search around for a mechanic who will probably look at me like a vet and suggest that my beloved car be “put out of it's misery”. But my brother (who is worth loads of money as he is a “super-teacher”) has said he'd help me get it fixed…And I writing this here so he doesn't forget that promise…

But now I get to walk to work…and it's bleeding cold.