Tuesday, October 21, 2003

Hi Everyone,
I have an urgent prayer request. My cousin Jason is in the army and he has been in Iraq fighting throughout this entire war. He hasnt been in the midst of most of it until now. His mom wrote to me and this is her e-mail:
We would like you all to know that Jason was involved in the firefight in Karbala, Iraq, but fortunately was not shot. He called us at 5 this morning to let us know that he is ok physically, but emotionally he is not doing well. His battalion commander was killed as were two squad leaders that he knew well. One of his best friends was shot in both legs and is now in the hospital (stable condition) in Germany until the end of this week when he will be flown to Walter Reed Hospital. There were 7 hurt by shrapnel fragments. He told us that a rocket propelled grenade exploded a foot above his head. They were in an intense firefight that lasted for about half an hour.
I guess he wont be home until April. Your prayers would be greatly appreciated. We would all be so blessed to see him come home safely.

Monday, October 20, 2003

CAR TROUBLES - R.I.P. '96 Dodge Intrepid

A week ago from last friday I began having problems with my 1996 Dodge Intrepid. This was by no means the first time that I'd experienced problems with said car, but as I was to find out - it was the last.

After starting it up, the engine began making a loud knocking noise, something akin to knocking a frying pan against your kitchen counter. I took that to be a bad sign. I turned the car off and decided I would take it into the shop on Monday.

Monday came and I drove the car through Savage, towards the service station in Burnsville. After crossing 35W on hwy 13 the "little Intrepid that couldn't" decided it would go no further. After a couple of final death gasps, the engine sputtered and died.

After sitting on the side of the road in rush hour traffic for over an hour, I finally had the car towed to its final destination at the Burnsville Amoco. They looked at my car and announced with finality that my engine was dead on arrival. They then informed me (with much delight) that installing a new engine in the car would cost upwards of $3000. I could tell they had already begun counting the money in their heads. I decided I had had enough. It was time to get a new car.

And here it is, my new 2001 Chevrolet Lumina, courtesy of Ryan Chev Olds in Buffalo.