I Wish I Could Be Repaired As Easily As My Car Was

Today starts out really busy, but then will die down to a small roar. I need to return the rental car to the dealer at 7:00 am, and then head to my clinic for an 8:30 am bone density scan. I'm really curious about how my bones are doing. Generally, my bones are great ... except in my hip area where I've been losing bone structure for more than a decade. Thus the bone density drugs which I can only take for a certain time period before giving them a year or two off, and the daily collagen that I add to my morning tea. I'm healthy, I'm active, and I want to stay that way. A broken hip in this house would require us to move, and I'm most DEFINITELY not up to that! 

The ideal is to have bones that look like the bone 
on the left. Mine, unfortunately, are closer to the 
bone on the right (although actually somewhere 
in the middle examples). My leg bones and arm bones 
are great, it's my pelvis that's my problem. But since 
the pelvis is critical, my Doc is keeping a close eye on 
my bones. 

The rental car (which was supplied at no charge by the dealership) was a 2024 Mazda CX-5, exactly the same as Minnion, but a lot newer. New buttons, new dials, but basically the same operation and handling. I was very comfortable in it, but it's white. I really don't like white cars, even though "Cream Puff" my Subaru, was white. But I really prefer cars with color, or if not color, then black. White comes down at the bottom of my list because I live in Minnesota - a land of snow. I don't want to be driving a snow pile around in the winter months - LOL. 

I was pleased to be driving a newer version of my CX-5 
as my rental. It gave me a chance to see what upgrades 
have been made and how it handles. I know I'll have to 
get a new vehicle in a year or three, and I'll probably 
stick with my Mazda because I've never had a car I've 
liked so much. It fits me and my lifestyle to a "T". 

I'll drop off the rental car, then heading to the clinic. THEN I can get to the grocery store about an hour later than usual, get my veggies, and come home to make my "Ogre Juice" for the upcoming week. I'll have to be a bit careful with my spending for a bit. Minnion's repairs were more than $2000, although she was in REALLY good shape for not having been looked at for almost two years. Still, she needed a full set of tires, and those were $1000 of the $2000+. The other monies were for a variety of smaller things plus labor. It could have been worse, but it's still a hit to my budget when we're moving into Fair and Renaissance Festival time. This upcoming Sunday will be our first run out to Fest, which is why I wanted the car examined and repaired, if necessary. I didn't need to have her breaking down on the opposite end of town - the towing fees would be horrific. 

It's only money, right? *sigh* Fortunately I can afford 
the expense, unfortunately, it's a serious punch to the 
budget. No win/no lose, just fact. But I'll have a safe 
car to drive for the next year now, so that's a win. 

I'm working on my current story for LJ Idol. I have to wrap that up today and it's still pulling me into two opposing directions. *sigh*. I don't have to cook anything, though, so spending the day at the computer and cleaning the house for Sharon's visit is looking possible. Hopefully. I hope you have a truly fabulous Friday and I'll be back tomorrow - hopefully with a link to my latest story for you to read. I'll also be sure to let you know when the voting opens (probably in Monday's post). Enjoy your day! Slava Ukraini. 

Le Sigh ... GRRRR ... and Le Sigh Again - The Day Isn't Starting Well

It's 3:28 am and DH is up and playing LOTRO behind me on his computer. *sigh* I DON'T interact with people this early in the morning (except in writing with you, my friends). I have an EXTREMELY busy morning today, and absolutely NO time to spare with small talk or interruptions. So, I'm not super pleased at sharing the computer room when I need clear thoughts. But ... not much I can do. 

It's just going to be one of those days *sigh*. 

I've got my swimming, but from the time I get out of the pool, I'm in hyperdrive. I'll return home and drop off my swim gear, then head out to the auto dealership (I'll bring my "breakfast" to the shop with me because I might have a delay at the dealership. After dropping Minnion off for servicing (highly overdue - by more than a year - OOPS!), I'll take my free loaner car to the shop and get things going there. Once I'm at the shop I can breathe a bit - I'll be where I need to be for the day. It's getting there and knowing that I'll be OK until the end of the work day before fighting the traffic back to the dealer to pick up Minnion. I suspect I'll need four new tires, so this visit will be an expensive one. *sigh* 

I really need my swim today, because today will be a very 
expensive day and I'm not really sure how I'll pay for all 
of it. But I won't really know how expensive until after 
Minnion has been looked over. It's the new tires that 
will be the kicker, but the dealership pricing is equal to 
any of the tire shops I've checked. 

I got a good start on my topic for the latest writing challenge, but I have to double-check the deadline before signing off for the morning. I know it's tight, and I've got two very different essays going. I''ll have to make a firm decision about the road I need to be on as quickly as possible. NO time to waste on this. 

There's actually probably more than two roads worth of 
choice, but I'm hoping it will narrow itself down to one 
or the other for this story. I really hate it when things 
jell in two different and incompatible directions. *sigh*
If I was Salmon Rushdie, I'd probably just start different 
chapters, but I'm not he, nor is this a novel. 

Of course, there's also the question about how much Minnion will actually cost me when I pick her up this evening. Whatever it is, it will be a total ouch, but I'm really hoping I can get out of there for under $1000. It's money I don't have readily available, nor does the shop. Car repairs are usually paid by the shop because my car is a business expense. I'm not so sure I can do that this time. But ... one river to ford at a time. On that note, with scattered thoughts, I'm calling the blog done for the day. I need my swim to help calm my mind down. *sigh* Have an excellent day and I'll be back tomorrow. Slava Ukraini. 

Good Solstice - Cars and Soup and a Light Fixture

Good Solstice to one and all. We are now officially into Summer, creeping our way towards Autumn and the State Fair. This weekend, however is the largest auto show in our area - the Annual Street Rod Association National Show - "Back to the 50's". We'll be seeing fabulous restored cars (and those which are in the process of being restored) driving past the shop for the next few days. The show starts today, but really kicks off on Friday and tears down Sunday afternoon. The State Fairgrounds will be packed with people showing off their cars or merely looking at all of the vintage autos. It's one of my favorite times of the year because I adore classic cars. DH, on the other hand, has no interest in autos at all. 

The cars have already started arriving for the 50th "Back 
to the 50's" annual car show. We'll be seeing beautifully 
restored classic cars driving past the store for the weekend, 
mostly starting tomorrow. It will snarl traffic, and driving 
on the main road that goes past my shop becomes almost 
impossible after dark for a couple of days. All of the cars 
leave the Fairgrounds and parade up and down the road. 

I remember that I had wanted to go into a class on Auto Mechanics my senior year of high school. That would place it in 1971-1972, so quite a while ago. My high school only allowed boys into their shop class, so I looked into Community Education programs. They did have some basic auto mechanics courses available, but they also wouldn't allow women into the classes. Although they took my name, address and phone number, I saw them put my card at the back of the file and knew it was wasted effort. There might have been a lot of negative things that have happened over the past 40+ years, but having those barriers fall down and women allowed into "male" industries is one of the good things that happened. 

I actually think I would have been very happy as an 
auto mechanic. I truly love cars, and would have really 
enjoyed working on them. But, that was considered an 
unacceptable career choice in the early 1970's, and ended 
up just being one of those dreams that never was realized. 

I actually think I would have been extremely happy as an auto mechanic. There's something in my that adores patterns and connections, and I'm patient with the little things. For instance, the new bulbs which I replaced into a living room lighting fixture are working ... somewhat. The original bulbs that burned out were fluorescent, and those are no longer made or used. So I replaced them with the appropriately sized bulbs, and they work. BUT ... they always seem to need me to climb onto my step stool and make a minor twist to the bulb each morning to get them lighted. It might be a ballast issue, but my online research on that is conflicting. Sure, I could change the ballast - that's easily done. But part of what I'm reading says that a ballast is no longer necessary for this type of light with the new LED bulbs. I'll have to do more research and figure out what I need to do. 

I'm really looking forward to this batch of 
fresh tomato soup. Although soup can be a 
great winter food, it's also perfect for summer. 
and this recipe, which needs lots of fresh 
veggies, is just perfect for our warmer months. 

I decided to make a summer soup yesterday. Actually, it's a soup that is lovely any time of the year, but I really love it in the summer. It's a tomato and red peppers soup. I added cooked rice to the finished soup, along with some fresh thyme and rosemary from my garden. I'm really looking forward to tasting it tonight. It's happily in containers in my refrigerator right now. So ... did you do anything fun on your Wednesday? I topped my day off by having a nice catch-up conversation with Aearwen - always one of the highlights of my week. So I'm looking at the day/week ahead with optimism. We'll see, though. I might be optimistic and looking forward to seeing classic cars, but reality can always come crashing through. LOL Have an excellent Thursday and I'll be back tomorrow. Slava Ukraini. 

An Encounter with a McLaren - $300,000+ For a CAR!!!

Yesterday's schedule actually went better than expected. It was relatively smooth and easy, despite the fact that I did have a few small bumps in the road. Still, I did have some fun too. To start with, while driving to the eye doctor shortly before 7:00 am, an amazing car pulled ahead of me on the freeeway and caught my eye. To anyone who loves cars, this one would have caught them too. I didn't know what it was, but it was fast, sleek, unique and I totally loved it. 

I happen to dearly love cars - unique and amazing sports 
cars are always on my radar. DH, on the other hand, 
could give a darn about cars - they exist to get us from Point 
A to Point B and back again. Nothing much more than that. 
This particular car took my breath away. 

When I took the off-ramp, I realized the car was ahead of me, and when I turned into the parking lot for the clinic, it was still ahead of me. I wanted to find out where it parked, so I watched as it pulled into a parking spot at the UrGency Clinic - the building just to the west of my eye clinic's building. I gave myself a bit more eye candy, but had an appointment I had to get to, so I headed in to get my eyes checked. 

I had no idea what type of car it was - had to look at the hood 
and rear to find out it was a McLaren. I'll have to do a bit 
more research on this car. I'm totally in love. The doctor 
driving it was middle aged and a bit overweight, so this was 
definitely his dream car. 

This appointment went SO much better than my last one. I now have a prescription that I can use to send off a couple of my favorite sets of eyeglasses and get them re-lensed. I'm also going to get my Craft-Optics relensed to the correct prescription. They are what I wear when I'm beading, and right now, I'm beading when I can for this year's holiday card "gift". But ... to return to my tale. 

Left side detail - the doors are gull wing doors, one of 
the things I really loved about this model of car. I haven't 
seen a McLaren car on the road in decades, so this was 
a real treat. 

After completing my eye doctor appointment, and passing with flying colors, I returned to the parking lot. As it turned out, the doctor didn't dilate my eyes at all, so I wasn't bothered by the sunlight. I made my way to my car, dropped off my paperwork, and continued on to take a closer look at this amazing sports car. 

You might remember the gull wing doors from the old 
DeLorean cars of the 1980's and 90's. Same idea, different 
manufacturer, and totally different styling. This was 
totally "sex on a stick" - automobile style - LOL. 

Now, I live in the Frozen Northlands of Minnesota. Sports cars like this - very expensive and rare - simply aren't seen on our streets because they can only be driven a maximum of six months a year. So whoever was driving this one had enough money to keep the car stored for the winter months. As I got closer, I realized it was parked in the "Physician Only" slots for the clinic, so that explained the income - LOL. I took a bit of time to admire it, and took a number of photos that I'm sharing here. If you also get Facebook with me, you might already have seen them, but that's OK. How often do you get a chance to see a McLaren car? 

I probably should have blurred the license plate, but 
what the heck. I'm rather amazed it didn't have a vanity 
plate to go along with the full package. Current price 
for one of these? $309,000!!! More than a LOT of houses. 

I satisfied my curiosity, posted the photos onto Facebook, and headed onward to my day, which turned out to be a rather productive one. I conquered some computer problems/issues, cooked my chicken, had my weekly chat with my dear friend Aearwen, and generally, had a very good Wednesday. Today I'm swimming, then heading to the shop, and hopefully I'll get some productive work done there. Maybe. LOL In any case, it's Thursday, so have a fabulous day, enjoy the car photos, and I'll be back tomorrow. Slava Ukraini. 

A Day of Travel Between Work - and Snow, Of Course

I have a very busy morning today before I even get to the store, and it snowed last night, so I have to build snow shoveling into the schedule as well. DH and I have to drive out to the Toyota dealership to get his truck's 6-month checkup and service taken care or. We'll drop it off early this morning and pick it up after work tonight. That means his usual Monday trip to the grocery store probably won't happen, and it messes up our evening schedule too, but it has to be done to keep the extended warranty active. 

Maplewood is a suburb to the East of us, not super far 
away, but a good 20-25 minutes depending on traffic. Of 
course, the Twin Cities are actually a bunch of suburbs 
around two central cities named Minneapolis and St Paul. 

My body, apparently, was totally on board with this, unknown to me. I awakened at 2:15 am and couldn't get back to sleep, so I gave up and started my day almost an hour earlier than my usual 3:00 or 3:15 am schedule. I'll be dragging by tonight, and don't dare go to sleep earlier than usual because that will only compound the issue. Bleh! 

I want spring flowers and cheeping birds and sunshine 
and even flying bugs. I'm really tired of a landscape of 
white with snow drifts and piles as high as my head. I 
know it's March, and we get a lot of snow in March, 
but I don't have to enjoy it - LOL. 

But, to look at the positives, I'm at a good weight today and we're not supposed to get a bunch of snow from this storm - only 3-4 inches total. I can live with that, no problem. Of course I'm in the camp of "Want Spring NOW", but I'm also a realist and know that time won't come until Mother's Day. 

So I bought one of these SKG digital watches. 
It's quite comfortable, and it's fine for swimming 
which is essential for anything I wear. But ... 
I can't get it paired with my phone's bluetooth, 
and until I can, I can't set the time or date. 
Very frustrating. 

I developed a sensitivity to the metal back of my Timex watch, so I ordered a new digital watch - some Chinese thing. I received it on Saturday, and find myself completely unable to set the time on it. I'll have to delve into it when I have some time to try this and that, but right now, I'm calling myself digitally challenged. It's a rare piece of electronics or software that I can't grasp eventually, so Wednesday will have to make some time to play with the watch, uninstall and then reinstall the software for it, and try to get the watch and my phone communicating with each other. Once that happens, I should be golden. Until then, I'm still watchless. Not the end of the world - I always have my phone and the time is quite prominent on it. 

On that note, I'm out of here. I have plenty to do and the day is progressing along - it's almost 5:00 am! LOL Have an excellent Monday and Slava Ukraini. I'll be back tomorrow. 

Stay-at-Home Day 26 - Escalations in Timing

Stay-at-home in my area is in effect until May 4th, although DH suspects it may be extended until the end of May. Either way, I have a car needing help and, fortunately, insurance adjusters seem to be considered "essential". Therefore I met Cindy in my driveway this morning, as she took a careful look at my poor car. 

I adore my car, my Mazda CX-5 has been a great car for me, filling
all of my needs for more than five years now. I'm not sure I'd
look at a different brand when it comes for replacement. It really hits
almost all of my buttons. 

After consulting with DH yesterday, I phoned my insurance company yesterday and discussed getting my shark-fin replaced. He said I had comprehensive insurance and no matter what, it would only cost me $50 up front. Finally, the multitude of dollars I've paid for insurance will have an opportunity to pay me for a change. Whoot! 

Whoot! I'll get my car fixed and it's only going to cost me
$50. (Of course, that doesn't really count, since I've paid
my insurance company thousands of $ over the years.) 

I met their adjuster this morning who said the roof looked dented to her, and additionally, with the hairline cracks in the paint finish around the fin, she said it should be fixed by a body shop which would be able to repair or replace whatever needed doing and get my poor car back to showroom finish. 

Sometimes we all get caught up a creek without a paddle.
Life happens. Hopefully, the water is shallow enough that
you can walk yourself out once again. 

She said the insurance company would cover all incurred costs including a rental car for me for however long my poor car will be at the car doctor. The estimate she sent to me and the body shop she recommended came to more than $1600! I guess that rock did a lot more damage than I originally had thought. I'm so relieved I have insurance that will cover this. I'd be totally up the creek without a paddle without it. I would have a really hard time coming up with that much money. 

It was a delight to hear from my old friend. I've kept in touch
with her for many years, and it was wonderful to catch up again. 

On a totally different note, I got a lovely catch-up letter from an old friend yesterday, a screen name that some of you may recognize - Kymahalei. Many years ago, when one of her kids was applying for one of the local private colleges in the area, she had come up from Indiana and we had a chance to meet at the coffee shop next door to my shop, to share a cuppa and gossip. I send her a holiday card every year, and it was absolutely lovely to hear from her. I thought I'd let all of you who remember her fondly that she's doing great, she's teaching and excited to be helping students once again, and if you want to transmit messages to her, I'd be happy to pass them on, or her old email is still current as well. . 

On that note, I'm out of here for the day. Late once again, but it's amazing how busy I can be during an enforced vacation time - LOL. As always, Stay Safe, Stay Home, Stay Well. I'll be back tomorrow. 

Cars - Past and Present

DH's car was back in the shop all day yesterday. It was stuttering when he was starting it and he thought the engine might not turn over, so we wanted it checked out. We picked it up last night - new battery and a new starter. More money flying out of the car window. OUCH! He really needs a new car, this one is 25+ years old, but he wants a small truck and is holding out for the new reissued Ford Ranger due in 2019. I have a feeling he'll be disappointed by that truck if it doesn't require the back seat in the cab. We only need the one seat, but everything I'm seeing on the new truck has the double row cab. Still, if we can nurse his car through, I guess we'll keep trying. As he said, the total of the two major repairs this year are still less than monthly car payments. 

Back to the 50's is one of the largest car shows in the nation and
happens every year around Father's Day at the Minnesota State
Fairgrounds. If you're into older cars, this is the place to be! 

It's Saturday, so I'm happy. There are piles of brush throughout my front and back yard, so I suspect my Sunday will be spent on several back and forth trips to the compost collection. That's not too bad, except the major annual car show is taking place between my home and the yard waste collection yard. That might pose some traffic problems. 

The Fairgrounds are packed with cars and spectators, all looking at
hundreds of older cars in various stages of refurbishing. Vendors of
all types - food, gifts and a variety of car fix-up and painting people -
populate stands throughout the Fairgrounds. It's a BIG deal. 

It's always fun to look at the old cars, though. The car show - "Back to the 50's" - is put on by the Minnesota Street Rod Association and is one of two major car shows held at the Fairgrounds each year. They take over the entire Fairgrounds area, all of the campgrounds on the grounds, and all of the hotels. Restaurants get increased numbers of customers and the cars cruise up and down Snelling Avenue. Yesterday, while driving home from work, I saw the usual groups of people in their lawn chairs lining the road, watching the various cars drive past. 

This was my car - except the roof was white and I didn't have
the very fancy tires. Still, the red is the right color and it's
the right model. That car took me through high school and
into college and had so many adventures in its' life. I think
my particular model went on into the demolition derby when
I sold it after it got too expensive to maintain it. 

It was fun driving to and from work yesterday, even though the morning traffic really sucked. I saw a two-tone 1964 Chevy Impala on my way to work yesterday. I don't see a lot of the 1964's, usually seeing either the 1963's or the 1965's. The difference is the back bumper design. I have a love for this car. It was a car that my Mom adored. We had one with a red body and white roof that she drove from Denver to Mexico City and back one summer, taking Dad and me on a wonderful trip of a lifetime. When I got old enough to drive, she sold the car to me and bought a more compact Chevy Nova. 

The 1964 Chevy Impala Station Wagon always looked very
ungainly and rather boat-like. It was overly large and
very blocky. The one I saw yesterday was painted in
a brilliant turquoise color, a color I usually associate
with a 1950's BelAire. Still, the wagon is rare and it
was a beauty. 

On my way home, I saw another 1964 Chevy Impala, and I also saw a Chevy Impala station wagon - an extremely rare car. There are a lot of cars from the 50's, and lots of older cars and hot rods, but the Impalas always ring my chimes. That first car love, you know? 

Have a great weekend. An hour from now will find me swimming in the outdoor pool, and I don't think I'll be driven out by thunderstorms today. I'm looking forward to stretching my wings a bit in the 50-meter pool instead of the much shorter laps of the indoor 25-yard pool. I'll be back on Monday. 

A Conversation With My Car

When I first drove a car, I inserted the key, turned it to activate the engine, and after the engine was purring, commenced driving from Point A to Point B. I'm sure that the goal is still the same - getting from one place to another. It's become more complex because cars have become more complex. Suddenly there are more things to pay attention to, and suddenly there are more conversations between the car and the driver. We're not quite at the "My Mother the Car" stage, but it's getting there. 

I was NOT a fan of the television show, but I loved the car.
The show aired for a single season - 1965-1966. The premise
was beyond stupid, but that car was stunning. 

Why think about driver/car communication at all? Because my "Check Tire Pressure" light came on yesterday. I couldn't get a service appointment at my local dealer/service place until tomorrow in the early morning, so I'm just hoping that I won't have any problems today - magnified by the fact that we've had snow throughout yesterday which will continue into the early hours today. 

In the movies, talking cars were carried to extreme,
although they were a lot of fun. Suddenly cars were
human with metal skins and feelings. With today's
LED lighting, some of these could be quite flashy. 

I know that some cars actually talk - don't just splash a message onto the control panel, but I think having a talking car would be a bit nerve-wracking. How would a person interact with a car? Would it be rather like carrying on a frustrating conversation with Alexa or Google? Are there social parameters that should be honored by both parties in the conversation? Are their niceties that should be explored first before getting down to the meat of the matter? 

Car: "Check tire pressure." 

Me: "Can't do. I'm driving right now, I have to be at work in a hour, and I can't take the time today to take the car out to the far ends of the Cities and get it checked out." 

Car: "Check tire pressure." Meaning ... "Well! How rude! You could just say you'd take me in for servicing tomorrow." 

Me: "Ummmm, that's really not up to me. I'll have to contact the dealer and get a spot on their appointment calendar." 

Car: "Check tire pressure." Meaning - "I should be a priority." 

Me: *sigh* "You ARE a priority - for me. Just not as much for the dealer who has to see a lot of you every single day. You'll be lucky to get in by the end of the week. How dire is the situation?" 

Car: "Check tire pressure." 

Me: Head bang on steering wheel. 

Maybe a nice cup of tea ... LOL. 

*Sigh* - Such is my life. So, tomorrow at 7:15 am, I'll have my car in to the dealer for an oil change, tire rotation, and a check out for the "Check Tire Pressure" conversation I've been mentally carrying on since I left breakfast yesterday morning. Oh joy! Still, the snow should be over by then and hopefully the roads won't be a issue. 

Enjoy your Tuesday. I'll be shoveling out our latest storm before making my way to the gym this morning. 

Dystopian Themes - FX and the State of the Union

Oy! I'm really running late today! Did any of you watch Trump's "State of the Union" address last night? DH watched it all, but I can't listen that long to our new President, so I watched Face-off and switched to the speech during the commercials. Face-off featured 'war cars' - vehicles like you would see in a Mad Maxx movie. The FX artists had to choose one of the vehicles and design the driver who drove it. It was a great dystopian theme and matched the "I will build a great wall" BS that was being spouted in front of a very clearly divided Congress.

I love the vehicles from the Mad Maxx movies. Of course, I love cars
in general, but that dystopian world has its own parameters which are
shown in the people as well as their transport. 

I'll read a synopsis of the speech today. I don't want to be oblivious to what's happening in my nation, but I don't have to listen to it live. Ick ... just ICK.

I'm looking forward to seeing Doctor Strange. We wanted to catch it
in the theatre, but weather and time just didn't permit. By the time
we had a chance to get over there, the movie had travelled on. 

Today is my "day off" and as usual I have a million errands to run, but when I get back from those (hopefully with a copy of Dr Strange in my hands), I'll finish the final polish on my SWG story and get it posted. Then I can take a look at what's going on with B2MeM. I'm crossing my fingers that I'll be able to participate this year, but time will tell.

Android has a thing for sweet stuff. Last night my phone wanted to update
with Android Nougat, so I am now running the next sweet thing. I'm not
seeing a lot of difference yet, but these things take a bit of time and
exploration, which I didn't do last night. 

I get WAY too many emails on my phone (I do on my computer too, but that's a different problem). Yesterday I went through them with a scythe, dropping my more than 1200 notifications down to a mere 14. If I can keep up with deletions, I'll keep that under control and won't have to go through so many again. It's a goal, at any rate. I also upgraded to "Nougat" later in the evening. It has some interesting features. Now to play and begin to understand the new notifications, etc.

So have a wonderful Wednesday, try not to get too depressed about politics, and just remember to build kindness instead of a wall. We'll survive this, but our reputation as a country of open doors for the displaced is getting seriously besmirched. *sigh*.