Mr. J

Car is an '89 Civic.

Major issue: When driving, car jerks and halts in a regular rhythm. It feels like the gas is cutting out (tank nearly full). It doesn't always happen, and the stutter goes away when the car has warmed up. The stutter also goes away when I use the clutch.

Other symptoms (I only list these in case they help to identify the major problem--I can only afford to fix the critical stuff).

- There's a lot of corrosion (pink dust) around the positive post on the battery.

- Sometimes the radio reboots, seems to coincide with letting off the gas (low voltage?).

Any ideas on what might be the faulty part/system? I'm happy to do research, but I don't know where to start.

Thanks!

(sorry for the length, it's a complex issue)

I'm 32, and I haven't spoken with my mother in over 4 years. We didn't have an argument, I just stopped answering the phone. Then I didn't answer mail. I just didn't want to talk to her, even knowing that it must be causing her pain.

Now she's emailed me, trying to reconnect, wanting to know that I'm okay. The thing is, I'm not okay. I'm dealing with major depression, and have been hospitalized more than once in the last year. But I don't want her help, and I don't want her to be involved. She's part of the reason I'm messed up.

I don't want to cause her pain, I wish her well. I can't very well lie, since other family members know what's going on with me. And I don't want to invite her back into my life.

Any thoughts on how I can respond to her?