AAHHHHHH SHIT!

Give me a break!!!

As some of you know, Judy and I are going to move into the basement of my step-son’s new house (new to him.)  It already has three carpeted bedrooms and two tiled baths and the whole length of the house for a kitchen and living room.  We just have to build the kitchen; hang the cabinets, adjust the plumbing and stuff.  We (Judy mostly) have already run the electrical wiring, studded for the walls and put up the walls.  We only have to paint the walls and decide what we want to do with the concrete floor (carpet, linoleum, paint, etc.) and hang the ceiling.  There is also a desire to pour a concrete patio outside our door and add an awning.

All this cost money – lots of money – even though we are doing the work ourselves.  But we were doing okay.  We had been setting some aside all year in anticipation of fixing up whatever place we chose to purchase.  The budget was gonna be tight but we could manage it.

Until last night!

I had gone to a pole workers training class in anticipation of working the upcoming elections in November (local stuff).  I have been given a precinct to run and had to work with and train my team.  All was good.

After the training was over, I went to the car and cranked her up.  She jerked and died.  I cranked her again and drove off.  However, when I came to a stop sign or traffic light, she idled rough.  I could feel the vibrating through the steering wheel.  If it had been a car from the past, one that I could work on without a computer, I would have thought it had jumped a cog in the timing gear.  Not unheard of, but not normal, either.  But with the new plastic belts (a piece of shit really) I didn't think that was the problem.  I would wait and see what might happen.

This morning though, Judy said the Check Engine light was on and it was running rough.  So she took the truck to work and I took the car to the dealer.  Yep!  Just as I feared.  It jumped a cog (or what ever the plastic piece of shit belt does) in the timing gear.  Great! Just fucking great! 

I am now looking at $1,200 going out the door.  That will cut the budget in half.  That will put a kink in the plans.  That will give me an ulcer. That could turn me into a mass murderer.  That could make me say bad things about your momma.  That could upset me greatly.

Holy Timing Belt, Bat Man.  Will there ever be a time when we plan an activity that something that cost even more comes up?  Just to compete a project with no glitches and on time…is that too much to ask?

Give me a break!!!!