Manual on fire update.

So Dan called with some good news. The insurance company has decided that Flaming Bob, (the cars new name), will be fixed instead of totalled. This makes me happy as I feel our deductible will be better used towards that, than trying to locate a new car. The down fall is of course:

1. gotta come up with the deductible


2. gotta get a rental car


3. gotta wait a while for the car to be fixed


4. gonna have to deal with the fact that our rates will possibly go up.

But, hey. It could always have been worse. No one but Flaming Bob was hurt, and we were no longer on the freeway when it happened.

New headlight = Destroyed car

My car Bob needs to be inspected this month. Just as I realized this, his passenger side headlight went out. Since Dan is the man I nagged talked him into going to get a new headlight.  I thought he would take it somewhere and having them do it, but instead he took himself to Autozone and picked one up. That was Saturday. Then because we went to the Movies with Andy. (Sucker Punch), Dan waited until Sunday to put in the headlight. It took him about a half hour. He was so proud of himself for doing it too. He's not overly mechanically inclined, so to have accomplished this, was a thrill for him.
Once he was done, I begged convinced him that we should go out to dinner. We haven't been out since we went last weekend when we went out with Andy and Stef. So he gave in agreed, and we decided we'd go to Chuck-a-Rama.
Because I made such a fuss was excited about getting a new headlight, Dan decided that I would drive. So off we went. I went down to Redwood Road, got onto East Bound 215 and headed to Fashion Place Mall. Just before we got off the freeway I started smelling something. Then my idiot engine light started flashing on and off. I noticed the car had issues going. Soon the burning smell was heavier and the car would barely go. I got it into the restaurant parking lot, and parked it as far from the building as I could.

Dan got out and I popped the hood. There it was. Engine fire. I immediately turned off the car, pulled out the keys (don't know why. habit I guess), popped the trunk and went looking for a bottle of water. I used to keep water in Silver, but since Bob is so much newer, I never bothered.
I went to the front of the car to see Dan holding smoldering papers. huh?
I blew on the fire and was able to get it to go out. Dan ran into the restaurant and got some water. He poured it on the engine, and I took the papers and dumped them in the water.

The papers were actually the owners manual for the car. Dan had left the manual on the engine when he did the headlight. He completely forgot it and closed the hood.  He was so upset with himself, and I had to remind him several times that accidents happen. I actually started laughing. I mean what else could I do?  Yelling at him would not have helped, crying would have just upset me, and well, it was kinda funny.
I made him go eat and we called Bill to see if he could help. He suggested we call Charlotte and Tony to see if Tony could tow the car to the garage. He had been drinking so he called a friend who came and towed the car and then drove us home. He was a really nice guy and did it as a favor to Tony.

Dan called Paul our Mechanic this morning to tell him what happened and see what he could do. Dan just called me a few minutes ago to tell me that  Paul suggested we call the insurance company to put in a claim as the fire did a lot of damage. Paul thinks the insurance company will total the car. He said the damage is so sever that the car is really not salvageable. This sucks as this is the car we paid off. We really can't do another car payment, but I don't want to be down to one car. Now I have to wonder if we should try to get Silver back into service. Maybe this is why I balked at getting rid of him.   *sigh*

Mental note to those who are using the owners manual to help you change out a headlight. Leaving said manual on top of the engine block while driving on the freeway is not a good idea!

The annoyance of others

So Dan has a friend, who has not been a friend for long, who I feel is starting to take advantage of us. When we first met this man, I was told he was homeless and living in a storage shed. I felt bad for him and allowed him to stay with us for a couple of days. He joined Dan's Dungeons and Dragons game and this made Dan happy. Because this person didn't really have a place to stay, and because buses are hard to come by on Saturdays, I have allowed him to spend the nights on Fridays. He stays all day on Saturday and Sunday and leaves Monday. Since this is every other weekend, I've dealt with it.

I'm not a person who likes people all the time. I tend to take a while to warm up to people, but I can't really warm up to this guy. He has requested to come to our house now almost every weekend. This has bothered me as I feel like I can't go into my basement because he is there. It's been hard enough dealing with Ben and Tiff and they are family.

I found out not to long ago that this guy doesn't NEED to stay at our place on the weekends, but likes to stay there because we have better internet. GRRR. I can understand that, but I need my space. I feel like my basement is taken hostage, and so is my hubby as he spends time playing games with this guy.

Dan has been really good about telling this guy no, so I am trying to be nice and make sure that the guy can spend some time with Dan.

I am also looking forward to Ben and Tiff going off to Alaska.  They are good kids and I have to admit it has been good for Dan and  I to have the stay with us, but I am ready to have my house back. I miss being able to run back and forth from the bathroom nekkid. I can't wait to have the fridge back and know that whatever food in there is mine. I am looking forward to getting that room painted and arranged. We will be keeping their cats for the few months they are in Alaska, but that's ok.  I will miss them cleaning the bathroom and kitchen. AND especially the litter boxes. I will miss having someone tall enough to reach the high shelves w/out using the step ladder. And I will miss the bit of muscle that I can get to move stuff around.

Small price to pay for my annoyance.

Some peoples EBay

So last year, (yes I know, it was so long ago) was Dan's 40th birthday party. I decided it would be fun to throw him an over the hill surprise party. Andy and Stef  kindly volunteered their house (Bless you both), and I started getting decorations together.

I found on EBay this awesome balloon package. It has a large Vulture mylar, and a two smaller reaper mylars with some latex balloons. It was being sold by someone who had a 99% feedback rating, but it was the only "package" like that I could find. I read all the negative and neutral feedback and even though I was trepidatious, I decided to take a chance anyway. Most of the feedback was that the items did not arrive or did not arrive in time. I ordered the package on November 22. by December 6, I had not gotten my package. I sent the seller a message asking for when it had been shipped. She responded right away stating that she would check on the mail date. She responded again that the package was sent and should have arrived. I advised her that I didn't get it. She asked me to check around my home or with family members.

I advised her that it had been sent to my office and that all incoming mail is logged. I did not get it, and could she please resend it? That was on December 9.   I never heard from her again. I sent 3 more messages after the 9th asking that she send the package ASAP. no response. Finally on the day of Dan's birthday, (3 days before Dan's surprise party),  I disputed the transaction with EBay. I only get like 30 days to do so, and I was up on deadline.

Surprisingly enough, after my dispute and my placing negative feedback on the seller, I get a message from her same day.  She refunded my money, AND noted that the reason she didn't get back with me was due to problems with her computer. WTH?  19 days of computer problems? Really?  This woman runs an EBay Store. She was able to go 19 days w/no computer?  I found this really hard to beleive.

A few days after she asked me to reconsider my negative feedback as she told me that she had computer problems. I decided to ignore. A coupld weeks later same message. I ignored. She has sent me two more requests to reconsider the negative. I finally got mad. I have my friend Charlotte who sells on EBay all the time. She busts her a$$ to make sure her customers are satisfied.  This woman has come to my house and used my computer and I live 12 miles away. She was in the hospital for 2 weeks and had her Son log in to let her customers know what was happening.  So for someone who has an EBay store to say it was acceptable to go 19 days w/out any attempt at communication is beyond me. So I got mad enough to write the following message to her. I really feel that my negative feedback was warrented. She could have made an effort.

Hello.

 I contacted you on December 6th to advise I did not get my package. You contacted me the next day to advise on when the package was mailed. I contacted you to advise I have not received it, and you contacted me again on December 9th to advise what to look for. I advised you on that same day that it was delivered to an office and that said office tracks incoming packages. It was not received. That was the last communication with you until December 28th which happens to be the same day that I disputed the transaction with EBay and left negative feedback. Between the 9th and 28th I sent 3 more messages. I realize that computer problems can happen. I work with computers every day. But why I felt compelled to leave negative feed back is because 19 days is quite some time to have computer issues for a EBay store. I know for a fact that you could have continued to conduct business on any computer. Friends, neighbor, library. Even to leave just a note that there was a problem with your computer and that you would get back to me as soon as able would have been acceptable.

I read all feedback on sellers before I buy anything. Normally I do not purchase anything from anyone with less that 100% feedback. There is a reason for feedback status. At that time you had a couple of negatives and a few neutrals already. Most all concerned the delay in delivery and the notation that packages were not received. Because the product you offered was the only one of that style I could find, I took a chance that I would get it. It was very important and the center piece for my husbands 40th birthday party. I ordered in what I thought was plenty of time, and even planned ahead enough that if the package didn’t arrive I would still have time for you to send a replacement.

I feel that my negative feedback was warranted as a warning to others that you are not able to always follow through with commitment. Perhaps it will save someone else from disappointment in purchasing from you. I have not responded to your other requests to change my feedback as I did not want to get into this with you. However I see that I must. I ask you to please not respond to this message and not to contact me again concerning this, or I will report you for harassment to EBay.

Thank you.

So feel free to leave a comment on how you feel I should have dealt with this, or if you think I did the right thing.

My first time out since coming home,"People of Wal-mart" style.

I talked to Dr. Swanky-raccoon who explained to me that I would be very tired and fatigued for the next few weeks as my body tries to replenish the blood I lost. Which explains why I'm still so weak.  It's an effort to do much, but I'm doing it.  I took a shower by my self yesterday. Last time I needed Dan to put a chair in the tub and help me wash while I sat. But after said independent shower, I was pooped.

I'm also having issues with sleep. I find that I am very tired, but can't sleep. Even as I sit her at 8:37 pm I am yawning. My eyes are watering, and I am having difficulty typing. But I know that as soon as I head for bed, I will be wide awake. It's been like this since Sunday night. Last night I didn't go to bed until 6 am. And when I do fall asleep I have crazy dreams, and night sweats. I have been waking up soaking wet 1 to 2 times a night. As someone once said: I couldn't be more wet if I had just gotten out of the pool. It's so weird. I don't understand it, as it's only been happening the past couple of weeks.

The other part of the problem I think is my bed.  We have a queen. but. I really think we need a King, or I need body ties for my husband. He is a Mover. I knew when I married him that he was fully capable of sleep walking. We have several amusing anecdotes concerning him at night. But what I didn't know is that he's not only a mover, he's a bed HOG!

He will start on his side of the bed and before the alarm goes off, I will find myself clinging to the edge of the bed while he's sprawled all snoring in the middle of the bed. Sometimes he's even on my side. On several occasions when I've gotten up to pee, I've come back to find I have no space to sleep at all.

I have done some research and found that a King mattress is only 16 inches wider than a Queen. Since this discovery I have found myself salivating over that 16 extra inches. I'm not a sleep snuggler. Frankly I don't like being touched let alone cuddled with when I sleep. I have a hard enough time with the cats sleeping on/next to me.  So it's hard for me to sleep with Dan in the same bed. Perhaps once Tiff and Ben move out I will move into the spare room which has my full size childhood bed. 5.5 years of bad sleep has got to be enough. I'm hoping a King bed would make the difference, but good mattresses are expensive. I have a lot of money needing dreams to fund. It's hard to pick which to follow through on.

Anyway the Swanky Raccoon wants me to get up and moving. So today I decided that even though I pulled my chicken out of the freezer at 2 pm, it was still frozen when Dan got home from work. It's cordon blue, or I would have just tossed it in cold water and not worried. I decided I was craving some Q4U chicken and their to die for Potato Salad. I was in hopes that I could get Dan to go get it, but guess who is getting sick?  Dan would have been good with Beans and Franks, but I had hot dog for lunch.  So I pulled on my big girl panties, my red love jammie bottoms, a over sized blue shirt, and my sneakers with my pink stripe socks and took my self out.  It was a short drive, and I had already called in the order. Normally I wouldn't be caught dead going out looking "People of Wal-mart" style, but I have found it's really easy to get over when you are desperate and don't feel good.

The owner of the restaurant was at the counter along with the regular guy. When I came in the door, the cashier yelled out: "Denise!" I smiled and nodded. The owner (a large black man with a sweet face and nice personality) laughed and asked me how it felt to go somewhere where they know your name.  I told him I love it. It was like being on Cheers. (side note: I normally hate it. I ate so much at the Arctic Circle by my work that only the new people don't know me. And everyone there calls me by name. I had to stop eating there because I felt it was creepy.)
I assume the reason the guy knew it was me was because: A; I called in the order and gave my name, and B; I was dressed "People of Wal-mart" style. Obviously I would not be eating in.

The transaction was quick and easy, and while slightly on the expensive side it was worth every penny! We just love the smoked chicken and of course I ADORE the potato salad. I also got usual order of Hush Puppies. Darn I like those too.

I made home with little fuss and admired that the park was full of kids in different shades of green. They laughed, ran, and played. It's a sign of spring coming. It's almost more reliable than daffodils and tulips.

By the time I got home and in the house, I was exhausted. It totally wore me out. But I did it. Good practice for my trip to the Dr.s tomorrow. Now if I could just get Dan to wait for me to fall asleep before he comes to bed.

Let's not, and say we did

OK. I am seriously going to have to rethink all of this. It was supposed to be pretty easy. They knock me out, cut me open, slide a small thin piece of chicken wire with a spring, open it up, and send  me home.

Did it turn out like that? NO!  I spent 4 hours on the table and lost a ton of blood. (not enough to warrant a transfusion though....).    they drugged me up hugely, and I honestly only remember moaning every so often.

I got into my bed and was whisked away to a room upstairs to spend the night just to make sure things went well. I slept most of the time, but was totally awake enough to chow down a turkey sandwich and think it was the best EVER!

By late evening I was a bit sore and so the nurse found some pain meds and gave me 10 Mg's of Loratab.
I made her give me something to eat with it, as I know that Loratab makes me sick if I take it on a empty stomach. Both the Nurse and I were a little surprised to hear about the dosage, but she gave me the Loratab and off to sleep I went.  The following morning I was screwed. The room was spinning. I mean it was like being stuck on the fastest carousel every!  I couldn't focus on anything. It only stopped when my eyes were closed. I couldn't eat and was tossing up everything I owned.

Suddenly I was staying another night, being poked, prodded, and beaten up. I had an MRI that was a torture.  (Anyone who has had an MRI understands and anyone who has never had one, I hope you never have to experience it. )  The doctors thought I had a mild stroke.  Fortunately that was wrong. I really am aiming towards this being a really bad reaction to all the drugs.

All in all I spent 3 nights in the hospital and have had to extend my time off work. I am still not stable enough to go to work just yet. I have had an on and off fever, and have soaked my bed over and over. I stank to high heaven and finally got a shower yesterday. I need one again today due to the sweating, but other than that I can sit up for a little while and I haven't tossed my cookies since I got home.

I need to have the second leg done, but I'm really re-thinking it.  I'm going  with the Let's not but say we did it.

Awesome Bloggy thingy

So one of the blogs I stalk read, is A few of my Favorite Things:  http://stiesthoughts.blogspot.com/.
I have decided that I want to be her when I grow up. She's clever and talented and FUNNY!

She's started a new link/blog thing for How to Tuesdays. Seriously clever!

I am kind of shy to start, but I think I will think of some sort of crafty clever something to do myself.

I am of course my own worst critic, but who knows, maybe I won't screw something up and I will get it done.

But tomorrow is my procedure and so it won't be for a bit that I too will post some how to on her blog.

I recommend you read her just for a smile, laugh, and give an understanding nod.

The Evils of little Green Girls

They are small green creatures with no heart. No sympathy for the pathetic weak willed being that I am. You know who I am talking about. They come every year. They come to your door, greet you at your grocery store and have larger adult creatures who bully you at work.

I'm Talking GIRL SCOUTS!   They bare those totally evil treats that get my money every year.

They are like small leprechauns, but instead of guarding their gold, they are thrusting their addictive, evil, highly prized treats in my face.  For a diabetic this is truly the worst EVER!  If I ever needed to prove I have NO WILL POWER at all, this would be it.

At work a sneaky wonderful parent patiently brought around his daughters order form. And did it in February when I sent my will power out to the cleaners. I agreed (gasp) to purchase 6 boxes of assorted nuggets of gold.

$21.00. yes. $3.50 per box. I got my FAVORITE. The purple box of Somoas (2)  The awesome Green box of Thin Mints (1),  The orange box of Tag-a-longs (1) and then two new cookies that just looked damn good. Thank you berry much! (1) Dulce de Leche (1),

I just tried the cranberry ones and they are GOOD!

Damn those little green creatures, how I adore you. Now.... where's my Samoa ice cream?