Know what smells REAL BAD?  Two week old mac and cheese in a metal thermos, which is in a lunchbox,  left under someone’s bed.   I had to put a perfectly good lemon down the disposal directly after that corpsey-smelling, vomit-inducingness that used to be someone’s lunch. 

(HEY will some blogging mama who is also a huge computer geek please make a shortcut button that when you push it adds, "Oh shit, the baby is screaming and I don’t think s/he’ll go back to sleep.  See ya later," and then it posts your post.  Please.  Only if I had that and just used it and she did go back to sleep, I’d be starting over now.  So maybe I’m better off without.)

I think I’ve run the thermos through the dishwasher twice so far, marking the first time since the dishwasher has been installed (October of 2002) that the HEAVY WASH cycle has been selected.  It will just live there until it stops smelling, cause it was pricey and he will use it again this year.

Less foul smelling, but not pleasant, either, is the stopped up shower drain.  Luckily, the shower drain isn’t connected to anything other than the next door neighbor’s shower drain, so we can still flush and wash and other watery sh-es.  The plumber who came out yesterday was very nice, very patient, and very unable to fix the problem since his cable broke off somewhere inside the drain.  Someone else, a more slender someone else who can get under the house to where the pipes are(our guy did get under the house, but the heat ducts were blocking his access to the drain), will be coming to replace the drain pipe.  Today was supposed to be the day, but there was just the flaky quiet of no plumber under the house sawing and welding and plumbering.  Tomorrow I will call. 

Also, I have no van.  Well, I have it.  It is sitting, filthy, in the driveway.  I can’t drive it, though, because the spark plugs are fouled.  So, Jenijen, you say, CHANGE THEM!  After all, wasn’t it you who fixed the washer and the fridge and most recently, the vacuum cleaner?  Get on the stick, woman, and replace those plugs! 

Well, I did take the van to the shop I love.  The good shop who always fix stuff and never overcharge.  I said to the nice boy at the good shop, "My car stalls at lights, I think it just needs a tune up.  It’s way overdue."  And he said, "OK.  I will call you with an estimate in a couple hours, and I’ll check for any other problems."  (SEE NOW I NEED THE BUTTON!  Oh, wait, maybe not.  Just wimpering now. . . )

Anyway, he called and this is what he said.  I swear I’m not making it up, either.  The spark plugs, ignition wires and fuel filter need changing.  With parts and labor, that will be

seriously, I swear,

$658.00

And I was struck dumb.  For a minute.  Then I said, "SEVEN HUN   DRED  DOLLARS?? DUDE!"  (okay, this time total button needed here she is, come to see me) 

And he said that parts were 250, labor made up the rest, because three of the spark plugs are behind the engine manifold, and lots of work has to be done to get to them.  I have to go get this water chugging baby off my lap and back to sleep, but the end of the story is that my brother GOD BLESS HIM is going to help me (read, "do for me") do all the easier work and we’ll let the shop do the hard stuff, but still it’s gonna be about three hundred bucks to replace three spark plugs.  And they want all the other work done first, so I have no van.  BED

5 thoughts on “

  1. jenB

    also? v8 in a sippy cup for a few days. under the couch. i have ‘heavy cycled’ it 3 times. the poor thing has met the dust bin.

    and. thanks for the email. i have lots to say back. soon.

    xo

    Reply
  2. jamie

    Lol..I HATE finding hairy green lunchbox “leftovers”..(and I have found my share…usually under the seat in the car when it starts to smell or finding it for the next time the kisd need it (we homeschool so the lunch box is used sometimes once a week and sometimes once a month..lol and it must be the month for vans to take a dump..grr..coming back from vacation are realitivley “new” minivan blew up on the grapevine $2000.00 later we might have it back next week…*sigh*
    -also vanless in Ca.

    Reply

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