Rejoice, I Am Not in the Hospital!

Well I have to admit that my car is running much better, smoother and just plain happier after having some money thrown at it. I even got the brakes done at Firestone as I planned.

On Friday morning I drove my mom's car to Hyundai and picked up my car. I confused the heck out of Jackson, he didn't know what we were doing, getting out of mom's car and into mine, only to drive it across the street to the Firestone and leave it there. But I promised him after we ran my errands we would have lunch at the McDonald's next door to the Firestone and he could play on the playground there. He was nervous when we had to cross the big 'highway' to get back to my mom's car. I carried him and he kept telling the cars to 'wait, you can't go yet!" He gave them permission to proceed when we got to the other side. So we then drove to the McDonald's, had some lunch, and he played for a while as I talked on the phone with my insurance agent working out the steps I need to take to fix the bumper of my mom's car. Hopefully I will have all that taken care of this week. I am on hold with the claims center now, waiting to get the claim officially filed. I'll let you know how it goes if they ever get on the line.

I was a little irritated to realize that my inspection is due this month. I didn't even notice that till after I got my car back from Firestone. You would think that having had it in the hands of two different shops last week would have led to someone mentioning it and selling me on an inspection which I would have surely accepted. But as I didn't notice and neither did they, I will have to take it in again before the month is out. Also, I had the rear brakes done, but not the front. Hyundai told me the front breaks were at 30%. So does anyone know what that means in terms of when I can expect to need the front breaks done? Do I just wait for the squeaking to begin and check on it then? I hate car repairs. I just hate being so ignorant of the process and yet I have no plans to study car maintenance to become less ignorant. Maybe I should look for one of those adult education classes that teach layman's basics. I don't really want to take such a class, but perhaps it wouldn't be a bad investment.

David got his car back on Friday also. His was in the body shop after having been hit and run in a parking garage. Today, his battery was dead and we had to run out and buy one to replace it. This is the month of car repairs. If I have any money left on Thanksgiving, I will be surprised. My cars are feeling needy and want some attention. It must have rubbed off on my mom's car. It doesn't want to be left out of the fun....still on hold with Allstate.


I can't be too upset that my cars are needy and breaking and in the shop. My family is in great shape if you consider that on this day last year I had been admitted to the hospital with the great toxic pimple saga that kicked my ass through Christmas last year. Wow. I just read over some of those blog posts and am amazed I survived it all with my sanity and my face more or less intact. And on December 1st this year I will have the remains of the beast cut out of my cheek and the divot will be history. Seriously though, what a sucky time that was. The picture pretty much says it all. Mmmmm...hospital food.

I have a busy week coming up at work with a playbill deadline Tuesday morning and plenty of administrative things to take care of before Thanksgiving week. We open The Gifts of the Magi on the Friday after Thanksgiving so much of the work needs to be done with one day less in the work week. And Jackson will be out of school for the holiday so I'll have less focused work time that week also.

I have three appointments scheduled this week too. And I am planning on cancelling all of them for different reasons. Tuesday is a haircut that I don't think I need yet. She said she wanted to see me back in 4 weeks, but I think it is too soon. And it is too much money to spend every month on a haircut. Geez. I think I can wait another 3 weeks or so. I am out of mullet danger for the moment so I am axing that appt.

I am also axing the fake-nail maintenance appt for Wednesday. I have been wearing finger-falsies for a couple of months and while I really love the ease of pretty nails you don't have to file and won't break, it really ads up, the appts every other week. And I have never been so high maintenance, WTF, who is this girl? Hair salon every four weeks and the nail salon every other week with a pedicure once a month thrown in? I act like I have money with my discount Coach purse and my fake nails. Heh, add that image to me climbing out of my dinged up little Hyundai (cause I am a terrible driver who likes to hit dumpsters) and you have an incongruous image. So off with the fake nails. I cut them down and as they grow out will keep cutting them down till the acrylic is gone. And now that I am hopefully out of the habit of nail biting, I can have my own nice nails and maintain them myself. I did it before, and I can do it again. Sans acrylic.

The third appt is with a Plastic Surgery Center in Westlake. As I am happy with the Doc I met in Georgetown and am assured that he is a board certified, trained plastic surgeon and not a podiatrist-turned-plastics I don't need to haul myself into Austin to have my insurance poo poo'd by the big dogs. Georgetown Plastic Surgery did not even flinch and said "Of course it will be covered, it's due to chemo. It isn't considered cosmetic."

So there. I have just dropped several maintenance levels. This week I am not getting my hair done at the Aveda Salon, not visiting the nail spa and not consulting the plastic surgeon in Westlake. But I am keeping my dinged up, desperately in need of a vacuum Hyundai Elantra...and my outlet mall Coach purse.