Year of the Ssssssnake
Posting a day early again, but after this I should be able to get back on the regular Monday/Thursday schedule.
Very early in the morning, I was up to drive the 40 minutes to the car dealership. There was already a queue of cars waiting at 6:55. Checked in and waited for about two hours, and then the Toyota associate came back with BAD news.
It was definitely rodents. They had definitely chewed through my AC wiring, as well as the air filter and the straps holding....the AC unit?....in place. The worst part of all was that the mechanics couldn't find the dead mouse either. They suspected it was actually INSIDE the AC mechanism. Which meant they were going to have to pull the entire AC unit out. $$$$
In addition to all of that, my back rotors were basically metal rubbing metal (I had known that they were low but I literally JUST had the car at Firestone and they didn't say anything.)
The total estimate: a whopping $5300.
I authorized the work (what else could I do?) and stumbled back to the waiting room in shock and financial pain. Oww.
As I was reeling, two male car salesmen came over to circle me like actual sharks.
"Empathetically" bemoaning my bill. Touting how "reliable" a newer car would be. Asking how much I paid per month on my car, pulling out calculators to show me how "affordable" lease payments would be.
I'm sure they were hoping to catch me off balance, upset, and vulnerable. I'm sure these predatory tactics work quite well on distraught housewives with feelings-for-brains. But as an INTJ, FEELING off balance, upset, and vulnerable doesn't carry over into my decision-making process. I countered their every "suggestion" regarding buying and leasing, and after a few minutes of stonewalling and staring directly into their beady eyes their shark-grins vanished, and they wandered off to find easier prey.
After thinking carefully about what to do, I went back to the associate and asked for a rental car, which is discounted or possibly even free through the dealership. Got the car, dropped off my coat to the dry cleaners (a preplanned chore).
And then I called my insurance company.
The encounter with the predatory car salesmen had reminded me: my car is not paid off yet.
That means I've got FULL coverage.
Which means that rodent damage might actually be covered!
The agent said they'd send an adjuster to the dealership right away. I drove home and filled Jameson in on what was happening. He felt guilty because he's supposed to be driving my car once a week while I'm gone, and hadn't noticed any issues. But I reminded him that if he hadn't insisted that I get a rental car when we DID notice issues, I could have driven all the way to North Carolina with a severely damaged car. He probably saved me a LOT of trouble. And even if he'd known about the mice, what could he have done? Put mouse traps under the hood?
After lunch I went for a walk, and during the walk the adjuster called to say he'd finished the assessment.
The verdict: insurance will cover ALL of the repairs and labor associated with the rodent damage. PHEW!
This of course doesn't include the rotors, but that is fine! Financial catastrophe averted. I felt VERY grateful.
Here are some of the adjuster's pictures. Mouse droppings on the battery and in the undercarriage, and the half-chewed air filter with droppings.
They are still completing repairs so I don't have photos of the actual broken AC parts yet. They may find the dead mouse and/or more damage as they go. But at least I know now that it's covered. That was a hell of a scare!
Continuing my walk, I came across this sweet little water snake on the sidewalk, absorbing the warmth of the sun.
I thought she might be dead at first, but then saw her little tongue going blep-blep. Adorable!
She was very small, only a little longer than my hand. She moved away nervously when I put my finger close.
As I continued on my way it occurred to me: 2025 is the Year of the Snake!
How lucky am I, to have seen this year's token animal!
How lucky am I. It is not lost on me.
Back home Jameson and I had Panda Express and relaxed together until bedtime.
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Friday. Up somewhat-early for the 90-minute drive to Warburton.
Breakfast and clearing the table so that Jameson could work on a puzzle if he liked (he's getting very bored, poor guy.) Loaded up the bass trombone and off we went.
Warburton is always in a state of chaos. Boxes everywhere, random pianos, a shelf full of random method books, pieces of heavy machinery, brass shavings, and of course the big black mouthpiece display boxes for trumpet, cornet, French horn, trombone, baritone, tuba, etc etc. Warburton is known for their mouthpieces and their ability to fabricate custom mouthpieces. I'm lucky that they're Florida-based and close enough to visit. At this point all of my mouthpieces are Warburton except my large tenor, for which I use a Hammond (also very good.)
Today I needed a mouthpiece for my new bass. Kimberly, who runs the shop most of the time and plays the trumpet and has a pet squirrel, was there to greet me and we chatted it up, catching up on each others' lives. I think we'd be good friends if only we lived closer. While chatting I tried several mouthpieces, starting with a 1-1/2 standard and then a few custom versions of the same, and also a 2-cup (I know that all of this means nothing to you.)
Note that today was my VERY first time playing this bass trombone, and I am WELL pleased with it. The slide is unlubricated currently so started off a little jerky, but as I played and the brass warmed it got nice and smooth indeed. The Minick-worked rotors also were a pleasure. I had a hard time filling up the horn and got dizzy/lightheaded a few times, but that is something that will go away with time and persistent practice. As mentioned in other posts, I am not a "monster" musician or a power-focused player...but I will have to become one for this gig. Or at least as close as I can get.
I pretty quickly decided on the standard 1-1/2, and Kim threw in some awesome merch! A Warburton 50th anniversary shirt (don't ask why it has sharks and fish, I've no clue) and a Quality Control sticker featuring Meeny, her pet squirrel!
We hugged goodbye and as I was about to leave, a family of raccoons showed up to snack on some kibble that had been laid out for them! A mama and two babies. Kim says there are usually two other babies and wondered where they were.
I tiptoed around the family and took off with my goodies.
Back home I got an update on my car. Still torn apart. It won't be done today, but I'm hoping for tomorrow.
I practiced my Main Street Philharmonic music because there's a rehearsal on Tuesday. This was the first time I've played my Williams since going on tour with Elf. It went rough but that's ok. Patience and practice :)
We got Pub Subs for dinner, and that seems to have been a poor choice because Jameson threw his up a few hours later :/
I felt fine, so not sure what happened or if maybe it's because his stomach is hurting from all the meds lately.
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Saturday, I was up later than usual and feeling unmotivated.
This is probably my last "chill day" for quite a while.
Breakfast and finished watching Wolf's Rain, and the dealership called to say that my car was finished! YAY!
They'd found even MORE damage to the drive belt and other parts, so my insurance is now covering something ungodly like $8000 worth of work. I would never have recovered from that financial hit. So on the way to the dealership I stopped at Dunkin' and got a gift card for my associate, who had been kind and helpful and waived all of my rental car costs. When I got there we settled up...my bill for the rotors and non-rodent work came to $1080, still not cheap but manageable. Then he showed me my car, all reassembled and smelling fresh and clean, all the feces and acorn shells removed from under the hood. He showed me where I should put blocks of Tomcat bait (I don't want to do it but he says they may come back, as he never found a dead animal + their scent is still in the car.) We shook hands, I gave him the Dunkin' card, and that was that. Hopefully my insurance deals with the rest.
For anyone who's interested, my insurance is GEICO and they have been wonderful, now and in the past when I was in an accident and my car was totaled. Highly recommend them.
On the way home, picked up my coat from the dry cleaners and got a bag of Tomcat bait. Did laundry, chatted with Jameson, ate lunch, installed the bait in my car, and practiced my Universal audition music which had FINALLY come in the day before the audition. Argh, whatever.
At 5pm there was a free acting/dialect clinic for auditionees in Winter Park, so I drove up there to attend. There were 17 people there, 7 of whom were trombonists. Of the 17 only 4 were women, one on each instrument...but TWO of us ladies on trombone! The other female trombonist is Andrea, who I knew was local but didn't think she'd be interested in theme park stuff. It was a pleasure to finally meet her in person!
The dialect coach running the clinic was very cool, and she gave us partial scripts to work with which gave us a glimpse at what we might be expected to do for this role (hush-hush of course.) And from talking with each other we were able to figure out that auditions were roughly 12 minutes apart/going to be 12 minutes long, and that the trombones would be heard first (we all had morning audition times.) And that's pretty much it...the French was fun to practice, but honestly, there's no way most of us will remember this in front of an audition panel. If I retain any of it it'll be a miracle! But it was nice to meet people and get a little more info on what to expect tomorrow.
I drove home and told Jameson of my doings, made sure my horn and music and clothes were all laid out for the audition, then we chilled.
------------------------------------------------------------------
Sunday: Auditioning for Universal. Jameson gets to remove his cast! I should also get a transcription job.
Monday: Transcription and practicing, possibly making dinner for us.
Tuesday: A day at Disney for Main Street Philharmonic rehearsal.
Wednesday: Taking Jameson to two doctors appointments, more transcription and practicing. I should find out by Weds whether or not I'll be involved in the Universal gig.
Very early in the morning, I was up to drive the 40 minutes to the car dealership. There was already a queue of cars waiting at 6:55. Checked in and waited for about two hours, and then the Toyota associate came back with BAD news.
It was definitely rodents. They had definitely chewed through my AC wiring, as well as the air filter and the straps holding....the AC unit?....in place. The worst part of all was that the mechanics couldn't find the dead mouse either. They suspected it was actually INSIDE the AC mechanism. Which meant they were going to have to pull the entire AC unit out. $$$$
In addition to all of that, my back rotors were basically metal rubbing metal (I had known that they were low but I literally JUST had the car at Firestone and they didn't say anything.)
The total estimate: a whopping $5300.
I authorized the work (what else could I do?) and stumbled back to the waiting room in shock and financial pain. Oww.
As I was reeling, two male car salesmen came over to circle me like actual sharks.
"Empathetically" bemoaning my bill. Touting how "reliable" a newer car would be. Asking how much I paid per month on my car, pulling out calculators to show me how "affordable" lease payments would be.
I'm sure they were hoping to catch me off balance, upset, and vulnerable. I'm sure these predatory tactics work quite well on distraught housewives with feelings-for-brains. But as an INTJ, FEELING off balance, upset, and vulnerable doesn't carry over into my decision-making process. I countered their every "suggestion" regarding buying and leasing, and after a few minutes of stonewalling and staring directly into their beady eyes their shark-grins vanished, and they wandered off to find easier prey.
After thinking carefully about what to do, I went back to the associate and asked for a rental car, which is discounted or possibly even free through the dealership. Got the car, dropped off my coat to the dry cleaners (a preplanned chore).
And then I called my insurance company.
The encounter with the predatory car salesmen had reminded me: my car is not paid off yet.
That means I've got FULL coverage.
Which means that rodent damage might actually be covered!
The agent said they'd send an adjuster to the dealership right away. I drove home and filled Jameson in on what was happening. He felt guilty because he's supposed to be driving my car once a week while I'm gone, and hadn't noticed any issues. But I reminded him that if he hadn't insisted that I get a rental car when we DID notice issues, I could have driven all the way to North Carolina with a severely damaged car. He probably saved me a LOT of trouble. And even if he'd known about the mice, what could he have done? Put mouse traps under the hood?
After lunch I went for a walk, and during the walk the adjuster called to say he'd finished the assessment.
The verdict: insurance will cover ALL of the repairs and labor associated with the rodent damage. PHEW!
This of course doesn't include the rotors, but that is fine! Financial catastrophe averted. I felt VERY grateful.
Here are some of the adjuster's pictures. Mouse droppings on the battery and in the undercarriage, and the half-chewed air filter with droppings.
They are still completing repairs so I don't have photos of the actual broken AC parts yet. They may find the dead mouse and/or more damage as they go. But at least I know now that it's covered. That was a hell of a scare!
Continuing my walk, I came across this sweet little water snake on the sidewalk, absorbing the warmth of the sun.
I thought she might be dead at first, but then saw her little tongue going blep-blep. Adorable!
Click to viewShe was very small, only a little longer than my hand. She moved away nervously when I put my finger close.
As I continued on my way it occurred to me: 2025 is the Year of the Snake!
How lucky am I, to have seen this year's token animal!
How lucky am I. It is not lost on me.
Back home Jameson and I had Panda Express and relaxed together until bedtime.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Friday. Up somewhat-early for the 90-minute drive to Warburton.
Breakfast and clearing the table so that Jameson could work on a puzzle if he liked (he's getting very bored, poor guy.) Loaded up the bass trombone and off we went.
Warburton is always in a state of chaos. Boxes everywhere, random pianos, a shelf full of random method books, pieces of heavy machinery, brass shavings, and of course the big black mouthpiece display boxes for trumpet, cornet, French horn, trombone, baritone, tuba, etc etc. Warburton is known for their mouthpieces and their ability to fabricate custom mouthpieces. I'm lucky that they're Florida-based and close enough to visit. At this point all of my mouthpieces are Warburton except my large tenor, for which I use a Hammond (also very good.)
Today I needed a mouthpiece for my new bass. Kimberly, who runs the shop most of the time and plays the trumpet and has a pet squirrel, was there to greet me and we chatted it up, catching up on each others' lives. I think we'd be good friends if only we lived closer. While chatting I tried several mouthpieces, starting with a 1-1/2 standard and then a few custom versions of the same, and also a 2-cup (I know that all of this means nothing to you.)
Note that today was my VERY first time playing this bass trombone, and I am WELL pleased with it. The slide is unlubricated currently so started off a little jerky, but as I played and the brass warmed it got nice and smooth indeed. The Minick-worked rotors also were a pleasure. I had a hard time filling up the horn and got dizzy/lightheaded a few times, but that is something that will go away with time and persistent practice. As mentioned in other posts, I am not a "monster" musician or a power-focused player...but I will have to become one for this gig. Or at least as close as I can get.
I pretty quickly decided on the standard 1-1/2, and Kim threw in some awesome merch! A Warburton 50th anniversary shirt (don't ask why it has sharks and fish, I've no clue) and a Quality Control sticker featuring Meeny, her pet squirrel!
We hugged goodbye and as I was about to leave, a family of raccoons showed up to snack on some kibble that had been laid out for them! A mama and two babies. Kim says there are usually two other babies and wondered where they were.
I tiptoed around the family and took off with my goodies.
Back home I got an update on my car. Still torn apart. It won't be done today, but I'm hoping for tomorrow.
I practiced my Main Street Philharmonic music because there's a rehearsal on Tuesday. This was the first time I've played my Williams since going on tour with Elf. It went rough but that's ok. Patience and practice :)
We got Pub Subs for dinner, and that seems to have been a poor choice because Jameson threw his up a few hours later :/
I felt fine, so not sure what happened or if maybe it's because his stomach is hurting from all the meds lately.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Saturday, I was up later than usual and feeling unmotivated.
This is probably my last "chill day" for quite a while.
Breakfast and finished watching Wolf's Rain, and the dealership called to say that my car was finished! YAY!
They'd found even MORE damage to the drive belt and other parts, so my insurance is now covering something ungodly like $8000 worth of work. I would never have recovered from that financial hit. So on the way to the dealership I stopped at Dunkin' and got a gift card for my associate, who had been kind and helpful and waived all of my rental car costs. When I got there we settled up...my bill for the rotors and non-rodent work came to $1080, still not cheap but manageable. Then he showed me my car, all reassembled and smelling fresh and clean, all the feces and acorn shells removed from under the hood. He showed me where I should put blocks of Tomcat bait (I don't want to do it but he says they may come back, as he never found a dead animal + their scent is still in the car.) We shook hands, I gave him the Dunkin' card, and that was that. Hopefully my insurance deals with the rest.
For anyone who's interested, my insurance is GEICO and they have been wonderful, now and in the past when I was in an accident and my car was totaled. Highly recommend them.
On the way home, picked up my coat from the dry cleaners and got a bag of Tomcat bait. Did laundry, chatted with Jameson, ate lunch, installed the bait in my car, and practiced my Universal audition music which had FINALLY come in the day before the audition. Argh, whatever.
At 5pm there was a free acting/dialect clinic for auditionees in Winter Park, so I drove up there to attend. There were 17 people there, 7 of whom were trombonists. Of the 17 only 4 were women, one on each instrument...but TWO of us ladies on trombone! The other female trombonist is Andrea, who I knew was local but didn't think she'd be interested in theme park stuff. It was a pleasure to finally meet her in person!
The dialect coach running the clinic was very cool, and she gave us partial scripts to work with which gave us a glimpse at what we might be expected to do for this role (hush-hush of course.) And from talking with each other we were able to figure out that auditions were roughly 12 minutes apart/going to be 12 minutes long, and that the trombones would be heard first (we all had morning audition times.) And that's pretty much it...the French was fun to practice, but honestly, there's no way most of us will remember this in front of an audition panel. If I retain any of it it'll be a miracle! But it was nice to meet people and get a little more info on what to expect tomorrow.
I drove home and told Jameson of my doings, made sure my horn and music and clothes were all laid out for the audition, then we chilled.
------------------------------------------------------------------
Sunday: Auditioning for Universal. Jameson gets to remove his cast! I should also get a transcription job.
Monday: Transcription and practicing, possibly making dinner for us.
Tuesday: A day at Disney for Main Street Philharmonic rehearsal.
Wednesday: Taking Jameson to two doctors appointments, more transcription and practicing. I should find out by Weds whether or not I'll be involved in the Universal gig.