I'm Pretty Sure a Total Stranger Is Going to Buy Me a Transmission | Do Try This at Home: I'm Pretty Sure a Total Stranger Is Going to Buy Me a Transmission

Saturday, August 01, 2009

I'm Pretty Sure a Total Stranger Is Going to Buy Me a Transmission

First off, I promised some pictures of the green living room. I didn't really have any good "before" pictures, but here are my best:

Come to think of it, my "after" pictures aren't really the greatest either:
I love how it came out - lime green in the light, olive green in the shadows. It needs touch up, or perhaps a third coat in places, and I'm procrastinating on that one. Because only the first coat of paint is really any fun.

This has been my week:
The transmission in my car is out. I'm pretty sure I could buy a rust bucket clunker car for the same price as fixing the transmission.

My tooth needs a crown. That costs almost as much as the transmission, but insurance should pay half.

I got a speeding ticket that should cost about the same as the tooth.
'Cause when you're driving down the road just hoping the transmission doesn't fall right out on the pavement, speeding seems like a reasonable option. It's like that old joke - "Officer I'm only speeding because I'm trying to get home before I run out of gas."

"So your life is shit right now, huh?" asks my brother yesterday. "No," I answer, "I'm doing okay."

I'm doing okay, because I can take traffic school AGAIN to reduce the price of the speeding ticket, at least to an amount that mere mortals can expect to pay in one lifetime.

And I'm doing okay because I saw this bumper sticker the other day: And I thought, "He loves me!! That total stranger loves me! And all because I'm driving! And sober!" And so I think that means he's going to buy me a new transmission. And maybe a new tooth too.

But then I thought, "Well, that's only because he's never actually seen my driving. I'm pretty sure that taking snapshots of the car in front of you cancels out whatever advantage driving while sober offers." So he probably doesn't actually love me all that much. Or if he does, it's totally unrequited.

So that's about it from Camp Do Try This at Home. I'm just spending my time pouring money into my mouth or the car or the police department, waiting for my kids to get back from camp and for school to start back up.

24 comments:

John C said...

That, is an AWESOME view out the window, let alone the way the door's placed, Jill.

Teeth, transmissions...lady, you make me feel right at home sometimes, lol.

Enjoy your weekend. :)

Beth said...

oh no, that totally sucks! the car that I just rode with you in? you mean I could have been a part of your adventures had it happened a day or two earlier? Good news is Honda's are good for many miles, if you fix it, it should last you a long time. Then again, a newer used car might be in order, there are some good deals going on right now.

Jeb said...

I actually like the color....then again I sort of weird

Jill said...

Well I do my very bestest John C. - Glad you've made yourself at home! :-)

Beth - That very one - yep, you narrowly escaped. It could cost up to $1900, so it had *B*E*T*T*E*R* last a good long time if I end up putting that much into it! Can you imagine?!?!?!?!? The guys at the first shop where I brought it (who said it was too complicated for them & referred me to the specialty transmission place) were all, "It only has 135,000 miles on it..."

Jeb - You can say THAT again!! I'm sorry John, it would have been a crime to pass that one up. I had to. I really like how it came out too. There are just certain spots where the paint didn't coat as well as it should have, probably because the wall is really textured.

Lara Neves said...

That color looks AMAZING with your wood. I love it! Good work, sister.

And good luck with all the expenditures. I swear, stuff like that only happens to me when I have money I was going to use for something fun. I try to look at it as, "well, at least I had the money." but it's hard not to say, "I never have any fun."

:)

Disa said...

oooooh, love the wooden beams and frames around the window- goes very well with the green.

Christine said...

I love the green. I painted several walls that color and loved them...and my husband made it clear they had to go. So I shall enjoy them on your blog, instead.

And they say cell phone use is worse than drunk driving so that guy probably actually really dislikes you.

Maureen said...

Well doesn't bad things come in threes, so you should be good now.

For a little while at least.

BTW, love the green. Mine is green too; kindy a greyish-green that changes hues during the day as well! Very calming. (LOVE your home too)

Arizaphale said...

I too am a sucker for green and that one is a beauty! Ditto on the wood comments!
Cars and teeth. Huh. It always happens to me just when I think I'm 'getting ahead'. Good luck with all that. Enjoy your lounge room instead.
(PS is it my imagination or does the 'sober driver' lover have a dent in his car?)

Jill said...

Thanks Lara!!!! Yeah, I totally had the money earmarked for boring stuff though, luckily or unluckily...well, what I had of it at any rate.

Thanks Disa!

What a shame Christine!

Thanks Maureen! Yeah, it's supposed to be threes. Except, when it gets to be more than three, that's when people say, "It never rains but it pours." Hopefully it will be stopping at three though.

Jill said...

Arizaphale - Guess I took a long time posting my comment! Must have left mine up while I ate breakfast & you posted in the mean time.

As for the dent - I did that. KIDDING! :-) :-) :-)

Unknown said...

Hey who ate my comment!

Do you usually get by on the kindness of strangers? Must be cheap to be your friend.

Unknown said...

And by cheap I mean inexpensive :)

ALF said...

I love the green!

Loraine said...

I need a total stranger to buy me a new starter.
My husband needs to have a ganglion cyst removed from his arm. No idea how much that is going to run.
The HOA manager is attempting to fine us because our friends were smoking in the parking lot, even though there's nothing in the contract that says they can't. Yay for legal fees.

But I'm okay- in fact I feel pretty lucky. I lot of people are losing their jobs and homes, and we're still floating our boat.

Sounds like we're pretty much in the same shape!

Jill said...

SJ - I hate it when that happens!!!!!!!!!!! I dunno about the kindness thing - we probably all do to a certain extent, or I'd like to think so. :-)

Thanks Alf!

Loraine - Oh no! A new starter doesn't sound cheap either! I think I'm going to need a timing belt next. Good thing we're both in such good shape!!!!! :-)

Unknown said...

The place looks great! Contest the ticket if you have not. Sounds like they did if offering traffic school. It's likely you can find a clunker for the price of transmission. Or you can try and take advantage of the government cash for clunkers program and get a new one if you qualify.

A Free Man said...

These annoying things that cost annoying amounts of money all seem to come through at the same time, don't they?

Jill said...

Thanks Ricardo! Turns out I couldn't do traffic school because it was a construction zone. I was like, "Even if there weren't any people there?" At least he un-doubled the fine though, because even farther up the road where there WERE people, they weren't doing construction, they were just landscaping and messing with the flowers.

A Free Man - NO KIDDING!!!! Ugh!!!!!

Ms. Q said...

I love the way your mind works and how you can put together all the almost-empty glasses and have a full one at the end! You have a knack for making anything funny.

Unfortunately, it does seem like things come in 3s! I've had a few pricey but necessary expenditures come up, too. ("I thought my health insurance covered this..") and am feeling a bit stressed but then I try to remind myself that getting stressed doesn't help and

while I am not too happy with shelling out money for things like car, health and computer maintenance (what maintenance? the monitor has a big white band through it? it's gone!) I can actually afford it. Phew! Like Loraine wrote, I feel lucky.

I hope it's smooth sailing for you now!

Jill said...

Thanks Ms. Q! I'm sorry for the expenses racking up & hope it's smooth sailing after this for you too!

Eric said...

Sorry to hear of your travails. Something to occupy you while the kids are away?

Life has been an endless series of crowns for me... the bridge was the most fun of all, but fortunately I have double coverage and the transmission is holding for now: Volvos live forever, for a PRICE. Drive safe.

Jill said...

Eric - Actually, the crown wasn't as bad as the filling they put in the same tooth a few weeks ago. That hurt for DAYS for some reason, and the crown I just got yesterday and it almost doesn't even hurt at all any more!

Janet said...

Love the green walls! Our kitchen AND dining room are olive green, different shades.

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