Woo-hoo!!!

This morning I used the bonus points Kroger had loaded onto my card out of the blue for being a good customer,  plus the ones I've earned on the grocery runs this month,  to the tune of 90 cents of a gallon.  I filled the car,  which was on empty, but not on the gas light yet, for a ridiculous price--and yes,  I have photographic evidence,  taken right before I did my happy dance.  I actually had to have them refund me the rest of $20 because I overpaid. It was only $16.70 for a whole tank. Yay!  That's the most I've ever saved.

So there were actually three things wrong with the car

1. The motor for the blower (air conditioner/defroster/heater, all of which are no working noislessly)
2. A part that my car has instead of a distributor, called a crank sensor and synchroniser [which tells the engine how to fire]
3. A serpentine belt [which was making noise and now the car is very, very quiet]

Grand total: $724.73. Thank goodness for credit cards, that I could take care of it without freaking. But, wow. And this is a place I trust which doesn't push things on you or make unnecessary repairs. Apparently the synchroniser, if left as it was, might have broken completely and caused damage to the engine. The parts were almost $450, the labour $250. But the car is running amazingly well now, so I'm glad I took care of it and didn't just think the gas was the problem.

Speaking of gas, I'd noticed certain premium gas places like Shell and BP had gone up to $3.79 for gas today, but Speedway and Kroger were still lower. I also realised that, this being the last day to use my gas points from Kroger, I should stop by and see what I could save. Turns out for April I had 50 cents off a gallon, so I got the gast at $3.03. Yay!

It's been a very busy day, especially for being off work. I:

1. Rode on the bus for three hours (two back, one to the garage)
2. Got the car fixed
3. Went to Office Depot and got a few things I needed, almost all of which were purple :)
4. Went to Dairy Queen and had dinner (they have a nifty fountain dispenser with a touchscreen and one spigot, where you choose your drink and flavouring on screen)
5. Went to the library
6. Did actually work some on the house
7. Visited YKWIA and A
8. Watched 'The 100'
9. Fixed something with the computer and the printer over there
10. Walked a lot (see previous post for phone screenshot)

I still need to work some on the house (I did nap a bit today, too, especially after riding the bus home, as I'd gotten up early and walked much). But it was a good day off.

What a busy day

I:

1. Took out the trash and recyclables I worked on last night.
2. Dressed up and actually wore makeup today.
3. Worked.
4. Got my box springs. The delivery guys were great. They brought it in, set it up, and then helped me put the dust ruffle on the foundation before putting the mattress on top. I hadn't been offered the haul-away by the clerk, and so they weren't authorised to take the old one away, but they did take it to the area of the complex where large items for the trash pickup are placed without charge. They rocked! Go Sears!
5. Paid my February rent a little early.
6. Purchased Microsoft Office Professional Plus 2013 through our work programme which is $9.95.
7. Bought two euro pillows to complete the bedding experience (the shams came with the bedding set I got from Gabriel Brothers a week or two ago. So did the dust ruffle, which hadn't been on the box springs because the springs of the old one would have torn it up, so it was cool that the guy asked if I had a dust ruffle to put on. I'd totally forgotten. I used one of the $5 gift cards I got when I went to Sears the other day to get some money off the pillows.
8. Made the bed. Remember how I had to borrow pillows to prop myself up when I was out with my broken ankle? Now I have pillows aplenty.
9. Picked up my contacts.
10. Filled the car up with gas. The price jumped, no doubt due to the snow forecasted. I was getting to about 1/4 of a tank, which isn't good considering how very cold it's supposed to get, so I stopped at Speedway and got some.
11. Fought my way through more rush-hour traffic than I usually go through. I took back ways but even so, there were about three instances where other drivers were just being crazy. I had to go from the hospital to Fayette Mall, then to Woodhill Plaza, then down Richmond Road home. Granted, I could have waited to get the pillows or even the contacts for that matter, but I had the time.

So, I'm home now and getting something to eat. I'm going to download the Office suite and install it. And I'm definitely trying out that bed sometime soon, maybe listen to some music. It feels much firmer, judging by the couple of moments I sat on it earlier. The foundation is much higher than the old one, which was squishy and kind of 'fell' in the middle. Now everything is nicely supported and it's all higher. I took a couple of pictures of the bed all made and happy. It's amazing how finally getting something you've needed for a good long time can feel great.

It was a good day, overall

and much better than yesterday. Last night when I worked at the store, the other CSR (customer service representative, our official title, meaning clerk, really) did not call or show up for work, so I was alone with a fair amount of traffic in terms of customers served. I was also pre-menstrual (I know, too much information), and I guess I was having a bit of anxiety over working alone at night (I do it normally on Saturdays for a couple of hours during the day, but it seems a little more menacing at night, like I've got a big target on my head that says, 'rob me!') Anyway, this guy came in and somewhat crudely explained he had to go to the bathroom and it needed cleaning, with the ladies' room occupied, so I cleaned it and then once he was inside just started crying. Not bawling, but visibly upset. I guess it was a combination of hormones, anxiety, not having taken my meds yet that day, and his manner as a trigger. A couple of customers who were regulars were very kind as I tried to hold it together, and when the guy came out he saw me crying and hugged me. Gods, I'm so embarrassed, but at least it's in the past. Turns out my co-worker apparently got caught in court until late (I don't know why) and then on the Interstate coming back her car caught on fire and her cell had no signal.

Today was much better. I spent most of my day at the library working on some details for a grant we're writing that will hopefully pay for updates to the library and family resource centre as well as electronic resources. Then I picked up some meds from the pharmacy, came home, took a 20-minute nap, and headed to work at the station. The girl did come in today, and it wasn't that busy. Customers are generally happy because gas is $2.81 a gallon. Would you have imagined we'd be happy about that ten years ago?

Then it was over to a friend's to read some Lumley. Now I'm home and I've gone through lots of stories in my news reader. I think I should head for bed. I want to get up a little earlier tomorrow and do some straightening up and clearing the living room floor of boxes of books so I can start yoga. I went to the clinic which has been treating the pain in my elbow and I told the doctor it has mostly resolved. Since much of it seems to be postural, they are really recommending yoga, and it is one activity I really enjoy. I have a tape I especially like, called AM Yoga, with Rodney Yee. Anyway, I thought I'd give it a try. And if I don't wake up early enough in the morning, there are a couple of hours between jobs tomorrow. Good night.

I have a few minutes before I have to go to work

at the gas station. Yesterday, there was a gas run in Lexington. The rumour was that a station in Nicholasville had raised its prices to $4.75 (nearly a dollar jump), and that ones in Lexington would follow suit, no doubt because of Ike, the hurricane.

When I stopped by one at Tates Creek and Malabu, they were four deep. I stopped last night at the store down the street from ours; they actually ran out of gas entirely. I said something about the rumour and the clerk told me that his sister said that it was $6 where she lives in Indiana. I don't know about that; I know our attorney general would have a fit and threaten action pretty fast. Near midnight the gas was $3.85. It had risen that morning from $3.71, which seemed reasonable given the hurricane. But $4.75? We'll see.

I wonder what the gas price will be when I go into work--and if we'll get any gas business, since just about everyone except me (I didn't have the money) filled their tank yesterday.