A coworker of mine is from Louisiana. We’re in Washington state, and he told me that all the people here bitching about wind turbines and environmental regulations don’t know how good they have it. He’s from a town on the gulf which is basically one giant oil refinery. The stink and chemical pollution is unbelievable. He showed me the “Welcome to Whatever-ville” sign in his hometown, and it’s literally attached to a gantry that carries several chemical pipes over the road.
I’ve been learning Dutch, since the Netherlands seems like a nice place to go if I ever have to flee the US. Thinking about joining some Dutch communities here so I can get more “natural” language exposure.
When my truck’s clutch cylinder blew, I managed to limp it to the shop just by rev-matching and slipping it into each gear. I couldn’t stop without stalling, so I definitely blew a couple stop signs, but I made it.
The magic wears off as soon as the first expensive thing breaks.
Allow me to suggest the humble typewriter. There are dozens of us (dozens!) who enjoy the tactile feeling of hammering out a few pages with no electronics or distractions of any kind.
Check auto parts stores, they should take it. However, they won’t take it if it’s contaminated with anything, like coolant. So instead I take it to my local dump, they have a place to dispose of oil and other fluids for free. Maybe that’s an option for you as well.
If you have the space, I would recommend learning how to change your oil yourself. It only takes some basic tools and can save you a lot of money in the long run.
Don’t forget your hat. And shave that facial hair!
In the typewriter community, the “holy grail” differs from person to person, but for me it was a 1930s Royal P equipped with a rare typeface called Vogue. Very, very rarely they’ll pop up from people who don’t know how significant that is, and that’s the only way to get one at a reasonable price - because those who do know what it is will ask thousands of dollars for it.
Eventually I found one for a comparatively cheap price (sub 1k), and the only reason someone else didn’t snap it up before I saw it was because the guy refused to ship it. Local pickup only. So I took the chance to drive the 10 hours round trip to snag it, and it sits proudly as the crown jewel of my collection: