I took this picture from my car last August when I was rushing home to beat severe weather. Well, this is how I felt all day today. You know how things sometimes spin out of control and you fall into self-pity and the "WHY ME?" frame of mind??? (Kristina, this would be an instance where I just couldn't laugh it all off!!! So Kudos to you!) :))
1. I did my taxes this morning and I have a very expensive provincial tax bill to pay. Blah.
2. Then I was told I needed to bring our cat in for an exam if I want his allergy pills renewed. Funny, last spring the vet told me this would be something he took for life and the prescription would be renewable for life...rules have changed apparently. I had to fight to get one last refill so Oscar wouldn't suffer. My blood was boiling a little bit at that point, but then....
3. ...I was supposed to do my monthly grocery shopping this morning as well. When I got to the gas station to fill up, I couldn't put the car in Park, nor in Neutral...I was stuck with my foot on the brake, trying desperately to jiggle with the gear thingy, it wouldn't budge!! Then as my day would have it, some hoo-hah in a big ol' truck behind me started barking with his horn for me to move. I have to say that I panicked slightly...at least I remembered I had the parking brake!
When said hoo-hah had had enough (say it fast five times lol), he got out of his truck, flailing his arms aggressively. He got to my window, saying something derogatory in French, when he saw that I was crying. Poor me :(. He felt bad I suppose and helped me move the car safely to the road while I called my mechanic for help, I couldn't turn the engine off! Mechanic didn't answer, he doesn't have a receptionist early in the morning. So I looked up what the heck to do on my phone.
When said hoo-hah had had enough (say it fast five times lol), he got out of his truck, flailing his arms aggressively. He got to my window, saying something derogatory in French, when he saw that I was crying. Poor me :(. He felt bad I suppose and helped me move the car safely to the road while I called my mechanic for help, I couldn't turn the engine off! Mechanic didn't answer, he doesn't have a receptionist early in the morning. So I looked up what the heck to do on my phone.
See the pink button? I used a tool I had in the car (okay it was a butter knife lol) to jimmy off the cover of the shift box(?) I have no clue what these things are called...and this pink button is the brake or shift gear interlock button or some such thing...I pressed it and was able to at least get the car in Neutral so I could turn it off! I found this quick fix online, thankfully! Problem is, the car will shift everywhere but into Park. I was still sitting outside the gas station at that point, and I felt a wee bit embarrassed for crying (it's my way to relieve stress), so I drove back home and made it through the mud, back into Neutral, parking brake on, engine off. I have no idea what this is going to cost me.
Here's another photo I took last August after the same big storm. I'm TRYING to feel this way! Trying to shake off the dark clouds! I'm turning big negatives into positives...pity party: OVER. I just don't have time for it.
1. Yes, I have to pay the thieves Quebec government $650 for a non-optional yearly prescription plan whether I use it or not. At least they are the most patient of creditors and I can pay them $50 a month for a year with minimal interest and they won't send the file to a collection agency.
2. The vet....it doesn't hurt to have a pet checked...but Oscar is FINE...but I have no choice. I have enough meds with this last refill for a few months, but after that, I will pay the $78 to renew his prescription, he's all that matters. But...it might be time to switch vets. I don't mind paying for a service, but the rudeness from the receptionist was not appreciated.
3. The car...well, at least the mud is being useful. Since I can't put it in park, and even with the parking brake on, I was worried about it rolling off the driveway. But...that car is IN the mud and that acts like Nature's brake system lol...it'll be fun trying to get out tomorrow in the rain.
I have a good mechanic though, who I finally was able to speak to in person. He told me about the pink button, then said it is likely just a little rust; and he'll fix it for me quick. He is so busy with tires at this time of year, but offered to be at the garage an hour early at 7am tomorrow to help me. Who's that nice??? People like him are rare. I know it's a paid service, but he wanted to help me. I feel like his generosity with his time erased everything bad that happened this morning!
I have a good mechanic though, who I finally was able to speak to in person. He told me about the pink button, then said it is likely just a little rust; and he'll fix it for me quick. He is so busy with tires at this time of year, but offered to be at the garage an hour early at 7am tomorrow to help me. Who's that nice??? People like him are rare. I know it's a paid service, but he wanted to help me. I feel like his generosity with his time erased everything bad that happened this morning!
I feel grateful that this whole experience happened before I spent a month's worth of grocery money. I really don't know how much it'll cost tomorrow, but I have to go shopping right after that or I'll miss all the specials this week (flyers change on Thursdays here). I've spent a few hours tonight redoing some of the menu to make more affordable dinners just in case I'm short on money.
Anxiety is not going away though...sigh...I know everyone has money troubles, but:
As per usual, I'm trying to make the best of things! It's just after midnight and I'm stressed about the mechanic bill in 7 short hours...I don't think I'll get much sleep tonight. But then I need to go shopping. It's going to be a long night and a long day tomorrow! Send me good energy please!!!
Why must they happen all at once? <===== Rhetorical question!!!
As per usual, I'm trying to make the best of things! It's just after midnight and I'm stressed about the mechanic bill in 7 short hours...I don't think I'll get much sleep tonight. But then I need to go shopping. It's going to be a long night and a long day tomorrow! Send me good energy please!!!
Good job! An amazing day with a good outcome. Very impressed with your auto savvy. Me I just call AAA. Good thing you have a back log of food stored up. Give Oscar a smooch for me.
ReplyDeleteEvery cloud has a silver lining, very clever of you to find out about the pink button, and perhaps it is time for a change of vets, vote with your feet. :-)
ReplyDeleteWhen you speak to the vet you might find they are not very happy with how you were treated. Ask them to give you enough scripts for a year and to put a note on the file that further scripts will be available when you request them - and if they say no to that, then move.
ReplyDeleteMy vet always bends over backwards to help us out because my older cat gets very stressed about having to go to the vet. She has had eye ulcers in the past and we sometimes need to get dye to check that she is not getting another one. We have the black light at home so we can check it ourselves. We have also had her do home visits when the eye trouble was ongoing, because stress makes the ulcer worse.
We do take them in once a year for checkups and her annual vaccinations even though the process stresses her they are very quick and we arrange it so that we are the first patients of the day so she does not have to wait. When we get home, we are Not Spoken To for at least the rest of the day, though perhaps when it is time for afternoon kibble she will grudgingly deign to make demands. ;)
i found self pity a most destructive thing one can have .
ReplyDeleteit cause weakness and take our all positive energies in background all we can see that we are nothing .
thought is a seed from where all grows and transforms into efforts to shape us what we are so staying on you own side no matter what happens is best one can do for himself.
i enjoyed each bit of your post my friend and liked the part when you seemed back to positive side .
i found that guy nice who stop yelling and helped you to move you vehicle.
photos from last August are fabulous!
Sending lots of positive healing energy to you dear Rain. I think I would have cried too! I had a loan car once while my car was in for a service. It ran out of petrol and I couldn't get the petrol cap off, with two young children in the back and a big queue of customers behind me, I went into a mad panic until someone came and helped me!!! Thank goodness you got hold of your Mechanic!
ReplyDeleteSometimes, a day just goes badly from the outset and, in my humble opinion, the best thing is to go home and be kind to yourself. There is always another day! Try not to stress too much about money, it's just a necessary evil. I wish I could say more, but I'm thinking of you.xxx
Ha! Why all at once indeed! But good for you for trying to get a handle on the feelings and find a more positive way to look at it! Anyway, here's a big cyber hug from me to you. Hang in there!
ReplyDeleteWOW that is a bad run as they say. I admire the humour you put into this post. Sending all good energy and keep your sense of humour. Hug B
ReplyDeleteDear Rain, I am sending every bit of good and positive energy I have! Throwing it all your way. I really don't like days like that, have had a few myself. My saying is "sometimes you are the hammer, and sometimes you are the nail". Most days I feel like the nail.
ReplyDeleteWell done you for putting the positive spin on things. That was a challenging day. Today will be better. :) I am hoping the costs for today are not too great.
Keep happy thoughts!
Dianna
A good and trustworthy mechanic is worth his weight in gold and it sounds like you've got a real sweetie there! I hope the rest of your week is great and makes up for that one shitty day.
ReplyDeletei hate it when i have days like this. positive energy sent your way and i hope the car repair isn't costly! hang in there!
ReplyDeleteI think that crying is under-rated. I find that it is a great stress reliever for me. Plus, maybe that guy with the truck and the horn fetish will think twice the next time he gets all bent out of shape because someone in front of him is not moving. It seems that bad things come in bunches. I think that you've gotten through your bad bunch and that things will be much better. You are a very resilient young woman - with a wonderful sense of humor. I'm with Snoskred - let your vet know about the rude treatment. And request a year's prescription. If this is an ongoing condition that will require treatment forever, he shouldn't have a problem with that. Most vets do ask that you bring your dog/cat in once a year, although my vet does not. My cat does not go out and the only time he goes to the vet (very stressful for both of us) is when he really needs to. Large, economy-sized hug being sent to you from me.
ReplyDeleteYou might just be low on transmission fluid, that will be the best case to hope for.
ReplyDeleteRaining some here, I got soaked at work but got a lot done, guess I had a lot better day than you had!
I remember braking down in the middle of a city and having to push a car myself as no one would help, just beep their horns instead. Luckily the parking guy let me park there all evening without giving me a ticket!
ReplyDeleteHope your bill for repairs is low!
Oh, for sure, sending lots of positive energy your way. That's what we friends out here in Blogland are for! We all need it once in a while. Plus, I think writing it all out as you did in your post is a good release for a perfectly poopy day. But all in all, you definitely seem to be handling these frustrating, difficult situations in a good, positive way. I'm taking lessons from you and trying to turn all negatives into positives. I'm finding doing so can actually make me laugh at the absurdity of those dang blasted negatives!
ReplyDeleteFingers crossed for an inexpensive automotive fix!
Awww, when it Rains, it pours :) Sorry for the pun! That is how it always seems to go when it comes to money and unexpected bills it seems, at least in my experience. However, you do bring a lot of sunshine to those of us who follow and enjoy your blog which I find refreshing and honest and I love your pictures :) Hope your week gets better!
ReplyDeleteCar problems always make me feel bad because I feel so completely out of my element, like I should know what is wrong but am stupid because I don't.
ReplyDeleteI share your tax issues. We had to pay rather more than I anticipated this year. It still makes me bitter when I think about it.
Oh Rain, so sorry for your troubles. It does all come in droves does it not? With our 17 and 19 year old vehicles it seems we have issues more and more often but in the long run we save money. My father used to say that the occasional "pity party" is a good thing, so cry it out and move on blog buddy. I sense great strength in you. I do.
ReplyDeleteOh boy. I once couldn't start my car and the key would not come out. I now know that if my battery cables get dirty, it does that, so I keep tools in the car (at least a screwdriver and a wrench). Glad you could turn it into something positive. Hubby and I were on a motorcycle ride about a week ago. We stopped in the middle of no where, because we ran into a fellow biker. We decided to go out to eat. The other guy drove out, we couldn't get the bike started. Hubby left the ignition on and it drained the battery. I tried to push start him, then a few guys stopped to try. Didn't work. Thankfully, we were a mile from someone he knew, and they came with tools. We got it jumped and cleaned the battery as well. Oh, and the other biker returned to help, as well as another biker stopped.
ReplyDeleteHi Goatldi :)) I actually do have a car emergency service, but in this area, it takes them about an hour to get to me, so I always try my best to find a quick solution first!
ReplyDeleteThanks Dawn :)) I have further news on the vet situation, I'll post about it today, but yes, it is time to switch.
ReplyDeleteHi Snoskred! :) The funny thing is, my vet USED to be the type who was much more accommodating. I never expect a handout, but things over there have really changed. I'm so glad you have a good vet, that's so important. I had a pug who passed away at age 19 in 2014. He had eye problems, and ulcers as well. It was traumatic for him to go through that fluorescent eye test with the black light too. Though he didn't hold grudges and not speak to me after lol! :)
ReplyDeleteHi Baili! :)) Thanks for visiting :) I just went to your blog too :) And thanks! Once in a while I get really lucky with the photos of the sky, that rainbow was gone within minutes. But I am a sky-watcher too, I'm known to just sit on the porch and watch the skies for hours during storms. And you are right about self-pity. I think that it has it's purpose for me in the way that it helps me get the stress out, but I get so sick of myself after a little while that I have to change my attitude lol...
ReplyDeleteThank you Yarrow, I definitely felt all of the wonderful positive healing energy yesterday :))) and so did my car I think, I hope! Lol...Tuesday was a day for the books, it continued to be bad all night because I couldn't sleep and I had stomach trouble...all at once, but I did survive, so I'm grateful for that!!
ReplyDeleteThanks Leigh, I'll take a cyber hug any day :))
ReplyDeleteThank you Buttons! :) I appreciate your comment and you saw the humour in my post, I have to see some kind of humour or I go batty.
ReplyDeleteLol, Dianna, I was definitely the nail the other day! Today I feel quite hammerish though :) And thanks for positive energy!! :))
ReplyDeleteHi Debra :)) I agree with you about the mechanic. I've always been lucky in that area. I did have one bad one, well, it was the dealership where I bought my first car, they were awful, always questioning me a little too much about handling the car and what problems I was having - but that could have been because it was still under a warantee and they had to absorb the labour and parts.
ReplyDeleteThanks Joyce, and thanks for the positive energy :)))
ReplyDeleteHi Susan :)) YES, crying IS under-rated!!! For me anyway, it's a wonderful stress release. People think it's related only to grief or sadness, but it has many good uses :)) Thanks for the big hug! :) Our vet told us that for the cats, we didn't have to bring them if all else was fine, just to renew - well, she said that last year. I did speak to her, I'll post about it today, it didn't go very well...and I also hope the big country man in the truck has realized that patience can be a virtue. :) Hey, maybe I was meant to have that bad day just to teach him that? I choose to believe that's why my car pooped out!!! :)
ReplyDeleteHi Gill :)) Oh, the rain poured down yesterday too! The mechanic went pretty well, not too expensive. I wonder if I can check the transmission fluid myself, I didn't read my comments until this morning, so it didn't occur to me to ask him, mind you, he didn't suggest it.
ReplyDeleteHi Kev :)) That's awful! At least the big dumbdumb-turned-nice-guy in the truck found his generous side! Reminds me once when I worked and commuted in the city. I slipped on slush when entering the train station at rush hour. NOBODY helped me get up, I remember really hurting my knee. People WALKED over me to get to the train station in time!
ReplyDeleteHi Mama Pea :)) The blog post did help me release the frustration, but you know, writing it out always does help me find a positive because it's not just about me ranting to my journal, it's public so I feel I should try a little harder! :)
ReplyDeleteHi Lisa :)) Ha! It rained on Rain that's for sure lol! :) And thank you so much for your compliment! :)
ReplyDeleteHi TB :)) I feel the same way, even when I go to the mechanic, I always ask him to explain what he's done, what needs to be done and why because I hate feeling helpless. Taxes...anyway, we can't avoid them but I sure hate to pay them.
ReplyDeleteThanks Donna :)) I had a wonderful pity party! It got all of my stress out, so I do feel better. And I spent some time looking up issues with the car too, to try to educate myself a little more, I did find that strength! :)
ReplyDeleteHi Kristina! :) I think that's great that you got so much help last week! I remember once not closing my door properly and draining the battery in my first car. When I couldn't start it, I kind of remembered thinking to myself at the time "did I close that door all the way???"...I should have just checked when the thought came to me!
ReplyDeleteBless your heart, Rain. You sure ran into a lot of heavy flak at the same time. I'm sure the guy who blew his horn at you was ashamed and embarrassed when he saw it was a woman driving.
ReplyDeleteYou are taking care of business. You remind me of my daughter, who also has to deal with daily pit falls of life and sometimes runs into too many, too fast.
I do what I can to help. I have my accountant do her taxes and I pay them. When she comes to visit, I take her Jeep down to my mechanic and have it gone over with a fine toothed comb, then have everything that needs work fixed.
Your post made me think of her. Glad you handled it all. Maybe life will cut you a little slack now.
Thank you Harry! :))) That was really nice of you to say :) I know the horn-blower guy felt bad, he didn't apologize, but he was kind when he was helping me. I think people forget that life doesn't revolve around their impatience!! That's really good of you to help your daughter like that! I think life has already cut me some slack, today is a good day :)))
ReplyDeleteWell, I'm late reading your post and I apologize but I will say that worrying about something before you know how it's going to turn out is taking the joy out of a moment you can never get back....and however it turns out....you have no control so once we learn and accept that fact then we can kick back! I know, easier said than done but it is a like a muscle you need to exercise to make it stronger....once I know I have done everything in my power to right a situation or solve a problem I hand it over to God and then it is off my shoulders....literally! It hasn't always been this way but it is now and I am so grateful! Try it, you'll like it! LOL! So glad all worked out for the best!
ReplyDeleteThanks Sam :)
ReplyDelete