Damn Sunroof (or why you shouldn't let other people drive your car...)

For you understand where this comes from, a bit of back story: We went on vacation Labor Day week and my parents stayed at our house with Little One (btw: it was bliss to just be adults for a week instead of parents). It just so happens that the annual State inspection on my vehicle was due in August. With one thing and another, despite plenty of nagging from DH, it didn't get done. So I asked my parents if they would be willing to take the car in while they were here.

No problem. They got it done. For which I am very grateful.

Except that today when I got gas I happened to be at the one station in town with a good touch-free car wash and decided to run it through since it had been a long while since the car had been washed by anything other than rain. As the pre-wash started, I happened to look up and saw some drips ease their way around the edges of the interior panel which covers the sunroof when it's not in use.

Yep, somehow in the week since we've been home, even while driving around, I missed that the sunroof had been left in the tilted open position. I'll take the hit, I didn't explain the home-link system of garage door openers to one potential driver thinking that the other potential driver whom has driven the car plenty and previously used the opener system would fill the other driver in. You see, there are three door opener buttons next to the sunroof toggle in the front ceiling of the vehicle. The driver (who shall not be named) thought they were (a) related to the open position of the sunroof, and (b) thought that pushing the sunroof toggle all the way forward shut the roof; which is incorrect - that is the setting for the tilt position. Shut all the way is in some amorphous area between all the way forward and all the way back.

So, of course, by the time I realized this issue needed to be corrected, plenty of water had accumulated on the panel and seeped around the edges, and started to pour out on me as I was attempting to rectify it with additional water coming down in the car wash. Thank goodness I keep a cloth diaper burp rag in the diaper bag or I and the interior of the vehicle would have been even wetter than we ended up. And now, in the garage, the sunroof and several windows are open to allow the remaining dampness to dry, hopefully without the additional fun of mildew.

Furthermore, I am reconsidering my desire to have a sunroof in vehicles here on out. Based on the actual usage vs. idealized usage and now this, I'm beginning to think they aren't really worth it!*


*I do realize that they are hard to avoid since they do tend to get lumped in with other comfort features like heated seats and auto-dimming rear view mirrors which I do still very much want.

Another Weekend, Another Snow Storm

It seems that El Nino has struck again, creating a pattern of weekend storms with a following milder mid-week weather event...at least if you can count last weekend, this weekend, and possibly next weekend as a pattern.

Knowing what the forecast was calling for, I kept an eye out and left work this afternoon when the snow started to stick to the ground. The snow lasted until about 10 minutes after I got home and is now moved through a mix to what appears to be rain. Blegh.

Speaking of the drive home - I think I've mentioned I take the interstate to and from work as it is the most direct and quickest route - anyway, traffic was moving steady at around 70 (except for those few deluded people who think going slower than the prevailing speed is safer. Yeah. I don't understand it myself, it just seems more like a screaming expression of desire to be rear-ended but whatever, it's their vehicle) and in deference to the weather I was leaving a good 2-3 car lengths between me and the car I was following at the speed of traffic. I know, I know, that should be standard driving practice, but around here leaving that much room is generally an open invitation for drivers in the other lane to cut in, so 1-1.5 car lengths is generally accepted as standard in good weather.

Well, apparently even though I was going with the speed of traffic, it wasn't good enough for a couple of SUV and pickup truck drivers behind me who thought I should be riding the bumper of the vehicle (vee-HICK-el) in front of me, and expressed that by coming within a car length of the back of my vehicle. Is it wrong of me to take satisfaction in the fact that when they tried to pass me they ended up stuck in the slower lane? It's all about Karma, baby.

As you can guess, I got home just fine, and now that I'm in the house, the likelihood that I will emerge again until Monday (or Tuesday morning depending on how the storm progresses) is slim to none. The newspapers can rot at the end of the driveway for all I care. There's not enough in them to make the trip outside worth it, especially when I'm wearing my oh-so-comfy-but-not-terribly-warm and waist non-restricting yoga pants.

I hope you all have an enjoyable weekend, however you plan to spend it!

Quiet Weekend

Inches of snow fell starting yesterday early, early morning. I haven't left the house all weekend - and doubt that I will leave tomorrow as my boss just called and told me to stay home unless there was something that HAD to be done at the office. There isn't so home and safe I will stay. I think our neighborhood has yet to be plowed, and with the hill up our drive to our street, I'm not that anxious to try my luck with the roads.

It's interesting to see the tracks left by the deer as they've crossed our snowed-over yard. The dog has barely gone into the yard to do her business. I can see all the yellow spots in the snow around the base of the steps off our deck. And I think there are piles of poo on the drive. Guess those will have to be cleaned up as the snow melts. Yippee. This morning our younger cat scooted herself out the door as I was encouraging the dog to leave the deck. She was back at the door before I could put my shoes on, all puffed up. Here's hoping that she learned her lesson and won't try that move again anytime soon.

I think I've been even less productive this weekend than I was last weekend and I didn't get much done last weekend. Part of that is probably because I'm not taking in enough calories to do much more than sit around with the occasional burst of enough energy to empty the dishwasher or start/switch a load of laundry, or even clean the toilet. But I can only do one thing at a time.

DH is on his way home and is going to want dinner. I'm thinking some sort of baked chicken - only because it means the least amount of interaction with the raw meat. Thaw, pour sauce over and shove in the oven. Even thinking about doing anything beyond that makes me queasy.

Meet the Robinsons was on Disney this afternoon. The end made me tear up. It never has before, so I'm guessing that hormones had something to do with it. It's interesting how many cartoons deal with adoption/infertility - Meet the Robinsons, Up, The Rescuers just come off the top of my head. I'm sure there are more out there.

Well, off to do something about dinner. Wish me luck!

Something That Bugs Me...

When another driver can't wait for you to get comfortably past the vehicle you are passing, and just as you activate the turn signal to change lanes, swerves around and between the two of you.

It's especially annoying when it's a middle-aged white guy wearing a button down and tie in an SUV doing the swerving and not some t-shirted punk in a souped up sports car.

The latter I almost expect to do something like that, the former I expect to have a little bit more decorum. But I guess appearances can be deceiving.

What's bugging you?

Positively Weekend Results

You know what's worse than feeling sick in your own bed? Feeling sick in a hotel room bed*, knowing that you have to drive a freaking long way just to get back to your own bed.

Poor DH woke up Sunday morning feeling crappy. He's not sure what's behind it, but he is still feeling funky enough to stay home from work this morning with some vertigo, nausea, headache, possibly a fever and such. Even feeling crappy, he was the one to drive home as being a passenger doesn't sit well with him even when he's feeling okay. Is it wrong of me to be grateful I wasn't the one driving on I-81 (motto: 81 isn't just the road number, it's the average speed) with all of the semi's?

As far as I could tell, the conference went well. Despite being registered, (I had to register for the conference to attend the awards banquet Saturday night) I spent most of Saturday lounging in the bed reading with a couple of excursions out of the room to catch up with DH between meetings, to get lunch, and to explore the other event going on in the convention center. It was an auction of old and new arcade games, claw machines, and the like. If the basement was finished, I may have had to bid on one or two of the pinball machines on display. Love those things! No big shopping for me as the outlet mall I had heard about was deserted with only one store left.

I think DH got some good information, and received 3 awards/certificates, one of which was a surprise. Of course, the higher ups in the patrol confiscated them immediately for re-distribution at a patrol meeting this fall, but I got pictures, so there is at least some proof until he gets them back.

Dinner last night consisted of a club sandwich and ice cream for DH, and a nice big bowl of ice cream for me. (Chocolate peanut butter and pistachio - actually not a bad combination - and "healthy" with all of those nuts. At least that's what I told myself.)

Back to the normal grind (after I pick up the pup from camp).



*Even if it is a Marriott bed with a down comforter, down pillows and as much snuggle power as you could want. And Bath & Body Works products in the bathroom. It's not the same.

What just happened here?

Have you ever had a perplexing issue that isn't life changing but still captures your attention until poof!, one day it's no longer an issue and you aren't sure what happened to make it go away?

Blowing out the tire on my car* caused the sensor for the tire-pressure system to activate and light the symbol on the dash. It's a cryptic thing - like two book ended parenthesis with a squiggly line under a circle sitting between them - with a steady orange light telling me hey dummy, pay attention, I've got an issue you need to deal with ASAP.

After the spare tire was installed by the roadside assistance guy, I followed the reset instructions in the manual and after 15-17 highway miles, it came back on. Same thing after the replacement tire was installed on the original rim at the shop.** That time it didn't come back on until my morning commute - but only because I had to run some errands and took back roads home instead of the highway. That day I went back to the shop and they checked the tire pressure to confirm it was okay, and reset the button, you know, just in case I hadn't been able to properly follow directions.

That stubborn light kept coming on, and stayed on once I stopped making an effort to reset it. It was like that little boy who cried wolf, I finally just stopped paying attention to it. After a couple of weeks, I got fed up and called the shop to make an appointment to have a trained monkey (no offense to any mechanics or relatives of mechanics who may be out there; I personally am a lab rat when it comes to auto maintenance) take a look at it on Friday.

With one thing and another, although I had my car at the shop before 8AM on Friday, the only mechanic at the shop with electrical training didn't get to looking at my car until the afternoon. Frustrating, right? Apparently he didn't have time to really get into more than running the system diagnostic a couple of times to the same result: no codes popped up to tell him what was going on.

Since I wanted the car over the weekend, and more importantly didn't have a ride home, I picked the car up from the shop and drove home, with plans to return it first thing Monday (today). With other things on my mind on the way home, I didn't notice that the light hadn't come back on. But this morning, I sure noticed it wasn't on. I waited for it to come on, and waited for it to come on, and hey look, here I am at my exit and it still hasn't come on...huh?

So I headed to the shop and went in to tell the girl the light hadn't come back on, and to offer to pay for whatever time the mechanic had spent on it Friday. She was as baffled as I as running the computer diagnostic shouldn't logically have done anything more than diagnose a problem, much less fix it. When I offered to pay, she told me there was no charge for what he had done. (Yay!) Of course if it comes back on without provocation (as in I'm just driving along minding my business with the tire pressure correct and no punctures), I'll be calling them again.




*Technically, I drive an SUV, but it's easier to write/say car.
**Tire bought through TireRack.com by DH. It's not the same brand as the others on my vehicle, but is the same size and is probably a better tire. The shop I am going to was their local recommended dealer. I wouldn't have thought to go there otherwise, but it's this great family run place where the dad runs the back and his daughter runs the front. I'll probably try to go back for oil changes and any other issues, just because they've been so great about trying to get this little issue diagnosed before throwing money at new parts that may not be needed. It's also the closest repair shop to my work, which totally rocks.

Oops, I Did It. Again.

This morning when I went to leave for work I turned the key in the ignition and instead of the light rumble of the motor I heard click, click, click, whine.

Again. More with the whining, less with the clicking.

Dead battery? How? Why?

Then I notice that the headlights are on. Still on from last night? Check to make sure the light control is set to auto...yep.

What else? Hmmm. The passenger window was down overnight. Should that have been a trigger to not turn off the lights? That's strange. (And further research will be done when I have time, and am not almost late for work already.)

Go back inside, grab the keys to the Tahoe and transfer everything I needed to take to the Tahoe. Along the way, thank God for 3 vehicles so I don't have to be late for work, again. I could have called neighborhood Security team for a jump, and it wouldn't have taken as long as having to wait for a tow truck. But I still would have been later.

Drive to work in the Tahoe - with the warning from DH "Don't back into anything..." Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Get strange looks from my boss and his wife...and so on.

Why was the window down? Because the gallon of milk I bought on my way home from work yesterday was on the floorboard coming home. Along the way it turned on it's side and leaked - maybe a 1/4 cup max. on both the mat and carpet under the mat.

Don't know about you, but the idea of milk spoiling in my car was unappealing, so I cleaned it immediately after getting home. Rather than let the odor of the cleaning agent (the enzymatic one we use for pet issues) seep into the upholstery overnight, I opened the passenger side window to let it dry and hopefully de-fume.

Who knew that dealing with one seemingly simple issue would lead to another, more problematic one?

Another one of those days.

Monday I went out at lunch to get cat food and litter. We were at critical levels of both, and the cats were about to start a protest. And you know those only ever end in one way - bodily secretions in places that are impossible to get clean.

This trip was deliberate, we have both of the large chain pet stores in our area, so I had cruised the net to see which of the two had the better prices and planned my shopping accordingly. One store is semi on my way home, the other is more out of my way, but still easy to get to and return from with time to spare at lunch.

Of course, since I was at that shopping center I decided to run a couple other errands at some stores in the same area. But you have to remember I wouldn't have been there had I not found the food and litter for a couple dollars cheaper at the one store.

Long lead up for a short event: running into a curb and blowing a tire as I was making my way out of the shopping center after running all of the errands.

I am fairly well acquainted with curbs, there's just something about the location of my front passenger tire that attracts them. But this was the first time I had done more then brush tire against curb in a soft kiss or run up and over the curb like a bulldozer over an ex-boyfriends heart.

Instead of a savings of dollars, we're now out around two hundred for the tire.

We have Roadside Assistance through our car insurance so it didn't cost any extra to have someone come out to change the tire. And my vehicle carries a full-size spare, so we have some time to find the lowest price on the tire.

But it still stinks.

Of course, I was flipping through the Vehicle Manual last night and came across the airbag section where there was a line about the airbags possibly deploying with as little impact as hitting a curb. So at least I missed out on that fun and expense.

Get Out of My Way

That's what I was muttering to myself all the way to work this morning thanks to some drivers who shouldn't have been on the interstate.

Ski resorts used to have limits on who could go down certain, expert level terrain. Things like age, length of skis, even skiing ability were taken into consideration before each skier was allowed or denied access to the harder terrain. Nowadays, anyone regardless of equipment or ability, are allowed to go down the same slopes.

I'm thinking we need to revive the old ways, and place limits such as vehicle ability and driving skills on highways and interstates. Simply enough, if you don't have a certain sticker on your license plate, you're not allowed on highways or interstates.

This would certainly take care of school buses and any other vehicles whose speed is limited to a maximum less than the speed limit (although school buses would probably be exempt. dammit.). Also, recently licensed drivers and those whose fear and tentativeness when interstate driving creates more of a problem for others on the road.

To be clear: if you want to go the speed limit, that's fine and dandy. Not to mention, legal. Just stay to the right and don't block the left lane because you want to go a mile per hour faster than the person in front of you. But to those drivers who deliberately drive below the speed limit - there are other roads heading the same direction and based on your speed, you'll get there just as fast on them as the interstate.

Of course, this plan would take funds the state (and nation) currently lack, so I guess it will just have to remain in my brain; along with the LED signs with scrolling text that should be installed on every car with phrases like "Thank you for letting me over." & "Who the %&$*#@ taught you to drive." & "Get the %&$*#@ out of my way." You know. Simple phrases that show politeness to the millions of idiots out there on the roads.

The Wheels On The Bus Drive Me Crazy

In the past week since returning to work after the holidays, and public-school schedules resuming, I have been reminded why the local public-school buses drive me bonkers.*

1) The max speed for buses in our state is limited to 55MPH. Makes sense when on regular roads, but on an interstate with a limit of 65MPH (and on which 65 is generally the slowest speed) it makes the school buses a hazard to the other drivers and causes backups as people going faster and much faster than the bus try to merge to pass the slower moving yellow behemoth.**

2) I've been unlucky enough to pull up on the right of a flat-front bus (older buses have the engine situated more like a semi-truck, so have a lower hood in front of the driver; this one is like a city bus with the driver at the front bumper) at the entrance to our neighborhood twice in the past week. I say unlucky because the driver of this particular bus feels she has to pull past the stop line to have a clear line of sight. Now, her doing so happens to totally block my vision of any traffic coming from the left as I rarely feel the need to pull past the stop line at this intersection. And because she is so far forward, I have to pull out about into the traffic lanes to see if there is any traffic before making my right-hand turn.

If this was an older style bus, I could understand more, but with the drivers' position being so far forward, and with the added height of a bus, I fail to understand why it is so necessary for this driver to be stopping where she is. Maybe there is a bus driver or someone who knows a bus driver out there who can explain this to me because even from the stop line and in the right lane (not to mention the lower height of my vehicle), I have no trouble seeing both left and right before making my turn.



*Note that personal experience of school bus rides and routes in middle and high school shall not be discussed as some episodes still have the power to raise my blood pressure.

**Obviously, I'm not concerned with the safety issues of bus speed regulation. I just want them to either stay off the interstates entirely or be allowed to go the speed limit so that traffic is not affected. It's rare that you see an issue with a bus on a highway - it's on the side streets that accidents seem to happen on a semi-regular basis.

R O Y G B I V

I saw the above on a license plate driving home from work Friday. The only other items on the back of the vehicle were a breast cancer support ribbon and another support ribbon. (I think it was black, but I didn't get to read any writing that may have been on it - POW-MIA support, perhaps?)

After my first thought of, hey that's familiar, I realized what it was...
Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, Violet...

Following that my thoughts were, in order:
1. A very subtle member or supporter of the GLBT community.
2. A parent of a child on the autism spectrum.
3. A seriously geeky science teacher.

What would you think if you saw this on a license plate?

Rules of the Road

Thoughts based on several recent incidents seen on the local roadways:

-If a State Trooper neglects to utilize their turn signal when switching lanes, does that mean I don't have to either?

-What about if they fail to turn on their headlights when their windshield wipers are running due to rain?

-Even better, if they are going 85+ on the interstate without their lights/sirens, can I go 85+ too?

You would think that those charged with upholding the rules of the road would bother to set a good example by obeying the rules of the road themselves.

You Get What You Ask For...

So, here is our tree and our family room in all it's messy & half-finished project glory.

Before:

And after:
I want to draw particular attention to the klassy white trash bag under the tree. Only the best ghetto style for us! The tree stand is too big for a normal, cute skirt, so I've got the makings for a custom skirt, just haven't sat down at the sewing machine yet to take care of it.

~~~~~~

Today I went up to Richmond, Short Pump Mall to be precise, and decided that the 7th circle of hell is alive and well on Broad Street in that area. Maybe it was because it's the last real weekend before Christmas, but everybody (and their brother's and sisters, too) seemed to be out there. It made me really glad I don't have to deal with traffic like that every day! The worst part is that I only really found anything in one store! So it feels like I wasted some time and gas.

~~~~~~

Those of you who are uninterested in our ongoing efforts at procreation can stop reading now...






That time of the month - 1, Clomid - 0 ... So, on to Clomid Round #2 next week and DH will be making the appointment to have his swimmers checked out. Hopefully all will be well with them, and this round will be successful. I have to admit I'm disappointed, I was deep-down hoping to be able to give our parents good news (though they don't know we are trying and have been 99% good about not pressing for grandchildren) as a Christmas surprise. On a lighter note, I guess this means that I need to start watching what I eat again, with having the excuse of a possible "eating for two" invalid at this time.

Thanksgiving Followup, Delayed

I was all set to do a nice bullet post about how Thanksgiving went, and then I got all productive at work and that got lost in the shuffle.

In summary (without bullets): last Wednesday I picked up my grandmother on my way home from work; when we got to our house, DH and I finished packing for (1) staying with my parents two nights over Thanksgiving, (2) warm clothes and stadium accessories for the UVa vs. Tech football game, and (3) food and supplies for staying two nights at our condo. With our stuff, the dog's stuff, and my grandmother's stuff our SUV was jammed to the gills.

Thanksgiving food and company was great. Somehow I managed to mis-drink multiple beverages causing liquid to hit my clothes, the floor, etc. Friday DH headed up to Wintergreen to help with the Annual Wintergreen Ski Patrol Ski (and Clothing) Swap, and I stayed at my parents to help my mom with her preliminary Christmas decorating - she's got an issue with a rotator cuff and my dad's got tennis elbow - and then my brother-in-law picked me up on his way up to Wintergreen.

Saturday we attended the football game. I had a lot of hope that UVa might actually win, but they were just outplayed. It was a better game than the last few, so there were some good moments but not enough. I had so much clothing on, I felt like a sausage. From the top down: hat, heavy suede/fake fur car coat which I only wear when it's really cold, cashmere mock-neck sweater, turtleneck shirt, crew-neck long underwear top, jeans, long underwear bottoms, wool socks, and cotton socks. It's really good that we left for the game from Wintergreen because all my long underwear and hats were up there. I was pretty comfy for the game and the walk to and from where we parked.

Sunday we packed up and ran a couple of errands in Charlottesville (Crutchfield outlet!!!) before stopping to pick up my grandmother. She had more luggage returning than when I picked her up - so the car was fully packed again despite my leaving some items at Wintergreen. With the confusion of loading her stuff, I didn't realize that I had left my purse at my parents until we were a good thirty miles down the interstate. Sigh. We called my parents to confirm it was there, and my mom said she would take it to the UPS store on Monday on her way to Physical Therapy and ship it next day transport to me.

And since I'm the sort of person who really truly believes that I will get stopped by a cop if I don't have my license on me or where I can get it quickly, my husband was nice enough to take me to and from work for the past couple of days. Luckily, our offices are fairly close, but our hours are slightly different. Add in some meetings and doctor's appointments and we've been getting home later than I would prefer - it's hard to get dinner on the table by 7 when you both get in at 6:15.

And so, that's what I did the past week. Phew.

Next year, I'm thinking everyone should come to us. Let them wear themselves out - it's not like they have to get up to go to work after so much activity!

Reason #1,235,668

On my way to run some errands at lunch I thought to myself, "Self, I think I should chew a piece of gum because I am hungry and I won't eat until after the errands are done and the gum will keep my stomach from rumbling." Because who doesn't talk to themselves like that? Anyway, I reached down to get the pack of gum I knew was in the console next to my seat. As I reached, I did a quick glance to make sure my hand was heading to the right place (what?! my fingers don't have little eyeballs you know!) and then my eyes went right back to the road. But it was what I saw in that quick glance that reminded me why I love my husband.

He had carefully shoved the pack of gum which had been in his vehicle in next to the pack of gum I already had in my console. (he claimed it tasted like soap, but I like it; I had recently purchased a new pack of a different flavor for him)

It may be a little thing, but that he took the time to do that versus bringing the gum into the house and putting it near my purse (which, actually, would end up taking longer) or just throwing it away made me very happy. And it made me laugh. And then I had to call him to let him know that he had made my day just that much better.

A Shopping Confession

I'm a Super Wal-M*rt shopper. I admit it. I know better. Still, I can't resist the convenience of buying everything at one store on my way home from work, and not having to go out of my way to do so. Grocery stores should be located at each interstate exit, just like gas stations and fast-food restaurants seem to be.

Going to Wal-M*rt is always an interesting experience. I must learn to never go there on a federal holiday Monday. Ye gods. The humanity, the teeming masses, the great unwashed. Pick your adjective. It is always the same - too many people with overflowing baskets, out-of-control children, and too few cashiers. Ours does not yet have the questionable convenience of self-checkout lanes, and makes do with several "Under 20-item" lanes, the lines for which usually equal the lines for the "normal" lanes.

I have this week gone to Wal-M*rt two times, on consecutive days. Not part of the weeks plan, but you do what you have to when your DH runs out of deodorant without giving his DW any warning.

Yesterday illustrated one of the many reasons I love living in this area. As I was fruitlessly searching for Reece's Pieces (apparently not so popular anymore) in the check out lane candy, I started to chat with an older woman regarding the lack of Reece's Pieces. Seemingly sensing my defeat at not finding the above candy (and more probably noting that I only had 4 items, including my settled upon Almond Joy) the woman offered to let me go ahead of her in line.

That's something to think about when I start grumbling about the tourists and retired people who make this area a driving nightmare.