Days that make you go ARRRGGGHHH!!!

[Beth C]

Ever have 'one of those days' that just make you want to scream? One of those days that no matter how hard you try to keep a happy outlook on life, it slapps you upside the head and says 'not today?'

I'm having another one of those days. Ever since my move out of my old apartment, I've been doing all I could to keep cheerful while working 50+ hours a week.

Even when my car broke down again the other day, I tried to keep positive about it.

Today I paid $75 to get the dang thing back on the road. It was running briefly yesterday, I mangaged to go to a gas station, the post office, Toys R Us, Target and Super Walmart before it decided that it wasn't going to start anymore. (good thing I was at home when it quit) Today I had the same mechanic guy who always fixes my car come out again and he had it running. He even tweaked the A/C so it blows colder than my freezer.

I managed to go out to a thrift store (where I picked up my christmas tree - yeah it's fake but I wanted a tree this year) and then to my local BigLots for some tinsel and the tree star and ornaments.

I should have known. I got the car back home and AGAIN it won't start.

We have no idea what else it could be. Everything from the starter, to the alternator, the regulator, battery, spark plugs, wires, distributor, coil, igntion module, spark plug wires has been replaced.

I'm beating my head against the wall here.

And you know what really stinks major?

My family is going out of town for the Thanksgiving holiday. I was going to get some food from Boston Market for Thanksgiving here. Now I have no way to pick it up. No car = no Thanksgiving.

And to top it off - I made special arrangements at work last week (before my car broke down) to have the day after Thanksgiving off and work that Saturday. I was going to go Christmas shopping and get all the 'early bird' bargains they run.

No car = no shopping. I get to spend the day here, in my house, staring at my four walls instead of going out to get gifts.

I'm so mad, that I'm actually able to use the word LIVID to describe me. I've gone beyond angry. All I needed was for my car to last a few more months until the end of Jan and i get my income tax.

*Sighs* I can't seem to get a break for long.

Sorry about the rant, but it made me feel better just to type it out.

~Beth C

 

[Wembley]

Well, I'm sorry to hear about your car... I had a run of bad cars myself (including a Subaru that I had to rip the computer out of to get running again!) and I know what its like. What kind of car do yuo have? What did your mechanic do to get the car running again?

You might want to post your question on the internet to find if there's anyone else who's had (and solved) a similar problem. There's message boards for just about every make of car there is - even for my Daewoo!

The basic theory is that for an engine to run, you need fuek, air, and spark. I'm assuming that since your electric system has had most of its parts replaced, you're getting good spark. The next thing you want to check is air - generally unless something is plugging your intake manifold up (goes from your air filter into the engine) you're probably getting sufficient air. To check the fuel system - the first thing you want to check is the fuel pump. Generally in most modern cars, the fuel pump is either in the fuel tank in back or under the car. Here's what to do.... turn the radio off in the car first as you'll be listening for the fuel pump. After letting the car sit for about 15 minutes with the key OFF, open the driver's door and trunk, leave them open and turn the key to the ON position but do not start the engine. You should hear the fuel pump click on for a second or two. If you hear a click and a whirring noise as the fuel pump primes the system then you know the fuel pump is running. If you do not hear the fuel pump prime when you turn the key ON, check the fuse (your car manual should tell you where it is) and also check if there is a reset button (most newer cars have them - it's a safety shutoff incase you get into an accident, sometimes they trip on their own, hence the need for a reset button)

That's a quick thing you can check - but also remember that you might not hear the fuel pump easily - depending on where it is. I only mention this because I've had that exact problem on no fewer than FOUR cars I've owned. I've also had one fuel filter go bad, a blown encoder ring (Chryslers have a Hall Effect sensor under the distrbutor that tells the computer your crankshaft is running - a $20 part, takes literrally 5 minutes to install but it will keep the engine from running if it dies), a seized engine, two computer ECU failures and a bad starter relay all on my various cars. So, I've had experiences with bum cars.....

Fortuneatly I have a fairly reliable car now - it seems that the only cars that have lasted for me have been foreign cars!

--Rick "Grease Wembley" Miller
..."You can NOT leave the magic, but you CAN leave greasy fingerprints all over the house!"

 

[Beth C]

Thanks for replying, Wembley. I have a 1985 Mercury Maquis. The probelm still seems to be the spark. There is no problem with the fuel pump, as it clicks and whirrs just fine.

It seems to be that no matter what I replace in the electrical system, there is still not enough spark and it is driving both me and my mechanic NUTS. (more me than him, but still)

This car scares me now. I'm afraid to go up to the grocery store in it, as I"m afraid it won't start when I get out. I just want to beat it with a sledgehammer or something.

The air intake is fine, he says I have no problem there. Somewhere in my engine is a bad wire or something, as the car every time he checks it, there is no spark and we have replaced each piece of the electrical system one at a time - now all we can do is just stare at the engine and scratch out heads.

I'm beyond ready for a new car, but the problem is, I've got no money to get one. I really don't relish riding a bike to the grocery store (It's gettting colder out now) nor do I like to call up memebers of my family every time I want to go out.

This car just makes me so mad. I'm still trying to work out the Friday thing. And the Thanksgiving thing. Obviously I won't have my car back by then.

*Beats head against wall* Stupid car.

~Beth C

 

[Manda:-D]

Poor Beth. How'd everything end up? I REEEEEAAAALLY hope it all worked out.

 

[JaniceFerSure]

At work,they have us working from 6:30a.m.-until we're finished;which is usually these days between 5 & 7 p.m. The job requires over 6 hours of standing on my feet,plus lifting and counting boxes of books at the end of the day. Mondays-Wednesdays are very strenuous on my body,especially since I don't eat that well at work & I'm asthmatic. On top of working almost to past 12 hours of work,there is sitting in traffic for an hour on the way home.Most days I get in the door,by divine intervention or luck. The rest of the week,I'm just resting my body,until the cycle starts all over again.

 

[Beth C]

Wow, JFS, I would not want your job. That does not sound like fun at all. My job just involves staring at a computer screen all day and answering a phone. It's dull as heck and most of the time my brain falls asleep. How much brain power does it take to change an address anyway??

As to Thanksgiving, well, I had to spend it with the ex. I said as little as possible, just ate the food, and then we all sat down and watched the 3rd Harry Potter DVD I had bought. Then I went home. End of day. Nothing exciting or even remotely happy about it.

As to Friday, well that didn't work out at all. I didn't get to go shopping, nor did I get any bargains. I sat in my house and just cleaned. No fun, no sales, nothing I had planned.

Now I'm gonna have to pay full price for whatever Xmas presents I can get for the kids, which means the end up getting less.

Bah humbug... Christmas is just too commerical. I did some math today and I'm $260 short of making christmas happen. Unless they offer some serious overtime, my kids aren't getting much.

You know what really stinks? I called my credit card companies, to see if they would each give me just $100 more and they all said NO! I'm wondering if Scrooge paid them a visit. I'm about to put some of my collectables on Ebay - just to raise the cash - but I'd have a problem shipping.

Does anyone know an easy way to raise cash for the holidays with no car??

~Beth C

 

[Beebers]

I'm going to make a comment/suggestion or two, here. I was single mother a very, very long time, and there were years when money was just plain not there. There are millions of people who go through this. Christmas does not have to be about material gain and storebought things. We had the occasional Christmas at which nothing at all was exchanged other than handmade and homemade cards and presents. Sometimes it was just a batch of cookies wrapped in Sunday comics and tied with a fabric ribbon from a scrap of material in the sewing basket. Sounds like Dickens, maybe? Not at all. We had our health, and each other, and friends, and those really are the things that count. Too, I've passed through many a time of having to sell things in order to survive. In fact, I have almost nothing of saleable value anymore because of that. And you know what? I don't care. It's only stuff. That's all it is. Sell your collectibles. Make homemade things. Sit down and talk with your kids about it. Let Christmas become what it's really supposed to be; take this opportunity of no money and make it a valuable life experience. I've done it - many, many people have. Attitude is everything - it can be all too easy to fall into a pityparty this time of year if times are hard - maintain a positive attitude and enjoy what you do have, instead of focusing on what you don't.

And, credit cards - I voluntarily stopped mine after I got run over four years ago because I was afraid of it. That is - I had perfect credit and owed nothing - but - I was laid up for seven months with no income at all, and I knew I'd rely on the card for food, for everything, and rack up huge debt, so I called, stopped the card, and cut it up. I'll get a card again only when I know absolutely I can clean up the bill every month on time. Try to see Christmas for the great thing it can be without money. Bake things with your kids. Exchange small things, homemade things. Make the most of it. These turn out to be the best Christmases of all, I can assure you.

 

[Beth C]

Oh Beebers, I know what you are talking about. Boy do I know it well. I grew up in times like that, where all I found under the tree were dollar and dime store gifts.

I can also remember being embarrssed as heck when I went to school after the holiday vacation had ended and having to face all my friends with their 20 questions about 'what did you get for christmas?' and 'did you see what I got?' I would quickly move away with a red face and try not to act like it bothered me, but it did.

Christmas is too commerical, that I'll agree, but I refuse to have my kids have to face that, especially with how cruel kids can be today. Granted I'm not buying them junk toys or stuff like that. (My eldest daughter wants only a Piccolo so she can switch instruments in the school band. She plays the flute now, and very well.) I've checked on Ebay, and the cheapest ones I've found that are not plastic and won't break are about $100.

My son, well, he is like the other boys, and wants game boy games, but he's grounded from video games due to bad grades. (LOL! gotta love grounding the kids) He absolutely adores the muppets and he has been dying to get an Animal puppet. I've seen those on ebay for about $20-$30. Man, I'd love to put that under the tree. He is animal crazy, lemme tell ya. I stop at getting him a set of drums tho.

Now my youngest, my 6yr old, (the child who broke my vol 11 Muppet Show Time-Life DVD btw) is crazy about muppets as well as the game boy games. She has a game boy color, and I had promised her months ago that if she was good, Santa might upgrade her to the gameboy advance with a muppet game or two. (See what happens when you promise something?) This was before my car went out and my job decided to kill the overtime. We still have some, but hardly enough to make the difference needed.

I've got a few small gifts (my son is getting a cheap CD player, my youngest a CD player as well and my oldest one of her favorite CD's) but the main gifts are still on hold. I'm also picking up the Spiderman 2 DVD as a gift for all 3 of them.

When I got the CD players, I had also been planning on getting my main computer repaired (yeah it's still out with no power supply - jeez has it been 3 months now already??) so I could burn the kids some music CD's. Now I'm gonna give my youngest a CD player and nothing to play on it.. lol.. she's gonna think mommy lost her mind.

*rolls eyes* Yeah, I know about the family stuff, the poor person routine very well. I've been there, done that, got the t-shirt and wrote the book. It just doesn't work in today's world. I am lucky that we have a home, the power is on, there is food to eat and clothes to wear. I just want to give my kids a decent holiday so that they don't go to school feeling like I did, wanting to hide and cry everytime one of my friends flashed an item that was on my list that I never got. I want them to at least have one gift that they can be proud to show off, and show them that Mom (yeah they know there isn't no santa) can do Christmas without suffering from burnout.

I know, I know, I'm ranting again. *laughs* All I want for Christmas is for my car to run again. That's not gonna happen, so my 2nd wish is for my kids to be happy. It's all any parent wants.

~Beth C

 

[Beebers]

Well, for electronics, and instruments, how busy an area do you live in or near? Are there buslines you can use now and then? Are there reputable pawnshops? I'm serious. We have an excellent local guy here whose pawnshop is nearly all electronics, with fantastic deals, and these places always carry cds, dvds and vcr tapes, always. Many will do exchanges - something of yours for something of theirs. You may have something you can trade in order to get the instrument. There ARE reputable, clean pawnshops in any busy area. Usually at least some little buy/sell shops as well. As to Animal, do you know ANYONE who has sewing talent who could make you one? Or must it come from a store? I'd find someone to make me one, to be honest. We build puppets and I'd offer to make/send you one for free but I know I won't have the time to finish it before Christmas, I'm jam-packed busy this year. What sort of communities are around you? Don't you have anyone you can call, Salvation Army etc., they all have electronics, all kinds of stuff. Helping people like you is why they exist, it's what they DO!!! Do some phone legwork. Too, most communities of any size at all take donated items, and yes, many NEW, for families such as yours at the holidays. There are ways around this stuff, there really are. Jeez, talk to your local churches, too. One doesn't have to belong to them to get some help.

 

[Beth C]

Oh, I LOVE the pawn shops in this area. It's where I get most of my DVD's or VHS tapes. I have 4 that I frequent on a regular - to semi regular basis.

UNFORTUANTELY, all they have are Game boy regular or Game Boy color for sale and the only games are of course - sports games that no one wants. I know the EB Games at the mall sells used games, but without the car, it takes 2 buses to get there (I have to transfer) and the buses run an hour apart. With me working until 6 or 7 at night, I can't make the mall and back before the buses stop running.

I can get a used game boy Advance for about $30 possibly. I know right AFTER christmas, the pawn shops are gonna be flooded with those as everyone wants that new Game Boy DS thing. *rolls eyes* No sooner than you get one system than it becomes obsolete. It's one reason I refused to get the playstation at first, because I knew it was going to be old in no time. The same with the Video Now, the kids wanted last year. I didn't get it and sure enough, this year it plays in color. (see what I mean?) I did finally pick up a playstation 1 about 7 months ago when someone was selling it at a yard sale for $15.

As to sewing, I don't know anyone who can sew. I sure wish I did. I'm still not counting Ebay out yet. I practically live there and check daily for what might be a lucky break.

So, with less than a month to go, I'm gonna cross my fingers and hope that Ebay works out. I will check the mall in 2 weeks, and pray that EB games hasn't sold all the good stuff yet. Now all I gotta do is convince work to offer overtime to me. Should be a cakewalk right?

As to the CDs the only ones at the pawn shop are not for a 6yr old. I'm looking mainly for (groans) Disney or Muppet cd's. I don't need those toddler things that play 100 songs kids love like 'old mcdonald' or 'ring around the rosie'. Definately no Barney! Walmat had the 25th Anniversary of the Muppets CD ( I think that was the name) at one time and I'm still kicking myself for not using Layaway.

So it's the mall or Ebay for me. If any of y'all see a bidder on a muppet item named Trekie386 then that's me!

As to the Salvation Army - I've checked into those programs, and I've been through them before. I've gone to churches, and stood in lines for hours just to get a few toys. This year I want to avoid all that. My kids already know that they aren't getting much, nor do I want them to have a whole lot, like a said before just a few items so they can say they got something. I certainly don't want them to get spoiled!

I just had an idea - and it came from something Beebers said. I know it's not perfectly legal, but I know- yes I know - that other people have Muppet files as MP3's on their computer. Can anyone burn some to a CD (NOT in MP3 form as the cd player I got won't play MP3's) and send it my way? I'll pay for postage and the CD. I just want her to have a few CD's to pop in the machine until I can get some real CD's.

Anyone up to it? It's for a good cause.

~Beth C