Saturday: bought a new dish washer. $600 Monday: dropped car off for another new windshield, and an oil change as long as it was there. $300 total. Went to bank to apply for line of home equity credit so we can get the house sided. Told there should be no problem with $25k-$49 credit line. Called the contractors who did our windows. Guy came and looked the house over, gave us an estimate for siding, gutters, 2 new doors of $13,500. Gave him a $800 deposit. Mary took the dog to the vet for her shots - $200. Tuesday: Took car to other garage for Check Engine light repair and state inspection. My regular guy said he I should take it to Subaru, but this guy said he could fix it when I made to inspection appointment. I should have known better. he called and said it would cost about $3k to replace the catalytic converters and O2 sensors, or he could just replace the O2 sensors for about $300 and hope that worked. I said to do that. He called back later and told me he called Subaru, and they told him to send me there, the whole thing would be under warranty and wouldn't cost me a cent (I had wrongly assumed the warranty had lapsed). But he charged me $50 for looking at it anyway. Dish washer delivered in the afternoon. Nothing untoward happened during installation. I don't know how that happened. Wednesday: Went to Subaru dealer. Yes, the coverters need replacing, yes the parts would cost $2500, and yes, thank god, it's under warranty. Whew! Mary took the dog to the groomer for a bath. This, at least, is free, because the groomer is the lady we bought Nikki from and she gave us free grooming for life with the deal. She just likes to see her baby. Thursday: I think we actually have the day off! Friday: Subaru says the parts will be in. The plan is to drop the car off at the dealer first thing, then I have en eye exam at 9AM. Mary has to take me, not just 'cause I won't have a car, but because I'll be fucking blind from the eye drops. Insurance never covers this particular exam completely, so it's gonna be another $140, IIRC. I still have to figure out when to get the car inspected. They say I have to drive it around for a week before the computer clears the "check engine" fault, or some such nonsense. On the bright side, I'm flush with DVDs of old TV shows I love, and piles of magazines I haven't gotten to yet. So the little "relax time" I'm managing is relaxing. Next vacation: June, and we get to deal with that whole airport thing and a trip to the south.
I know how you feel. I'm on vacation from work this week but I still have class. Monday Class 2-3:15, evening spent preparing for a presentation on Tuesday. Tuesday Presentation in law class, put final touches on paper, do statistics homework, prepare for presentation in IT/IS class on Wednesday, test in statistics. Wednesday Presentation in IT/IS class, create 15 page powerpoint and rehearse to myself. Come home, finish homework for Thursday. Thursday Accounting and Law classes, but then I'm free for the rest of the week.
Yeah, it's always something. Next week: Monday: Get the garage door opener fixed. Of course, it broke the night before I left on this trip. Wife's been parking in the driveway this week and I told her I'd take care of it when I get back. I'm anticipating $400 or so. Plus the usual Monday post-trip errands. Tuesday: Pack up the family for a trip to Seattle. Kennel the dog, set up the cats with what they need, gas and prep the family roadster. Wednesday: Drive to Seattle, straight to the cemetary to drop off mom's ashes and finalize any last minute details concerning her service on Friday. 8 hour drive, probably about $200 in gas, food, etc. Caravaning with my pregnant sister, her husband, and their 3 year old. Ought to be interesting, and I'm deliberately not packing any weapons. Thursday: Hang in Seattle. Should be a decent day. Friday: Mom's memorial service/internment. Lunch with relatives, prep for return to Boise. Estimate $200-300 for meals out over the three days, and that doesn't include any impromptu shopping sprees the wife decides to go on. Cost of the memorial is $2500 total, but that is basically coming out of her estate. Whew! Saturday: Drive back to Boise. Estimate another $200 in gas and food. Get the dog out of HAQ if we make it in time. Try to make it to the dry cleaners and complete other pre-trip errands. Sunday: Hit the road and fly the friendly skies.
Something that's bugged Mary for years is that when her mother died, they never had a service. Her father got the ashes and put them in a closet for a few years. When he moved to Raleigh with Mary's sister, they got a crypt and had a little service down there, which we missed. She's still got a bit of a lack-of-closure issue.
Finally getting the car fixed as we speak, and waiting for the eyedrops the doc put in to clear so I can put my contacts back in. Thursday was the only day of the week I didn't have to drop my car off at a mechanic! Hoping to sleep in on the weekend. Oy.
I feel your pain. Went down to Williamsburg two weekends ago. Kid was sick, freezing cold the first day, HAIL STORMS the second. Come back home, develop a head cold. My wife develops a head cold. My kid is still sick. Then the next week the head cold turns into a sinus infection - for all three of us. Have to fight to get an appointment at the doctors - on my way in MY FUCKING CAR BREAKS DOWN. Lordy. LOL. Love that old car, but she's old, so now I have to buy a new one. Anyway, pretty shitty two weeks - starting with my vacation.
Why is it we always need a vacation after a vacation? Sometimes towards the end of a hectic vacation I can't wait to get to work so I can relax. Europeans (Italy anyway) generally don't do JACK SQUAT on vacation. American vacations are jammed-packed with activities.
Si. Our next vaca is a 3-day trip to visit Mary's family in NC in June, with the usual airport crap to go thru. Hopefully the Tuesday-thru-Sunday following it will be uneventful.
