I Studied All Night for My Emissions Test...

and I still failed.

The light came on during our trip home from Thanksgiving dinner. And wouldn't you know it, I have to renew my tabs like, now. Oh, had I only taken care of this last week I coulda passed my test, laid down my chunk of change for tabs and been good for another year. But nooooooo.

Here's the thing: I hate doing stuff for the first time. I get all nervous and freaked out because I don't know where to go or what to do once I get there. It's ridiculous behavior in a grown woman but the key source of any procrastination in my life is this fear of virgin territory. (Which goes to a conversation I had with Dallas Payson yesterday about whether or not we were ever going to feel like grownups. Since we're both asking that question in our 40's, it's looking doubtful).

Yesterday I went to the trusty Internet and looked up everything pertinent about emissions tests. I learn that I need to run the car for 15 minutes. I read that The Dog can't be in the car. It costs $15 so I made sure I had the checkbook. I looked up the address on Yahoo Maps and felt very swell and accomplished. I haven't done this before but dang it, I'm prepared.

After my Parent Club meeting this morning I head out onto the freeway to get Fergie warmed up. Of course, it's stop and go northbound I-5 so I get off onto I-90, drive into Bellevue, turn around and head over to the testing station. I am golden. There is NO LINE. The woman running my lane was SUPER nice. I told her I'd never done this before and she might have to walk me through it and she was kind and funny as could be. (Clearly not an employee of the Department of Transportation). She checks the gas cap then sends me forward to the young lad who was going to check my computer. And then out comes the result that there is a small leak in the "Evaporative Emission Control System".

Right. Pay a visit to our mechanic who tells me that the whole thing could be as simple as really tightening up my gas cap, driving around and seeing if the light goes off. Or it's a majorly expensive diagnostic that he can't do for at least a week. Of course. Because my tabs expire in 3.5 days. If I had done all this when I first got my tab renewal notice none of this would have happened. Or, of course, if it had, there would have been weeks and weeks and weeks to deal with it before I got to the situation where I have to watch my rear view mirror for any trace of cops while I drive around with expired tabs.

Procrastination is a bad, bad thing. Being afraid of looking stupid or making a mistake just because I'm new to something is a bad, bad thing. On the plus side, I now know exactly what to do when the car needs an emissions test and I know what my New Year's Resolution is going to be.

I now invoke all the automotive deities: Please let my light go off, please let my light go off.....