Come on, Baby, Estimate Me...

Join me on my adventure. Here was my week.

I've been gone again. Did you miss me? I spent last weekend at my mother's house and learned how I'm disappointing everyone. Since no new disappointments reared their ugly heads, I consider the weekend a success.

I had three birthdays. Daisy is one. Carter is six and Adrianna is 11. These are only the birthdays for the under 18 set. I had to shop. I hate to shop but I am rather good at it. Which reminds me, I forgot to give Adrianna her little karoke player and now I have to ship it. :-( She wasn't home and I didn't want to leave it on the porch.

And I only yelled at my mother once. Really, just once. I'm so proud of myself.

So what have I been doing since? Work, work, and more work.

But I also took my car into the mechanic. The pesky engine light was on and a horrid knocking sound was rumbling under the seat. I had hope that all I needed was a new muffler, some aspirin, and an adjustment of the vent again. Alas, it was not to be.

I drop my sad little car off at the first mechanic on Tuesday at 7:30am. I called a cab to take me to work, only the cab number was disconnected. How odd. It's the one I have programmed into my phone and I didn't have another. I call directory assistance who gave me another disconnected number.

I call back. They hang up.

I call back. They hang up.

When the phone company has phone issues, the irony is not much fun to those of us needing help.

The mechanic didn't have a phone book because a previous patron had spilled coffee all over it and he had tossed it.

I have no way to work.

Hmmm.

I finally call my sister who is getting ready for rough day of working from home in her pajamas. She couldn't take me, she had a conference call. But she did Google me some numbers. Finally.

Thank the heavans for Google.

I get to work by cab and the shop calls back with the estimate.

$1,498 American dollars. I'm not sure what that is in pounds but let me tell you it's a crapload of money.

My converter is broken. This is the thingie (you notice the scientific terms) that keeps my car from spitting nasty toxins in the air. It, by itself, was 680 dollars.

I say screw the environment, I don't need it.

The mechanic assures me I do. Local laws require it.

Screw the law.

Ewww...actually no, that last cop that gave me a warning about speeding looked a bit like the twelve-year-old Opie from Mayberry. I just can't do it. Maybe if he was grown but not that version. Then again, that was six or seven years ago, maybe the puberty kicked in but I doubt it.

After many calls, a bubble of hysterical laughter, and most of a Diet Mt. Dew, I find that the converter might, just might be under warranty through the dealership.

So on Wednesday, I get to figure out how to drop the car off and get to work AGAIN.

The converter is covered (Yeah me). But the cluster that controls all my gauges in my dash is shot. This was the other $5oo+dollars of the first estimate. However, they don't have that part in stock and can't get it for a week or two. Which means I'll have to bring the car in again.

Then they told me...my brake pads needed replacing.

Sigh.

I authorized the brake pads. They assure me the rotors are fine and don't need replaced.

Then they call me back. The rotors are bent. They must be replaced. GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR.

Okay.

So my car is finally done (except for the cluster that tells me if I have any fuel) but my ride to take me to pick it up---cancels.

Then my back-up can't do it.

Then my back-up, back-up has plans.

So...I have to call people randomly and beg for a ride. Again.

I now have my car and I still have no idea if I have any gas.

So...how was your week?