Is there anything worse than the car dealership's waiting room? Wait, there is...sitting there for 3 hours, only to be turned away without having your car fixed. Not once, but TWICE!!
That's right, I went back to attempt to have the amp in my new car installed and right as Ellen was going off, the service guy was handing me keys to a crappy Grand Prix that is a few years older than my new car, and a whole lot crappier!
I was not happy.
When the service guy told me to take the loaner, I asked him when my car would be finished. His response:
"Probably not today."
Great.
I went to my car and grabbed my work bag and took off, totally forgetting to grab my house key off the key chain. Luckily, my mom had a spare she let me borrow. I figured the car would be finished Saturday, and I could swap them out then.
By 3:00pm Saturday, I was beginning to fear my car wasn't going to be ready. I called, and was informed that my car wasn't ready because the service department wasn't even open on Saturday's!!
Me: "Are you kidding?"
Them: "No, sir."
Me: " I was told my car would be finished today, what the heck?"
Them: "I don't know who told you that, but the service department isn't open today."
It's now Monday...still no call, still no car...STILL NO FLOOR MATS! I'll keep you posted.
Monday, July 30, 2007
Thursday, July 26, 2007
Blue Car Blues
Purchasing a new car can be exciting, but it can also be very trying. You look for hours, days, weeks, whatever, and when you finally get what you think you want, there is inevitably something.
Something you overlooked. Something that looked better on the lot than when you got it home. Something that you though would be a quick fix, that turned into a headache.
Headache describes my new car. Don't get me wrong, I love it. It's awesome inside and out except for three small things, all of which the dealer agreed to correct.
1. No floormats. That sucks, but a new set is on order.
2. A small dent on the driver side back panel. "We will pop that out for you."
3. The amp on the stereo is blown. But it's in the shop, and will be ready in a week or so.
Do you know how much it sucks not having a radio? Well, let's just say a lot. But, true to their promise, the amp was repaired and I took a day off work to go get it installed. I arrived at 9:00, which was my appointment time. They said it would only take an hour.
Why do people estimate times? They are never right. After I dropped the car off, I took off on foot, because, as I have failed to mention, we bought the car in Shelbyville, so I was 30 miles from home (which is Columbus, for those of you not in the know.) I walked to the Goodwill store, as it was fairly close and spent about 40 minutes in there. My thought was, when I get back, the car will be close to being finished.
It was 9:45.
I sat in the waiting room and looked at a Sports Illustrated. Then another. Ellen came on the tv. I watched for a little while, cause she's damn funny!! Then I read another SI...then a Spin Magazine...then the first SI again...then the little pamphlets the car dealers have sitting on the table...then a Highlights magazine...then a Modern Bride magazine...I was out of alternatives, ok?!?
Then Ellen went off.
I was getting impatient, so I was pacing around the waiting room, then out to look at the cars, then the waiting room...at 11:45, the news came back that the amp wouldn't work, and they were going to have to order a new one for me...
"It'll be about a week."
I did my best to remain calm, but the guy could tell by the ever increasing redness in my face that I was pretty pissed. To make matters worse, the "Dent Guy" wasn't in yet, and couldn't fix that (is there only one guy who can pop a small dent???) AND the mats were never ordered. I got a promise that all three would be done on my next visit.
They called back after a week and the new part is in. I set up the amp repair, and inquired about the dent.
"Well, the "Dent Guy" is on vacation, and won't be back til the 4th."
I didn't even ask about the mats. I figured I will just be "surprised" when I get there tomorrow. For my blood pressure's sake, I hope they are.
Something you overlooked. Something that looked better on the lot than when you got it home. Something that you though would be a quick fix, that turned into a headache.
Headache describes my new car. Don't get me wrong, I love it. It's awesome inside and out except for three small things, all of which the dealer agreed to correct.
1. No floormats. That sucks, but a new set is on order.
2. A small dent on the driver side back panel. "We will pop that out for you."
3. The amp on the stereo is blown. But it's in the shop, and will be ready in a week or so.
Do you know how much it sucks not having a radio? Well, let's just say a lot. But, true to their promise, the amp was repaired and I took a day off work to go get it installed. I arrived at 9:00, which was my appointment time. They said it would only take an hour.
Why do people estimate times? They are never right. After I dropped the car off, I took off on foot, because, as I have failed to mention, we bought the car in Shelbyville, so I was 30 miles from home (which is Columbus, for those of you not in the know.) I walked to the Goodwill store, as it was fairly close and spent about 40 minutes in there. My thought was, when I get back, the car will be close to being finished.
It was 9:45.
I sat in the waiting room and looked at a Sports Illustrated. Then another. Ellen came on the tv. I watched for a little while, cause she's damn funny!! Then I read another SI...then a Spin Magazine...then the first SI again...then the little pamphlets the car dealers have sitting on the table...then a Highlights magazine...then a Modern Bride magazine...I was out of alternatives, ok?!?
Then Ellen went off.
I was getting impatient, so I was pacing around the waiting room, then out to look at the cars, then the waiting room...at 11:45, the news came back that the amp wouldn't work, and they were going to have to order a new one for me...
"It'll be about a week."
I did my best to remain calm, but the guy could tell by the ever increasing redness in my face that I was pretty pissed. To make matters worse, the "Dent Guy" wasn't in yet, and couldn't fix that (is there only one guy who can pop a small dent???) AND the mats were never ordered. I got a promise that all three would be done on my next visit.
They called back after a week and the new part is in. I set up the amp repair, and inquired about the dent.
"Well, the "Dent Guy" is on vacation, and won't be back til the 4th."
I didn't even ask about the mats. I figured I will just be "surprised" when I get there tomorrow. For my blood pressure's sake, I hope they are.
Friday, July 20, 2007
Something Smells Fishy
I am not a great outdoorsman.
I accept this.
But every year, Becky and I get our fishing license and swear that this is gonna be the year we catch and eat fish all summer. We tried last year. We went out a handful of times to different locales. Do you know how many fish I caught?
Zero. None. Nadda. Bupkis.
Becky would always catch a few, but never enough for us to take them home. It's very frustrating. We hoped this year would be better, so a few weeks back, we bought our licenses, got some worms, and trekked over to the Greensburg Reservoir for some hard core fishing. "This time," I said, "we aren't leaving without enough to eat!!"
I figured that 6 or 7 good sized bluegill would fill us up nicely with some fries, so we set our goal at 6. What I didn't realize at the time was 6 would be the number of hours we would sit on the bank trying to catch some fish!! I spent more time un-mossing my line than I did actually fishing! I wasn't even getting any action...and to make matters worse, this older guy at one point came walking down the bank. He would throw his line out, and reel a fish in.
Every time.
I would hear him pulling one in, so I would stop and watch. He'd take it off the hook, and toss it back in the water. Cast, hook, release. At one point, he caught one, looked straight at me and tossed the fish back into the water without releasing his stare at me.
I was pissed.
You can catch fish you old turd, but don't mock me while doing it!! He came right next to us and started fishing only a few steps away.
Him: "Having any luck?"
Me: "No."
Him: "I catch 75 to 100 fish a day in here."
Me: "Well, that's 75 to 100 more than we've caught."
I got up and left. I didn't like his smugness. Becky was having a little luck, pulling in one fish an hour. If you do the math, 1 fish an hour for 6 hours = 6 fish!! We did it, we reached our goal.
Ok, Becky reached our goal. I caught nothing.
We went to my mom and dad's house to get some cleaning tips, since we've never cleaned or cooked fish before. (Quit snickering, I said I am not a great outdoorsman, ok?!?) When I asked them if they knew how to clean a fish, they both quickly turned their heads and pretended they didn't have a clue.
"Uh, no...cleaning fish, um...I'm not really sure...ahhh."
After I assured them I was going to do it myself, and I just needed pointers, they came clean with some info. Becky and I took them home, and began the cleaning process. Remove head, scale, remove fins, remove innards (that's a technical term for guts). This process would have been easier with a sharp knife. It's not as easy to cut a fish head off when you have to saw it, just take my word for it.
We managed to clean all 6 of our...I mean, Becky's...fish, and we took them inside for cooking. We dipped them in milk (to kill the fishy smell while cooking. Thanks for the tip, mom!!) and put some batter on them. I wasn't sure exactly how to cook them, so I put the oil in the pan, turned it on, and went to the internet for help. After a few minutes, I returned to the kitchen to find it engulfed in smoke!! I guess letting oil cook on the stove without anything in it isn't the best move.
We put the fish in whole, and cooked them for awhile. After they were nearly finished, we pulled the fish apart and removed the backbones. Then, we ate. Surprisingly, six fish did fill us up!! I don't know if it was worth six hours of fishing and another hour of cleaning and cooking, but it was rather tasty.
Anyone have a good method of getting that fish smell off my hands??
I accept this.
But every year, Becky and I get our fishing license and swear that this is gonna be the year we catch and eat fish all summer. We tried last year. We went out a handful of times to different locales. Do you know how many fish I caught?
Zero. None. Nadda. Bupkis.
Becky would always catch a few, but never enough for us to take them home. It's very frustrating. We hoped this year would be better, so a few weeks back, we bought our licenses, got some worms, and trekked over to the Greensburg Reservoir for some hard core fishing. "This time," I said, "we aren't leaving without enough to eat!!"
I figured that 6 or 7 good sized bluegill would fill us up nicely with some fries, so we set our goal at 6. What I didn't realize at the time was 6 would be the number of hours we would sit on the bank trying to catch some fish!! I spent more time un-mossing my line than I did actually fishing! I wasn't even getting any action...and to make matters worse, this older guy at one point came walking down the bank. He would throw his line out, and reel a fish in.
Every time.
I would hear him pulling one in, so I would stop and watch. He'd take it off the hook, and toss it back in the water. Cast, hook, release. At one point, he caught one, looked straight at me and tossed the fish back into the water without releasing his stare at me.
I was pissed.
You can catch fish you old turd, but don't mock me while doing it!! He came right next to us and started fishing only a few steps away.
Him: "Having any luck?"
Me: "No."
Him: "I catch 75 to 100 fish a day in here."
Me: "Well, that's 75 to 100 more than we've caught."
I got up and left. I didn't like his smugness. Becky was having a little luck, pulling in one fish an hour. If you do the math, 1 fish an hour for 6 hours = 6 fish!! We did it, we reached our goal.
Ok, Becky reached our goal. I caught nothing.
We went to my mom and dad's house to get some cleaning tips, since we've never cleaned or cooked fish before. (Quit snickering, I said I am not a great outdoorsman, ok?!?) When I asked them if they knew how to clean a fish, they both quickly turned their heads and pretended they didn't have a clue.
"Uh, no...cleaning fish, um...I'm not really sure...ahhh."
After I assured them I was going to do it myself, and I just needed pointers, they came clean with some info. Becky and I took them home, and began the cleaning process. Remove head, scale, remove fins, remove innards (that's a technical term for guts). This process would have been easier with a sharp knife. It's not as easy to cut a fish head off when you have to saw it, just take my word for it.
We managed to clean all 6 of our...I mean, Becky's...fish, and we took them inside for cooking. We dipped them in milk (to kill the fishy smell while cooking. Thanks for the tip, mom!!) and put some batter on them. I wasn't sure exactly how to cook them, so I put the oil in the pan, turned it on, and went to the internet for help. After a few minutes, I returned to the kitchen to find it engulfed in smoke!! I guess letting oil cook on the stove without anything in it isn't the best move.
We put the fish in whole, and cooked them for awhile. After they were nearly finished, we pulled the fish apart and removed the backbones. Then, we ate. Surprisingly, six fish did fill us up!! I don't know if it was worth six hours of fishing and another hour of cleaning and cooking, but it was rather tasty.
Anyone have a good method of getting that fish smell off my hands??
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