Getting Geared Up (Part 2)
Whenever you have a vehicle that is out of commission, sometimes the most frustrating part is the inconvenience of it all, and all the hassle you have to go through. Sometimes it’s the thousands of dollars it costs to have it repaired. In my case, it’s usually both.
After my truck broke down last month, leaving my wife stranded on the highway, I had packed up the kids and gone to get her, which you can read about in Part 1. It was a joyous reunion. The kids and I hadn’t seen her all weekend, and we knew she had been through some rough weather in addition to all the intense activities she had participated in during her Woodbadge training. The excited hugging that you would expect in a reunion such as this was somewhat dampened by the 40-ton tractor trailers whooshing by a few feet away at 80 plus mph, plus all the miscellaneous litter and roadkill. Still, it was obvious that everyone was very excited to see each other.
We got Sara and all her camping stuff transferred into our other vehicle and got everyone off the highway, to keep from getting hit by a car while we waited for the tow truck. After that, the only danger the kids faced was from fights with each other in the back seat, which is somewhat less likely to end in a trip to the emergency room. Probably.
We eventually got a hold of a tow truck driver, and our insurance company. It was not the easy task you might imagine. We got an answering machine on the 24-hour line at the towing company. When we finally got a hold of someone, their cell phone battery died mid-call. Our confidence was rising.
When we talked to the insurance people, they cheerfully informed us that we did not currently have a towing rider on our policy but that they could easily connect me with someone who would be able to add one which I could take advantage of next month. I might add that they were very glad to be of assistance, despite the fact that they weren’t any help.
The tow truck driver estimated it would be at least 45 minutes before he could get to us, so I volunteered to wait with the car while the tow truck came. I figured my wife had spent enough time stuck on the side of the road for one day. Of course this was the one time in my life where I had not brought a book with me, nor do I have internet access for my phone (not because I am an old-fashioned curmudgeon who has have some sort of grudge against technology. It’s because I have a grudge against being broke.) This lack of entertainment gave me a lot of quiet time to contemplate important and meaningful issues in life. For instance, I studied the beauty of a hawk in a nearby tree. I appreciated the wonderful sunset over the lovely mountain landscape in which we live. I debated over whether or not I could discreetly pee out the door of the truck without getting arrested. 45 minutes can be a long time.
Eventually, the tow truck driver arrived. He was a very nice man and he did his job well. I admire him for having a cheerful attitude, despite having good reasons not to. He told me that he wasn’t supposed to be working that night, plus he was still recovering from his recent carpal tunnel procedure. I’m guessing that hauling chains and pulling levers is not the best way to recuperate from hand surgery, but I’m, not a doctor.
While we were waiting to hear back from the garage, and were without our second vehicle for a few days, an army of germs took advantage of our emotional vulnerability. First our son got strep throat. Then one of our daughters got it. Next, our other daughter threw up a few times for unexplained reasons. And finally my wife got strep throat, bronchitis, and a double ear infection. Our kids were ending up in a variety of different places, since they randomly had to stay home from school or day care, or go to doctors. It got hard to keep track of.
One day that week, one of our daughters was at day care, the other was with my mother, and our son was at school. My wife and I were both at work, somehow, and we got a call from day care that our daughter was complaining about it hurting every time she went to the bathroom. We called the doctor’s office to ask if we should take her to the emergency after-hour clinic, or if we should make an appointment for the next day. To avoid panicking us, they said, “Are you insane? Get her in here NOW!”
Ok, so that’s not a direct quote, but it was definitely implied. When a nurse says to bring your child in as soon as you can, and they would squeeze her in somehow, you can’t help but to be concerned. This began the frantic planning session to determine how we would get all of our kids, who were all in different places and in varying degrees of sickness, to all the different places they needed to go, with only one vehicle. It was much like trying to plan a standard NASA mission to the moon, but with more potty breaks. It would have been a little easier if we were able to generate the necessary 1.21 gigawatts of power to be able to go back in time, but we did not have this luxury. Finally, we got our daughter to the doctor and she got all fixed up with the medicine she needed. Luckily, it wasn’t anything serious.
Eventually, the mechanic finally called. We didn’t hear anything from him for a few days, which I normally don’t take as a good sign. This incident did nothing to change my stance on that issue. Turns out the transmission was wrecked, and that they are surprisingly hard to find for 14 year old vehicles. By the way, when the mechanic starts laughing hysterically after he finds out which vehicle you are there to pick up, it’s also not a good sign.
$1,900 and one week later, we had the truck back, and our daughter was thrilled. She had been very concerned about the truck coming back from the truck doctor and it not being sick any more. And I learned something. 1. Everything is a matter of perspective. Thanks to this incident, the next month when our other vehicle needed a mere $800 worth of work done, we were actually grateful and thankful. It was as if they were doing it for free; 2. You can control your own happiness. If a guy with carpal tunnel syndrome, who is working on his day off can have a good attitude, there’s no reason anyone else can’t; and 3. Always make sure to go to the bathroom before embarking on an emergency rescue mission.
After my truck broke down last month, leaving my wife stranded on the highway, I had packed up the kids and gone to get her, which you can read about in Part 1. It was a joyous reunion. The kids and I hadn’t seen her all weekend, and we knew she had been through some rough weather in addition to all the intense activities she had participated in during her Woodbadge training. The excited hugging that you would expect in a reunion such as this was somewhat dampened by the 40-ton tractor trailers whooshing by a few feet away at 80 plus mph, plus all the miscellaneous litter and roadkill. Still, it was obvious that everyone was very excited to see each other.
We got Sara and all her camping stuff transferred into our other vehicle and got everyone off the highway, to keep from getting hit by a car while we waited for the tow truck. After that, the only danger the kids faced was from fights with each other in the back seat, which is somewhat less likely to end in a trip to the emergency room. Probably.
We eventually got a hold of a tow truck driver, and our insurance company. It was not the easy task you might imagine. We got an answering machine on the 24-hour line at the towing company. When we finally got a hold of someone, their cell phone battery died mid-call. Our confidence was rising.
When we talked to the insurance people, they cheerfully informed us that we did not currently have a towing rider on our policy but that they could easily connect me with someone who would be able to add one which I could take advantage of next month. I might add that they were very glad to be of assistance, despite the fact that they weren’t any help.
The tow truck driver estimated it would be at least 45 minutes before he could get to us, so I volunteered to wait with the car while the tow truck came. I figured my wife had spent enough time stuck on the side of the road for one day. Of course this was the one time in my life where I had not brought a book with me, nor do I have internet access for my phone (not because I am an old-fashioned curmudgeon who has have some sort of grudge against technology. It’s because I have a grudge against being broke.) This lack of entertainment gave me a lot of quiet time to contemplate important and meaningful issues in life. For instance, I studied the beauty of a hawk in a nearby tree. I appreciated the wonderful sunset over the lovely mountain landscape in which we live. I debated over whether or not I could discreetly pee out the door of the truck without getting arrested. 45 minutes can be a long time.
Eventually, the tow truck driver arrived. He was a very nice man and he did his job well. I admire him for having a cheerful attitude, despite having good reasons not to. He told me that he wasn’t supposed to be working that night, plus he was still recovering from his recent carpal tunnel procedure. I’m guessing that hauling chains and pulling levers is not the best way to recuperate from hand surgery, but I’m, not a doctor.
While we were waiting to hear back from the garage, and were without our second vehicle for a few days, an army of germs took advantage of our emotional vulnerability. First our son got strep throat. Then one of our daughters got it. Next, our other daughter threw up a few times for unexplained reasons. And finally my wife got strep throat, bronchitis, and a double ear infection. Our kids were ending up in a variety of different places, since they randomly had to stay home from school or day care, or go to doctors. It got hard to keep track of.
One day that week, one of our daughters was at day care, the other was with my mother, and our son was at school. My wife and I were both at work, somehow, and we got a call from day care that our daughter was complaining about it hurting every time she went to the bathroom. We called the doctor’s office to ask if we should take her to the emergency after-hour clinic, or if we should make an appointment for the next day. To avoid panicking us, they said, “Are you insane? Get her in here NOW!”
Ok, so that’s not a direct quote, but it was definitely implied. When a nurse says to bring your child in as soon as you can, and they would squeeze her in somehow, you can’t help but to be concerned. This began the frantic planning session to determine how we would get all of our kids, who were all in different places and in varying degrees of sickness, to all the different places they needed to go, with only one vehicle. It was much like trying to plan a standard NASA mission to the moon, but with more potty breaks. It would have been a little easier if we were able to generate the necessary 1.21 gigawatts of power to be able to go back in time, but we did not have this luxury. Finally, we got our daughter to the doctor and she got all fixed up with the medicine she needed. Luckily, it wasn’t anything serious.
Eventually, the mechanic finally called. We didn’t hear anything from him for a few days, which I normally don’t take as a good sign. This incident did nothing to change my stance on that issue. Turns out the transmission was wrecked, and that they are surprisingly hard to find for 14 year old vehicles. By the way, when the mechanic starts laughing hysterically after he finds out which vehicle you are there to pick up, it’s also not a good sign.
$1,900 and one week later, we had the truck back, and our daughter was thrilled. She had been very concerned about the truck coming back from the truck doctor and it not being sick any more. And I learned something. 1. Everything is a matter of perspective. Thanks to this incident, the next month when our other vehicle needed a mere $800 worth of work done, we were actually grateful and thankful. It was as if they were doing it for free; 2. You can control your own happiness. If a guy with carpal tunnel syndrome, who is working on his day off can have a good attitude, there’s no reason anyone else can’t; and 3. Always make sure to go to the bathroom before embarking on an emergency rescue mission.
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