This has seriously not been a good week.
Sunday morning, I went to pay all the end of the month bills that are due, and had a heart attack when I logged on to DH's student loan account and saw that the remaining balance was paid via payment. All I knew was if that payment went through, we were going to be bouncing every other payment I had just scheduled (panic!). After I screamed into my pillow for a few minutes, I did some Googling and found that it had happened to others several months ago - it turns out the government was letting loans be bought out by other companies.
So at 5 AM our time Monday morning when the loan office was supposed to be open, we tried to call quickly before DH left for work. All DH could get was a recording, but at least he was able to access his account which told him that the loan had been bought out and to be on the lookout for an email or letter from the new loan company this week. So I gritted my teeth for a few hours until an email arrived, and DH tried to call the new company on his lunch break. He waited on hold for over 20 minutes before he had to give up. Luckily, an email arrived, so I went to set up a new account and make sure the due date wasn't changed.
...It wouldn't let me. I started to flip out, until I remembered the reason why I can't efile our taxes. DH's social security number had the wrong birthday attached to it. Why on earth this was never taken care of by his parents when he was a child is beyond me - I don't even know how he went to college with it being messed up! (No wonder things are so easy for illegal aliens in this country?!) I muttered some really bad things, then went searching to see where and when we could get to the Social Security department to get this fixed - I have had ENOUGH. My head started pulsing when I saw the local office was in Silverdale, about 20-25 minutes away, and closed at 3:30. There was no way he could make it there in time to get a number before the office closed until his day off Thursday.
Fine! At this point I was so frustrated and I knew I couldn't do anything until
he fixed this mess.
Monday night DH and I were supposed to attend the Celtic Woman concert over in Seattle, so I tried to get everything done so my house was in order. (I'm sure babysitter has seen worse, but you know me) I wore myself out, but I laid down for an hour before we left. I made sure we left an hour early just in case the traffic going in was bad. We were making good time so we stopped off to refill the gas (cheaper before you get into Seattle!) and grab some drinks. Once we got back onto I-5, Dh suddenly flips out because the truck stopped accelerating and wouldn't do anything. Somehow he managed to get across four lanes of traffic to the shoulder and we turned off the motor and did the check - after that horrible Mercury of ours, we are well versed in figuring out what's wrong this time. There was no smoke, no wet trail behind us, no smell of any kind. Both of us just shrugged, figured it was just a fluke, and got back in the truck to continue on.
Except the truck wouldn't start back up. Figuring maybe it was because it was quite warm (mid 70s), we waited a few more moments in case the truck had just overheated and tried again. No dice. Dh said he saw the battery and oil lights pop up just before he turned it off, so we both muttered bad things and called AAA, which at this point in our lives is on speed dial (speaking of phones... I have to tell you something later on)
We were on hold for a few before we got a live person to talk to. No biggie, it's gorgeous out, it's rush hour, and you know that means people dust off muscle cars and other nice vehicles they don't normally drive all year round, and of course, you're going to end up with some with problems if they have just been sitting there. So we start trying to explain what happened and where we were... only to have a very confused AAA agent because AAA's system automatically sends your call to the nearest area code from your phone. It was AAA TEXAS! (pound head, pound head) So they popped us on hold for AAA Washington, and go through the whole thing again. We were struggling to hear the reps because the traffic is so loud, even with the windows rolled up - which is making the inside of the truck roast. By this point, I was completely thankful it was just me and DH.
Then the rep said it would be about 8:15 - more than two hours later - before they'd get anyone there to tow us. Here I was, thankful I had the AAA plus membership for DH, which meant we could get it towed the 50+ miles back to our home area, and then I hear that. Groan! Maybe it's the alternator, maybe it's a fuel line problem....
So we're sitting there waiting... and those drinks come back to haunt me. Yeah, I had to go to the bathroom, and we're stuck on I-5, with still over an hour to wait! I spent ten minutes trying to figure out what to do. I knew I was at least a 20 minute walk from a bathroom, and there was no way I could make it. Confession: I did what my 18 year old self would do- dumped out what was left of one of the drink cups, hopped into the back seat (tinted rear windows) and well you can guess from there. LOL (I have to find humor in all of this, or I'd be hysterical)
We kept waiting and finally AAA called us back and said since we had an off road vehicle, they'd be sending another company to pick us up with a flat bed truck and they'd be there soon. So we waited... and waited... and finally the guy shows up.
I think we
might have scared him. City boy listening to rap, and there we are... goth-y death metal-y people... camo filled truck... country music on.... On the bright side, no other hunting stuff? I heard more bad language from the radio than I think I'd heard for years combined. Blech. Sorry, folks, but I can't do rap.
An hour later we make it to Port Orchard with the truck, fill out the paperwork, and yeah, we have to get home from there - to the other side of town. We waited over an hour for someone to come get us - I could have been halfway home at that point.
So next morning, it turns out there was computer problems. (that's the problem with newer trucks - hate, hate, HATE computerized vehicles!) One of the main fuses blew. Thing is, it could have been from a shorted wire, but they couldn't find it. (sigh!) So we have a spare fuse now in the glove compartment box just in case it happens again. On the bright side? The repair tab was a lot lower than I thought it would come to when we were waiting for the tow truck. On the other hand? Bad truck, bad! I think it had a panic attack going into the city. LOL I came home and slept for hours - poor DH was on his own to make dinner yesterday!
Oh, and back to the phones? Both of our phones are on their last legs. DH's screen is fitzing out, mine barely calls out. Methinks it might be time to do something about that. And did I mention my washer is making an even weirder sound than it usually does? Calgon take me away!
Surfy All Surface Probiotic Cleaner is a revolutionary surface cleaner that powers through grease, grime and germs while leaving a streak free sheen, and still managing to be eco-friendly, non-toxic, and biodegradable. The safe probiotics continue to consume germs on the surface after you are done cleaning - call them little ninja cleaners if you will. ;) Unlike some cleaners you'll find in the cleaning aisle at your favorite store, Surfy is safe to use on multiple surfaces in the kitchen and bathroom, including countertops, appliances, sinks, glass, stainless steel, toilets and tubs. There's no need to lug around multiple products to get the cleaning done!
