A Day of Disappointments

When something goes wrong in life I like to solve it in one of three ways.

1. Do nothing
2. Spend money
3. Eat junk

I think the title gives away the fact that I did all of the following today. I really did have great plans my, now, treasured Saturdays. Saturday is, after all, the day we get the work done-day. Having spent the night in Huber as a Relief Society activity last night, I figured that I would actually be awake at a reasonable hour. Which I was, and we were back in Provo by 11:00am (after spending fifteen minutes trying to find a way AROUND the stupid homecoming parade - that no one seemed to be watching) or so.

After taking a shower and getting ready for the day, I pulled up my stats to do a quick review before I went to take my test. Unfortunately, the Independent Study office is not open on Saturdays. Which means - no test. I hate that. I hate that I think that I am ready for this test - or as ready as I will ever be (I'm sure I'd do a lot better if they would just let William come take the test with me... he wouldn't have to tell me anything, just be there for the extra brain power and allow me to talk through some of my more stupid mistakes) - and I couldn't. That seems to be a running theme with this whole stupid class. Every time I actually want to make progress - I am barred in someway from doing so.

With the free time I now had on my hands, I felt like I should do something productive like clean my room (which is disgusting... Stupid laundry!) or work on my Halloween costume or move on to the next lesson in Stats and worry about the test on Monday.... the list is basically endless. Not to mention that I am currently reading three books but haven't been able to get past a page or two at a time because I am SO tired all the time now.

And then I remembered. My brakes in my car have been periodically squeaking. I bought brakes a while ago when an acquaintance offered to change them for me. I shouldn't have trusted him from the beginning - after all, he doesn't seem the "car guru" type anyway. When he came over, he struggled getting the lug nuts off (by struggling I mean, of course, that he never did accomplish the feat), broke the key to get the lug nuts off and then we basically gave up. He took a look at the brakes, we drove the car around hearing only a single squeak and then returned. He declared that the brakes were good. They probably had a while yet on them. As this was something I wanted to hear - I believed him. I still had every intention to get the brakes checked, regardless, but I wasn't in as desperate a hurry. The last few days, though, I've noticed that the squealing was worse. I didn't think there was grinding, until I saw the possible brake dust on my wheels. So, having been spared my Stats test, I took the car in with my $50 off coupon and a book for the wait only to find that I didn't just need brakes.

I needed a whole brake system.

Not just shoes and pads (are those the same thing?) but calipers and rotors and front brakes and back brakes...and every ten minutes Tyler - the one I thought was just so lovely and customer-service oriented when I called to see if he could fit me in, and then the same who met me in the front as I pulled in my car - would come out and tell me that I needed another $100+ part. Apparently my brake fluid was dirty and dirty fluid is detrimental to a car. It ruined the whole brake system. The calipers on the right side were grinding my rotors to the point where they couldn't be refinished and the brakes were unevenly worn on the left and right sides.

Like I really have a clue what they are talking about.

I know I could have taken it somewhere else to get a second opinion. But really, when was I going to do that? And I like Big O Tires (although, I will go back to the Orem one, not the Provo one from now on) because they know me and I trust them, mostly because I've worked with them and they've saved my bacon a few times. I just wanted to get it done. I knew they needed work, I had been prepared to get the front brakes changed and possible the back ones (having only discovered that there were back brakes when I bought the brakes in the first place.) Tyler tried to convince me not to use the brakes that I bought, but I persisted. That saved me, oh, $20. Maybe. What a discount! I'm told that they also provided me with a FREE brake flush. I thought it was all very generous.

In the end, it cost me $708.49. Aren't we all SO glad that I have a job now? I know I am certainly grateful.

Needless to say, I needed chocolate after such an excursion. (Also, I just remembered that they were supposed to fix/replace the key to my lug nuts, and I don't know if they did or not...)

Anyway, I went to the grocery and picked up some things - one being little less than half a gallon (I know you've all noticed the smaller portions and higher prices on the ice cream) that was on sale of chocolate ice cream. Along with a few other items. At least I didn't have to charge this purchase.

I came home, ate my peanut butter and jelly sandwich - severely lacking, now that I am out of my mom's jam - and watched about a half hour of TV because there is nothing on TV anymore. And then did nothing. So my laundry isn't done. My stats test still looms over my head. My room is a mess.

Boo.