On Thursday night's Letterman, Dave asked Swedish folk sister duo First Aid Kit to do their rendition of Simon & Garfunkel's "America." And by God, it was gorgeous. I have to put it up. I'm a fan.
Friday, May 8, 2015
Fucking Traffic
While I like the job, I abhor the commute. It has always been a long one, but right now, because there is construction on what would be the quickest route to the test scoring place, it takes me, at best, 50 minutes to get there and often takes, at worst, an hour.
And it's a slow hour too, if you know what I mean. I would much prefer driving 50 minutes if I was actually driving those 50 minutes instead of 40 minutes if much of it was stop-and-go traffic. That might sound crazy, but I keep thinking that whenever I'm not moving on a highway.
It was the worst yesterday morning. I looked at Google Maps and it suggested a different route than one I've driven yet this year. I tried that and instead got sucked into more three choke points. It took me -- hand to Buddha -- a goddamn hour to get to work. Never taking that route again. Google Maps, you had better update faster.
Right now I'm thinking about not going back to the flu biller place, but at least I can say that the commute there is manageable and predictable. I can't much more of this hour-long traffic bullshit and stumbling into work 10 minutes late all the time.
So from now on I guess I'm going to just go the one route I have usually gone, suffered through the one big choke point heading into downtown, and pray I make it in time. Of course, making it to work on time would probably be helped by me leaving at an earlier hour. So, off I go.
And it's a slow hour too, if you know what I mean. I would much prefer driving 50 minutes if I was actually driving those 50 minutes instead of 40 minutes if much of it was stop-and-go traffic. That might sound crazy, but I keep thinking that whenever I'm not moving on a highway.
It was the worst yesterday morning. I looked at Google Maps and it suggested a different route than one I've driven yet this year. I tried that and instead got sucked into more three choke points. It took me -- hand to Buddha -- a goddamn hour to get to work. Never taking that route again. Google Maps, you had better update faster.
Right now I'm thinking about not going back to the flu biller place, but at least I can say that the commute there is manageable and predictable. I can't much more of this hour-long traffic bullshit and stumbling into work 10 minutes late all the time.
So from now on I guess I'm going to just go the one route I have usually gone, suffered through the one big choke point heading into downtown, and pray I make it in time. Of course, making it to work on time would probably be helped by me leaving at an earlier hour. So, off I go.
Thursday, May 7, 2015
The Weekly Minnesota Sports Survey
#-1 (ETA at 1:30 a.m. on May 12 the "-" sign in front of the "1"): Gopher softball (Last Week: 0). As I keep saying, the University of Minnesota softball team is the Twin Cities' best-kept secret. First, they capped off the regular season with a sweep of Purdue at Cowles Stadium (even though the Boilermakers took the Gophers to eight innings before they were dropped 3-2), extending their winning streak to eight games. Then on Wednesday, Pitcher/Jill-Of-All-Trades Sara Groenewegen was named Big Ten Player Of The Year and was named First-Team All B1G alongside Infielders Danielle Parlich and Tyler Walker. Finally, I have to bring up the polls: They are 11th, ninth and ninth in the three I see.
That's important heading into the conference tournament, which takes place this weekend in Columbus. There are four SEC teams in front of the Gophers, the lowest-ranked of which is LSU, which I believe is eighth in all three polls. Say the Gophers play to their 2-seed (behind Michigan) and reach the conference championship final. And let's say that one of the four teams in the SEC (the other three are Florida, Alabama and Auburn) fall short of seed and are eliminated the first couple days of their tournament. The RPI isn't good for the U.; there they rank 15th. But if those two scenarios happen, it is possible (in my novice estimation) that not only will they host a regional (that's a given), they could be one of the top eight teams in college softball, get a national seed, and host a super-regional if they make it out of regionals. That would make this team, already at 46-8, the best team in this program's history. Get to know 'em, Minnesota.
Because of their advanced seed, their first game is Friday against either Rutgers or Iowa.
#-2: Twins (Last Week: -2). First of all, I think I misstated their record last week. It was 4-3, not 3-4. And going from below .500 to above .500 makes the screening week much better than gaining one game. They topped themselves by going 5-1 this week, capping it off with a 13-0 dick-smack of spunky archetypes of Moneyball Oakland Wednesday. The highlight of that game was Eddie Rosario, the first of what looks like a bevy of exciting young prospects finally getting called up to The Show, hit a home run on not only his first at-bat in his major league career but the first pitch.
It's been exactly one month since they began the regular season and the Twins' record is 15-13 -- not gangbusters, but far from woeful like the last four years. The lineup is hitting. The starting rotation does not suck and blow (although Phil Hughes's non-ace-like hurling is worrisome). The relief corps sometimes is shit (it was instrumental in the only loss of the week, 2-1 to The Bastard Philadelphia-by-way-of-Kansas City Athletics Tuesday), but sometimes is quite good (it was instrumental in sealing their 8-7 win over the A's on Monday). And finally it looks like the Pohlads and General Manager Terry Ryan is going to commence with the youth movement that, headed up by Byron Buxton and Miguel Sano, is going to finally turn this franchise around. It truly looks as if the worst days of The Bastard Washington Senators are now behind them.
Saying that, they did rack up that 5-1 week at home. After finishing off their four-game series with Oakland Thursday afternoon, they travel to Cleveland for three over the weekend, then start a three-game series in Detroit starting on Tuesday.
#-3: Gopher baseball (Last Week: -3). Well, the good news is that the didn't hurt their case to finish in the top eight of the B1G this week. They couldn't because the four games they played were against two non-conference opponents. Having said that, they lost all four games: They got swept at home by UC-Irvine (although the middle game on Saturday was close; they lost 6-5 in 12), then traveled to Fargo, N.D. and got beat by North Dakota St. in ten innings, 5-4. The are currently on a five-game losing streak. (Aside: I must say that I really, really wanted to see UC-Irvine play in the series finale Sunday afternoon, like I blogged in last week's WMNSS, but also as I've blogged, my car broke down for good [I think]. Besides, that was a day my parents and I drove to my brother and sister-in-law's new place out in farm country. Thought the game would be washed out because they predicted rain, but it was a brief storm that occurred late in the afternoon, probably well after the game got over.)
So they suck. So there may be some heat behind Manager John Anderson. The big thing to keep in mind is what are the other teams in the conference doing. Apparently Nebraska slipped ahead of the Goofs in the standings; right now the U. stands in ninth place and outside the tournament that would be played in their metro area, one game behind the Cornhuskers. And so they have a hill to climb. And this weekend, the penultimate one in the regular season, they'll have to start climbing that hill against Iowa, which is ranked second in the conference standings. Good luck with that.
#-4: Wild (Last Week: Positive Numbers). Well, the end is near. The Chicago Blackhawks are foiling Minnesota professional hockey once again, goddammit. Two lopsided losses in Chicago followed by an excruciating 1-0 Game 3 loss at the X that pushes the Mild's rollercoaster season to the brink of hockey oblivion.
This is not what I had predicted. This is certainly not what the team wanted, not after many players lost to the Blackhawks two years ago when the Wild were just happen to get there, and then last year when they thought they matched the 'Hawks' play but got bounced in six games (at home, no less) on a lucky bounce off a stanchion. We all thought Minnesota had a better Goalie, but while Devan Dubnyk has played well, Corey Crawford has been that much better. We also thought that the Mild's defense is better, but Chicago's D has outplayed them, mercilessly. But in the end, the Blackhawks have nailed down the formula for Stanely Cup success, and you can boil it down to two steps:
So they now have to become the third or fourth team in NHL history to fight back from 3-0 deficit to win a best-of-seven playoff series. It is possible. Remember, it was last done last year, when the San Jose Sharks held a 3-0 lead in the first round but eventually lost to the Los Angeles Kings ... who, by the way, won the Stanley Cup last year. That's all we fans and the team can hang their hats on.
#-Infinity: Swarm (Last Week: -4). Despite ending the regular season with a 13-12 Overtime victory over the Rochester Knighthawks at the X (courtesy of Transition Jason Noble's first goal of his professional career), the Smarm, which finished the year 6-12, will go through what appears to be a very tumultuous offseason. On Monday, the Owners, John and Andy Arlotta, bleep-canned Head Coach and Associate General Manager Joe Sullivan and Assistant Coaches Aime Caines and Rory McDade. Guess that's what happens when you miss the playoffs for the second year in a row. But for the second year in a row they jettisoned good veteran players, they continue to mine young players in the hopes they can catch lightning in a bottle, and they seem to try to operate this entire organization on the cheap.
You know, upon last season's crash-and-burn (or was it the one before that?) I speculated that the Smarm would actually fold. Now, I think they actually should fold. I don't know if the fanbase is as big as it should be. But the club sucks right now, and they are smack dab in the middle of the country when most of the squads in the National Lacrosse League are in the Northeast United States or Western Canada, so travel costs for them (as well as the Colorado Mammoth) must be astronomical. Plus, the NLL is at an odd nine teams. Maybe it's best for everyone involved to just close up shop.
That's important heading into the conference tournament, which takes place this weekend in Columbus. There are four SEC teams in front of the Gophers, the lowest-ranked of which is LSU, which I believe is eighth in all three polls. Say the Gophers play to their 2-seed (behind Michigan) and reach the conference championship final. And let's say that one of the four teams in the SEC (the other three are Florida, Alabama and Auburn) fall short of seed and are eliminated the first couple days of their tournament. The RPI isn't good for the U.; there they rank 15th. But if those two scenarios happen, it is possible (in my novice estimation) that not only will they host a regional (that's a given), they could be one of the top eight teams in college softball, get a national seed, and host a super-regional if they make it out of regionals. That would make this team, already at 46-8, the best team in this program's history. Get to know 'em, Minnesota.
Because of their advanced seed, their first game is Friday against either Rutgers or Iowa.
#-2: Twins (Last Week: -2). First of all, I think I misstated their record last week. It was 4-3, not 3-4. And going from below .500 to above .500 makes the screening week much better than gaining one game. They topped themselves by going 5-1 this week, capping it off with a 13-0 dick-smack of spunky archetypes of Moneyball Oakland Wednesday. The highlight of that game was Eddie Rosario, the first of what looks like a bevy of exciting young prospects finally getting called up to The Show, hit a home run on not only his first at-bat in his major league career but the first pitch.
It's been exactly one month since they began the regular season and the Twins' record is 15-13 -- not gangbusters, but far from woeful like the last four years. The lineup is hitting. The starting rotation does not suck and blow (although Phil Hughes's non-ace-like hurling is worrisome). The relief corps sometimes is shit (it was instrumental in the only loss of the week, 2-1 to The Bastard Philadelphia-by-way-of-Kansas City Athletics Tuesday), but sometimes is quite good (it was instrumental in sealing their 8-7 win over the A's on Monday). And finally it looks like the Pohlads and General Manager Terry Ryan is going to commence with the youth movement that, headed up by Byron Buxton and Miguel Sano, is going to finally turn this franchise around. It truly looks as if the worst days of The Bastard Washington Senators are now behind them.
Saying that, they did rack up that 5-1 week at home. After finishing off their four-game series with Oakland Thursday afternoon, they travel to Cleveland for three over the weekend, then start a three-game series in Detroit starting on Tuesday.
#-3: Gopher baseball (Last Week: -3). Well, the good news is that the didn't hurt their case to finish in the top eight of the B1G this week. They couldn't because the four games they played were against two non-conference opponents. Having said that, they lost all four games: They got swept at home by UC-Irvine (although the middle game on Saturday was close; they lost 6-5 in 12), then traveled to Fargo, N.D. and got beat by North Dakota St. in ten innings, 5-4. The are currently on a five-game losing streak. (Aside: I must say that I really, really wanted to see UC-Irvine play in the series finale Sunday afternoon, like I blogged in last week's WMNSS, but also as I've blogged, my car broke down for good [I think]. Besides, that was a day my parents and I drove to my brother and sister-in-law's new place out in farm country. Thought the game would be washed out because they predicted rain, but it was a brief storm that occurred late in the afternoon, probably well after the game got over.)
So they suck. So there may be some heat behind Manager John Anderson. The big thing to keep in mind is what are the other teams in the conference doing. Apparently Nebraska slipped ahead of the Goofs in the standings; right now the U. stands in ninth place and outside the tournament that would be played in their metro area, one game behind the Cornhuskers. And so they have a hill to climb. And this weekend, the penultimate one in the regular season, they'll have to start climbing that hill against Iowa, which is ranked second in the conference standings. Good luck with that.
#-4: Wild (Last Week: Positive Numbers). Well, the end is near. The Chicago Blackhawks are foiling Minnesota professional hockey once again, goddammit. Two lopsided losses in Chicago followed by an excruciating 1-0 Game 3 loss at the X that pushes the Mild's rollercoaster season to the brink of hockey oblivion.
This is not what I had predicted. This is certainly not what the team wanted, not after many players lost to the Blackhawks two years ago when the Wild were just happen to get there, and then last year when they thought they matched the 'Hawks' play but got bounced in six games (at home, no less) on a lucky bounce off a stanchion. We all thought Minnesota had a better Goalie, but while Devan Dubnyk has played well, Corey Crawford has been that much better. We also thought that the Mild's defense is better, but Chicago's D has outplayed them, mercilessly. But in the end, the Blackhawks have nailed down the formula for Stanely Cup success, and you can boil it down to two steps:
- Draft Patrick Kane.
- Draft Jonathan Toews.
So they now have to become the third or fourth team in NHL history to fight back from 3-0 deficit to win a best-of-seven playoff series. It is possible. Remember, it was last done last year, when the San Jose Sharks held a 3-0 lead in the first round but eventually lost to the Los Angeles Kings ... who, by the way, won the Stanley Cup last year. That's all we fans and the team can hang their hats on.
#-Infinity: Swarm (Last Week: -4). Despite ending the regular season with a 13-12 Overtime victory over the Rochester Knighthawks at the X (courtesy of Transition Jason Noble's first goal of his professional career), the Smarm, which finished the year 6-12, will go through what appears to be a very tumultuous offseason. On Monday, the Owners, John and Andy Arlotta, bleep-canned Head Coach and Associate General Manager Joe Sullivan and Assistant Coaches Aime Caines and Rory McDade. Guess that's what happens when you miss the playoffs for the second year in a row. But for the second year in a row they jettisoned good veteran players, they continue to mine young players in the hopes they can catch lightning in a bottle, and they seem to try to operate this entire organization on the cheap.
You know, upon last season's crash-and-burn (or was it the one before that?) I speculated that the Smarm would actually fold. Now, I think they actually should fold. I don't know if the fanbase is as big as it should be. But the club sucks right now, and they are smack dab in the middle of the country when most of the squads in the National Lacrosse League are in the Northeast United States or Western Canada, so travel costs for them (as well as the Colorado Mammoth) must be astronomical. Plus, the NLL is at an odd nine teams. Maybe it's best for everyone involved to just close up shop.
Wednesday, May 6, 2015
Oh, Now I Fucking Owe My Father Something
Got the car today. Work disruption is over. Everything else is disrupted instead, but being able to drive to work is no longer a problem, and that is what matters.
Now the blowback with my folks. I'll confess: I'm 39 years old and my parents paid for my car, my new car. And because of that, even though I am secretly relieved that they took care of this process for me, I am waiting for my parents to use that against me the next time they think I'm not applying myself. Which is every day of the week, and in fact every time I see them.
Mother crammed that idea down my throat this morning in a bizarre way. I actually deluded myself into thinking they would be cool with the idea of buying me a new car because for the longest time they thought I should have junked my old car, so finally I got around to that idea. But when Father asked me which dealership we were going to yesterday (Tuesday) morning, even though I thought we had gone through that the night before, Mother launched into one of these crazy tirades she sometimes does where she warns me that My Fucking Father is acting crazy and it's my responsibility to deal with it. In this case, My Fucking Mother said that My Fucking Father hates my temp job, the test scoring jobs I'm doing now and the rest of the contract work I do the rest of my days. "You have to sit down and talk to him, ask him why are you so mad!" she said, like a shrill bitch.
I tried to be nice. I tried thanking my parents as we both were driving away from the lot, them back home in their minivan and me to work in my brand-new car. But My Fucking Father looked at me blankly, as if he was doing all he can from saying how disappointed his with me. That's when My Fucking Mother spewed from her mouth that "You have to sit down and talk with him about why you make him so mad!" Thank-yous can't be just thank-yous with these people; there are always recriminations hiding behind it. That's how my folks are different from everybody else's folks, and that's why I find them absolutely impossible to deal with many times. I should have just left without saying how grateful I was. Their reaction wasn't going to be any different.
So no. No, no, no, no, no, I am not falling into that trap of opening the lines of communication with My Fucking Father. It's not as if I don't feel like I owe them anything. But this cycle of dependence never fails: When I ask something of them, they take over the whole thing, then as my guard is down, they ask impossible things of me in return, like finding a permanent job, going back to school, or moving out. That is what My Fucking Father will come at me for if I do "sit down to talk with him," therefore there ain't no goddamn chance in hell I'll do it if I can avoid them. Which I really can't; I have to come back home for dinner at a regular hour tomorrow, but I won't bring it up, and I hope to Buddha he won't fucking bring it up either. Probably not, but if that's the case I'll do my usual routine, whereby I stammer non-committal answers, look down, and lie.
See, that's why I should have just struck out on my own and found a new car by myself. No, I didn't have the money to pay it all. Maybe I would have had to finance it, or go buy that cheap car down the street for four grand. But doing it myself means I don't owe them anything, and therefore I wouldn't be knuckled under this situation that My Fucking Mother said I had to mediate because, somehow, my car breaking down is my fucking fault.
And by the way, why the hell do I have to calm My Fucking Father down ? Why can't he calm himself the fuck down? And what is he mad about? Bitch, that ain't my problem. But it is, because these guys paid for my car, and such a deed will cost me. Like all deeds done by my parents seem to always come with a price when it comes to me.
Whatever. Bring it. I'll just wear them down with my immovable silence, again.
Now the blowback with my folks. I'll confess: I'm 39 years old and my parents paid for my car, my new car. And because of that, even though I am secretly relieved that they took care of this process for me, I am waiting for my parents to use that against me the next time they think I'm not applying myself. Which is every day of the week, and in fact every time I see them.
Mother crammed that idea down my throat this morning in a bizarre way. I actually deluded myself into thinking they would be cool with the idea of buying me a new car because for the longest time they thought I should have junked my old car, so finally I got around to that idea. But when Father asked me which dealership we were going to yesterday (Tuesday) morning, even though I thought we had gone through that the night before, Mother launched into one of these crazy tirades she sometimes does where she warns me that My Fucking Father is acting crazy and it's my responsibility to deal with it. In this case, My Fucking Mother said that My Fucking Father hates my temp job, the test scoring jobs I'm doing now and the rest of the contract work I do the rest of my days. "You have to sit down and talk to him, ask him why are you so mad!" she said, like a shrill bitch.
I tried to be nice. I tried thanking my parents as we both were driving away from the lot, them back home in their minivan and me to work in my brand-new car. But My Fucking Father looked at me blankly, as if he was doing all he can from saying how disappointed his with me. That's when My Fucking Mother spewed from her mouth that "You have to sit down and talk with him about why you make him so mad!" Thank-yous can't be just thank-yous with these people; there are always recriminations hiding behind it. That's how my folks are different from everybody else's folks, and that's why I find them absolutely impossible to deal with many times. I should have just left without saying how grateful I was. Their reaction wasn't going to be any different.
So no. No, no, no, no, no, I am not falling into that trap of opening the lines of communication with My Fucking Father. It's not as if I don't feel like I owe them anything. But this cycle of dependence never fails: When I ask something of them, they take over the whole thing, then as my guard is down, they ask impossible things of me in return, like finding a permanent job, going back to school, or moving out. That is what My Fucking Father will come at me for if I do "sit down to talk with him," therefore there ain't no goddamn chance in hell I'll do it if I can avoid them. Which I really can't; I have to come back home for dinner at a regular hour tomorrow, but I won't bring it up, and I hope to Buddha he won't fucking bring it up either. Probably not, but if that's the case I'll do my usual routine, whereby I stammer non-committal answers, look down, and lie.
See, that's why I should have just struck out on my own and found a new car by myself. No, I didn't have the money to pay it all. Maybe I would have had to finance it, or go buy that cheap car down the street for four grand. But doing it myself means I don't owe them anything, and therefore I wouldn't be knuckled under this situation that My Fucking Mother said I had to mediate because, somehow, my car breaking down is my fucking fault.
And by the way, why the hell do I have to calm My Fucking Father down ? Why can't he calm himself the fuck down? And what is he mad about? Bitch, that ain't my problem. But it is, because these guys paid for my car, and such a deed will cost me. Like all deeds done by my parents seem to always come with a price when it comes to me.
Whatever. Bring it. I'll just wear them down with my immovable silence, again.
Tuesday, May 5, 2015
The Ripple Effects Of A Busted Car
Having one car for three people is an impossible task. I thought that since my parents were retired, they would be able to put anything they wanted to do off while I work. Huh, that was dumb, especially since that, right now, I am pulling two jobs that stretch from 7 in the morning till 10 at night.
I was able to use their car to go to work Monday, but in the meantime we were busy finding a car. While on break I saw that Mother texted me: "Can you come home to go see a car?" Well, I guess I could skip working the night job for one day. Besides, I went in to that job on Saturday and explained to my boss what happened, and I said it was quite possible I wasn't going to make it. So I blew it off. Hey, I had to. Mother called me home.
Unfortunately, this is buying a car. Man, all the cliches about the salesmen are true: buttering you up with chit-chat, then pulling a bait-and-switch, then going to the back to talk to the manager about your counter-offer, then having you wait while they "find your car" -- now I know why people dread buying a car in person, especially if you need a car.
Luckily, Mother's a bitch. Her attitude may have cost me any chance at a normal relationship with a woman, but damn, being a bitch is absolutely crucial when you buy a car. So after one last back-and-forth, she (and we) did what many people recommend prospective car-buyers do to defend themselves against shady car salesmen: Walk away.
We left with our dignity and our wallets intact. Sadly, we also left without a car. So we (well, my parents actually, since it's their money) are now scrambling for a Plan B, which is going to another dealership. Already I heard their underhanded tactics. I called the person who contacted Father about their inventory, and the price he quoted Father was actually for a stick, not an automatic. Honest mistake, of course.
Nevertheless we are going there tomorrow morning, right in the middle of the work day for my day job. Therefore, I'll have to call in the morning and say that I won't be able to make it until lunchtime, and hopefully the dealership won't make me wait past that.
Add it all up and that means I have missed parts of two days in both of my test scoring projects. It's the first time I have missed any time with any scoring project. It's something I pride myself on, so I am very embarrassed that I am missing time at a workplace I had committed myself to. (Also note the irony that I have to miss work -- and thus lose money -- in order for my parents to spend money for a car. Like I have said before, if you are not busy making money, you are busy losing money.) Moreover, I am not sure how my bosses at both companies are going to take it. I know some people have been very understanding about the disruption the death of your car causes in your daily life. But I'm not sure that someone won't blast me for not having a backup plan for reliable transportation every day.
Look, I would much rather prefer using my parents' minivan while giving ourselves time and consideration to find the best price for a car. But my retired parents are apparently quite busy these days, and so sharing a car can't happen. I need to get a car now because I will need a car for the rest of my days, when finding jobs beyond these. I'm sorry, but finding a car takes priority. So if my folks call me home, I'll cancel work and come home. Again, I had to.
Because of this, my standing at the project during the day and the start of it at night (we train beginning on Thursday) is now in serious jeopardy. They simply don't want people to miss work. Understandable viewpoint; I just hope those who have the power to fire me understand my viewpoint. Won't know until (or unless) I get some verbal blowback for missing so much time at work.
I was able to use their car to go to work Monday, but in the meantime we were busy finding a car. While on break I saw that Mother texted me: "Can you come home to go see a car?" Well, I guess I could skip working the night job for one day. Besides, I went in to that job on Saturday and explained to my boss what happened, and I said it was quite possible I wasn't going to make it. So I blew it off. Hey, I had to. Mother called me home.
Unfortunately, this is buying a car. Man, all the cliches about the salesmen are true: buttering you up with chit-chat, then pulling a bait-and-switch, then going to the back to talk to the manager about your counter-offer, then having you wait while they "find your car" -- now I know why people dread buying a car in person, especially if you need a car.
Luckily, Mother's a bitch. Her attitude may have cost me any chance at a normal relationship with a woman, but damn, being a bitch is absolutely crucial when you buy a car. So after one last back-and-forth, she (and we) did what many people recommend prospective car-buyers do to defend themselves against shady car salesmen: Walk away.
We left with our dignity and our wallets intact. Sadly, we also left without a car. So we (well, my parents actually, since it's their money) are now scrambling for a Plan B, which is going to another dealership. Already I heard their underhanded tactics. I called the person who contacted Father about their inventory, and the price he quoted Father was actually for a stick, not an automatic. Honest mistake, of course.
Nevertheless we are going there tomorrow morning, right in the middle of the work day for my day job. Therefore, I'll have to call in the morning and say that I won't be able to make it until lunchtime, and hopefully the dealership won't make me wait past that.
Add it all up and that means I have missed parts of two days in both of my test scoring projects. It's the first time I have missed any time with any scoring project. It's something I pride myself on, so I am very embarrassed that I am missing time at a workplace I had committed myself to. (Also note the irony that I have to miss work -- and thus lose money -- in order for my parents to spend money for a car. Like I have said before, if you are not busy making money, you are busy losing money.) Moreover, I am not sure how my bosses at both companies are going to take it. I know some people have been very understanding about the disruption the death of your car causes in your daily life. But I'm not sure that someone won't blast me for not having a backup plan for reliable transportation every day.
Look, I would much rather prefer using my parents' minivan while giving ourselves time and consideration to find the best price for a car. But my retired parents are apparently quite busy these days, and so sharing a car can't happen. I need to get a car now because I will need a car for the rest of my days, when finding jobs beyond these. I'm sorry, but finding a car takes priority. So if my folks call me home, I'll cancel work and come home. Again, I had to.
Because of this, my standing at the project during the day and the start of it at night (we train beginning on Thursday) is now in serious jeopardy. They simply don't want people to miss work. Understandable viewpoint; I just hope those who have the power to fire me understand my viewpoint. Won't know until (or unless) I get some verbal blowback for missing so much time at work.
Monday, May 4, 2015
OK, Shit's Getting Real About Getting New Wheels
Doing my research I quickly got overwhelmed. There are so many things to think of when buying a car. There are also many ways to buy a car. Realizing that, I laid down Saturday night.
I narrowed my choices. I thought about leasing, because that would get me away from getting frustrated over constantly bringing my car back in to get it fixed. But after figuring out the payments, the total amount I would fork over to use a new car for two or three years isn't dissimilar to the amount I've spent on keeping up my old car. Then I looked at the bargain lot from the Chevrolet dealer just down the street. There is a 2004 Toyota that I could get for four grand. Toyotas run forever, and although they're not sexy, all I really want is a reliable car that can get me wherever I want to go. Finally, I thought about going to my bank today (Monday) to get a car loan -- about five grand, and I would pay it off over five years at the manageable rate of over $100 every month. That, along with "some help" from my parents, would stretch me to a newer, lesser-mileage car that would be both dependable and would last a ways, say for something from 10-2 grand.
But today, when we visited my brother and sister-in-law's new place for the first time, it was decided for me. And the decision was none of the above. My Father asked my brother what car they should get for me, and then my brother told me to offer every single dealership in town a single, non-negotiable price for which we would purchase this model he recommended some time this week. I have e-mailed them all tonight; I put Father's contact information on the forms so they could (preferably) call him while he is free for the day.
Let's leave aside the monetary aspects of buying a car. I just hope this works, because I can totally imagine all of the dealerships basically saying "Fuck you" and not return my request for information. Then we'll have to figure out how in the hell all three of us are supposed to share one car.
I narrowed my choices. I thought about leasing, because that would get me away from getting frustrated over constantly bringing my car back in to get it fixed. But after figuring out the payments, the total amount I would fork over to use a new car for two or three years isn't dissimilar to the amount I've spent on keeping up my old car. Then I looked at the bargain lot from the Chevrolet dealer just down the street. There is a 2004 Toyota that I could get for four grand. Toyotas run forever, and although they're not sexy, all I really want is a reliable car that can get me wherever I want to go. Finally, I thought about going to my bank today (Monday) to get a car loan -- about five grand, and I would pay it off over five years at the manageable rate of over $100 every month. That, along with "some help" from my parents, would stretch me to a newer, lesser-mileage car that would be both dependable and would last a ways, say for something from 10-2 grand.
But today, when we visited my brother and sister-in-law's new place for the first time, it was decided for me. And the decision was none of the above. My Father asked my brother what car they should get for me, and then my brother told me to offer every single dealership in town a single, non-negotiable price for which we would purchase this model he recommended some time this week. I have e-mailed them all tonight; I put Father's contact information on the forms so they could (preferably) call him while he is free for the day.
Let's leave aside the monetary aspects of buying a car. I just hope this works, because I can totally imagine all of the dealerships basically saying "Fuck you" and not return my request for information. Then we'll have to figure out how in the hell all three of us are supposed to share one car.
Sunday, May 3, 2015
I Think My Mechanic Got Tired Of Me
I'll talk about the car later, but I'll just give the quick rundown now. I currently am so mixed-up with fears and other feelings that I don't think I can talk about it with any substance. The Other Mechanic Around The Corner said it was the head gasket. Three grand to fix. I was, and am, ready to junk it ... but, Father knows a guy who'd do it for a grand. Stay tuned.
What I can talk about now is the conduct of The Other Mechanic Around The Corner, the man I consider to be the guy who runs the shop. Luckily for me, he was there when I came in Saturday morning. I called in to tell them I am going to bring it in for them to look at something. I didn't say I was going to have it towed to their place. So even though they are very intimate with my car, they still weren't expecting it.
I didn't think it would matter. I had bothered them about a month ago with seeing if they could find the intermittent problem that turned out to be the mass air flow sensor, but they seemed to be cool with it. Besides, I've given them a lot of business. So I told the guy what's going on, please. Oh, and can I take one of your loaner cars to use for the day, like the guy I spoke to Friday evening said I could?
He said OK, and I thought everything would be kosher. So when I returned his voicemail telling me they found what (maybe) is a fatal mistake, I was hoping he would understand how confused and worried I would be about the bad news. So I asked him how long I could keep my car at the shop and how long I could keep their car. He, for the first I had ever heard him, seemed concerned about what I was asking. He thought I was going to take the loaner car for a while. That was not my intention. He also said my car could be there until Monday. I told him I'll try to drive it home instead.
So I cut out of work an hour later, partly because I was too bummed to stay longer, partly because I kind of hoped that bringing it a little earlier would make The Other Mechanic Around The Corner happy. I called in; the guy who I spoke to in the morning took off, but I was familiar with the guy who answered the phone. But when I got back to the shop, that guy said there was a bill waiting for me. $125, but it was for a pressure test I had told him was done yesterday (with no results) as well as another test I had never heard of. I wasn't going to welch out on this, so I paid it, even though this is the first of many, many bills I do not and cannot afford to pay.
I really don't understand. Look, I'll totally pay it. And after a few days of telling them, "Hey, I think there's something wrong, do you mind looking at it while I take your car?" maybe they thought it was time they charged me one of these days. But especially because I've given them at least a grand in business, at the very least I was expecting him to be more upfront that he is going to charge me for these tests. Instead, he surprised -- blindsided -- me with this. Hell, the mechanic who I gave my credit card to in order to pay for the tests was surprised he charged me. That isn't good.
I guess he just got fed up with me tossing him the keys and acting as if I can take his car whenever I wanted. And then (and I am theorizing) he surmised (and I am assuming he surmised correctly) that this is the last time he'll be able to work on this car, so he might as well make money off of it one last time.
I thought we were cool. Now, I'm not so sure. So I have to rethink everything -- assuming that the next car I get is used and not new. What if he doesn't like me anymore? What if he thinks of me as an asshole? Maybe I should think of him as an asshole. And maybe I shouldn't go to him anymore.
Just in case, though -- yeah, I just totally walked back the tough talk in the last paragraph -- I'll call him tomorrow and see if he really is pissed at me, even though I'll couch it as thanking him for all his help with my car. Maybe that'll smooth things over. Or, it might not. OK, it probably won't.
What I can talk about now is the conduct of The Other Mechanic Around The Corner, the man I consider to be the guy who runs the shop. Luckily for me, he was there when I came in Saturday morning. I called in to tell them I am going to bring it in for them to look at something. I didn't say I was going to have it towed to their place. So even though they are very intimate with my car, they still weren't expecting it.
I didn't think it would matter. I had bothered them about a month ago with seeing if they could find the intermittent problem that turned out to be the mass air flow sensor, but they seemed to be cool with it. Besides, I've given them a lot of business. So I told the guy what's going on, please. Oh, and can I take one of your loaner cars to use for the day, like the guy I spoke to Friday evening said I could?
He said OK, and I thought everything would be kosher. So when I returned his voicemail telling me they found what (maybe) is a fatal mistake, I was hoping he would understand how confused and worried I would be about the bad news. So I asked him how long I could keep my car at the shop and how long I could keep their car. He, for the first I had ever heard him, seemed concerned about what I was asking. He thought I was going to take the loaner car for a while. That was not my intention. He also said my car could be there until Monday. I told him I'll try to drive it home instead.
So I cut out of work an hour later, partly because I was too bummed to stay longer, partly because I kind of hoped that bringing it a little earlier would make The Other Mechanic Around The Corner happy. I called in; the guy who I spoke to in the morning took off, but I was familiar with the guy who answered the phone. But when I got back to the shop, that guy said there was a bill waiting for me. $125, but it was for a pressure test I had told him was done yesterday (with no results) as well as another test I had never heard of. I wasn't going to welch out on this, so I paid it, even though this is the first of many, many bills I do not and cannot afford to pay.
I really don't understand. Look, I'll totally pay it. And after a few days of telling them, "Hey, I think there's something wrong, do you mind looking at it while I take your car?" maybe they thought it was time they charged me one of these days. But especially because I've given them at least a grand in business, at the very least I was expecting him to be more upfront that he is going to charge me for these tests. Instead, he surprised -- blindsided -- me with this. Hell, the mechanic who I gave my credit card to in order to pay for the tests was surprised he charged me. That isn't good.
I guess he just got fed up with me tossing him the keys and acting as if I can take his car whenever I wanted. And then (and I am theorizing) he surmised (and I am assuming he surmised correctly) that this is the last time he'll be able to work on this car, so he might as well make money off of it one last time.
I thought we were cool. Now, I'm not so sure. So I have to rethink everything -- assuming that the next car I get is used and not new. What if he doesn't like me anymore? What if he thinks of me as an asshole? Maybe I should think of him as an asshole. And maybe I shouldn't go to him anymore.
Just in case, though -- yeah, I just totally walked back the tough talk in the last paragraph -- I'll call him tomorrow and see if he really is pissed at me, even though I'll couch it as thanking him for all his help with my car. Maybe that'll smooth things over. Or, it might not. OK, it probably won't.
Saturday, May 2, 2015
The Car's Done, And I Think I Am Too
OK.
Got back to the mechanic. He did the pressure test and drove it around the block -- nothing. I drove it to my evening job, and just before I get there the temperature spikes. Well of fucking course this would happen after the mechanic looks at it.
Able to baby it to work. Cross my fingers that it'll make it home, so I can go back to The Other Mechanic Around The Corner and drop it off Saturday. Doesn't make it. In fact, I was barely able to get the car into a gas station parking lot before the temperature gauge hit red. Or, maybe it did. I don't know. FUCK!!!
Took the next two hours seeing if the temp gauge would behave, but every time it would go up above that mid level and I would stop the car. Waited for the tow truck to arrive, and even though he was surprised at how many calls he had, he finally got to me at around 12:30. Five minutes to latch my piece of shit to the back of his tower, five minutes to get to The Other Mechanic Around The Corner, and I was done.
To the good side: Thank you and Buddha Bless You, Terry and T.J. You guys are angels. I mean that.
To the bad side: There is something seriously, seriously wrong with the car now. I have repaired it a lot, but this one feels different. Now, when I start the car, there is some serious dragging to it, like ... well, like I did severe damage to the engine. The last couple times I couldn't even turn it on. Man, I hope I didn't do that because I didn't turn it off in time. If I had only stopped sooner. ...
I think this is it. I love this car, but it is costing me too much money and time. This might be the point where I start to hate it, and at that point it is quite easy for me to part with the only car I know.
I'll wait until The Other Mechanic Around The Corner checks it out, but I really, really think I need to move on. Because I can't take this bullshit with my car anymore.
Got back to the mechanic. He did the pressure test and drove it around the block -- nothing. I drove it to my evening job, and just before I get there the temperature spikes. Well of fucking course this would happen after the mechanic looks at it.
Able to baby it to work. Cross my fingers that it'll make it home, so I can go back to The Other Mechanic Around The Corner and drop it off Saturday. Doesn't make it. In fact, I was barely able to get the car into a gas station parking lot before the temperature gauge hit red. Or, maybe it did. I don't know. FUCK!!!
Took the next two hours seeing if the temp gauge would behave, but every time it would go up above that mid level and I would stop the car. Waited for the tow truck to arrive, and even though he was surprised at how many calls he had, he finally got to me at around 12:30. Five minutes to latch my piece of shit to the back of his tower, five minutes to get to The Other Mechanic Around The Corner, and I was done.
To the good side: Thank you and Buddha Bless You, Terry and T.J. You guys are angels. I mean that.
To the bad side: There is something seriously, seriously wrong with the car now. I have repaired it a lot, but this one feels different. Now, when I start the car, there is some serious dragging to it, like ... well, like I did severe damage to the engine. The last couple times I couldn't even turn it on. Man, I hope I didn't do that because I didn't turn it off in time. If I had only stopped sooner. ...
I think this is it. I love this car, but it is costing me too much money and time. This might be the point where I start to hate it, and at that point it is quite easy for me to part with the only car I know.
I'll wait until The Other Mechanic Around The Corner checks it out, but I really, really think I need to move on. Because I can't take this bullshit with my car anymore.
Friday, May 1, 2015
Alright, I'm driving to work and my fucking car starts overheating. Hear a bad wheeze underneath the hood, feel the selector shake and I panicked. I was lucky to pull over before the gauge went to red. I get out and see that there are some leaks coming out from the bottom and my overflow tank is, well, overflowing.
So I had to ditch work early -- I have never done that -- to take it to the mechanic. And now I'm here at the library to check out what the fuck is a pressure test. I hope to God it's the fucking radiator, because then they'll replace it, or at least they'd better. If it's something else? Well, maybe I've had it with my car. Maybe now is the last straw.
So I had to ditch work early -- I have never done that -- to take it to the mechanic. And now I'm here at the library to check out what the fuck is a pressure test. I hope to God it's the fucking radiator, because then they'll replace it, or at least they'd better. If it's something else? Well, maybe I've had it with my car. Maybe now is the last straw.
College Basketball Anti-Picks, Final
Record, Round 6: 0-1
Overall Record: 13-38
Total Outlay, Round 6: $6,500.00
Total Winnings, Round 6: $0.00
Total Loss, Round 6: $6,500.00
Overall Loss: $12155.30
I remembered last night that I haven't sewn up my predictions for March Madness yet until I realized I needed something quick to blog about for Friday. Now, I kind of wished I didn't remember.
This may be the worst tournament I've ever had. I know this is the worst hypothetical loss I wound up with in Anti-Picks history. Let's just say that I sucked at this Big Dance, and that I probably suck at gambling in general, and I am glad I didn't wager any real money on this and so I could just enjoy a really good game where Duke came back to defeat Wisconsin.
Will I do Anti-Picks again? Maybe not.
God, I am terrible at this.
Overall Record: 13-38
Total Outlay, Round 6: $6,500.00
Total Winnings, Round 6: $0.00
Total Loss, Round 6: $6,500.00
Overall Loss: $12155.30
I remembered last night that I haven't sewn up my predictions for March Madness yet until I realized I needed something quick to blog about for Friday. Now, I kind of wished I didn't remember.
This may be the worst tournament I've ever had. I know this is the worst hypothetical loss I wound up with in Anti-Picks history. Let's just say that I sucked at this Big Dance, and that I probably suck at gambling in general, and I am glad I didn't wager any real money on this and so I could just enjoy a really good game where Duke came back to defeat Wisconsin.
Will I do Anti-Picks again? Maybe not.
God, I am terrible at this.
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