The anticipation of GOOD Friday

This Friday is Good Friday--
I am ready to declare it GREAT Friday.
I am ready for a break.
I am ready for a day to play
I only wish i didn't have to work tomorrow...
I am sick and tired of it.
The worst part of working in the morning is that it is going to start even earlier than usual.
Some knuckle head at work decided to add another student to this route i am driving
and i have to pick her up at 5:45 am
--which means i need to be at work even earlier.....
way to early if you ask me.
The only redeeming grace is that the sun is coming up earlier and earlier,
so getting up isn't quite as bad--but it still sucks.

This has been a tough week around our house--
more disappointments
and then van issues on top of it.
I think it is safe to say that both my hubby and i are emotionally exhausted.
We are both ready to get away...
even our little trip that we planned was almost derailed by a need for a expensive new transmission that was not going to be done in time for us to use our van,
thank goodness for a grandma with a van, and her willingness to let us borrow it--
that way we can still get away...
Even if it will only be for a day

Update on POCC

Once again I was on the receiving end of the POCC breaking down.
What? Is this like a weekly occurrence? Is it only after i pick up little man and on my way home for therapy with him that the car decides to die in the middle of the road?
Once again i found myself jumping out of the car to push start it and get on my way. My little man was freakin' out when i did this...I was freakin' out--well not freaking out just really really irritated! I placed a call with to my husband venting my frustration---
WHY! oh WHY--ME?
He had told me that he had fixed the problem--and he had. I mean he fixed the problem at the time--only it was not the only problem. I had been asking--are you sure it is not the alternator? To which the response was--NO, just the battery. I dropped little man off and pushed started the car to go to work--I was almost there and then the car started acting really crazy. I was a couple blocks from my work and i literally chug chugged my way into the parking lot. Again i placed a call to my husband to tell him what was going on and I was sure that i had ruined the car. He came after work and worked his magic
--and guess what--
IT WAS A BAD ALTERNATOR.
He had it fixed and ready for me to drive by the time i finished work--such a relief to know that i will actually make it home--safely....

Now if i can just get by next Tuesday without having to push the car i will be happy

Car frustrations

Call me crazy
(since i am sure that is what most of you think anyway)

but when i get in my car to go somewhere, I actually have the belief i will get there.
Call it hope.
Call it--stupidity--
because that is how i feel about it lately.
Normally i don't mind driving our
piece o' crap car (aka POCC)
--it is cheap to run--
paid for...
not pretty to look at--
radio free which allows me to think
and until lately you could say
dependable?.

Let me go back a few months--

For the longest time the fuel gauge was off--it never showed being full so when it was on or below empty you actually had plenty of gas left---so with that in mind when i was on a quarter tank i was not worried about running out of gas--until i did one day. Unbeknownst to me the gauge starting working again and a quarter tank actually meant empty now. Thank goodness for my oldest brother who happened to be working in our neighborhood and was only a few miles from where i had run out of gas on the freeway--yes the freeway. He came out and brought me gas--let's say he brought me fuel for my car--since the reference to gas and my brother is NOT a good thing.
Then my brakes started acting up--again on the freeway--luckily i was able to get off and find a place to park. My master cylinder had gone out. My husband met me for that one and i left him waiting for the tow truck--since i had places to be--after all why should i have all the fun?

It seems that the battery always seems to be an issue. Kinda an AZ thing. If we get two years out of a battery that is a good thing--but don't plan on much more than that. My battery has been acting up lately--the other day the car died on me while i was sitting in traffic with little man. Little man did not like the fact that i jumped out of the car to push it across traffic into the circle K. I did not like it either--but what is a girl to do? Atleast it was the car that i could manage by myself and not the van. A nice guy came and helped me at the end--all i can say is thank goodness for a lightweight car and weight bearing exercises. I called my mom--she was at a baseball game--UGH. Who would be available? I went through my list of possible available people and finally came back to my brother in the hopes that he was close-and he was!! First thing he says to me "did you run out of gas again?" "NO"--He came and picked us up so little man could get to his therapy and then proceeded to take me back later and tow the car behind his truck. After that experience i decided that i do not have the stomach to be a race car driver. The going fast part was not the problem--it was driving up on someones bumper that left me white knuckled--I am not meant to be a tailgater. I like my adequate follow distance between vehicles--even when i am the passenger i find myself cringing and trying to brake....

Now I don't mind push starting this POCC--(well actually i do.) but, I have actually gotten very good at it. I just find it embarrassing when i have to do it in front of people. It is something i would rather not have people critiquing my push start abilities. And then there are certain shoes i would rather not be wearing when i have to do it--or dressed up--like i was this morning. I rarely get embarrassed--but i sat in my POCC waiting until the woman that i walked out with left. Sensing that something was wrong she drove by my car to make sure all was OK--now i had to confess. She asked if i had jumper cables--honestly jumper cables are more hastle than its worth. I told her i was going to push start it--and she told me she would wait until i got it started--wasn't that kind?! UGH i had to push start it in front of her--luckily i was able to do it right away--saved me a minor bit of embarrassment--that way i was able to drive off quickly.

I placed a frustrated call to my husband venting my irritation.
"Why am i always the one that has to have the car problems?"
He responded that he would take care of it as soon as he got home. I did arrive home safely--(although at moments i was having my doubts) and as soon as my husband got home he handed me the keys to his car for the remainder of the day--he then proceeded to fix the POCC, he said he took care of the problem...until the next time the car decides to die on me...I keep reminding myself that it is paid for and that it gets great gas mileage...

cars, keys and consistancy

One of my biggest fears as a bus driver is that i will lose my keys while i am on a trip. It has happened. Not actually to me, but another guy was hanging out at his girlfriends house and lost his keys--not able to find them he left the bus parked and had his girlfriend take him to the bus yard to get keys for another bus. He showed up late and had missed his group. I don't know if he ever found his keys--or if my boss found out...but it left an indelible impression

A few weeks ago i was down in Tucson with my bus. It was going to be an all day affair so i came prepared--I had books to read--my computer and my scrap booking supplies. The only thing i had not brought with me was food. My boss who had lived in Tucson had mentioned that there was a good restaurant in walking distance,and since Tucson is not know to be bus friendly that was my plan. I figured since i was going to be away from the bus i should lock it up well. I took the time and actually slide the latch on the inside of the emergency exit door. On the front door my latch is broken but i have figured out a way to have it securely closed. Since it is an air door I can open it to get out and then i come around to the side drivers window and flip the door switch thus closing the door, then gently i slide the window ALMOST shut--only if you knew how to open it could you manage to get in. It has worked well in the past--remember the key is to ALMOST shut the window--that way you can open it back up again to open the door back up--but if you accidentally shut it too tight--not to worry. That is what you have the emergency exit for. Remember how i locked that from the inside--remember how i was only supposed to ALMOST shut the window? Well about the time i remembered that i had left the keys inside the bus--I went to open the ALMOST shut window, only to find that it was not ALMOST shut--it was shut--TIGHT! I guess i did not know my own strength. Now I was locked out of the bus--with my keys inside. I thought about trying to climb through the emergency exit window in the back--just a thought because i could not even open that up--and if i had been able to--i don't even know if i could have gotten up in there. I had succeeded in "PUNKING" myself. The only thing i was missing was the video camera. I wasn't too worried--atleast i had not curled up in a ball yet, crying on the curb--but i was a bit concerned. I walked around the bus evaluating the situation--not good. I was proverbially screwed. It was almost a laughable situation if it had not been so dire--and to boot--I WAS HUNGRY! I thought about the window--and possible of having to break it--my options were limited. Actually about that time i remembered that this was the window that jiggles open while i am driving and drives me crazy with the wind whistling in. I figured it if i tapped on it long enough i could hopefully get it open--IT WORKED! I managed to loosen it enough to get my hand in to open back up the door. I got my keys out--and then i proceeded to GENTLY ALMOST shut the window, much more careful this time.....and then got some lunch....

Last week in the midst of my car problems I found myself in the van. So nice to be in a dependable vehicle.Not that the van does not have its own issues. Recently the automatic locks have not been working properly. In order to lock the doors you have to manually do it--usually not a big deal. In order to have the van that day i had to take my daughter to school and she made me promise that i would be there after school to pick her up. I was out running errands picking up some food for dinner that night, and realized that i had about 20 minutes to kill before i had to leave to pick her up. I was right by DI and figured i would go in and take a look around. Since i had a car full of food i figured that i needed to lock it up secure, so prior to getting out i reached over to the passenger side and locked both doors. I proceeded inside and did a quick tour and I found these cool line drawings and bought them.I looked at my watch and realized that my timing was perfect-as i pulled out my keys to get back into the van i noticed that the van key was missing from the ring. It was lost. I had a moment of panic--i cruised around the store retracing my steps hoping to find the lost key. I went through the store and even inquired about a lost key from the help. It had not been found. My next thought was maybe i had left it in the car--I went out and looked--and wouldn't you know it--there on the passenger seat sat my key. Somehow when i had reached over to lock the car sooooo efficiently it had fallen off. Keep in mind if i had not locked every door I could have just opened up a door and taken right off--but NO! I was locked out tight. I called my husband hoping he was on this side of town--NO LUCK. He suggested that i call my brother again--NO WAY! Not after the fact that he had just saved me the day before--and never mind the fact that he would not let me live it down. I called my mom hoping she was around--and she was. In the meantime i went in to see if they had a hanger (not that hangers work on electronic locks but i was hoping we could hook the key) I inquired about a metal hanger only to find out that they did not have the cheap metal hangers that you could untwist--what was i going to do? Upon hearing my plight the woman at the register took pity upon me and called up some help--I now had two young men to help me look at my key through the window. Thank goodness for ingenuity--one of the young men took off my antenna and used it to pop open the window locks and then contorted his hand to reach in and unlock my door. I was trying not to be bothered by the fact that my van was so easy to break into--and that this young man appeared to be such a pro at it. All of this took place in a matter of a brief moment and i was still able to go on my way and pick up my daughter--thank goodness for more guys to bail me out of my blond moments....

Venting my Frustrations

OK, I need a moment--
deep breath---
Breathing in.....
Breathing out.....
Now i will proceed to vent!

Can i just say--
that i really-
I mean REALLY
despise technology sometimes?
I have spent the morning
battling a software company.
We had bought some new movie software
a few months back--
and not needing it till now
I waited to download it this morning.
Just one major hic-up--
for some reason i was missing the registration #
I thought it was a minor deal--
an easy fix
but NO!
After phone calls
and computer generated circles
and a help line that was of NO help
that sent me in more circles
and left me even more frustrated,
I finally found a # to talk to a person--
only,
to talk to the person you had to have the
patience of a saint.
(which at this point i was lacking)

I was needing to walk out the door
to pick up little man for therapy
but not wanting to give up after i had been on hold for a half hour
and knowing that at any minute it would pay off--
and I would get to speak a real person
(the key word speak)
and have my problem resolved.....
Finally a live human voice came on the line
and after me spewing my frustrations at him
(I was done being patient and kind)
I think we got the problem resolved in less than five minutes.

Now i was late picking up
little man.
The lights were all timed
to turn red as i was going through them--
(luckily none had the red light photo's)
As i was pulling into the school i remembered that i was
going to get gas before i picked him up.
My daughter had left it on empty--
I wasn't exactly sure how empty it was
but running late
i didn't have time to fill it up.
I took my chances
and as i was making the left turn into my neighborhood
my van sputtered it's last bit of gas out.
Now i am stuck trying to move a van from a stand still
across three lanes of traffic--
OH MY.
Can i just say the lord sends angels--
one of my friends from church
just happened to be riding her bike
and saw my plight
and hopped off to help me.
Two ladies
pushed the van
across the road--
and then little man and i
walked the rest of the way to our house.
I think i needed the walk to calm down--
cool off.
Whatever it was/is
I now have it off my chest
and i will proceed to get busy
and finish this video for the swim banquet.

UPDATE:
After all that frustration
my oldest son says to me
"Why didn't you call me?--
I could have told you where the registration # was."
AHHHH--
I am now about half way done with the video--
only i am using the old software-
(I had forgotten how frustrating it was--and that was why we got the new one)
because i didn't take into account the learning curve
of trying to figure out the new one.
So all that frustration was for naught--
I guess it just makes me appreciate those days
when everything does go your way.