I tried.  I really, *really*, REALLY tried.

But my car is legally (if not physically) dead.  It shows no sign of rising from the ashes of red tape any time soon... and I needed to be on the road to Dallas about 20 hours ago.

How can my car be legally, but not physically dead?  
I can't get the !@#$%^&* thing to pass the Utah State saftey and emmissions inspections.  And I've spent the past three weeks, as well as several hundred dollars (my A-Kon money!), trying to get it up to spec.  Still, after all that, instead of my planned road trip to the A-Kon, all I have to show for it are a few of slips of paper with big red FAILED stamps on them.  Oh, and a few jotted notes by the inspectors.  One reads:  "Car cannot be held together with wire."

Honestly.  It was just a *little* bit of wire, to hold the hood of the car in place because the latch broke.  So what if the car has been totalled (not by me) several times in the past couple of years?  My dad has managed to resurrect each time so that, while it may not run beautifully, at least it runs.  I even bought a new muffler and piping system (ouch!)  � and it *still* didn't pass, because Utah just raised its safety and emmissions standards, effective April 1st.   And my poor little car is no longer good enough for them, and has been banished to the garage, while *I* have been banished to Public Transportation.  (Ugh.)

Anyway, I am thoroughly cheesed, because I've been so jump-up-and-down excited to go to my first anime convention � not to mention meeting a few of my ffml friends, and participating in the Fanfic Author Panel � for months now.  I'm just ready to cry, I'm so bloody disappointed.  : (

I'm going to try to get in contact with Nick Liefker, to let him know that I won't be able to make it, but if anyone sees him first, could you please let him know how dreadfully sorry I am?  I would have contacted him sooner, but I was hoping for a last minute miracle (borrowing my sister's car) that just fell through.  Hence, this whiney, depressed, spammish email that I'm inflicting on the FFML.

Sorry, Tybalt.  It won't happen again.  At least, it bloody well better not happen again.  

Oh well.  If nothing else, at least I've got more writing time this weekend.

*sigh* 

Krista Perry  ;_;