Based on a recommendation from one of my readers, I’m subscribed to the Lefsetz Letter, “First in Music Analysis.” Bob Lefsetz is currently in Hong Kong to attend the annual Music Matters Asia conference. And it’s clear from what he’s writing that this is his first trip here.

Lefsetz is a forward looking guy with a lot of good ideas about the music industry but based on his writings, he doesn’t know spit about anything else. That’s okay. We were all new here once, especially us foreigners, walking around, gawking at the skyscrapers, soaking up new experiences. But then he writes this:

I still can’t get over the plethora of towers. What’s going on inside? Sure, some are residences, but what exactly is the commerce taking place up there on the seventy fifth floor? Makes me feel like I’m clueless when it comes to economics, the big picture, how the world really works. I understand there are skyscrapers in New York, that on Manhattan there’s a financial empire. But how many of these money-driven metropolises can there be? And with the aforementioned modern communications, do these far-flung outposts really need to exist?

Which is just so piss-ignorant on so many levels that I can’t even think of how to respond.

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The car is back from the shop. New roof installed. The new warning light is because the O2 sensor (or did he say CO2 sensor?) died and needs to be replaced and they need a couple of days to get the part. I asked the guy if there would be any problem with driving the car until then and he said that maybe I’d be using more petrol. Ai-ya! With the cost of gas now, last time I filled up the tank it was over $900! I hope they get the part soon.

To the credit of the previous repair shop, they actually called me today to ask if the car was running okay. When I told them that I had another warning light, they said I could bring the car in right away. But I told them no need. I asked at the “new” repair shop for them to take a look and tell me if the parts that they claimed were really replaced and they took a look and said yes. So maybe it’s just not standard operating procedure to call customers first and get an okay on an estimate?

Either way, the “new” shop is a lot more conveniently located and as long as they seem to be doing a good job, I’ll keep going to them. But I’m hoping that I’m not about to run into the “failure of the week” on this car.

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I must be the last person in HK to realize that next Monday is a holiday. Thinking about a last minute weekend Thailand run.

My car woes continue.

So as I said, I’d brought the car back to the dealer I’d bought it from, thinking it was still under warranty. There were four minor problems. Monday night he’d fixed one problem and then told me that when driving the car there was another problem so he had to keep it overnight.

Today he told me that it was the alternator gone bad and they’d replaced it. And also told me that the car was no longer under warranty and that I owed $5,600. After the work was done. Without calling to give me a quote first. I had little choice but to pay.

Got the car. Box in the front of the parts they’d ostensibly replaced, but who the hell knows.

Driving the car home tonight after dinner, now the engine warning light comes on.

Fortunately, I don’t have to bring it back to these yokels because I’ve found someone who appears to know what he’s doing a lot closer to my home, and if I’m gonna pay someone, might as well pay someone who knows how to conduct business in a proper fashion.