deep breath time
Dec. 13th, 2004 01:44 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ambarThat list of problems I said could take a number and get in line? Oh, they got in line, all right.
I probably failed to mention, for example, that the Mazda died at my house on 5 December (the engine will turn over but not catch). I cleverly declined to stress; instead I loaded myself into the truck (with the camper shell on) and drove it instead.
The truck died on 10 December, smack in the middle of Main Street in Walnut Creek. I was out of free tows on AAA, so I was going to have to pay them $53 *and* only had 5 free miles of towing. Additional miles? $10/each. Ow. Much calling around ensued, but in the end the tow truck driver suggested a truck specialty shop that was within the towing limit. That was the good news; the bad news was that they were so busy they wouldn't be able to look at it before Monday. The worse news, of course, was that there was no way I could make it up to work in Benicia, so not only did I have to annoy das manager with that news, but I had no income for the day.
Now, I knew that the gas gauge on the truck was malfunctioning, but I also knew that I could get near to 600 highway miles on a tank, and I was only at 450 or so. Unfortunately my knowledge didn't take into account the effect of having the 1500# camper on the back. You guessed it: today I found out I had run out of diesel. In a diesel system, this is so not of the good. Also that the front brakes are shot, mice have eaten parts of the air filter, and that it will cost around $250 in labor to fix the gas gauge, as it requires dropping the fuel tank.![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
elflet is fronting me the money for the brakes, bless him, as otherwise I simply couldn't have them done until the finaid check arrives (supposedly being cut today), or the check for the invoice I submitted 5 November arrives, whichever happens first.
I emptied my savings account paying the mortgage for this month. At least it's not late.
Things to be grateful for. There must be some around here. Um...
1) Lots of people want to help me open a home equity line of credit with their financial institution.
2) Josie is mellowing quite a bit, earning some time loose in the house (in five-minute increments, but still). The mouthing at the hands problem is only a fraction of what it was. (Okay, I'm frustrated with my lack of progress in teaching her to target my hand with her nose, but this is a gratitude list.)
3) My sweetie and I are sharing his car.
4) I can work every day this week and the next.
5) I came into work today and was alerted to an apparently tiny problem that I tracked down to a hardware failure on one of our fiber switches. More adrenaline than I really needed in the morning, but we quickly swapped in a spare part, and I am waiting for the replacement to be couriered over. It's nice to be the hero instead of the goat.
I probably failed to mention, for example, that the Mazda died at my house on 5 December (the engine will turn over but not catch). I cleverly declined to stress; instead I loaded myself into the truck (with the camper shell on) and drove it instead.
The truck died on 10 December, smack in the middle of Main Street in Walnut Creek. I was out of free tows on AAA, so I was going to have to pay them $53 *and* only had 5 free miles of towing. Additional miles? $10/each. Ow. Much calling around ensued, but in the end the tow truck driver suggested a truck specialty shop that was within the towing limit. That was the good news; the bad news was that they were so busy they wouldn't be able to look at it before Monday. The worse news, of course, was that there was no way I could make it up to work in Benicia, so not only did I have to annoy das manager with that news, but I had no income for the day.
Now, I knew that the gas gauge on the truck was malfunctioning, but I also knew that I could get near to 600 highway miles on a tank, and I was only at 450 or so. Unfortunately my knowledge didn't take into account the effect of having the 1500# camper on the back. You guessed it: today I found out I had run out of diesel. In a diesel system, this is so not of the good. Also that the front brakes are shot, mice have eaten parts of the air filter, and that it will cost around $250 in labor to fix the gas gauge, as it requires dropping the fuel tank.
elflet is fronting me the money for the brakes, bless him, as otherwise I simply couldn't have them done until the finaid check arrives (supposedly being cut today), or the check for the invoice I submitted 5 November arrives, whichever happens first.I emptied my savings account paying the mortgage for this month. At least it's not late.
Things to be grateful for. There must be some around here. Um...
1) Lots of people want to help me open a home equity line of credit with their financial institution.
2) Josie is mellowing quite a bit, earning some time loose in the house (in five-minute increments, but still). The mouthing at the hands problem is only a fraction of what it was. (Okay, I'm frustrated with my lack of progress in teaching her to target my hand with her nose, but this is a gratitude list.)
3) My sweetie and I are sharing his car.
4) I can work every day this week and the next.
5) I came into work today and was alerted to an apparently tiny problem that I tracked down to a hardware failure on one of our fiber switches. More adrenaline than I really needed in the morning, but we quickly swapped in a spare part, and I am waiting for the replacement to be couriered over. It's nice to be the hero instead of the goat.
