Weekends. Yay.

The van broke down as I was running errands with Rachel.

During the brutal downpour (was any of that Ike-related over the weekend?) on Saturday afternoon. Rachel was very impressed that her daddy was able to push the vehicle off of Utica Road as he was getting drenched.

She was the picture of patience, as we waited for the wrecker by listening to the Michael York reading of The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe on CD. By the way, continuing stunned gratitude to my good friend Eric, who gave us the entire Chronicles on CD, gratis.

The thing just flat-out stalled out and refused to restart. A nearby office building was open and we were invited in by a sympathetic gentleman whom I thanked profusely. There was even a vending machine where I could get snacks (Rachel's big on KitKats). Continuing good fortune--the "other Heather" was travelling by our breakdown area and agreed to pick up Rachel so she could go home. As it turned out, Rachel was a *very* involved backseat driver as Heather took her home.

The wrecker got there and the van started, naturally. But the check engine light stayed on. Diagnosis--none yet.

The other Heather generously picked me up from the repair center and brought me back.

In time to see the Wolverines poop the bed against ND. I have very low expectations this season: 7-5, plus a win in a Weed Eater-tier Bowl. Not a good performance even by those expectations.

But--every week shows improvement in some facet of the game. At last, Steven "Not a Dual" Threet is getting a feel for the offense, the line is giving him time, and Sam McGuffie is a marvel. The defense is hot and cold, but you can't expect miracles when you keep turning the ball over. And over. And over.

Patience is the order of the day. From what I've seen so far, barring injuries, this team is going to be dangerous (to others) by the end of the season.

As to the Lions--well, come on. I can find better uses for my Sundays. I check in on radio or TV long enough for the Ford Field Follies to mistake their way out of victory. The NHL starts up in a couple of weeks.

[Update: The bad news is that the fix (per the onboard computer, a cam sensor (?))is not covered by the otherwise useful extended warranty. The good news is that the van is running fine without it, and it's not remotely certain there's an actual problem that needs to be fixed. So, we're just going to pick it up and run with it, safe in the knowledge that the current bill has the decimal point in the right spot.]