Sweet Black Angel, my 1981 BMW 528i series, died this morning on the operating room table. It would have cost me way more money than justifiable to keep her on life support, and I don't relish the idea of her dying, say, on the drive to Dulles to pick up Elana. So let this be a lesson to you: do not temporarily go off your medication and decide that buying a car nearly as old as you are is a jolly good idea, no matter how pretty she looks. She cost me a lot -- I stuck by her when she got locked up -- but I loved her, and it hurts to see her go.