Slowing Pace

Hayward Park is one of CalTrain's least-trafficked stations.

It was morning on a Spare-the-Air (smog alert, free mass transit) day. I was grateful that a coat and tie are no longer required and donned a Hawaiian shirt. Floral patterns are becoming more acceptable in San Francisco offices, thanks to growing Latin and tropical influences.

The old Camry wagon has been making disturbing noises from the front end. The mechanic we've been using for the past three years has proved less than satisfactory---when he does the work himself it turns out okay, but he uses assistants who aren’t well trained, much less legal, if you know what I mean. When the assistants work on the car, it’s never fixed right.

Browsing the web, I finally found a repairman who comes highly recommended (probably by members of his family who are posting comments under a pseudonym). His garage is next to the Hayward Park train station, so there's not far to walk on a hot day.

The pace is slow at the office, so there's no hurry to get to work. The credit crunch, vacation schedules, and the upcoming Labor Day weekend have put deals on hold. John said that he would take a look at the car and get back to me tomorrow. No problem.

As of 5 p.m. the fog promised a cooler evening.

[Update – Aug. 30: the front wheel bearings and hubs are the source of the vibration and noise. Parts and labor will cost about $900. I'm not overjoyed, but then if I don’t have to fix it again this year it will be worth it. A lot cheaper than buying another car.] © 2007 Stephen Yuen