If it ain’t broke…

Well, actually it IS broke. More precisely, THEY are broke. And I haven’t had them fixed.

It started with my built-in vacuum cleaner’s power head attachment, the one that cleans and beats carpet at the same time. One day, about three years ago, it just stopped cleaning and beating. No problem, I said to myself, I’ll just use the regular head that only cleans.

But then the actual vacuum canister itself stopped working. Oh, it made all the requisite noises, but it did not suck. I was built-in vacuumless. Fortunately, I have a lovely little Miele vacuum that I’d purchased prior to moving here and inheriting the built-in machine, so I was still able to vacuum to my heart’s content. So I didn’t replace the broken built-in.

Last winter, one of the sections of the lattice fence around my back deck blew down in a wind storm. Last spring, Porsche Guy took me to the local home reno outfit and I bought a new section, which he tied onto the top of his Porsche to bring home (the visuals of that little trip are stunning, to say the least). I painted the piece of fencing, and it is still sitting in my garage, waiting to be installed. Soon it’ll be a year that my deck has been missing that piece of lattice fencing, creating a lovely abandoned and dilapidated look to my back yard.

The shower door in DD’s bathroom keeps falling off, which is somewhat hazardous. It also scratches the finish on the tub every time it falls. Again, PG took me to the home reno mega-store and I bought new shower doors last summer. This time the box fit into the hatch, more or less, so the trip home was a bit less dorky-looking. And where are those spanking new shower doors now? Still in the box in the garage.

Now my garburetor is dripping water under my kitchen sink. Did I get it fixed? No. But I did put an empty yogurt container underneath to catch the drips. Can I still use the garburetor? Sort of – if I don’t mind wiping down everywhere underneath the sink after the liquidy mess is forced at great velocity through the crack in the garburetor as the blades pulverize whatever was in there.

And I’ve just had to extend my rental contract for The Mighty Hyundai due to the continued non-appearance of my BMW135i. Although I was told my new car would be here in mid-October, I really have no idea exactly when and I’m having trouble finding out any information at the moment, as my salesperson seems to be AWOL.

Maybe his phone is broken?

A tale of two cars

Big night for Darling Daughter yesterday:  she took delivery of her brand new shiny red Honda Fit and she is over the moon!  Transportation at last!  Freedom!  Independence!

The car (and the first year’s worth of insurance) is a 21st birthday gift from her grandma, my mother. Grandma is a bit old-fashioned in that 21 signifies adulthood to her, not 19 as our provincial government has decreed.  And since 21 is a big deal, your gift should be a big deal, she believes.  (If you’re wondering, yes, my 21st birthday was also a big deal way back when. My parents gave me a beautiful cedar chest that I am still using and am proud of today.  It wasn’t a brand new car because they had already bought me a second-hand car three years previously when I started university and needed to get there somehow.  The bus system in Vancouver was pathetic back then – but that’s another post.)

So DD and I went to pick up her car, which entailed a lot of decisions regarding additional warranty coverage, insurance, signatures, cheques exchanging hands, and in our case, a rude awakening as well.  To make a long story short, we were absolutely shocked to find that a year of insurance for her is 4000$!  There are a number of reasons for this (one of which is a small accident that she had while driving my old car almost three years ago), but it is still an enormous number.  However, Grandma was paying, even though none of us had anticipated the cost being quite that high.  I guess we should have done a little homework on the insurance website first so we at least had a inkling of what was coming.

After all the paperwork was done and the keys had been presented to her, DD drove straight to Grandma’s house, whooping all the way.  Grandma was suitably impressed, particularly with the roominess of the Fit. It really is a lovely little vehicle – especially to someone (me) who is currently driving The Mighty Hyundai and is anxiously awaiting delivery of her own new BMW 135i.

Interestingly, it also happened that today was the day to return to the rental place and extend my time with said Mighty Hyundai.  When the fellow checked the car over, he noted that one of its tires was low and that it needed an oil change.  I looked a bit dubious at that point, and wondered aloud how long this would take and should I wait.  He said I could do that, or he could give me a different rental car.  He had an orange Yaris available.  I shuddered.  I said, “I don’t DO orange. I look hideous in orange.”   He laughed.  I didn’t.  

There are now two new cars in my garage.  One is DD’s new red Honda Fit.  The other is Another Mighty Hyundai.  It’s blue.

Where’s Waldo?

After work, I needed to buy some milk for the staff room and some wine for my upcoming Unbook Club gathering.  Rather than driving all the way home and doing those errands in my own neighbourhood, I chose to go to the liquor store and supermarket in the area in which I work.  I don’t know said area too well, despite the fact that I have worked there for just over three years.  Mostly, I go to work in the morning and I go home at the end of the day.  I don’t DO anything else in that community other than teach.

I parked at the liquor store, went in, purchased my wine, then debated whether or not to walk or drive over to the supermarket two short blocks away.  It was starting to rain, so option number two won out.  But as I drove off, I realized that I hadn’t enough cash to buy much of anything else, so I stopped at a bank just around the corner.  (Poor use of fossil fuel, I know.)

I got my cash, got over the fact that I have way less money in my account than I’d thought, and decided to brave the raindrops and walk the remaining block to the supermarket.  There, I bought my milk and a few other items (Isn’t it always that way?  You go in for one measly item and leave with several bags of groceries and an empty wallet.). I headed back to The Mighty Hyundai – and couldn’t find it. 

I stood outside the liquor store, clutching my milk and two grocery bags, pondering how it is possible to forget where you parked the car five minutes ago.  Then I remembered that I’d driven around the corner to the bank, stopped in there, then walked to the supermarket.  I retraced my steps and sure enough, The Mighty Hyundai waited for me in the bank parking lot.  

Even my subconscious is trying to get rid of that car.

Beemer dreamer

I am so missing my car!  I’ve been driving this little rental Hyundai for two weeks now, and while I am happy to have it and the mobility it affords me, I am so ready to get my own wheels back!

The car I totalled six weeks ago was a BMW 135i, one of the brand new Baby Beemers that just arrived in Canada in the spring (yeah, I know they’ve been in Europe for a couple of years already!  You Europeans have all the fun!), so I was literally the first on my block to buy one.  And then I crashed it.  Completely. And while I wait for its replacement, I am driving what I have dubbed The Mighty Hyundai.  It’s quite a step – um – down.

Hyundai is not known for its luxury vehicles, and this one is very bare bones – but oddly so.  For example, it does not have central locking (which even my previous car built in 1995 had) but it has air conditioning. It does not have electric windows, but it has a kick-ass stereo, especially the bass.  It does not have a remote button to open the hatch, but it does have one to open the gas tank.  Strange.

It also has no power.  I have to choose carefully my moments to turn or pull out into traffic, because The Mighty Hyundai cannot accelerate much.  It’s an automatic, which explains some of the lack of power, but really, shouldn’t I be able to drive up a gradual hill without having the gas pedal floored?  I suppose I’m just spoiled by the BMW, but still!

So, as I said, I am really missing my car now.  Then, earlier this evening, my BMW dealer called me to tell me that my new car started production at the beginning of the month and that it looks like it will arrive here sooner than expected, by mid-October.  And bonus:  no price increase for the 2009 model!  Yay!

Mighty Hyundai, your days are numbered.  I don’t think I’ll wash you now.