I don't think the Honda is very happy with Phoenix. Yesterday I walked out to see that some savage had thrown an egg at it; thankfully it pretty much stayed on the bumper. Unfortunately, I didn't notice it until we had returned from work and the hot sun and 105 degree heat had pretty well cooked it. I wished that egg had been the head of whoever threw it instead.

Later, Neil and I went out for some Del Taco (one of my favorite cheap Mexican chains ever.....I wish we had them in Washington instead of shitass Taco Time), and afterwards, we went to the cheap movie theater and saw "50 First Dates." Relatively amusing; it was worth the $2.50. It really made me miss Hawaii.

On the way home, I start to notice that the lights are really dim, and the car was a bit hard to start. This happened on Thursday as well. So we get home, and measure the battery. 10.6 volts. Not good. The voltage doesn't go up too much when the car runs either; it goes to about 12. (It should be about 13.8 volts.) So, I start the car again, and I have Neil disconnect the positive lead from the battery, to see if the alternator was carrying the load of the car. The car stil ran, so the alternator is making *some* power, but it was still pretty weak; about 12.6 volts. So I'm wondering if I've got a bad battery or a bad alternator. One thing that I've learned is that the testers that the parts places use are absolutely worthless; I've seen them give thumbs up to stuff that was bad, and vice versa. I'm charging the battery tonight, to see if it will hold a charge, and if it does, I guess I'll undergo the pain of replacing the alternator, which is one of the more pain in the ass evolutions on a Honda. (The alternator is mounted behind the engine, underneath the intake manifold; it's not accessable from the top.)