While waiting for three drunk young guys to get a box of beer and assorted snacks at a gas mart by a casino around 1:00 AM (before dropping them at an extended stay motel); some parking lot action caught my people watching tendencies.

Two stalls over a guy in white vans (without socks) was spray painting his engine, and using a propane torch to speed up drying time..as it was 33degrees. Pausing to finally light the cigarette bouncing around in front of his face, he traded the torch into the trunk for a second color (or maybe just a second can for a second coat). The painter had a modern Vanilla Ice wannabe look about him. The sedan he was ‘improving’ looked as if it had done some slaloms down overparked streets during a recent snowstorm – not an unscathed panel on it.

When my passengers finally finished shopping I pointed out the action.

“He’s painting his catalytic converter.”

“No! He’s painting the head gasket.”

“You guys stop looking at him.”

As we drove off so many questions collided in my head leaving me with nothing, nothing to focus wonder on.