- My car broke down on my way to an important meeting concerning a grant proposal to my State.
- My grant proposal to the State was well off the mark of what the funders were/are looking for, so I need to redo it.
- It cost me $500 to get my car repaired (an electronic control module) [the car was worth about $1500.]
- After paying $500 to get my car repaired, I drove to Michigan to spend some time with the family. I brought my daughter back with me. All was well on the trip; my daughter watched movies on a portable dvd player while I listened to the Mountaineers win the NIT. Then around 10:00 p.m., I noticed that dashboard lights seemed dim. A bit later, my radio shorted out. I figured that I blew a fuse... A bit later, I noticed that my headlights were getting dim. I was about 25 miles outside of Morgantown in the Boondocks of Southwestern Pennsylvania. I had two choices: (a) pull over and call AAA. I looked at my cell phone and noticed that the signal was going in and out; I put by hazards on and noticed that I could barely see a blinking shadow. So I opted for (b) put the pedal to the metal and try to get back to Morgantown before the car dies. I got behind a car with good headlights and I followed it all the way to Morgantown. Miraculously, the car made it all the way to my office building on campus. [I was going to try and make it all the way to my apt, but I hit a red light infront of my office and the car shut down]. So, I called a friend to come get us, then called AAA and had the car towed to the Kia dealer.
- The KIA dealer held the car for 3 days before calling me and telling me that it would cost $900 to fix all the damage (alternator, steering pump, various belts, and a partridge in a pear tree).
- So, I went out Monday night and bought a new car. I hate buying cars. I got a 2004 Certified Honda Civic. The negotiations were a pain in the neck; the salesman had the nerve to tell me that Honda never negotiates on certified used cars. I called shenanigans on that and told him what my price would be. I thought I was going to have to walk, when he finally said, "ok, we'll let you have it for that; but you're getting a hell of a deal." Note to car salesmen everywhere... never say that to someone who knows what I car is worth. I bought the damn car for what it was worth according to Edmunds.com. The dealership did let me take the car that night while the paperwork, titling, etc was taken care of. So that was nice. But, then they skimped on detailing and cleaning it the next day. Everyone I met at this place just seemed slimy. I'm not sure I'd buy another car from them. I miss Howard Cooper in Ann Arbor. Note, I do love the car.. so I suppose the irritation was worth it in the long run. I'm taking it back to Michigan this weekend to put it through its paces.
- Today, I discovered a charge to my checking account from an internet website design company. I don't buy web services; if I did, I wouldn't use my debit card to do it. I had to go to the bank, fill out an affidavit, get my debit card canceled, argue with the bank about their replacement card fee. I told them that if they are going to charge me for replacing their card that had been compromised, I'd take my business to another bank. They waived the fee.
So there it is... I'm ready for some good stuff to happen now.
