Indy Digest: Aug. 25, 2025
If you’ve ever dealt with serious anxiety involving something about which you should NOT be anxious, (mentally) raise your hand—and then, if you would like, accept a virtual hug from me.
I know what it’s like—in fact, I am dealing with it right now—and it is awful.
The subject of my current pointless anxiety is the 2008 Toyota Camry the hubby and I bought back in February. As regular readers know; the hubby and I spend a significant amount of time in Reno; that’s where we are right now. We both grew up in Reno and have family here (including, most importantly, aging parents). In a related vein, it’s also where the Independent’s sister publication, the Reno News & Review, is located.
Given the stupidity of rental-car prices, late last year, we decided it was time to get a car of our own to use while we are in Reno. We wanted something reliable, of course, but no-frills and inexpensive, since we would only be driving the car a thousand miles or so each year, probably even less.
After months of searching—car lots, auctions, craigslist and a couple of Facebook Marketplace debacles—we came across the 2008 Toyota Camry. While it had 252,000 miles on it, these cars are known for their reliability and their relatively inexpensive repair costs. It had only one previous owner; the CarFax was clean (and showed an extensive history of regular maintenance); everything on the car worked just fine; and the test drive went well. Sold!
During our trips to Reno between February and the current one, the car ran great—no issues. We were happy. But ever since I arrived in Reno on my current trip, things have been a mess.
When I say “ever since I arrived in Reno,” I mean that literally: The car was starting to overheat as the hubby picked me up at the airport (in the middle of a thunderstorm, because, well, Murphy’s Law). We didn’t even complete the 3.3-mile drive to our Reno apartment; we parked the car in a supermarket parking lot, and had it towed to a reputable mechanic (with which I’d had a good experience before) the next morning.
The verdict: a bad water pump. After $1,500 in repairs to fix that and a few other things, we had our Camry back—and it drove great … for nine whole days. Then, when I was at a stop light one day, it started hesitating, as if it might stall. Back to the mechanic it went.
They determined the likely culprit was broken ignition coil connectors. After the repairs ($330), the hubby drove the car to our apartment, and everything seemed fine—until we tried to drive to dinner that evening, when the hesitation started again. Back to the mechanic it went. The next day, the mechanic said the problem was actually being caused by a faulty fuel injector. We paid $980 and got our car back.
The next time we got in the car to go somewhere, we were surprised when we started it, and a bunch of white smoke billowed out the exhaust pipe. Hmm. We ran our errands and came home. Maybe it was a one-time thing? Nope: It did the same thing the next time it was started after sitting for more than a couple of hours. So back to the mechanic it went; we dropped it off last night.
Earlier today, the manager at the shop called and told me there is an oil leak in the engine. He recommended we take it to a mechanic that specializes in internal engine work. In other words, the problem appears to be serious. (When I pointed out that, ahem, this problem only appeared after the last repair his shop made, he said he’d do some research and get back to me.)
Make no mistake: This car ordeal is annoying. And disruptive. And it’s getting expensive to the point where it may not be worth plunging more money into a previously reliable 2008 Toyota Camry.
On the flip side, I am safe. I am healthy. I have a roof over my head. I am well-fed and am surrounded by good people who love me. Whatever happens with the Camry, we can deal with it (even if it lightens our figurative pocketbook much more than I’d like).
Nonetheless, the anxiety I felt when I ended the phone call with the mechanic was at the level of OMG HOLY HELL I’M BEING CHASED BY A HYENA AND AM IN GRAVE DANGER OMG HELP.
That phone call was about six hours ago, and the anxiety is still here—about 95 percent less that it was when I was on that call, but it’s present. There is literally NO reason for the anxiety, and it’s not doing me (or anyone else) any good.
I mention all of this not to complain about our car trouble or my anxiety, but to tell anyone out there who has dealt with or is dealing with unjustified anxiety: You’re not alone. You’re OK. And if it helps to vent, hit reply. I am here—a bit needlessly anxious, yes, but I’m here.
—Jimmy Boegle
From the Independent
Wildfire Ready: Palm Springs and the Rest of the Coachella Valley Are Better Prepared for Blazes Than Before—but Danger Remains
By Haleemon Anderson
August 24, 2025
It was welcome news when Cal Fire issued updated Fire Hazard Severity Zone maps this spring, and most of the areas surrounding the Coachella Valley’s cities were rated as “moderate”—a better, safer rating than some of those areas had previously.
Caesar Cervisia: All of a Sudden, the Eastern Coachella Valley Has a Variety of Great Places to Enjoy Craft Beer
By Brett Newton
August 22, 2025
Our resident beer expert has long considered Indio and Coachella to be wildly under-served when it comes to craft beer—but that is changing quickly.
The Lucky 13: Matt Howse, Tattoo Artist at The Seeker Tattoo in Yucca Valley
By Matt King
August 24, 2025
After 24 years of tattooing in San Francisco and San Diego, musician and artist Matt Howse made his way to Yucca Valley and opened up The Seeker Tattoo in May.
Fight Show: Bob Odenkirk Is Back to Kick More Ass as Hutch Mansell in ‘Nobody 2’
By Bob Grimm
August 25, 2025
Lighter in tone and a lot sillier than the first venture, Nobody 2 is a good-enough sequel in that it doesn’t tarnish the reputation of the original, but it doesn’t improve upon it, either.
More News
• The Trump administration’s hyper-focus on immigrants and visitors to the United States continues. The Associated Press reports: “The Trump administration said Thursday it is reviewing more than 55 million people who have valid U.S. visas for any violations that could lead to deportation, part of a growing crackdown on foreigners who are permitted to be in the United States. In a written answer to a question from The Associated Press, the State Department said all U.S. visa holders, which can include tourists from many countries, are subject to ‘continuous vetting,’ with an eye toward any indication they could be ineligible for permission to enter or stay in the United States. … Since President Donald Trump took office, his administration has focused on deporting migrants illegally in the United States as well as holders of student and visitor exchange visas. The State Department’s new language suggests that the continual vetting process, which officials acknowledge is time-consuming, is far more widespread and could mean even those approved to be in the U.S. could abruptly see those permissions revoked.”
• We’re truly living in a divided country. On one side are people freaked out about “woke” ideology (with some stoking those fears for profit or to advance an agenda); on the other are people who are baffled by this fear. The Los Angeles Times reports: “It’s not easy being from California, especially if you’re hoping to leave the Golden State’s fires and rising home costs behind and move to a more affordable red state. In Texas, some politicians have adopted ‘Don’t California my Texas’ as both a rallying cry and a fundraising appeal. … And now, in Oklahoma, education officials have entered the fray by requiring teachers from California and New York to take an exam aimed at guarding against ‘radical leftist ideology.’ The test is being developed by leadership from the Oklahoma State Department of Education and PragerU, a nonprofit advocacy group that produces videos promoting conservative views of history, finance and other topics. PragerU videos have already been approved for use in schools in several states, including Oklahoma.”
• Related-ish: The Trump administration is refusing to defend a longstanding grant program—established and funded by Congress—for colleges where a significant portion of the students are Hispanic. The Associated Press reports: “In a memo sent to Congress, the Justice Department said it agrees with a lawsuit attempting to strike down grants that are reserved for colleges and universities where at least a quarter of undergraduates are Hispanic. Congress created the program in 1998 after finding Latino students were going to college and graduating at far lower rates than white students. Justice Department officials argued the program provides an unconstitutional advantage based on race or ethnicity. The state of Tennessee and an anti-affirmative action organization sued the U.S. Education Department in June, asking a judge to halt the Hispanic-Serving Institution program. … Tennessee is backed in the suit by Students for Fair Admissions, a conservative legal group that successfully challenged affirmative action in admissions at Harvard and the University of North Carolina. That suit led to a 2023 Supreme Court ruling that forbids universities from considering students’ race in admissions decisions.”
• Bluesky, the social-media platform used by some as an alternative to the Elon Musk-soiled cesspool that is X, is no longer available in Mississippi due to an age-verification law. Wired explains: “People in Mississippi can no longer use the social media platform Bluesky. The company announced Friday that it will be blocking all IP addresses within Mississippi for the foreseeable future in response to a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision that allows the state to enforce strict age verification for social media platforms. … The company says that compliance with Mississippi’s law—which would require identifying and tracking all users under 18, in addition to asking every user for sensitive personal information to verify their age—is not possible with the team’s current resources and infrastructure. By not complying with the law, Bluesky could face fines of up to $10,000 per violation. It is the first major social media platform to take such drastic steps in response to the law. Age verification laws, which on the surface are intended to protect children from harmful content online, have already begun to broadly impact internet use in places around the world where they’ve been enacted. In the UK, users trying to access everything from pornography to social platforms must now submit to ID scans, credit card checks, age-estimation scans, and more to verify they’re over the age of 18.”
• A health researcher with an autistic child writes in The Conversation that she’s troubled by shifting federal rhetoric regarding health: “In its May 2025 report on children’s health, the MAHA Commission … notes that the increased prevalence in ‘obesity, diabetes, neurodevelopmental disorders, cancer, mental health, autoimmune disorders and allergies’ are ‘preventable trends.’ It also frames the ‘major drivers’ of these trends as ‘the food children are eating, the chemicals they are exposed to, the medications they are taking, and various changes to their lifestyle and behavior, particularly those related to physical activity, sleep and the use of technology.’ Notably, it makes no mention of systemic problems, such as limited access to nutritious food, poor air quality and lack of access to health care, despite strong evidence for the enormous contributions these factors make to children’s health. And regarding neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism, it makes no mention of genetics, even though decades of research has found that genetics accounts for most of the risk of developing autism. … Even more worrisome is the implication that autism is a kind of damage caused by the environment rather than one of many normal variations in human neurological diversity—framing people with autism as a problem that society must solve.”
• And finally … today’s recall news involves … Ding Dongs! (Stop giggling! We’re being serious here.) Allrecipes notes: “The J.M. Smucker Co. has initiated a withdrawal notice for select Hostess Ding Dongs products due to the potential presence of mold. The recalled Hostess Ding Dongs were distributed to retailers across the U.S. … The J.M. Smucker Co. says that a mechanical issue in the manufacturing process may have created ‘conditions that could support the development of mold in the product prior to the expiration date.’ The company resolved the issue and thus only five lots of product have been impacted.” If you’re concerned that you may have a moldy Ding Dong, click the link to read more. (I said STOP GIGGLING!)
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