In which I gripe, but still try to count my blessings.
GOOD NEWS: I took my car into the dealer for a state inspection and regular service. I got it there really early, so I could wait for the service and still be on-time for work.
BAD NEWS: They kept me waiting for four hours. I certainly was late by that point.
GOOD NEWS: I have a job in which I don’t have to punch a clock. Thanks to being able to check my e-mail via my iPad, I knew there were no emergencies.
BAD NEWS: My car needs a new head gasket.
GOOD NEWS: I found out about this before taking a 200-mile trip to Free Spirit. If the head gasket had blown while on the highway, I’m not sure what I would have done.
BAD NEWS: This repair, plus all the other work required to keep my car in shape, will run me close to three grand.
GOOD NEWS: It hurts (especially after buying the iPad and the trip to California), but I can afford it. I guess.
BAD NEWS: Replacing a head gasket means taking the engine apart. It’s the kind of work that takes days to do.
GOOD NEWS: The dealer was willing to give me a free loaner car. It’s a Honda Accord with about 36K miles on it. The car’s stereo doesn’t have an audio jack for my iPod, but there’s such a thing as being too picky.
BAD NEWS: It’s not clear how long it will take to get the repair done. If I don’t have my car back in one week (Friday June 11), then I can’t go to Free Spirit.
That last one may require some explanation: It takes time for me to pack my car, especially the yurt. I need the time since I’m not in good shape and I’m doing this by myself. I can’t pack that yurt onto the Honda; I need my mini-SUV to transport it. If I don’t have my car back by next weekend, I won’t be able to pack it (and everything else) in time for the trip.
GOOD NEWS: If I couldn’t go to FSG, at least I could catch up on my sleep.
I know, it doesn’t make up for FSG, but I’m trying to end on something that resembles a positive note.
Thats almost as bad as having to buy a new engine. I replaced a head gasket a long time ago on an 80 Chevette. It did not cost much for parts, but it took all of two days by myself, so I understand the labor charge. What is FSG?
Help getting you to FSG.
If you find yourself in a position where the only thing stopping you from getting to FSG is packing a yurt, call me and I will assist any way I can. You only live an hour from me and I’m a master packer and able to move large yurts in a single bound. Since I do have extra bits of time in my life right now, I could always assist for a couple hours and get things done pretty quickly.
Re: Help getting you to FSG.
I thank you for the offer of help. However:
– By now I hope you’ll have been contacted about another matter. Any time that you have available is better focused on that than on my packing problems.
– Even if that were not an issue, I have to be able to take care of my own stuff. If you packed up for me before I left, I’d still have to pack up my own yurt on Sunday on the last day of FSG. I got in trouble last year, because I didn’t tie down the yurt correctly:
http://crytolos.livejournal.com/15412.html
So the issue is not whether or not I’ll have enough help, but whether my car will be available for me to do my packing. If it’s not available until next week, then I’ll just have to skip FSG this year.
I’m a big boy, and can accept disappointments with good grace. *Snif*