SAGINAW, Mich. -- So I'm still here. My car decided to breakdown before I could leave town.

To be honest, it could've been a whole lot worse. While I was on my way to the highway out of town past the woefully named TheDow Center (no, I didn't forget a space), my car starts making this crunching, screaming metal on metal sound. I obviously can't drive home with my car in that condition. Turns out that my right rear tire's bearings are going out and need to be replaced. The guy at the shop, Nevin, said the bearings could've failed completely with the tire popping off of the axel. So the car's in the shop until Monday morning at the earliest.

I do count my blessings in a lot of ways. I'm thankful the breakdown occurred while I was driving around town and not on the highway and not on the way out West. I'm glad I was able to get it into the shop before they closed (Thanks, Tuffy and Nevin!). Also, my car seems to be aging gracefully. Although repairs are necessary, the car is still a trooper after more than 10 years.

I'm also extremely thankful for the generosity shown by my friends Erin and Steve who've allowed me to stay at their apartment for an additional two nights. I don't want to impose on them in a negative way and I hope that I can repay their generosity (or at least show my gratitude in some way).

It's interesting that both my car and Garrett's car suffered breakdowns while traveling downstate. Garrett's car broke down when he visited a couple of months ago. It's almost spooky (but not).

But hey, the weather yesterday was spectacular with the blue skies and the gentle late Winter crisp that merely hints at the season instead of bludgeoning people over their heads with snow and freezing climes.