What a nightmare..
So, yesterday after school we have a department meeting. We received an agenda with an email attached earlier that day specifying that it was a "short" meeting. Obviously, we don't all agree on what "short" means. But, I survived.
I was happy to get out of school by 3:40 and thought, I am going to stop and pick up Chinese food for dinner and then work on my many papers before good TV starts at 8:00. Well, you may know the saying, "The way to make God laugh is to make plans."
As I was pulling into the little shopping centre where the Chinese place is (around 4:00), my car starts lurching forward, then stops. I keep trying desperately to get it to move, and it makes one lsat lurch forward (mostly) into a parking stall. Granted, the parking stall was a handicapped spot, but I really hadn't PLANNED on my car dying right there...
Now, I had a cell phone a couple years ago, but it seemed rather pointless to be paying 30 bucks a month for something I used maybe once every 4-6 months for a few minutes, so I cancelled the service.
Fortunately, my car chose to break down at a shopping centre, and not on the side of the freeway, so I went inside and called the Roadside assistance people. It takes her forever to get all the info, and then get a hold of the towing people, only to find that she pushed the wrong button on her computer and lost all the information and we had to start over. About 25 minutes later, she tells me a tow truck will be on its way in 30-40 minutes and that the cost should be about 45 dollars.
I then call Jan to see if I can catch a ride to school in the morning, call Ford to tell them I am on my way, go buy my Chinese food and eat it there while waiting for the tow truck (bad thing really...because I didn't have my pills to take with my food, so my blood sugar was SKY HIGH).
Eventually, the tow truck comes. He can't get the car's wheels to turn backwards to tow it...AND he only had one "dolly" (you need two) for some reason, so had to call another of his towing buddies to come and lend him a dolly. Eventually, by 5:20, we are on our way to Ford. We get there, fill out all the paperwork for the mechanics, service guy tells me that it looks like a big deal and will need to be there until Monday, so he calls the car rental place to come pick me up. I go back to my car to fill out paperwork for the towing guy who is STILL unattaching my car. It takes him another 25 minutes to get the paperwork ready, with the Enterprise lady sitting there waiting for me.
Finally, I am done there and go to Enterprise. I had my choice of lots and lots of cars, but was just so tired and so unhappy about my car dying, that I thought it wasn't a good thing to rent something I would want (SUV...desperately want an SUV), so I chose a Cavalier. Now, my car before my Focus was a cavalier, and let me tell you, they used to be quite a bit bigger. I got in the car and it was SO uncomfortable. The steering wheel seemed super close, the pedals super far, I only BARELY got the seatbelt closed. BUT, it was after 6:00 and I was exhausted and wanted to get home. I left.
This morning, during second period, the service guy calls and tells me, yes, it is indeed the transmission that is dead on my 2000 Ford Focus, and it is going to cost me 3200 dollars and the car won't be ready until Wed.
After school, I was reminded of how much I hated the car I had rented, so I filled up the gas tank, and took it back to Enterprise and tried to exchange. Now, they have only more of the same car I have or pickups. So, I have a pickup. It wouldn't be the end of the world, I suppose, but it doesn't fit into my garage, and parking at SPU on Monday night for my last class is going to be impossible (parallel parking with a pickup? Are you kidding me????)
Oh, the nightmare never ends...
I was happy to get out of school by 3:40 and thought, I am going to stop and pick up Chinese food for dinner and then work on my many papers before good TV starts at 8:00. Well, you may know the saying, "The way to make God laugh is to make plans."
As I was pulling into the little shopping centre where the Chinese place is (around 4:00), my car starts lurching forward, then stops. I keep trying desperately to get it to move, and it makes one lsat lurch forward (mostly) into a parking stall. Granted, the parking stall was a handicapped spot, but I really hadn't PLANNED on my car dying right there...
Now, I had a cell phone a couple years ago, but it seemed rather pointless to be paying 30 bucks a month for something I used maybe once every 4-6 months for a few minutes, so I cancelled the service.
Fortunately, my car chose to break down at a shopping centre, and not on the side of the freeway, so I went inside and called the Roadside assistance people. It takes her forever to get all the info, and then get a hold of the towing people, only to find that she pushed the wrong button on her computer and lost all the information and we had to start over. About 25 minutes later, she tells me a tow truck will be on its way in 30-40 minutes and that the cost should be about 45 dollars.
I then call Jan to see if I can catch a ride to school in the morning, call Ford to tell them I am on my way, go buy my Chinese food and eat it there while waiting for the tow truck (bad thing really...because I didn't have my pills to take with my food, so my blood sugar was SKY HIGH).
Eventually, the tow truck comes. He can't get the car's wheels to turn backwards to tow it...AND he only had one "dolly" (you need two) for some reason, so had to call another of his towing buddies to come and lend him a dolly. Eventually, by 5:20, we are on our way to Ford. We get there, fill out all the paperwork for the mechanics, service guy tells me that it looks like a big deal and will need to be there until Monday, so he calls the car rental place to come pick me up. I go back to my car to fill out paperwork for the towing guy who is STILL unattaching my car. It takes him another 25 minutes to get the paperwork ready, with the Enterprise lady sitting there waiting for me.
Finally, I am done there and go to Enterprise. I had my choice of lots and lots of cars, but was just so tired and so unhappy about my car dying, that I thought it wasn't a good thing to rent something I would want (SUV...desperately want an SUV), so I chose a Cavalier. Now, my car before my Focus was a cavalier, and let me tell you, they used to be quite a bit bigger. I got in the car and it was SO uncomfortable. The steering wheel seemed super close, the pedals super far, I only BARELY got the seatbelt closed. BUT, it was after 6:00 and I was exhausted and wanted to get home. I left.
This morning, during second period, the service guy calls and tells me, yes, it is indeed the transmission that is dead on my 2000 Ford Focus, and it is going to cost me 3200 dollars and the car won't be ready until Wed.
After school, I was reminded of how much I hated the car I had rented, so I filled up the gas tank, and took it back to Enterprise and tried to exchange. Now, they have only more of the same car I have or pickups. So, I have a pickup. It wouldn't be the end of the world, I suppose, but it doesn't fit into my garage, and parking at SPU on Monday night for my last class is going to be impossible (parallel parking with a pickup? Are you kidding me????)
Oh, the nightmare never ends...
posted by Katrina | 3/11/2005 03:48:00 PM
2 Comments:
Awwww, what a day. Been there and done that have the t-shirt and the empty bank account. Funny how you can go shopping and spend $50 bucks on something and feel so good, but when you spend $3200 on your car it does not. Where is the fun and joy payoff?
Hope you have fun in the truck and remember now you can push cars out of the way to make a bigger parking space.
Oh, what a day. I've been there too. It sucks. I have to agree with Jamdaddy...buying something little for yourself that you want is so much more fun than buying or paying for something that you NEED.
Enjoy your time in the pickup and I'm sending some hugs your way for your bad day.
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