My “Check Engine” light is on again. So I unlatched the hood and took a look. Sure enough, it was still there. It looked good, too. Right where it’s supposed to be. In the middle. Lots of hoses and wires and belts all over the place. They were a little dirty; but hey, I live on a dirty street. You have to expect a little dirt might get under the hood. That’s enough checking for me. Still, the light wouldn’t go out. Where’s the “OK, I checked it” button?

Of course, that would be too easy. I’ve fallen into the “Check Engine” scam and there’s no escaping it.

“What could cause the ‘Check Engine’ light to go on?” I asked my mechanic.

“Oh, lots of things – my kid starting college, the wife buying new living room furniture, that vacation we want to take to DisneyWorld, my daughter deciding to marry that bonehead she’s been seeing – it all depends. You’d have to bring it in.”

“Is it OK for me to keep driving it?” I asked.

“Sure, I don’t need the money that fast.”

“I kind of meant would it be safe for me to drive it or do I need to have you look at it right away?”