Why I miss the MTA

So, I think I told you guys last week, the day after I spent $600 on new axles, my car battery died. Good times, right? Especially since the so-called "6-year" battery was purchased in March. Yeah, 8 months ago. Tom left the receipt in the glove compartment. He bought it in Frisco, but I didn't particularly want to drive up there, especially since I had less than a quarter tank of gas, and couldn't stop for more without jumping the car again, yadda yadda yadda. So I called all the Goodyears around here and none of them carried that battery, and I finally got ahold of one on Montfort. Tom very graciously drove down here to jump the car, and follow me up to Montfort to get it switched out. We stood around for a while, fretting about the fact that I didn't have a lot of gas, and finally I asked the mechanic if I should leave and come back- he said yes, give him an hour, so T & I went to eat lunch. When we get back, I tell Tom he can go, thanks for helping me, and then the mechanic informs me that he doesn't have any of the particular battery in my car. Um, thanks for calling, Mechanic. So I flip out~ (very rightly) stating that Goodyear sold me a shoddy battery and Goodyear needed to fix it, even if that meant giving me a different battery. He just says there's nothing he can do, switching batteries like that is the equlivalent of buying something at JC Penney and returning it to Sears. (It's totally not the same, but whatever.) I call Tom back, freaking out about how they won't help me, and I'm so frustrated that we're spending all day fixing a problem that isn't even our fault to begin with, and Tom the Awesome Definitive Decision Maker says "tell him to call Frisco and tell them that I am coming to pick up that battery. I will bring it back and he will install it." Go, T, go!!

I spent an hour watching Tyra and Montel (and I think I lost several IQ points in the process; seriously, I feel dumber) and then T came back with the battery. They gave him the wrong fracking battery! WHA? I almost busted a blood vessel from my neck, but the mechanics said they could make it work. Then they broke one of the little thingies that holds it on to the tray thing it sits on in the car. They didn't have one so they had to make another one, and the mechanic actually had the audacity to say to Tom, "this is a lot of bullsh*t for one little battery." I just stood there and glowered.

Soooo, about 4 hours of my day, and 4 hours of Tom's day- wasted on a problem that neither of us should have had in the first place. I leave (promising to babysit for Tom for free for the rest of Avery's childhood) and since I know I only have 5% of my front brake pads left, drive v-e-r-y carefully home, brakes squealing all the way. Guess who gets PULLED OVER??????

That's right. I got 2 tickets, 2 blocks from my house. TWO. One for expired inspection, and one for not having my "proof of financial responsibility" (insurance). "Where was your insurance, Jamie?" you might ask. The answer is "sitting next to the door in my apartment, 2 blocks from here." See, I got new cards in the mail yesterday, and set them next to my keys so I wouldn't forget them. But in my craziness to get up to Montfort before I ran out of gas, once Tom got my car on, I grabbed my purse and ran out. I mean, C'MON! [~Gob]

*smacks forehead* I have a court date of December 12th. Also? I've now had four tickets since I got that car in April. The hell? That's pretty steep considering that I'm only home to drive it maybe 20% of the time.

So, I'm leaving for Phoenix Monday and I'll be there a whole week, but stay tuned: next on No Day but Today, see if Jamie can get to Hurst for her Nov. 28th exams without using up the remaing 5% of her brake pads. *weg*

Oh, and oh holy frak, Erin and I got all caught up on BSG last night. Frak ME. What do you hear? Nothing but the rain. So grab your gun and bring in the cat.

Boom boom boom.