First Impression

It has been said that you never get a second chance to make a first impression. While this is probably true, today, I really hope Jake's second impression makes up for his first one. Today, Jake started a new job. It was not a good morning!!

He was supposed to be in Ankeny at 7:00 sharp. New job want to be there early right? Well, when he went to get into his Jeep at 6:25 it wouldn't start. He thought the battery was dead so he asked me to come out and jump it. Let me digress for just a quick moment, on Saturday my Dad came and towed the two UGLY trucks out of our driveway, so I moved his jeep then and it started fine so I was wondering exactly why his battery would be dead.

As I walked out to my jeep to pull over to his I heard him start it. However, I could tell that it was just not running right. There was a weird smell and he kept having to give it gas to keep it idling. Finally after a few minutes it idled on it's own and he finished packing his jeep and left. It died at the end of the driveway, but started right up and he drove off.

About 3 or 4 minutes later I got a call from him that the oil pressure had plummeted and he was pulling off the bypass. So, I jumped in my jeep and sped there, determined to try to "minimize" his tardiness on his first day. By the time I got to him he had it started again and said the oil pressure had come back up. So, we decided I would just follow him in case something else weird happened.

It did. It wouldn't be the Hamilton Family Circus if it didn't. He probably only went 150 feet and the oil pressure started to drop again. So he pulled off and threw his stuff in my car and off we went. By this point it was 6:45 and we were no where close to the north west side of Ankeny. I think my speedometer hit 80 a few times and 90 once when I decided that would be a VERY painful ticket and I let off the gas.

We made it at 7:02 am. I felt really bad for him though. It was his first day and everyone was in the parking lot staring at the new guy who was late and had to be dropped off by his wife. Not to mention that I had driven so erratically that when he went to get his things out of the back of the jeep they all toppled out onto the concrete.

I just called to see how things were going and he assured me that no one was mad that he was 2 minutes late and that he has enjoyed his first 2 1/2 hours. Send your good thoughts his way, I think he needs them after the rough start to his day!! :-) :-)