March 30, 2015

Such a long list of things to accomplish today – and even if the list didn’t exist, right now there is always schoolwork I can do, always cleaning to be done.  I am not sure a “vacation” would ever be possible again.  I have trained myself that there is no rest for the wicked.  I, of course, am a wicked one. 

I did actually manage to get a great deal accomplished – I had my ER bill reduced by 20% and paid that…from $5200 to $4100.  I also discovered that the insurance plan I have, which my work pays about $400 a month for the very worst plan (only me on it), only paid $99.50 of my $25,000+ ER bill.  The rest was for me to pay!  I am grateful though, because a $25,000 bill would have been soooo devastating.  I also set an appointment for Annie to get spayed, but I need to give her a bordetella vaccine.  I’ll do both, since they will be staying somewhere while I go to Terrapin Crossroads for some Hips.

After phone work, it was time to return and see about this fan belt.  I drove by Idle Wheels to return the 12 volt fan and saw someone from UM whom I also saw at the Les Schwab.  The guy who was so rude to me was getting bitched at from a very serious and mean looking lady about how he handled  paperwork.  I truly will avoid this place from here on out.  Stopped by Auto Zone – I gotta stay away from here, too, for a while.  I think they are tiring of seeing me, but I just noticed the battery was draining.  Not good.  Stopped by Grangers Automotive and Mike showed me (we climbed under the bus) what I needed to do for the fan belt.  I told him I’d unhook the auxiliary battery. AT&T where I paid a bullshit amount for shitty service, then I stopped by a feed store to pick up bordetella vaccines and home I headed.  Ever try sticking something up a Queensland's nose?  I'm surprised I lived through it.  Mabi sure is ornery.

 

 I put of a different shirt at home – I may have ruined one 

yesterday with grease, so I selected the La Bodega shirt as my automotive work shirt.  I clambered under that engine like a little monkey and soon had black hands again.  The parts which had made me so nervous two days ago where now old(er) hat to me and I felt much more comfortable.  I quickly learned, however, that I didn’t have the right tools to reach the second nut on the alternator, so I called up Mike who told me to head down.  I gathered up books and a few apples to eat before class and headed down.  I wanted to visit Bugformance, a VW shop in Sac before class.

 

I pulled into the shop and Mike told me to pull the car into the bay…only, it wouldn’t start.  The battery would fickle in a sad, depressed moan, but again, the blurbs of joy were gone.  WHAT THE HELL????  Michael (the other guy there) told me it wasn’t anything I did with the distributer, but I knew it had to have been something I did.  Mike was kind and told me that education is expensive.  You can either pay for it through books (no shit) or learn via mistakes.  I seem to be doing 

both.  He told me to come by in the morning so he could show me how to work with the alternator, then he smiled and said he had never taught a customer how to repair their car, because he wanted them to come back.  I assured him I would be back.  Michael drove me home and we talked about why I had a bus.  I mentioned the road triops, the fests, the teen years spent in garages with Kevin, as he fixed my Supra, or with Mickey and Blaine at Exxon.  I’d always wanted to learn, but the high-tech aspects were too much.  This is a good engine…I think I can learn a little here.  It sure is a project, that’s for sure.  "I'm alone again, without you"  <Dokken>  I miss my bus.

Pictures:  Me, happy, on the way to do some chores, then to Bugformance!!!; Lizzie Mae's connection to CRB; Lizzie Mae in Bay 2...very sad; Homework and nachos:  I'm pissed off and acting out the only way I can.