WndyLady

Hi! I have a 2010 GTI, manual transmission, currently 120k miles, owned since new. Recently, when shifting into 2nd or 3rd, I've felt a vibration as if the clutch wasn't quite in all the way. It's only happened a couple of times over the last month.

Potentially Related Background: In 2017, I turned into a parking lot and couldn't/didn't see that there was a major curb separating incoming traffic. After a a horrific crunch (and some dripping evidence a few days later), I took the car in to a local VW tuning shop. They replaced the trans and clutch with used OEM parts, as was required by my insurance. Since then, the clutch has been weird, the gates to 1st and 2nd are really tight in cold weather, and my reverse lights don't work. (I know the latter isn't related, but it bugs me.)

My question: I'm barely skating by financially and need this car to last another 5 years. Is there any kind of preventive maintenance or other activity that can prevent what I fear?

TW: Homophobia, abuse

I work at a children's foster care organization that specializes in caring for kids who have experienced significant trauma. I'm somewhat acclimated to terrible parents.

As I walked by the front desk late this morning, the receptionist disgustedly thrust the phone towards me. On the other end was a woman asking if we are an orphanage, and if we can take her son. (This is not an unheard-of situation... Most of the time it's a stressed out parent using us as a threat to put their kid back on the straight and narrow.)

I answered as I usually do, giving her the referral hotline for social services. She immediately went ballistic, screaming and jostling the phone so that I could only hear every third word. But it was clear that the reason she was so upset is that she just found out her son is gay. She kept using the f****t word.

I had the receptionist, a resident, and a social worker all standing around watching, so I couldn't say what I wanted to. I was also in a bit of an adrenaline shock and nearly froze, but I gave the only answer I could muster... "Since you've chosen to use abusive language, I'm going to disconnect the call."

My vent is this: it's so easy to not be an abusive asshole. I hate living in a world where this person's vote counts the same as mine. I hate living in a world where people can be this hateful and aren't completely shunned from society.

My secondary vent is this: I wish I had a brain that didn't short circuit under stress, and that I would have thought to "play along" so that I could gather this woman's contact info and at least tried to help that poor boy.

Thank you for letting me vent. I don't feel better, but at least I feel like I've shared.

I make a traditional pesto and use it for all kinds of recipes. I adore this pesto for soups, pasta, veggies.

However, when I use it for pizza, I get this weird paradox where everything is too salty, but still feels like it needs salt. For toppings I use fresh mozzarella, roasted red peppers and parboiled asparagus. I don't season them to offset the saltiness.

Any suggestions on how to make this pizza perfect?

It's not much to go on, but I'm hoping someone either remembers or has better Google-fu than I do.

Some time in the late 80s or early 90s I read a YA book about a teen-ish girl in the Aluetian Islands. My most vivid memory is of her description of crabs, calling some "Jimmies," and going into extraordinary detail about the fishing process. I have the shadow of a memory that she was the first girl/woman to embark on fishing.

That's all I have to go on. Ring any bells?