... a deviant path is the only way ...

So my car told me flat out that my problem has been the alternator all along, by having the radio work sporadically, then dying on the onramp to Hwy 60. Bookman the Amazingly Wonderful Human Being kindly rescued my powerless ass, and it turns out that replacing the alternator on my car is so remarkably easy, if I have any more problems like this in the future, the alternator will be the first thing I try (well, after checking the battery). We spent more time in AutoZone getting the part than replacing it. (Ok, I'm exagerating, but not all that much.)

Last time I had alternator problems I had a good month of warning signals. I feel a need to mention this. Oh, and the fact that my car was able to make it down 22 miles of highway on 15 minutes of jumper-cable-charge (given, I had no lights left (at full dark!) by the end, inside and out) speaks very well for my battery still being damn good. I <3 my car.

While we were waiting for my engine to cool, we went to a hookah cafe, and we shared a bowl of mint shisha. It was rather a nice buzz, but I don't feel any need to repeat the experiance soon. This was my first experiance with tobacco that wasn't secondhand/incidental.

I'm meeting a few of the the more spiritually inclined folks. It has me slightly envious again, but I'm trying to roll with it. I'm actually pondering the idea of taking LSD, to help break down the ego and all that, but considering that I "tripped" off the last full moon, I'm also aware that I don't actually need assistance in that realm. It's more of a choice: Do I want to try to dog-paddle across the Pacific, or would I like to be thrown out in the middle?

Of course, it doesn't help that one of my friends has been tripping hard for over a week. I'm trying to communicate with him, but he keeps giving me twigs and sticks with forget-me-nots tied onto them. I wonder: Is it a forget-me-not, or a forget-me-knot?

Heh, languange. Perhaps it does help.