Check Engine Light is on

This might not be interesting to any body but me but I feel like raving about my car for a minute. I am so pissed off at Wendy (I never should have named my Corolla either or any car for that matter- for people who do this - it is stupid), today this tomorrow that. Let me give you a short 1-2 year history of my luck (rather dismal luck) with my car which by the way is only 8 years old, which for the following summary, is remarkable.

-Two days ago I was driving and parking my car when I either ran over some glass or hit the curb going very slowly and my wheel just popped (lost all air) completely. I almost put the rescue donut on without professional help but couldn't get the tire off because of the rust. Triple A comes and taps it with a big log and the problem is fixed at a discount of $25 (the tow would have been terrible). On a side note, maybe I should start carrying one of those big logs around except it would get annoying when each of my passengers asks: "what's the big log for?"

-That wasn't actually so bad. What was, was driving home from Minnesota this past summer and having a deer run in to my car at 2 in the morning in Michigan after a 12 hour drive. I'm not sure but I think the deer was more destroyed than my $2000 damaged car whose door who would no longer close and whose shell was sprayed with deer blood and hair.

-Two windows smashed and two stereos systems jacked while at school

-Pebble or some small rock hitting my windshield while I was driving creating a small whole that I ignore for several weeks until the crack spreads across my entire wind shield and I am forced to pay for a pricey replacement.

-Sitting in a car line waiting to get tickets to skiing last winter in Minnesota and the car in front of me backs right in to me for no particular reason as I lay on the horn wondering what the hell he's thinking. Another big damage but luckily he took responsibility.

-Driving down 94 last year when my car hood decides it wants to suddenly shoot up, completely bend in to the frame of the car, and blind 99% of my vision while driving 70 on a highway. Not only was this terrifying but it also cost another $1000 in repairs.

-Every trip I've taken since school (New York, Boston, Pitt.) I've had some repair some minor (serpentine belt) and some major (new clutch - even though I only had 65,000k) and basically my dad, whose anger is renewed each time these things happen, thinks I am entirely to blame. I also have gotten two parking tickets and one towing since moving to Boston - this is probably mostly my fault except that they are crazy here about that stuff.

Now the lesson here is that I probably shouldn't be driving. But I disagree - I'm not a bad driver and I'm not causing accidents but at the same time, could all of this stuff really happen to one person in the period of less than two years? Besides some other things that I think I am forgetting and an equally scary array of things from the previous period of two years, having my "check engine light" go off today might be one of the last straws. I don't even care if the light is just screwed up (like my E-brake which for some reason is always on now).