SNAFU
It all began in April 2020. It was a time of not paying attention to your vehicle's oil and gas...and basically not using your vehicle.
For our vehicles it meant water accumulation inside the car, causing mold growth.
Once I realized this was happening I bought Damp-Rid bags. It was not the solution but it helped just enough.
Even after we could drive again, we lost the habit of checking oil and so on...and found we did not have to drive as much as we used to drive. For one thing, my employer actually preferred us working from home than to come in to our offices.
However, I needed an office that was easy to plug in and work, meaning I needed a permanent office not a "traveller's work station." It took a while to get that, in part because my company was not hiring administrative assistants, so I had to work with an aa from Colorado to take care of office space in Oregon.
Just as I got my office allocation, the price of gas went up. It was good weather to drive, though, so I drove most days. It cost me more, but it was good to work in an office with two large video screens. I used to have two at home, but during the covid emergency my cats urinated on one and destroyed it. Also, I needed to deal with disconnecting and reconnecting video cables to use the company laptop with my video screen, so just worked off the laptop at work. My office was far superior ergonomically and for my eyesight.
Just as I got used to the price of gas, Marisa got covid so I had to work from home until she was ok.
Once she was ok, I could drive to work again, but the price of gas was even more, to around 5 dollars a gallon. And I needed to save money, so I juggled the days I would work from home to attend early meetings. I may have worked from home a bit more.
Then rain and cold weather happened...and the earlier dusk. Driving home became a big pain...and just as the cost of gas starting going down.
I started working from home more often because driving at night and in snowy rainy conditions was not safe for me.
Still, driving and getting the vehicles in good shape was no longer a habit. Marisa at one point was not able to start her car--because she didn't drive it enough to charge the battery. We even brought it in to be looked at and the guy said it just needs a good charge and to drive a few extra miles to keep it charged up.
The tires were low, not enough air pressure. No one was checking. Also no one kept an eye on the fuel guage.
So, this week when I drove our neighbors to the train depot, the gas indicator light went on just as I started the car. We were on a tight schedule, so I risked the possibility of running out of gas. Then, I hit a speed bump running a few miles per hour greater than the limit. Pow! The car jerked, but I thought it was just the speed bump. However, the low pressure in the tire plus the speed bump actually broke the tire sidewall.
Well, I got them to the depot without running out of gas. Then I drove home and tried to not do jack-rabbit starts and kept to the speed limit and near the right side in case the car ran out. It felt like the car was uneven, but I was more worried about the gas.
Once I crossed the St. Johns Bridge I felt a little better. When I got to Freddies there was a good line, but I waited and turned off the engine. If I ran out of gas at this point I could always push it.
However, I eventually got up to the pump and had it filled with 12 gallons of gas...no longer more than five dollars a gallon!
I drove home, relieved I got them to the depot on time and that now the car had gas.
Little did I know that the back tire was flat and could not be fixed.
Marisa drove out the next day and discovered the flat. That was yesterday.
To-day, a Thursday, I thought I would go to Les Schwab and get a flat fixed. Zero dollars, an hour at best.
Nope, they were super busy. Flats, brakes, all sorts of things. It was like everyone in the 'hood had delayed fixes until now when they needed to drive somewhere for the holidays. For us it was because we were not watching our tire pressure!
There was a four hour wait. So I left the car, gave them my phone number and I walked home.
It was chilly but my coat and the walking kept me warm. Also, it was mostly sunny and dry, so not a bad thing.
I came home and just researched House80's 2nd story stairs.
Then Nick called from Les Schwab. No flat, it needed to be a tire replacement. I agreed and he said it would take him 15 minutes. "Ok," I said, "I'll start walkin'."
I did. Probably 15 minutes later I walked in and told Sandra my name. I saw our car in the front. She did a visual check of turned in paperwork and saw nothing. "You'll have to wait, I don't see it yet."
I waited and listened and watched. No indication of anything related to our car.
Les Schwab closes at 6 p.m. It was dark now. At 5:45 I stood up and asked. "He called me more than an hour ago and said he would finish then in 15 minutes. Can you check?" This time she also checked an obscure area and found my paperwork and the key. She didn't say a thing but had this frustrated look on her face.
I prepared my credit card, but she went right to signature authorization. I signed and she gave me a receipt for flat fixed, no charge.
"He told me I would need a brand new tire?!"
Sandra went to talk with a service manager. Eventually Nick came in with the new paper work for the tire. "Sorry about that, paperwork problems."
He processed everything, I put in my credit card, paid for it. Nick didn't bother giving me the usual Les Schwab envelope and warantee certificate, which was fine. "It's in the overflow lot," he said.
To me the overflow lot was the one closer to our house than the Les Schwab service area, so I walked over there: our car wasn't there. I probably should have verified with Nick where the overflow lot was.
Turns out they also have one behind the Subway restaurant!
I checked it out and there the car was.
Did I say it was dark?
Anyway, I got in the car and hunched down to see through the window: condensation on the inside of the window blocked visibility. I thought I would go to the next intersection which had a signal so I could easily turn back to go home.
Just taking one one block jog to the intersection was difficult because there were many cars and it was dark, so I was especially careful.
Finally got the intersection and saw that there was a car collision and multiple emergency vehicles were just arriving.
Obviously it was not a good place like I expected.
So I drove farther away and intended to take the return trip on another road.
Did I say it was dark?
I missed the cut off to the other road.
No biggee, I told myself. I turned down a straight I knew would eventually get me there. It was out of the way, but I could find it and knew it would work.
For once, something did work. Took a few extra miles and time...and I was worried that the extra traffic and driving at night put the car and me in greater danger of collision.
However, I did get to the vicinity of Freddies ok. I saw the light at the intersection turn green but there were a number of vehicles in front of me and they just sat there for a couple of minutes (probably waiting for a pedestrian in the crosswalk). Meanwhile I had blocked the entrance and exit of Freddies and consequently got to hear the cacaphony of car horns (as if I could move my car to respond).
By the time I got to the intersection the light had turned red. At least I was first in line, now.
When the light changed again, I drove.
Did I say it was dark?
I saw a guy in a black hoodie and black pants walk into the road between corners, as if he was going to walk in front of me. I wouldn't have been able to stop in time if he had. He at least was aware enough to not do that, but I could tell he really wanted to do that. I got to the stop sign...now just turn the corner and drive in the driveway.
I really felt as if something bad would happen in this very short distance, but no. I got home okay. The car felt lumpy: all of the other tires needed to be pressurized properly. However, the car has an almost full tank and a new tire. Tomorrow I will try to up the pressure on the others by a hand pump.
Let's face it: things could have been worse. It could have been raining or snowing. My credit card could have been declined. I could have collided with another vehicle in the dark. I could have collided with that man. I could have run out of gas on the way to the depot, forcing the family to summon and catch a cab. I could have completely blown the tire or run out of gas before getting home.
And yet, still, I felt today like Captain Binghamton from McHales Navy-- "Why me, why is it always me?"
For our vehicles it meant water accumulation inside the car, causing mold growth.
Once I realized this was happening I bought Damp-Rid bags. It was not the solution but it helped just enough.
Even after we could drive again, we lost the habit of checking oil and so on...and found we did not have to drive as much as we used to drive. For one thing, my employer actually preferred us working from home than to come in to our offices.
However, I needed an office that was easy to plug in and work, meaning I needed a permanent office not a "traveller's work station." It took a while to get that, in part because my company was not hiring administrative assistants, so I had to work with an aa from Colorado to take care of office space in Oregon.
Just as I got my office allocation, the price of gas went up. It was good weather to drive, though, so I drove most days. It cost me more, but it was good to work in an office with two large video screens. I used to have two at home, but during the covid emergency my cats urinated on one and destroyed it. Also, I needed to deal with disconnecting and reconnecting video cables to use the company laptop with my video screen, so just worked off the laptop at work. My office was far superior ergonomically and for my eyesight.
Just as I got used to the price of gas, Marisa got covid so I had to work from home until she was ok.
Once she was ok, I could drive to work again, but the price of gas was even more, to around 5 dollars a gallon. And I needed to save money, so I juggled the days I would work from home to attend early meetings. I may have worked from home a bit more.
Then rain and cold weather happened...and the earlier dusk. Driving home became a big pain...and just as the cost of gas starting going down.
I started working from home more often because driving at night and in snowy rainy conditions was not safe for me.
Still, driving and getting the vehicles in good shape was no longer a habit. Marisa at one point was not able to start her car--because she didn't drive it enough to charge the battery. We even brought it in to be looked at and the guy said it just needs a good charge and to drive a few extra miles to keep it charged up.
The tires were low, not enough air pressure. No one was checking. Also no one kept an eye on the fuel guage.
So, this week when I drove our neighbors to the train depot, the gas indicator light went on just as I started the car. We were on a tight schedule, so I risked the possibility of running out of gas. Then, I hit a speed bump running a few miles per hour greater than the limit. Pow! The car jerked, but I thought it was just the speed bump. However, the low pressure in the tire plus the speed bump actually broke the tire sidewall.
Well, I got them to the depot without running out of gas. Then I drove home and tried to not do jack-rabbit starts and kept to the speed limit and near the right side in case the car ran out. It felt like the car was uneven, but I was more worried about the gas.
Once I crossed the St. Johns Bridge I felt a little better. When I got to Freddies there was a good line, but I waited and turned off the engine. If I ran out of gas at this point I could always push it.
However, I eventually got up to the pump and had it filled with 12 gallons of gas...no longer more than five dollars a gallon!
I drove home, relieved I got them to the depot on time and that now the car had gas.
Little did I know that the back tire was flat and could not be fixed.
Marisa drove out the next day and discovered the flat. That was yesterday.
To-day, a Thursday, I thought I would go to Les Schwab and get a flat fixed. Zero dollars, an hour at best.
Nope, they were super busy. Flats, brakes, all sorts of things. It was like everyone in the 'hood had delayed fixes until now when they needed to drive somewhere for the holidays. For us it was because we were not watching our tire pressure!
There was a four hour wait. So I left the car, gave them my phone number and I walked home.
It was chilly but my coat and the walking kept me warm. Also, it was mostly sunny and dry, so not a bad thing.
I came home and just researched House80's 2nd story stairs.
Then Nick called from Les Schwab. No flat, it needed to be a tire replacement. I agreed and he said it would take him 15 minutes. "Ok," I said, "I'll start walkin'."
I did. Probably 15 minutes later I walked in and told Sandra my name. I saw our car in the front. She did a visual check of turned in paperwork and saw nothing. "You'll have to wait, I don't see it yet."
I waited and listened and watched. No indication of anything related to our car.
Les Schwab closes at 6 p.m. It was dark now. At 5:45 I stood up and asked. "He called me more than an hour ago and said he would finish then in 15 minutes. Can you check?" This time she also checked an obscure area and found my paperwork and the key. She didn't say a thing but had this frustrated look on her face.
I prepared my credit card, but she went right to signature authorization. I signed and she gave me a receipt for flat fixed, no charge.
"He told me I would need a brand new tire?!"
Sandra went to talk with a service manager. Eventually Nick came in with the new paper work for the tire. "Sorry about that, paperwork problems."
He processed everything, I put in my credit card, paid for it. Nick didn't bother giving me the usual Les Schwab envelope and warantee certificate, which was fine. "It's in the overflow lot," he said.
To me the overflow lot was the one closer to our house than the Les Schwab service area, so I walked over there: our car wasn't there. I probably should have verified with Nick where the overflow lot was.
Turns out they also have one behind the Subway restaurant!
I checked it out and there the car was.
Did I say it was dark?
Anyway, I got in the car and hunched down to see through the window: condensation on the inside of the window blocked visibility. I thought I would go to the next intersection which had a signal so I could easily turn back to go home.
Just taking one one block jog to the intersection was difficult because there were many cars and it was dark, so I was especially careful.
Finally got the intersection and saw that there was a car collision and multiple emergency vehicles were just arriving.
Obviously it was not a good place like I expected.
So I drove farther away and intended to take the return trip on another road.
Did I say it was dark?
I missed the cut off to the other road.
No biggee, I told myself. I turned down a straight I knew would eventually get me there. It was out of the way, but I could find it and knew it would work.
For once, something did work. Took a few extra miles and time...and I was worried that the extra traffic and driving at night put the car and me in greater danger of collision.
However, I did get to the vicinity of Freddies ok. I saw the light at the intersection turn green but there were a number of vehicles in front of me and they just sat there for a couple of minutes (probably waiting for a pedestrian in the crosswalk). Meanwhile I had blocked the entrance and exit of Freddies and consequently got to hear the cacaphony of car horns (as if I could move my car to respond).
By the time I got to the intersection the light had turned red. At least I was first in line, now.
When the light changed again, I drove.
Did I say it was dark?
I saw a guy in a black hoodie and black pants walk into the road between corners, as if he was going to walk in front of me. I wouldn't have been able to stop in time if he had. He at least was aware enough to not do that, but I could tell he really wanted to do that. I got to the stop sign...now just turn the corner and drive in the driveway.
I really felt as if something bad would happen in this very short distance, but no. I got home okay. The car felt lumpy: all of the other tires needed to be pressurized properly. However, the car has an almost full tank and a new tire. Tomorrow I will try to up the pressure on the others by a hand pump.
Let's face it: things could have been worse. It could have been raining or snowing. My credit card could have been declined. I could have collided with another vehicle in the dark. I could have collided with that man. I could have run out of gas on the way to the depot, forcing the family to summon and catch a cab. I could have completely blown the tire or run out of gas before getting home.
And yet, still, I felt today like Captain Binghamton from McHales Navy-- "Why me, why is it always me?"