Chaos Attraction

New Year, Same Problems

2015-01-01, 8:24 p.m.

Last day of Holidailies. Last day of vacation. Then everything sucks because it's January. Whee!

My NYE turned out to be okay after all, for the most part.

First off: the car. Mom got hers back and then we went out for mine. The new theory of Why The Car Is Leaking And Why We Can't Fix It is that....it's the damn sunroof. Which wasn't fixed properly. Because there's no weather stripping on it. And then that had something to do with some tube that goes down to the bottom of the car....which was clogged....Honestly, taking auto mechanics class aside, I still feel like every time I go to a mechanic they might as well be telling me there's spillicus in the ghenticizoink and I can't really argue otherwise or suss out for myself what sounds right and wrong.

People wonder why I feel stupid all the time: it's stuff like this!

Anyway, bottom line as far as I can tell is: the guy in Pleasanton seems to have more on the ball. He cleared out the clogged tube, dried out the carpet as best he could, and replaced the rear view mirror backs (both of them, oddly enough, even though only one needed it). For only $200, which is a lot less than I expected. On the other hand...it's still gonna leak and he offered no way to fix that, other than "we called Volvo and they don't have that part for a sunroof." Which if they don't carry it is maybe why they didn't mention it at the local mechanic, but this dude was all "you should be able to get SOMETHING, maybe at a glass place." He also thought we should go back to the original mechanic and complain and get it fixed for free if there's a warranty on it (I have no idea), and mentioned there is some sort of Better Business Bureau for cars that we could complain to. Mom so very badly wants to do that. Since she has tomorrow off and I don't, I suggested she could go over there and complain in person without me (please, dear god, don't drag me into this), but she called and they are closed all week. Convenient, since she won't be able to come in person and complain all of tax/the rainy season. I foresee a lot of screaming and nagging and me being in the middle of drama going on.

I am...not pleased, mind you. I don't know how to find another mechanic around here (especially since this one is pretty well recommended by more than just L) to fix it, or anything, but I'm just inclined to say "Let's go somewhere else" than try to get them to fix it when I guess they couldn't do that the first time. Or to get into some giant battle. I know, "It's Not Right," but any time I've ever been dumb enough to pick a fight I've regretted it, so....But this one is so not going to be under my control. And meanwhile, the car will probably still be leaking.


Anyway, after all of that and getting the car back home, I went out with Angelica for lunch, to the bookstore (only got one book, the only recreational purchase I've made in a few weeks so good for me), and to see Into the Woods. I was dubious on seeing it because I saw the stage show yonks ago and while I liked the first act, the second act racks up quite a body count and gets depressing. They modified it a bit on that score--smaller body count, so it wasn't quite as awful "everyone dies and I wanna drink" as I remember it being. The music was beautiful. So, it was all right. I wasn't in love, but I liked it well enough, more than I thought I would.

After that, we went to her place, ate dinner, and played a few card games. I am now convinced that the card version of Yahtzee is all about luck because I trounced her on the first game by getting lucky at card draws and she did the same to me on the second round. Then we went off to watch The Prestige. I forgot how good that was, and how nuts those two magicians get. We watched the ball drop, and it was the usual sort of thing, though I did laugh at Taylor Swift being freezing in nothing but a bra and a blingy blazer. (You're not in Miami with Pitbull, honey, wear some clothes. Also, did you know that Pitbull now gets his own NYE special in Miami with people you haven't heard of? The things you learn from other people's cable.) Then, well, we went to bed because we're nerds and what else is there to do.

Meanwhile, Mom roamed around SF and saw Beach Blanket Babylon and had an excellent time and didn't go to bed until three a.m. My mom is officially cooler than I am.

The next day, Mom wanted to pick me up (never mind me driving over with the drunks late at night, or Angelica giving me a ride back, she wanted to), but was forced to wake up oh, 4-5 hours after waking up to come and get me. I ended up watching most of an hour of the Rose Parade at Angelica’s before she did. By the time we both got home to watch the replay, we were still trying to watch the parade, but she was pretty much passed out cold and I stayed up enough to see the parts I hadn’t seen before but otherwise dozed during the parts I had. Then by the time it was over, I was too awake to go to sleep (napping is not my skill in life), so I just got up and prepped to go back home. Where I am right now, writing this entry and my router has apparently died. I can get online if I plug the laptop in directly, but the wireless is....well, fuck if I know. I am apparently too stoopid to figure out why that isn’t working when the happy green lights are doing what they are supposed to on the modem.

Anyway, I’m going to finish this up before the Internet keels over again. I hope you have a better 2015 than you did 2014.


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