4:44 AM :|, page 3

I frequently wake in the dead of night and the times are mostly 2:22, but also 3:33,4:44, and 1:11. Interestingly, I also catch these numbers in the daylight hours as well. I don't wear a watch, seldom carry a cell phone and am not repeatedly viewing time by any means.

Over this last week, I have symptoms of whiplash with never-ending pain. I have had a CATscan and 3 visits to the doc this week. I have no idea what caused this, and lying down is most painful but today, it eased a bit, simmering throughout the day to come to a boil in the evening. 4 nights out of the last 8 I have found that just sitting in my nice highback office chair is most comfortable, and that is why I am still up at this wee hour. If I manage to lie down without massive throbbing, I awaken hourly. The pills I was prescribed are worthless and have no beneficial effect, so, I catch an hour here and there when I can stand being horizontal, and I am pretty frustraited now being 8 days.

So, since I am up, with a neck brace and omly mild discomfort, I am more rested than tossing, turning, sitting up when the pain tells me to, but if Wednesday is the turning point for the better, great. I am hopeful.

Now, with that out of the way, this number thing, got strange for me recently.
In July, I was working on a friends relatives car. A classic, close to restored, but many problems from others inferior workmanship. After a pretty thoughrogh inspection, I had quite a list and continued to find other problems that were only apparent when running or moving. The thing sat for a year and between waiting for parts and finding other small details that needed to be addressed, I had it for about 5 weeks.
I had to strip the engine accessories to repaint the ugly attempt that was cosmetically nauseating, and fix many problems from harnesses to trans, engine, wiring, electrical components, guages ,,the list goes on and on. I found that the only things that didn't require help was the exterior paint, seats and carpet.

Two days after I was done except for drying paint on about every undercarriage steel member, drivetrain, suspension, axles on and on... the oil pump failed. The day after I had it back together. After getting the new one in and all buttoned up again, the trans out of nowhere dumped a bunch of fluid overnight. It had to come back out and turned out to be what I assumed was a pump seal (new) failure, but it turned out to be a pinhole leak in the pump housing itself. Never seen that before, but hey, its over 40 yrs old, (not original trans though) so whatever.

Finally, it was immaculate inside and out, engine compartment detailed pristinely, carburetor had to be gone through and the electric choke add on set properly.

I decided to fill the tank and drive it for some days before returning it so if anything failed, I would be in control.

On the way home from a nice 80 mile cruise that afternoon, I moved into the second lane on the interstate to give space to a tractor-trailer merging from an on ramp. When I was clear to get back over to catch my exit, I had a good 7 car lengths with the semi behind me now. Just then, cresting a rise in the roadway and starting the downhill grade, every car in front of me hit the breaks in panic mode. I had just relined the brakes and hydrolics so even with no power and all drums, I responded accordingly with on eye in the review mirror. Before coming to a complete stop, though I could easily have pressured hard and not worry, I saw the rigs trailer behind me star spewing smoke and the truck approaching way too fast for this freeway braking extraveganza.

With a graction of a second, I was able to verify a gap to the right and rather than hammer the brakes to avoid rearending the car in front, I punched the accelerator and cut the lane to the right with a good 6 inches to spair before clipping the bumper in the car in front. Now free of the lane that brakes were stopping as hard as I have ever seen anywhere, I settled down and kept an eye on the tractor with a good 20 foot plume now billowing from the trailer tires.

The tractor came to a stop no more than a few inches of colliding with the car I was just behind. I had my woman and a friend with me, both of whom, if either had been behind the wheel would have wrecked. No doubt in my proficient driving mind.

and had I not a window of oppertunity, even as slight as milliseconds, The nice classic I was driving would have been reduced to a couple feet in length when the tractor couldn't stop.

Needless to say, I am not a contortionist and all three of use would have been unrecognisable. A definite closed casket close call.

After driving it a few more days, I parked it and my friend decided to take it to a carwash for it had been in the weather for well over a year and did need a good exterior detailing.
The following day, I was over to give it a final look over. The first thing out of his mouth was, "I ran it through a car wash and it took off the antenna. I just shook my head. The next day, we met the owner for lunch and I said, "would you like to know what else I've found that the car needs?" I got a look of horror for, there were a good 30 items that unexpectedly I had to point out over the 5, now 6 weeks. I smiled to the owners relief, and went on to explain the little extra things I did to basically give it that "bow-tie" new look in every aspect, and that I had run a tank of gas through it to insure it's road-worthiness. Finishing off with, "but you do need an antenna". Again that look followed by "what? that was just put on last year before I parked it!" I assumed my friend had disclosed it but wanted to insure awareness of it. At that point, my friend gave me the same look. Evidently, he hadn't found the right moment to tell about it.

Now then, by now you must be wondering, "what the heck has this have to do with 4:44, 1:11, or the other number things. I'm going to cure your curiosity right now.

In the weeks I had the thing, I didn't pay much heed to the exterior of the vehicle, and that day I, was able to put it all together.
Her huge invoices for work I got sloppy 2nds with. The oil pump failure. the rebuilt engine that was leaking out of every orafice. The extra work in places that only a buyer would look for. The close call escaping death. The antenna. When the owner came for it the next day. I explained all of this now knowing why. Lic. ended 666