So, I called the Firestone about 12:30 (3 hours from drop off) and they said they were just starting to work on it and they'd call me in under an hour when they were finished with the diagnostic. They called me at 2.

The guy, George, explained all that was wrong with the car. The reason that the check engine light kept coming on with an error code of "fuel too lean" was because there was a hole in the hose that runs from the air filter to the engine, causing excess air to enter the engine, thus causing the misfires, etc. The fix for that would be at least $150. They would have to order the hose from the dealer (which would mean they couldn't do it the same day), and whatever the dealer charged for the part, they would then add 15% to. But, they would be nice and not charge us labor since it would require just two screws to be undone to replace it. I asked why in the HELL I would buy the part from them when I could go to the dealer and get it for list price. I finally got George to agree that if I went and bought the part from the dealer that Firestone would still install it for free. So far so good. Then he talked about the a/c. What he told me was that the blower motor (the thing that turns the impeller that blows the air) was burned out completely and that the part plus labor would be $450. WHAT?? Then he started talking about how this needed to be tweaked and that needed to be drained and cleaned, etc. 

I told him that Mom and I were coming in so that we could look over the car with him and make the decision about what to do after that. Poor Mom was running a fever (a low grade one, but still, being out in the heat was NOT GOOD), but I told her it was necessary to make sure that they weren't screwing us over by looking at the damaged parts ourselves. (I learned this when working at the Ford dealership - as a woman ALWAYS insist that the service person shows you your car and the damage he wants to repair before okaying any work. NEVER okay work over the phone. They will ALWAYS try to screw you if they can. If they can't justify the repairs, then you shouldn't pay for them. Like, if they tell you that your tires are bald, have them show you exactly where they are balding, etc. They also will respect you a little more for looking over your own car.) George brought us out to the shop so we could look over the damage. The tech working on the car was a real asshole, kept making faces of disgust that women were looking at cars. Like a woman on a ship or something. Anyway....

The damage: There wasn't a hole in the air hose... it was a GIANT FUCKING HOLE in the hose. The hose is 3" corrugated pvc, and the hole was in the middle of two ridges and was so obvious there wasn't any way to MISS the damn thing. HUGE HOLE. And the bitch of it is, that the likelihood that what hole was there when Mom brought it in last time for an oil change and air filter change was exacerbated by the asshole that replaced the air filter is very likely. No wonder that after the oil change/air filter change the car drove worse than before. Any more damage and the damn thing would have snapped in two. So, this was the thing that George was telling us to replace completely. Mom said, "Can't I just put some electrical tape over the hole?" George agreed that it was a possible interrim fix to tape the thing together again and seal off the leak. So that's what we decided to do about that. (-$150).  Then he explained that the blower motor was burned out because leaf matter had fallen into the assembly and blocked the impeller enough that it wouldn't turn and burned the motor out. Wait? If the motor's completely burned out, then why is the blower working today? Well... it's going to burn out any time now. Well, that's not the same thing, is it? Is it possible that the reason it didn't work yesterday was because something was keeping the impeller from turning, and that piece of whatever has moved out of the way today? Well, yeah, that's possible. Okay... Then how about we clean the area of debris, install some kind of finer mesh to keep more crap from getting into the blower assembly, and check the connections and motor to see exactly how close to burn out it really is. (-$450). We were told that because the air was leaking into the engine, it caused the spark plugs to burn. I said, but that's something I can do. He looked at me like I was insane. I then explained that I had worked at a car dealer for a good long while and knew what was easy owner maintenance and what really required a tech. He didn't argue with me after that. (-$50).He also mentioned that the head gaskets were damaged (same air leaking problem), but that's something that they would have to fix. But that as long as we kept the oil level good, it wasn't that big of a problem. (-$75).

Finally, we got the estimate from about $1300 to $345. The most expensive thing was the labor on fixing the blower. It's located in the dash behind the glove box, and they basically have to disassemble the dash to get at it. From now on, Mom and I are replacing as much as we can on our own - air filters, wipers, spark plugs, fluids, etc.

We received the car back at 5 on Sunday. The bastard that hated the idea of a woman working on her own car threw the things that were on the floor of the passenger seat into the back seat willy nilly. ASSHOLE. After it cooled off (11pm) we went out and taped up the air hose with duct tape and electrical tape. Mom gave it a tiny test drive and it sounded and drove so much better omg.  

She hasn't had a single problem since.

So, the biggest lesson I can give y'all is this: Never authorize work without the technician actually showing you the damage and explaining how it would need to be fixed. Don't be afraid to ask questions. Also, don't be afraid to do easy repairs yourself. And most importantly, THEY'RE MEN, AND THEY'RE GOING TO TRY TO SCREW YOU, SO DON'T LET THEM.

Good news: The car is working again.
Also good news: The swim center about 5 miles from here has a period from 12:30-2:30 for lap swimming. And it's only $4/time. CHEAP.

Not so good: I don't have a swimsuit and am loathe to buy one since I really hate what my body looks like right now (hence the swimming).
Also: The MP3 player I ordered from Walmart.com seems to be REALLY FREAKING GIGANTIC, 9"x3"x6" or some shit. Which is interesting, since the picture they have shows that it's more like 3inx0.5x2 or something. If it shows up at my door that big, then I'm totally returning it. Serves me right for ordering stuff off Walmart.com.

So, after the fan died in Mom's car yesterday, causing there to be no a/c, I decided to be a big girl and not be pissed about not getting to go to church at all this week (I missed the Friday service because Sis wouldn't loan me her car - which was lame) and take Mom's car into the shop this morning so they could check out the car. I got in the car and the fan and a/c worked. I think it's Mom. She's walking bad news or something right now. Which sucks for her. Or the car hates her. Or both. I came back into the house and told her what was up. She came out and saw for herself. She decided that it still needed to be taken in because the fucking check engine light was on for the umpteenth time in the last month, the fan could conk out again at any moment, and there is some issue with the engine not running smoothly. (Interesting... umpteenth, according to Semagic, is an actual word. I would have thought it would run afoul of the spell check.)

She had been told yesterday afternoon when she took it in to the Firestone that it would get worked on right away if we brought it in this morning. It seems they told EVERYBODY this, because I was told that there would be a 2-3 hour wait just to get it LOOKED AT. And that just having it looked at was going to cost $150. She was PISSED. She talked to the guy, and I could hear her voice raised from three feet away. Not only would it be most of the day for them just to look at the damn thing, but it might not get fixed today if they need to order parts from the dealer. Just fucking great. Mom and Sis both have stuff to do tomorrow, so I will definitely be chauffeuring, and most likely, Sis will have to cancel her appt, or we'll have to drop off Mom early/late to work to make it all work.

I explained what all was going wrong with the car. I told him about how when Mom got the oil changed, the guy told her that the head gaskets and spark plugs needed to be replaced, but didn't show us the damage, nor explain WHY those things would need to be replaced right then. (Though, by her own admission, she didn't realize he was supposed to explain all of those things... which is why I like to be the one to talk to the car people. Having worked at a car dealership for a couple of years, I know how to get around men screwing women over with regard to cars.) He told me that if the gaskets were leaking, they could be spraying engine oil onto the heads of the spark plugs causing the rough running of the car, plus the check engine light. I told him that had that all been explained when we were told to replace them a month ago, we probably would have done it. As far as the a/c is concerned, we have no idea. I'm going to ask Mom to let me go look at the car before we authorize any work, just to make sure they're not fucking us over. Always a good idea.

Anyway, I'm back at home, because I wasn't going to wait FOREVER in that hot waiting room (y'all, it was so hot at 9:30am, and in that place, that sweat was dripping down my legs from my back as I was standing there talking to the guy - ABSURD HEAT), so I had Mom come pick me up in Sis's car.

I've decided to go on a diet and get rid of some of my excess flab... not only is it ruining what self esteem I have, but it's also making living in this heat truly unbearable. I tried to start this morning - I stopped by the Walgreens on the way to the Firestone and got a sugar-free Red Bull, some Fiji Water (which I swear is the wettest water I've ever had - meaning it doesn't make my mouth dryer after drinking, nor does it make me thirsty after drinking like some other waters), and some trail mix. After the long argument with the guy about what should have been done and what needed to be done on the car, I gave up for the day... I had Mom drive through Whataburger on the way home. However, instead of the double meat/double cheese I wanted, I got their small burger and small fries with an iced tea. Compromises, I think. When we go to the store later (which was supposed to be done last night, but Mom didn't go), I'll be getting low calorie foods, probably some slim fast (it seems to be the easiest way for me to cut calories and stick with), and figure out what to drink... I HATE diet soda, so I'm going to have to deal with lots of Crystal Light or something (I generally hate regular plain water).

If anyone has any recommendations of diet foods/diet drinks they find yummy, let me know.

I'll post again when I figure out what's up.

My plan to go get my hair cut just was foiled. Mom left to go to Walmart (without asking me if there was anything I needed from there... she does that on a regular basis and it's annoying). On her way the 1/4 mile down the road, her a/c in the car died. There's something about us and the a/c's dying this week. So now she's crying and trying to drive to the nearby Firestone (where I think they totally rip her off) so they can fix the a/c. She's only got her phone and her wallet, so there's nothing for her to do while she waits. I told her that if it's going to be a long wait, I can get dressed and come get her (as long as Sis deems me worthy to borrow her car - WHICH SHE BETTER). That way she can wait at home, or we can go ahead to Walmart while they're working on her car at Firestone.

This is one of those times that Mom loses faith wondering how much more He's going to pile on her before she snaps. She's damn close to snapping. I think she definitely needs to come with me to church tomorrow if I can get her to wake up early enough.

My hair has waited this long to be cut (over a year, which is why it's so damn long), so it can wait another week or two. Dammit.

Again: "What manner of nitwittery is about to plague me on the morrow??"

I got pulled over by a fucking constable (I was in an unincorporated area of Harris County) today. FUCK. And he was only doing it to get his kicks and fill his quota. Bastard. FUCKING BASTARD. I was driving down the road, going the speed limit, and decided to stop at the McDonald's up ahead. He was sitting in his squad car signaling to turn left across where I was driving (however, he was sitting in that area past where it's legal to sit in the center turn lane - you know, the diagonally painted part as it tapers back to the double yellow line). So, technically, he was on the road illegally. After I turn into the McD's he hits his flashers and whoops at me. I honestly didn't see him (my stereo was cranked up). He got on his loudspeaker and told me not to park, but instead had me pull perpendicular to the spots and block all the cars parked in front of the restaurant. I put the car in park but left it on because it's like HELL outside. He refused to let me leave the car on, even though it was already in the low 90s with a high heat index. Fine. He took my insurance card and drivers license. (I need to point out that I was driving Mom's car, as is custom, since my brakes are still shot and we've never had the several hundred dollars to get it fixed.) After sitting in the hot car for about 10 minutes (during which time I surreptitiously texted several things to Twitter, and once to Mom), he got back on his loudspeaker. He asked me if I had insurance in my name on the protege. I tried to get out of the car to go talk to him. He ordered me back into the car. So, instead, I had to partially lean out the open window and yell back at him that my insurance through USAA covers any vehicle I'm driving, and that the policy that has the car listed is Mom's and I don't know if there's a copy in the car. Can I call her to find out? He yells on his speaker that, NO, I'm not allowed to call anyone. Well, great. So I texted some more until I see him get out of his car again. I was SO EMBARRASSED that he used his loudspeaker instead of coming to talk to me. I realize that the people at McDonald's won't remember what was said, but I have a feeling that there will be several that will go back to their offices and gossip about the girl pulled over in the parking lot. And even though I don't know these people and never will, that bothers me.

It also bothers me that he wouldn't listen to me at all. He had his mind set on fucking with me, and wouldn't listen to the plain simple facts of THIS ISN:T MY CAR and I DON'T KNOW WHY THE STICKERS ARE EXPIRED. BECAUSE THIS ISN'T MY CAR. NOT MY CAR.

The bastard pulled me over because the tags were out of date. The registration is less than a year overdue, and the inspection is about a year overdue. Again, NOT MY CAR. How can you ticket ME when IT"S NOT MY CAR. ASSHOLE. Then, he ticketed me for not having insurance that lists the car and my name. My insurance card lists my cougar because that's my car. However, I have coverage that covers any vehicle I'm driving. Mom has insurance that has her name and the protege, but there is NO DOCUMENT that has my name and the protege. BECAUSE IT'S NOT MY CAR. So, now I have to show up in court on July 23 at 9am and prove that the guy was an asshole. The ticket lists it as "Failure to maintain financial responsibility." WTF??

So, for those who live in the area, be aware of this officer (I will provide name and badge # upon request). I will be going after his badge, because this is just fucking harassment. This is why I love firefighters and generally don't like cops. Firefighters do it mainly to put their lives on the line to protect others (and a little bit about the glory), the cops tend to do it for the badge and gun and power (and only a little about protecting others). Especially the "constables" who don't have any real power. They live to make other people's lives shit.

I'm also a little pissed at Mom that I was put in this position in the first place - that she couldn't get a $35 inspection, or figure out a way to get the registration taken care of... and let me know where the insurance card is in her car just in case. I feel like had she done the basic stuff on the car that I wouldn't have had this happen.

She retorted with the fact that she's been driving with those stickers that way for a year and never gotten caught and blamed ME for not keeping an eye out for cops who might see the stickers. WHAT????? HELL THE FUCK NO.

So, my mission today is to play some games online, listen to angry music on my computer, and then probably take a nap and try to forget this morning happened.

ETA: Just told the whole sordid saga to Sis. She was very sympathetic and said all the right things, namely "what an asshole," "that must have been embarrassing," and "yes, of course you're entitled to your feelings and mom cutting you off wasn't a good thing."

ETA2: Mom just rang Sis up to let her know that she'd be out fixing the car until late - something about since she'd had the car's computer reset to cancel the erroneous check engine light, they couldn't do a state inspection until she had driven 75 miles. So she's out driving to Hempstead and back. At the end of the conversation, Sis said, "The commentary's not necessary or useful," twice. My guess, which was confirmed after she hung up, was that Mom had ranted about me and getting the ticket, etc. Sis refused to tell me exactly what was said, but I was still angry that Mom had put Sis in the middle AGAIN. Part of me really wanted to call her up and say, "What the hell did you say to [Sis]?!?" But I realized that would probably be a bad idea, so instead I sulked back up to my room and am preparing to take a long nap.

But for now, I am so tired OMG.

My best friends were having a party for their little girl (my "niece") who just turned 2. However, the party was in Austin. Mom, Sis, and I hemmed and hawed over whether or not we should make the drive from Houston for the day. We had all decided that it was too long a drive when we went to bed last night. Today, I was blissfully sleeping in, and Sis came and woke me at Noon. Scared the living shit out of me. After a decent discussion, she finally convinced me to go. She went downstairs to take a quick shower while I got ready myself. A few minutes later I get a call from Mom: "I was woken out of a dead sleep, and was informed that you all are going to AUSTIN. What changed?" So I had to explain to grumpy!Mom that Sis had convinced me that it would be good to go. (Part of Sis's reasoning was that she wanted to show everyone that she's now in recovery and stable, and healthy goddammit. Which I totally understood.) We finally left at 2 or so. Got to Austin at around 4 and got to the park where the party was by about 4:20. It was beautiful outside but windy as all FUCK. Like, 20-30mph sustained with gusts to 45. But there were bluebonnets and indian paintbrushes on either side of the highway all the way there. BEAUTIFUL. After about the third patch, Sis said, "You don't have to point out every patch of bluebonnets, Em." I was like a little kid again. "BLUEBONNETS!! (pause) MORE BLUEBONNETS!!" There were some really amazing patches just west of the city, though. I will have to stop sometime and take pictures. Anyway, it was great to see my friends and their families. Basically, my extended family. I've known Ina since 6th grade, and her husband since freshman year. They are my favorite people on the planet after Mom and Sis. And there are not enough words to express how gorgeous their children are. I love them so much. I'm glad we went, even though it meant almost 6 hours in the car today. Totally worth it. It was good for my soul to be around other people I love, who love me back unconditionally. We're planning on going back sometime this summer to visit, when Ina's on her summer vacation from teaching. I can't wait.

I miss Austin, but I didn't realize how much until we were back. I haven't been back in over a year, but once I got into town, it was almost like I had never left. I still instinctively knew where everything was. And the air... you can't taste it! It was a horrible idea to some of the people at the party that I now live in a place where the air has a taste/smell. But that's what I get for living in one of the big petroleum cities in the US. I could also tell the altitude difference. We live about 60 miles or so from the coast here, so we're close to sea level (152ft above, to be precise). Austin is the start of the Texas Hill Country, so its western airport is at roughly 900ft above sea level. BIG DIFFERENCE. And my sinuses/brain fluid can tell, it seems. Had a headache (thanks, cold front!) when I left Houston this morning, it went away by the time we got there, and came back as were were about halfway home. Gee? I wonder if moving to Houston is part of my problem? Great. I get all settled in here and my internal pressure gages tell me I need to move back home. Well, not gonna happen, so I just gotta figure out how to live with the pressure, it seems. Why didn't I ever think of that before?*GibbsSlap* DUH.

So, anyway. I'm tired, I"m sore from driving so much. But so fulfilled emotionally. Good trade-off I think. And now, to collapse and sleep for a long time.

I've been MIA for a couple of days because 1) I've been driving both Mom and Sis around town A LOT, and 2) I'm now down with an opportunistic viral infection. Yep, I caught a fucking virus while knocking out the bacterial infection with antibiotics. Usually, this happens the other way around: I get something viral, like the flu, and end up also getting some kind of infection, usually sinus or bronchitis. I traced the possibility of infection to Tuesday when Sis and I ran all over creation buying things and eating. I could have picked up this nasty-ass germ from anyone in any one of the five different places we visited.

Tuesday, Sis and I went to Panera for lunch. I tried to work a little on ChaCha, but kept getting kicked out, so I gave up. We then went to Walmart to try and find me a jacket/coat for the fall/winter season that's basically just "Hey, it's a little colder out." Of course, that night we got a cold front that had us under a freeze warning. Didn't find anything in the way of outer wear at Wally World, but did find a nice shirt, and bought some underwear. Next, we went to Target, thinking that I would maybe find something there. And I did!!!! I found a lovely trench coat that's this shiny charcoal gray with a lighter shiny gray plaid over it. I LOVE IT. LOVE. LOVE. LOVE. It's not quite a jacket, and it's not quite a coat, so Sis started calling it my "jack-coat." Now I'm stuck saying it, too. We went to Michael's and I bought a little more yarn to make a scarf for my cousin-in-law. He's a high-powered Chicago lawyer, so he's getting a stately gray ribbed scarf. We then headed to Denny's where I turned Sis into a lover of mozzarella sticks dipped in ranch dressing. The look on her face was priceless - "Oh My God that is good!!"

Wednesday, I took Mom to work early and Sis and I headed over to her appointment with her dietitian. Her office is a little house in the Upper Kirby area of town. It was so nice outside that I sat on the porch swing and swung while waiting for Sis to finish her appointment. I loved it. I miss having a porch swing. We headed to Panera again. We ate, and talked about stuff. I brought her back to the house so she could do laundry, and I took a nap. She had to wake me to get me to drive and pick Mom up at work. We then all hung out a while until Mom took her home.

Yesterday, I woke up feeling so crappy. I was so tired, Mom had to drive to work, and I drove the car back. Sis finally convinced me to come out of hiding at about 8pm to go to IHOP with her. I was so nauseated from the virus that all I had was some toast and one egg. We talked about therapy and things, and then went to pick up Mom. As we were dropping Sis off at her apartment for the night, she showed Mom her hand. She was dancing in her bathroom Wednesday night and smacked her left hand against the wall. It is one giant swollen bruise covering the whole of the back of her left hand. When she says her pain level is a 7 of 10, you know it's serious, because she can handle pain like no one else I know. So Mom convinced her to let us take her to the ER and have it x-rayed. Because a good portion of the time, if she's smacked herself hard enough to bruise and swell, she's most likely got a fracture. Thankfully, the ER wasn't hopping and we got in and out in about 45 minutes. Her hand isn't broken, just a lot of soft tissue injury. That's thankfully easily treated. When I got home, I discovered that Andrew had peed all over my mattress. AAAAAHHHH! I was feeling shitty, AND I had to do two long loads of laundry to get the cat piss smell out of my bed. It still faintly reeks. I'm so upset. Mom finally found a pair of other sheets to put on the bed.

Today, I woke up feeling REALLY crappy. Running a fever, crappy. I had been up half of the night coughing. Mom came back from running errands at 2:30. She needed to get to work by 3. So I had to scramble to get dressed enough to drive her to work. I rode in the car to the place... I was so tired... I had forgotten my sunglasses, but at least managed to stick my drivers license and my credit card in my pocket along with my phone. I was driving back with Sis and was kinda fazed out of things. I almost ran into a guard rail at the toll booth. I did my best to hold it together until we got home... but it was really hard. I fell asleep pretty soon after we got home. Naturally, to continue the fun, one of the cats punctured a hole in my air mattress. I woke up with my hipbone painfully embedded in the floor. So I had to strip the whole bed and re inflate it in order to find the leak. I had the leak kit, which this time included not only patching material, but vinyl cement, so it will really adhere. I didn't feel like spending 12 hours waiting for it to set, so I stuck some duct tape over it to hold while it cured. I now have clean sheets on the bed, and soon I will have a clean comforter, too. Sis was over all day so that she could hand out candy to any wandering kids (I HATE that part of Halloween... think what you want about me, I just don't like putting on the fake "OMG your costume is so scary/cute/pretty/etc" thing). She fell asleep in Mom's room, so I turned out the lights in the front of the house, and I haven't heard one ding of the doorbell. FABULOUS. Must go get ready to pick up Mom, now.

I slept all day. I needed it. Still recovering from the Phlegm of Death. Mom and Sis have already claimed the garage band name "Choking on the Phlegm." I think at some point in the recent past I called it "Coughing on the Phlegm." That was incorrect as they made very clear to me. I personally still like, "Crying at the Denny's" better.

Tomorrow starts a potentially 3-week-long carpool with both Mom and Sis. See, my car is currently out of service because it has no brake pads making it dangerous to drive it. Sis got in a wreck the other day that requires a while to be fixed in the shop. So we're now forced to use only Mom's car. Thank God that it's okay, and pray God that it keeps working. So I am now the default chauffeur for the two of them... taking Mom to and from work, and taking Sis to and from her medical appointments. Thankfully, I don't have anything to add to the schedule, or else we'd be in a big bind.

So, you see, I needed the rest in order to be able to deal with the next week while still being somewhat sick. Sis and I are going to hang out at Panera after her appointment so she can use her computer. I figured that would give me a good time to work for ChaCha, too. I hope my computer fits in my new bag.

I got Sis's scarf finished. I wish I had taken a picture of it... it knitted up to look like a blue and purple plaid. It is AWESOME. I'll see her tomorrow. I'll see if I can't get a picture of it then.

IT'S COLD IN HERE. The forecast has it going down into the upper 30s tonight. I need to dig out my leather jacket for tomorrow. Brr.

Still no word from ChaCha. I'm getting really frustrated now.

CSI made me cry. Not a lot, but I was verklempt. And Sara's back, for a little while at least.

Grey's: Poop water!

And, finally, 11th Hour is interesting. The premise is very neat. And Rufus Sewell is not as annoying in this role as I thought he would be. Even his buggy eyes aren't as buggy. Maybe it's the creepy lighting.

Oh! Mom's going to let me have the car tomorrow. YAY!! Auto-nomy!

I'm in pain. I had an ovarian cyst rupture on me yesterday afternoon. Fun times. In a nutshell, a cyst forms when the normal sac that forms when you ovulate doesn't disappear after the egg is gone. This is not a good thing. Got it? Good.

I will save you from the full gamut of symptoms, but I will tell you this: It FUCKING hurts. It feels like you're cut open with a knife low across your belly. The first time this happened to me I actually checked to make sure that isn't what happened. And then it still feels that way for another 6+ hours, until the first burst of the pain goes away. You know the pain scale? 1 being minor; 10 being OH PLEASE GOD LET ME DIE RIGHT NOW. The pain starts suddenly at a 9, 9 1/2. After those initial 6ish hours, it goes down to a 7 or so, which relates to "tolerable, but only with really good pain meds and no movement." After about 24-48 it goes away entirely. After being curled up in a little ball of pain with usually one hand on your abdomen for those hours.

There was a big ordeal about this and getting meds, and if I needed to go to the hospital, and so forth yesterday, but it finally all worked out.

So, I'm drugged with lovely vicodin and sleeping late this morning when, over the sound of my TV, I am woken out of my super-drugged unconsciousness by the sound of yelling from outside my window. See, my new apartment is on the first floor, and is the dumbest design I have ever seen. The bedroom faces the parking lot, while the kitchen is in the back. It's incredibly noisy. And my neighbors, as I have said before, are mostly ghetto. And assholes. A man and woman are yelling about something or other right outside. And standing next to my car. And the man, to make his point, is beating on my trunk lid. So, I grabbed my keys and turned on the alarm. It's a puny one, I admit, but it did the trick. You can't have a fight by a honking blinking car. So they left. I may just have to keep my keys around me in my bedroom and when people are being loud at night I can move them with my car alarm. Hmm.

I've already complained to the apartment office about the fact that every time I go out to my car my driver's side mirror is knocked off. See, it had a run-in with a pole about 2 years ago now. I've kept it on with plastic glue and duct tape. It seems my neighbors are nowhere near as considerate as the ones from my old complex because it gets knocked off so often. I've had to repair it so much that I've run out of duct tape. I had to drive with the thing hanging by it's electrical cords the other day. Ugh.

Don't get me started on my cell service. I cannot wait until I move out of this place. At least there's only roughly 2 more months here.