I Just Paid it Off!!

I received the title to my car earlier this month.  I was so proud and excited.  I bought the car while I was a bank teller making $10/hr without a co-signer.  It was a sign that I was legitimately entering adulthood. Is it my dream car?  Not a chance.  It has manual everything: windows, locks, transmission.  The windows aren't tinted.  It's an '04 and it has a tape deck.  A tape deck!  It's just a basic car that gets me from Point A to Point B.  Does it have a lot of sentimental value?  You bet.  As the first car I actually purchased from a dealership, and the above mentioned financing, the car makes me proud.  It's also the first car that was actually in good shape when I bought it and I've had relatively few problems with it.  I drive a lot, too.  I actually enjoy driving when I'm not in a rush to get somewhere.  There was one weekend a couple years ago I put 200 miles on the car.  I didn't leave town.  So, we have a bond, my car and me.  On the flip-side, I have taken it for granted.  It's a Hyundai.  It's supposed to last for a million years, or something like that.  Sure I get the oil changed, and I've had the tires replaced a few times.  But there was one weekend a couple years ago that I put 200 miles on the car without leaving town.  Cuts both ways, right?  I haven't neglected the car, but I certainly haven't babied it.

This weekend, I was heading to church and I just made it off the freeway when the car stalled out.  Not in an I-didn't-give-it-enough-gas-before-releasing-the-clutch sort of way.  More like, holy-mother-eff-my-car-just-died sort of way.  The engine wouldn't turn.  I just replaced the battery about six months ago, so it couldn't be that.  After being passed by all the good Christians hurrying to be on time to church, a good Christian leaving the previous service stopped and helped me push the car out of the middle of the road and into a U-Haul parking lot.  Lucky for him, it was a downhill push.  He then went back to his car and came over to try to jump my car.  Didn't work.  I thanked him profusely for his help and sent him on his way with his family.  My friend Randi was also on her way to church, so she stopped and I sat in her air conditioning and made a couple phone calls.  One to my friend Chris, because I knew she and her sister know way more about cars than myself and that they would come help a sista out.  Another was to my ex, because he lives on that side of town and I knew he would bring me a water bottle then kick the tires and come to the conclusion that he didn't know what to do.  Chris answered.  My ex did not. 

Once Chris and D arrived, they quickly determined the most likely cause was the alternator.  I sent Randi on her way as Chris pulled out her tools and got under my car to remove the alternator.  I believe that everything happens for a reason.  I had made plans with Chris and D to go to the pool after I left church, so I had sunscreen with me.  Since I have documented my ability to sunburn in this blog before, I don't need to tell you here how lucky I was to have the sunscreen.  I noticed a nearby billboard had one of those time and temperature readings in the corner of it.  It was 12:15 pm and 105 degrees.  After finally removing the alternator, we locked up my car and headed for Auto Zone to have it tested.  Their machine didn't work.  So then we headed toward downtown Henderson to another location.  After a brief stop at Pep Boys, whose machine also did not work, and which actually wasn't so brief since the guy helping us couldn't be bothered to put some pep in his step, we arrived at the Henderson location.  They tested the alternator.  The slip printed by the machine after the test was pretty unambiguous.  It said, "alternator is bad."  We got a good laugh out of that and then purchased a new alternator.  We picked up some lunch on the way back to the car and then installed the new alternator.  The car started!!!  We celebrated with sweaty, car oil hugs.  Chris and D saved the day!!!

As I put the car into gear, wait.  It didn't go into gear.  It didn't go into gear!!  I won't share the words that came out of my mouth next.  My mother would be aghast.  I got out of the car.  There was part on the ground and the car was now leaking like crazy.  Of all the tools my friends had, tow straps were not included.  I called my cousin's husband.  He drove across town to come get me.  By the time he arrived, it was close to 4:00 pm and 111 degrees according to the billboard.  He attached the tow straps and away we went.  I don't know if you've ever had to steer a car being towed, so I'll do my best to describe the experience:  I was a nervous wreck!  The feeling of the car jerking when you have to brake to get the tension back is incredibly unsettling.  Riding on the freeway not knowing what idiot driver is not going to pay enough attention to the situation is also very frazzling.  My shoulders must have been up to my ears from the tension I was feeling when we stopped at the shop.

Long story short, I invited Chris and D to our Sunday dinner that night, after they went home and showered of course.  The shop said that I need a new clutch and hydraulic system that supports the clutch.  So, just a few weeks of celebrating a lack of car payments for a while, I now have to put about 5x the amount of my car payment into the car.  Awesome.  Oh, and school started up this week.  And rent is due this week, too.  Needless to say, I can't wait for the week to be over.

Things Men Have Told Me About Myself

"You're really good at this pageant stuff."  -Dad
This was in 2006 after my last Miss Nevada competition.  It was the only pageant my dad attended in the 7 years I competed, because...

"I don't need some panel of judges to tell me you're great."  -Dad

"You don't have a gypsy soul."  -Michael, the window washer
Every week he comes to clean the windows at work and we talk.  This comment came after I mentioned that my younger sister is more brave than I am.  He's dead-on.

"That ass is unforgettable."  -Name Withheld
This is a text I got eight months after the fact.  Not that you wanted to know, but it's good for my ego.

"The only time you ever nagged me is when I put too much butter and sour cream on my baked potatoes."  -The Ex
Seven years together.  Broke up two years ago.  I'd say this is quite a compliment.

"You have always loved Train.  I remember the first time you heard 'Meet Virginia.'  You told me there was this awesome song on the radio that I had to hear."  -Eric, my brother
It's true.  I love Train.

"Even though we haven't always been in contact, I have always considered you one of my dearest friends."  -Justin from high school
This made me choke up a little.  Not gonna lie.

"When I think about high school, a lot of my happiest memories are with you."  -Robert
Another fantastic friend who will always have a special place in my heart.

"You are a Spartan!!!"  -Kevin, my personal trainer
I woke up at 5:30 am every morning for a year and was proud to be lifting heavier weights - with more ease - than many of the men in the gym.

"You spoil me the most out of everybody."  -Michael, my brother 18 years younger than me
This kid has five older brothers and five older sisters.

"Don't change.  I've always liked that about you.  Unless you're talking about boys.  In that case you should always be mean to boys."  -Kendall, my college rommate's husband
This was a comment he left on a facebook status in which I declared I would no longer be too nice.

"You're ridiculous!"  -Jesse, my cousin
This is the typical response from him whenever I say I'm cold.

 "I can tell you race this little thing around."  -the guy at Meineke
This was after my most recent oil change.

"You have a great smile.  If I was twenty years younger, I'd ask you out."  -elderly man
Aw!  He would still be old enough to be my father if he were 20 years younger, but it's still cute whenever an older gentleman says this to me.

Happy Birthday Bruiser!!

The summer of 2009 found me newly single, starting a job at a different bank, and in a different living situation.  It was rough.  That fall I started putting together the new pieces of my life.  I started telling people, "Everything in my life right now is brand new."  One of those things was Bruiser.  Today he is two years old, and every bit a mama's boy.

This is the night I met Bruiser and decided he had to be mine!

He was such a cute puppy

Making pals with Indiana.

Classic Mama and Bruiser.  He's always on my lap.

I can't tell you how many pictures I have of him snuggled under the covers.

Still best pals with Indy.

One of his favorite spots to hang out - on my shoulders.

Our Mothers' Educations

This weekend was interesting to me.  I live with my cousin and her mother lives just a couple miles down the road, so we see her quite often.  My own mother lives across the state, but she came to visit this weekend.  Both of them are looking for work.  My aunt has been out of full-time work since the bank she and I used to work at went under in 2009.  My mother was a stay-at-home mom for about a decade while she was married to my step-dad, but they have recently divorced and now she needs a full-time job.  Both my aunt and my mother are very experienced in their fields.  My mother has several certifications in human resources and has even taught continuing education courses at a university.  Both my mother and my aunt are in their mid-50's, very smart and experienced women, but no college degrees.  When they began their careers in the the 80's and 90's, college degrees were bonuses on the resume.  These days, it's keeping them from getting hired.  On Friday, my aunt was telling us about the difficulty she's having in getting a job that's equivalent to the position she held before due to her lack of college education.  She's seriously considering University of Phoenix.  When my mom got into town, she told me about the job she applied for and really hopes to get.  They recently called her to find out what her educational background is, exactly.  Now she's terrified she won't get the job.

My cousin is a teacher with a master's degree.  I have recently returned to college and will be the first woman on my mom's side of the family with a degree when I graduate.  We both know that without a degree, we cannot work in our chosen fields.  I wonder, however, what disadvantage I'll have when I'm my mother's age.  I would like to eventually have a Ph.D. in nutrition, but will that be enough to compete for jobs with the generation after me?  Will that level of education, which is considered a bonus now, but the expected minimum in 25 years?

Summer Just Wouldn't be Complete.

I'm the one person in my family that doesn't tan.  My little sister has this amazing olive skin, but I have pale skin that burns at the mention of being outdoors.  The irony lies in the fact that if I lived in ancient Greece, I would have worshiped Helios like he was a real god--and my favorite one at that.  Last summer I spent nearly every weekend by a pool, sunscreen within arm's reach, and managed to get a nice little summer glow.  This summer, it just hasn't worked out that way.  The poolside excursions with my friends and mimosas just haven't happened.  Everyone seems busier this year.  Or at least, our schedules haven't aligned.  Needless to say I was thrilled when my friend invited me to her pool today.  I brought the champagne and orange juice, and four of us hit the lounge chairs.  I sprayed myself down with sunscreen and enjoyed laying in the sunshine with my friends and my cocktail in hand.  I figured I might get a little pink since I haven't laid out in a while.  But let me tell you, friends, I severely underestimated the damage that would be done.  I guess I'll go back to the brand of sunscreen I used last year instead of trying to save a buck on a new brand.  Even my legs and the tops of my feet are burned.  Not so fun.  And you know how sunburns don't seem that bad at first and then a few hours go by and you realize that you could be mistaken for a lobster?  Yeah.

This was immediately after getting home.

This is after the burn got to fully develop.