Yesterday was a day that
Yesterday was a day that should never have happened. It all started off so well - getting ready to go on holiday, got the car washed, bought a bike rack, took the car to the garage (OK, they couldn’t do it that do, but nothing seemed to be problematic) - I was very definitely getting things done.
I think it started to go wrong-ish when Gill went to the bike shop to collect her new bike - total misunderstanding between her and the bike shop owner - when she’d said last week “I’ll have that one, and I want that baby seat on it” he’d taken it to mean… well, I don’t know what he’d taken it to mean, but he hadn’t got the bike ready, or the baby seat. So Gill was thoroughly pissed off, and would have to wait another day for her bike.
Then we drove across town to get somebody to finally fix in the car stereo I bought off EBay about a year ago now. On the way, the car reverted to its favourite summer behaviour of stalling while I’m in the middle of driving it - lots of fun and stress ensued, as we stopped dead in the middle of a roundabout, nearly causing a pile-up, then bunny-hopped off down Abbeydale road (luckily this time it didn’t stall as I was in the middle of parking - last time it did that I ended up wresting with the powerless-steering, trying desperately to avoid a wall).
So we got to the car hifi place, and they said to come back in an hour, and we went off, and we did (come back in an hour). And they said they hadn’t fitted it because the front panel was broken and wouldn’t stay in place. After some conversation I persuaded them to fit it anyway, I’d stick the panel on with tape or blu-tak or something. OK, said the guy behind the counter, but it’s your risk if it doesn’t work. half-an-hour later… it didn’t work. The whole bloody thing didn’t work, the stereo was a dud - either it never worked from when I bought it (which I kinda suspect, as I did try wiring up the power so that I could eject my CDs from the changer, but nothing seemed to happen), or in the ensuing 12 months it had deteriorated or been bashed about or something. Anyway, the guy took pity on me and only charged me a tenner (instead of £21) which he said he would refund if I got anything else done there. So… well, of course I want something else done. I want to buy a ridiculously expensive stereo which I have the money for and at the same time can’t really afford, in fact one of these fits the bill extremely well. Oh, the internal struggles and mental anguish.
Meanwhile, the car’s in the garage (no, not that garage, the expensive one - this time I took it to Phil Smith, the local Saab breakers yard/repair shop which has the benefits of being cheap, dirty and in Sheffield). I still won’t be very cheap - after all I am getting new motors for passenger window plus sunroof, heater repaired, replacement arial fitted, trim fixed back on, new mirror fitted, a fiddle around with the engine to try and stop it stalling at inopportune moments, and I think something else which I’ve forgotten. But they quoted about £180+VAT, which at least shouldn’t kill me, or at least not any faster than buying car audio equipment is now killing me.