Christmas is over, and we are looking forward to 2013 with hope and enthusiasm. Part of the reason we are so hopeful is because we had an unexpected and unwelcome guest for Christmas: Murphy!
Christmas morning started a little earlier than I had planned. Cub was wide awake and raring to go at 5 a.m. We started the coffee, let Cub and DD2 open their stockings while we tried to wake up. At this point I had only been asleep for a couple of hours, so it was really difficult for me to get into the spirit. We opened our gifts, gave Cub something to eat and drink to tide him over, then headed back to bed for a little nap before we headed to Grandma's for breakfast.
Everything was going according to plan, and were packing all the gifts into the van when Murphy reared his ugly little head. An open rear van lift gate, and an overhang in the underground parking are not a good combination. Hubby was trying to move the van forward a couple of feet with the back open, and the rear wiper just grazed the overhang. This of course caused the rear window to shatter into about 3 million pieces. With nothing open Christmas Day, there is no way to repair it immediately. We pile us and our stuff into the car and arrive at Grandma's late.
Because the window couldn't be replaced until the 27th, I had to turn away about $500 worth of work and pay the $325 bill for the repair. :(
I get it replaced and all is well with the world again. Or so I think. I start working again and feel relieved to have that over with. Fast forward to December 29th. A very busy work day for me. Hubby is helping me get some stuff done so we can spend time at home relaxing.
But Murphy was hiding in the back of my van, just waiting to pounce! With a very large and important package in the van, we arrive to the place of delivery. Turn van off, unlock doors, get out to remove package only to find the back lift gate seized shut. Not good. Not good at all.
With difficulty, we remove delivery package, and head to Dodge dealership to get vehicle fixed. (By the way, we already have an appointment on Dec.31st to have a piece at the rear of the van replaced where a decal has a bubble.) They are extremely busy. We wait for an hour to be told there is nothing they can do for us right away. They have to order a part. I ask for a loaner. I'm told that because the van still technically works, Chrysler will not authorize a loaner vehicle. I lose it.
After some tears and an explanation of why our work vehicle needs to have a working lift gate, they provide us with a loaner. It takes two hours of our day, but we're finally back to work.
We're on call January 1st, so can someone else please take Murphy off our hands? Holidays are stressful enough without his help. Thank goodness there was enough in our savings to cover the additional expenses.
Showing posts with label Murphy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Murphy. Show all posts
Sunday, December 30, 2012
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
Sept. 19/12
Wow! I sure don't intend to stay away from blogging for so long, and before you know it, I've been away two weeks. I've read on a few other blogs that the writer just isn't as 'in to it' as they once were. I guess that describes me. I'm hoping that will change with the seasons, as I tend to stay in much more in the winter therefore giving me more time for blogging.
The repairs to the van were not that bad money-wise. I spent about $400 there for a rebuilt alternator and a new battery. The rental of a van for three days set me back a mere $180, which I think is reasonable.
I've been couponing and saving some money on groceries. I'm still throwing the odd change from my wallet into my savings jar as well. I'm knitting up a frickin storm over here too. Maybe I can post a few pics next week of what I've been working on.
I have some work to do today, submitting invoices and mileage and the like, so hopefully I will get some 'extra' pay next month. I'm planning on using the extras to beef up the Xmas fund and the Emergency fund.
I have a book review to write as well, so I'm off.
Have a fabulous day!
The repairs to the van were not that bad money-wise. I spent about $400 there for a rebuilt alternator and a new battery. The rental of a van for three days set me back a mere $180, which I think is reasonable.
I've been couponing and saving some money on groceries. I'm still throwing the odd change from my wallet into my savings jar as well. I'm knitting up a frickin storm over here too. Maybe I can post a few pics next week of what I've been working on.
I have some work to do today, submitting invoices and mileage and the like, so hopefully I will get some 'extra' pay next month. I'm planning on using the extras to beef up the Xmas fund and the Emergency fund.
I have a book review to write as well, so I'm off.
Have a fabulous day!
Monday, September 3, 2012
Murphy Strikes Again!
I knew that our van wasn't feeling so well. She'd had a few hiccups over the last little while, so I knew that I had to take care of some things sooner rather than later. While working yesterday, she suddenly and unexpectedly stopped working altogether. Darn you Murphy! This was going to be the month of putting away extra savings toward our goals, not shelling out every bit of money I have on repairs and a rental!
I have no idea what's wrong with the van. It just won't start. Insert key, turn, and hear awful clicking sound. I'm no expert, but I'm fairly certain it's not a battery thing. Nothing that simple ever happens. At least not to me. Call a tow truck. $60 - something just to tow the thing to the mechanic who won't be in until Tuesday morning. Give me strength.
I call the car rental place. I need a mini van, and I need it now. Preferably a Dodge with Stow 'N' Go seating. All the locations are already closed ( it was Sunday afternoon already) and only one is opening on the holiday Monday. I book a rental (it better be the one I want) for three days. Cross my fingers that it long enough to repair my poor van. The agent tells me I will have to give a $750 deposit and bring in my insurance paperwork, not just my pink slip, otherwise I'll be paying an additional 25% for insurance. I can already hear my bank card crying.
We beg a ride from our MIL back to our place to get our working vehicle, drive to home of colleague who has allowed us to borrow his van for a couple of hours. Take borrowed van to do work, and then drive it back. I'm already 4 hours behind schedule now. Please pass the Advil.
Needing to start the next part of work, I realise I need to eat something or I'm going to be sick. The burgers we had at this little pub on Richmond Street was the highlight of my day. They were delicious!
I finished up working somewhere around 10 o'clock last night. But there is more to be done over the next couple of days, and I have to go pick up a rental.
Towing costs, rental vehicle costs, and likely a hefty repair bill. Thanks Murphy. Just thanks.
Who wants him next?
I have no idea what's wrong with the van. It just won't start. Insert key, turn, and hear awful clicking sound. I'm no expert, but I'm fairly certain it's not a battery thing. Nothing that simple ever happens. At least not to me. Call a tow truck. $60 - something just to tow the thing to the mechanic who won't be in until Tuesday morning. Give me strength.
I call the car rental place. I need a mini van, and I need it now. Preferably a Dodge with Stow 'N' Go seating. All the locations are already closed ( it was Sunday afternoon already) and only one is opening on the holiday Monday. I book a rental (it better be the one I want) for three days. Cross my fingers that it long enough to repair my poor van. The agent tells me I will have to give a $750 deposit and bring in my insurance paperwork, not just my pink slip, otherwise I'll be paying an additional 25% for insurance. I can already hear my bank card crying.
We beg a ride from our MIL back to our place to get our working vehicle, drive to home of colleague who has allowed us to borrow his van for a couple of hours. Take borrowed van to do work, and then drive it back. I'm already 4 hours behind schedule now. Please pass the Advil.
Needing to start the next part of work, I realise I need to eat something or I'm going to be sick. The burgers we had at this little pub on Richmond Street was the highlight of my day. They were delicious!
I finished up working somewhere around 10 o'clock last night. But there is more to be done over the next couple of days, and I have to go pick up a rental.
Towing costs, rental vehicle costs, and likely a hefty repair bill. Thanks Murphy. Just thanks.
Who wants him next?
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
More Sinister Than Murphy
What an incredibly difficult day we had yesterday!
I sat around for several hours waiting for something and tried to get a few things done while I had some time. I made a phone call to my ex after getting another e-mail from my divorce lawyer stating that they have still not received any response to any of their letters/emails since September 2011. (They send at least one per month.) Of course, the call didn't go well at all, not that I expected it to. He was mean, made more accusations about me, called me names, etc. I have decided after this last phone call, I will no longer be speaking to him in person, for anything ever again. If there is any need for communication between the two of us, it will be in writing, or through the lawyers because I am so done with his attitude.
*deep breath*
Then the day just got weirder.
Hubby and I went to pick up Cub from daycare and planned on putting some gas in the car before heading home to make dinner. While attempting to put gas into the car, Hubby notices that the nozzle from the pump won't go into the gas tank receptacle. He looks into the hole where the nozzle should go and cannot believe what he is seeing. There is something blocking it. Thank goodness our mechanic is only a short drive away from that particular gas station. We were already on empty, but still could drive it a few kilometres.
The mechanic also stares in disbelief. He's heard of this happening, but has never seen it before. Grabbing some tools, he buckles down to work while we watch. I count as he extracts. 4, 5, 6. He grabs another tool. 7, 8, 9, 10. He uses a jack to lift the back of the car to gain access underneath. In order to make sure the entire fuel line to the fuel tank is clean, he takes off part of a hose. The clamps holding said piece of hose in place have been loosened. (This is not 'normal' loosening due to use of the vehicle. Someone has done this deliberately.) He clears the hose from that point going back up to the intake and also toward the fuel tank. 11, 12, 13, 14. Fourteen total. To be sure that there is no more obstacles in the line, he uses a probe with a camera type thingy attached. He gives us the all clear.
Fourteen sugar cubes in all were pulled from our fuel line. That, and the hose clamps had been loosened. I think we're going to file a report to the police, just in case. Thank goodness Thursday is payday. We'll be buying locking gas caps for both vehicles that day. I'll also be talking to our property management about paying for spots in the underground secured parking area.
I cannot express strongly enough in typed words how angry I am about this. God help whoever did this if I figure out who it is!
I sat around for several hours waiting for something and tried to get a few things done while I had some time. I made a phone call to my ex after getting another e-mail from my divorce lawyer stating that they have still not received any response to any of their letters/emails since September 2011. (They send at least one per month.) Of course, the call didn't go well at all, not that I expected it to. He was mean, made more accusations about me, called me names, etc. I have decided after this last phone call, I will no longer be speaking to him in person, for anything ever again. If there is any need for communication between the two of us, it will be in writing, or through the lawyers because I am so done with his attitude.
*deep breath*
Then the day just got weirder.
Hubby and I went to pick up Cub from daycare and planned on putting some gas in the car before heading home to make dinner. While attempting to put gas into the car, Hubby notices that the nozzle from the pump won't go into the gas tank receptacle. He looks into the hole where the nozzle should go and cannot believe what he is seeing. There is something blocking it. Thank goodness our mechanic is only a short drive away from that particular gas station. We were already on empty, but still could drive it a few kilometres.
The mechanic also stares in disbelief. He's heard of this happening, but has never seen it before. Grabbing some tools, he buckles down to work while we watch. I count as he extracts. 4, 5, 6. He grabs another tool. 7, 8, 9, 10. He uses a jack to lift the back of the car to gain access underneath. In order to make sure the entire fuel line to the fuel tank is clean, he takes off part of a hose. The clamps holding said piece of hose in place have been loosened. (This is not 'normal' loosening due to use of the vehicle. Someone has done this deliberately.) He clears the hose from that point going back up to the intake and also toward the fuel tank. 11, 12, 13, 14. Fourteen total. To be sure that there is no more obstacles in the line, he uses a probe with a camera type thingy attached. He gives us the all clear.
Fourteen sugar cubes in all were pulled from our fuel line. That, and the hose clamps had been loosened. I think we're going to file a report to the police, just in case. Thank goodness Thursday is payday. We'll be buying locking gas caps for both vehicles that day. I'll also be talking to our property management about paying for spots in the underground secured parking area.
I cannot express strongly enough in typed words how angry I am about this. God help whoever did this if I figure out who it is!
Thursday, January 26, 2012
What Happens when the Apocolypse Begins....
Yesterday morning, a strange thing happened.
I was sitting here at my computer, checking e-mail, typing a blog post, cruising Kijiji and Facebook, along with the hundred other things I do online daily, when the unthinkable happened.
I lost my Internet connection.
My hubby or kids will tell you that I am like Kryptonite to anything electronic. If it uses electricity, my presence in the same room causes things to stop working correctly. It's not that I do anything out of the norm, I just have really, really, really, bad luck when it comes to electrical things.
I closed the page I was on, and reopened. Nothing.
I restarted the computer. Nothing.
I ran the anti-virus scans. Still no connection.
I thought, Oh well, no biggie, I'll just watch some t.v. till it comes back on.
No cable either. Hmmm.
OK, I can handle this. I'll just call Rogers and have them come over and fix it.
No phone line.
Excuse my language, but FML.
I had to work, and hubby was home early, so we decided to go have lunch.
We got home hours later, and still nothing.
Good lord this apartment is quiet, without the t.v. going all the time.
The ever so helpful CSR at Rogers asked me if we had unplugged anything, moved the modem, or done something that may have caused the disruption. Of course I said no. I'm not about to tell him that I can cause a 25 year watch battery to suddenly die, just by putting on the watch. Not that he'd believe me anyway. He books an appointment for a tech to come on Thursday morning, sometime between 8 - 11 a.m. Then he tells me that if the tech finds something wrong due to something we have caused, we'll be charged an extra $59.99/hr on our bill for the service call. I start to sweat a little.
No Facebook for Hubby, and Cub is having a meltdown because there is no Treehouse TV on. I make dinner, and tell them nice as pie that I'm leaving for a meeting. On my way out the door I think to myself, I hope they don't tear each other apart while I'm gone.
Two hours later, I'm home again. The apartment is still quiet. Hubby's already put Cub to bed, and he is playing poker on the computer from a disc. I grab my book, and hunker down on the couch. Yawning, I headed to bed before 11 p.m.
This morning, Cub has another meltdown because the tv is 'broke-dend'. I love that the telephone can't ring today. The computer stays shut off, and I start another book. We have a quiet breakfast, and I take him to daycare. I wait for the tech to arrive.
I clean all the toys up in the living room. I start purging in the entryway. Items are about to start leaving our small, stuffed apartment. I decide to keep a list of how much junk, crap, useless, unwanted and un-needed items are leaving, just so I can see how much we really don't need. I sweep and mop the entryway floor. I vacuum the living room. I start pulling piles of stuff from the bottom of the hall closet. Hallelujah! The tech is here.
It takes him all of 15 minutes to get everything up and running again. And no, it wasn't my fault. Another tech was in our building yesterday, and when doing something at the point where the lines come into the building, he managed to cut the line to our apartment. Only ours. We are the only apartment in the whole building affected by this little mistake. I am so not surprised. That is how my luck is.
I jumped on the computer to write this and to catch up on reading some blogs. But the pile of shoes, hoodies and assorted other crap sitting in the hallway is in my peripheral vision. It beckons me to come finish what I've started. The tv is still off, and the phone still hasn't rung. I think that this quiet is how it might sound just before the Apocalypse begins.
I was sitting here at my computer, checking e-mail, typing a blog post, cruising Kijiji and Facebook, along with the hundred other things I do online daily, when the unthinkable happened.
I lost my Internet connection.
My hubby or kids will tell you that I am like Kryptonite to anything electronic. If it uses electricity, my presence in the same room causes things to stop working correctly. It's not that I do anything out of the norm, I just have really, really, really, bad luck when it comes to electrical things.
I closed the page I was on, and reopened. Nothing.
I restarted the computer. Nothing.
I ran the anti-virus scans. Still no connection.
I thought, Oh well, no biggie, I'll just watch some t.v. till it comes back on.
No cable either. Hmmm.
OK, I can handle this. I'll just call Rogers and have them come over and fix it.
No phone line.
Excuse my language, but FML.
I had to work, and hubby was home early, so we decided to go have lunch.
We got home hours later, and still nothing.
Good lord this apartment is quiet, without the t.v. going all the time.
The ever so helpful CSR at Rogers asked me if we had unplugged anything, moved the modem, or done something that may have caused the disruption. Of course I said no. I'm not about to tell him that I can cause a 25 year watch battery to suddenly die, just by putting on the watch. Not that he'd believe me anyway. He books an appointment for a tech to come on Thursday morning, sometime between 8 - 11 a.m. Then he tells me that if the tech finds something wrong due to something we have caused, we'll be charged an extra $59.99/hr on our bill for the service call. I start to sweat a little.
No Facebook for Hubby, and Cub is having a meltdown because there is no Treehouse TV on. I make dinner, and tell them nice as pie that I'm leaving for a meeting. On my way out the door I think to myself, I hope they don't tear each other apart while I'm gone.
Two hours later, I'm home again. The apartment is still quiet. Hubby's already put Cub to bed, and he is playing poker on the computer from a disc. I grab my book, and hunker down on the couch. Yawning, I headed to bed before 11 p.m.
This morning, Cub has another meltdown because the tv is 'broke-dend'. I love that the telephone can't ring today. The computer stays shut off, and I start another book. We have a quiet breakfast, and I take him to daycare. I wait for the tech to arrive.
I clean all the toys up in the living room. I start purging in the entryway. Items are about to start leaving our small, stuffed apartment. I decide to keep a list of how much junk, crap, useless, unwanted and un-needed items are leaving, just so I can see how much we really don't need. I sweep and mop the entryway floor. I vacuum the living room. I start pulling piles of stuff from the bottom of the hall closet. Hallelujah! The tech is here.
It takes him all of 15 minutes to get everything up and running again. And no, it wasn't my fault. Another tech was in our building yesterday, and when doing something at the point where the lines come into the building, he managed to cut the line to our apartment. Only ours. We are the only apartment in the whole building affected by this little mistake. I am so not surprised. That is how my luck is.
I jumped on the computer to write this and to catch up on reading some blogs. But the pile of shoes, hoodies and assorted other crap sitting in the hallway is in my peripheral vision. It beckons me to come finish what I've started. The tv is still off, and the phone still hasn't rung. I think that this quiet is how it might sound just before the Apocalypse begins.
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Rough Day Yesterday
I'm going to forgo the monthly report, well, because it ain't pretty. We've depleted almost every bit of savings we have, including our Christmas Fund in order to pay bills. The money coming in isn't coming fast enough, and to be honest, I'm not sure how we will get through the winter.
We had a rough one yesterday. DD2 lost the skin on one knee at school yesterday, and Cub has not been feeling well for several days in a row. DH has been having issues with his back for over a week, and me...well....
Remember that tooth that I just had a root canal done on?
Yeah, well, it broke.
While I was eating a soft bun. Pillsbury crescent roll, to be more precise.
I swear, I did not even see Murphy when he snuck into our lives this time. I think he may have gotten in when Cub was playing with the door one day.
P.S. The London Gail Club is meeting on Wednesday evening. I haven't had any response from anyone as to where it is being held. If you are reading this, and planning on attending, please let me know via email. Thanks!
We had a rough one yesterday. DD2 lost the skin on one knee at school yesterday, and Cub has not been feeling well for several days in a row. DH has been having issues with his back for over a week, and me...well....
Remember that tooth that I just had a root canal done on?
Yeah, well, it broke.
While I was eating a soft bun. Pillsbury crescent roll, to be more precise.
I swear, I did not even see Murphy when he snuck into our lives this time. I think he may have gotten in when Cub was playing with the door one day.
P.S. The London Gail Club is meeting on Wednesday evening. I haven't had any response from anyone as to where it is being held. If you are reading this, and planning on attending, please let me know via email. Thanks!
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