Lots of Bull

We thought Cicero had a transmission problem.  Then the mechanic thought it was a problem with the brake switch.

Then they got down into it, and they found a sticky mess.  An actual, real sticky mess.  Down inside the shifter, which is between the seats not on the steering column.

Darren's guy called and told us that it was only rated for a few ounces of soda spilled down in there, not a quart!

Further questioning of the usual suspects revealed the information that, as i thought, Bigger Girl doesn't drink soda, and never has anything but black coffee or water in Cicero.  Her brother, #2 Son, borrowed her car a few times and drinks soft drinks and energy drinks.  #1 Son was there one of the times Cicero was borrowed, and says it was an energy drink that was probably spilled, since #2 Son never did explain how he emptied it so fast.

When we were called to pick up Cicero, i walked in and told them that i was there to pay for the $400 Red Bull!

They all laughed, and told me again what a sticky, gunky mess it was that had made the vehicle's sensors not realize it was even in gear.  That will prevent shifting, prevent the key from coming out, and turn off the cruise control, all the symptoms it was having.

So, #1 Son has his $800 cat, when he swerved to avoid hitting a cat and hit a culvert and damaged two tires and rims.  Now we've had a $400 Red Bull, courtesy #2 Son in Bigger Girl's vehicle.

Today, it's Jalopy's turn, and i've already told them to ignore the short in the ABS and in the electrical system, but to just concentrate on the transmission.

Poor Jalopy, i think she's going to be in the car hospital at least a week.


Today is:

Anna's Day -- Sweden and Finland (commemorates the conception of the Virgin Mary by St. Anne, celebration for all females named Anne or Anna, and the day to start the processing of the Christmas Eve lutefisk.)

Christmas Card Day -- the first commercial card went on sale on this day in 1843

Christmas Gift Memory Day -- the day to reminisce about your all time favorite Christmas gift

End of Days of Reckoning -- Fairy Calendar

Feast of the Conception of the Most Holy Theotokos by St. Anne -- Orthodox Church

Incwala Day -- Swaziland (the biggest day of the 8 week Ncwala Festival, which loosely translates as "first fruits", although today's tasting of the first of the harvest by the King is only a portion of the many days of ceremonies)

International Anti-Corruption Day -- UN

National Heroes Day -- Antigua and Barbuda

National Pastry Day

Remembrance for Egill Skallagrimsson -- Asatru/Norse Pagan Calendar (Viking Age poet, warrior, and rune magician)

Republic Day -- Tanzania

Search High and Low For Your Gingerbread Recipe Day -- or just give up and go to the internet for a new one, that's where i found this "holiday"

St. Leocadia's Day (Patron of Toledo, Spain)

Weary Willie Day -- birth anniversary of Emmet Kelley, Sr.

Yuri's Day in the Autumn -- Russian Orthodox Church (a celebration of St. George, as following the Gregorian Calendar)


Anniversaries Today:

Petrified Forest National Park, AZ, US, established, 1962
Christmas Seals first sold, in Wilmington, DE, US, 1907YMCA opens in Montreal, QC, CA (first in North America), 1851


Birthdays Today:

Jesse Metcalfe, 1978
Reiko Aylesworth, 1972
David Kersh, 1970
Kara DioGuardi, 1970
Jakob Dylan, 1969
Kurt Angle, 1968
Felicity Huffman, 1962
David Anthony Higgins, 1961
Joe Lando, 1961
Donny Osmond, 1957
John Malkovich, 1953
Joan Armatrading, 1950
Michael Nouri, 1945
Dick Butkus, 1942
Beau Bridges, 1941
Judy Dench, 1934
Buck Henry, 1930
Dick Van Patten, 1928
Dina Merrill, 1925
Redd Foxx, 1922
Kirk Douglas, 1916
Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., 1909
Grace Hopper, 1906
Margaret Hamilton, 1902
Emmet Kelley, Sr., 1898
Clarence Birdseye, 1886
Joel Chandler Harris, 1848
John Milton, 1608
Edwin Sandys, 1561


Debuting/Premiering Today:

"A Charlie Brown Christmas"(TV special), 1965
"Coronation Street"(TV), 1960
"Salome"(Opera), 1905
"Charge of the Light Brigade"(Publication date, in The Examiner), 1854


Today in History:

The Byzantine General Belisarius enters Rome while the Ostrogothic garrison peacefully leaves the city, returning the old capital to its empire, 536
New York City's first daily newspaper, the American Minerva, is established by Noah Webster, 1793
The Republic of Texas captures San Antonio, Texas, 1835
The first Young Men's Christian Association in the Americas is founded, in Montreal, 1851
Pinckney Benton Stewart Pinchback becomes governor of Louisiana for 35 days, becoming the first black US governor, 1872
Levant Richardson patents the ball-bearing skate, 1884
Statistician Herman Hollerith installs his computing device at the United States War Department, 1888
The Norwegian parliament vote unanimously for female suffrage, 1903
The first broadcast of "Coronation Street" on British ITV, 1960
Barbados joins the United Nations, 1966
NLS (a system for which hypertext and the computer mouse were developed) is publicly demonstrated for the first time in San Francisco, 1968
The United Arab Emirates join the United Nations, 1971
The eradication of the smallpox virus is certified, 1979
Phoenix, Arizona, US, gets 3 inches of snow, 1985
Lech Walesa wins the presidental election in Poland, 1990
In Australia, thieves broke into a home and stole two 300-year-old etchings by Rembrandt. The 4-by-4-inch etchings, a self-portait and a depiction of the artist's mother, were valued around $518,000, 2003
Pakistan's media publish fake WikiLeaks cables attacking India, 2010
China creates a new "Coonfucius Peace Prize" to honor its former Taiwanese Vice President, Lien Chan, who refused to collect it, 2010