Month: June 2012

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Waiting On the Estimates

I was at VR Expert on time this morning for the estimate portion of the Fix Miranda saga. I’d been told we’d have plenty of uninterrupted time to go over what I wanted done. Ha. I felt like I was impeding on their time so badly I completely minimized the work I want done on the cab overhang since I don’t want to give them any more money than the strict minimum. I just hope their technical work is better than their customer service.

The guy gave me the impression that the cab overhang is a disaster. He says that, based on a visual inspection only, he needs to pull the passenger-side window, remove the entire fiberglass panel, and let the area dry before he can even think about how to repair it.

He didn’t seem too impressed by the damage done to Miranda’s hitch and frame, so that doesn’t sound like a major job. Neither are the propane regulator and house door window switcharoos, or making the house door square and plumb.

As for setting up the Ranger for towing, he can only do it if I want Blue Ox and/or Ready Brute products and have an uncomplicated vehicle to set up for towing. Shame since I want Blue Ox and Ready Brute products and a 2WD manual Ranger is one of the easiest vehicles to set up for towing. 🙂

They cannot do the windshield.

So the big question mark at this time is how much is the overhang repair going to cost? If it’s less than $2,000, I’ll go ahead and do the Ranger later. If it’s more, I will probably opt to do a ‘good enough’ repair on my own because I know how the overhang is constructed and am not concerned about it falling apart down the road since the frame is aluminum. If they do the work, I have a feeling I’m going to have a lot of interior work to redo. 🙁 I will also need to go to Miranda with a helper and get the loft emptied out so they can get that window out. What a pain in the ass, but it should have been done ages ago. I should never have trusted the Eternabond. I am confident there are no leaks inside the loft at this point in time and that any water he is feeling is between the styrofoam and the fiberglass. But knowing my history of minimizing problems, I am bracing myself for bad, bad news. And for being homeless for at least two weeks. 🙁

 

 

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Wow, Haven’t Done That In About 13 Years

A clash of schedules this evening found me babysitting for a half hour! My brother and sister-in-law landed breathlessly with my nephew with about five minutes notice to me. I joked, “Are you sure you trust me with your boy?” and sis-in-law replied sarcastically, “I’m so worried!” It’s nice to be trusted. 🙂

Youngest Nephew is about five months old and a very happy baby with bright blue eyes. We had a fun time playing with his toys and watching the squirrels play on the front lawn. He was a little overdue for a nap, so when he started fussing I took him for a walk about the house and he just settled happily into my arms.

There is nothing like a happy, cooing baby. And the smell! What is it about that baby smell, huh?

No, I have no interest in having my own. Being an aunt is awesome: you get to have fun, but can hand the baby back when you’ve had your fill. 😉

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Harder Than Expected

I dropped Miranda off at VR Expert tonight. I had to hand over keys so the service tech could park her where he wanted. This is only the second time I’ve seen someone drive my home and the first time I have left her overnight for a reason other than travel. I really feel homeless and out of sorts tonight. I’m heading back there in the morning, then who knows when I will next see my home. I can’t wait to have an idea of when the work will be completed.

Going into the shop, I noticed a sign for Blue Ox products, so that pretty much confirms that they could convert the truck, too. I also got a hint that they might do windshields, too, so I’ll add that to the list. I know I can’t afford to do everything at once, but I might as well get numbers on everything.

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Hiro Sushi, Chambly

When I got to Chambly, I was given a menu for a popular local sushi shop (hint as to the name). It was very western and utterly unappealing. So I did some research and located the well-reviewed Hiro. They also have a very western menu (lots of tempura and cream cheese), but also more traditional fare.

For $18 and change including tax I got:

1) veggie miso soup: disappointing; too heavy on the carrots and not ‘miso-ee’ enough. Will not be ordering their soup again.

2) one piece octopus nigiri: awesome! Will order two next time since they are super cheap here at less than $2 each!

3) one eel cone: awesome! There is cucumber, masago, and avocado in addition to the BBQ eel. Great mix of flavours and textures!

4) one ‘tango’ maki: awesome! It’s essentially a combo spicy tuna and salmon roll with masago and other yummy bits in it.

Miso soup not withstanding, this was unequivocally one of the best sushi meals I’ve ever enjoyed. Thumbs up to Hiro!

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Homeless Again

Miranda is waiting in the street to be brought to the repair place in a couple of hours. I’ve moved what I think I will need for the next couple of weeks into my mother’s house. The next big chore is to get a semblance of an office set up.

I have pretty much lost two weeks of work this month, which is really going to hurt come July 1st. Doing transcription was out of the question for most of the last two weeks, but, thankfully, I got a small translation contract that is going to make a big difference in the coming weeks. I just hope I have tons and tons of work in the next two weeks to make up for such a poor start in June. I’m still in much better shape financially than I have been in a while, even with all these extra expenses and all the lost income, so I’m okay! It’s very tight, but not so bad that I can’t soothe my nerves tonight with some sushi. 🙂

The plan for this afternoon is that I will go park Miranda at the repair shop with my step-mother following in my truck (she hasn’t driven standard in ages so this has the potential for hilariousness). I’ll then drive us back home. In the morning, I’ll take off to meet the repair folks. I was relieved to learn that I am booked in for two hours, so I should have plenty of time to discuss the work I want done beyond the stuff covered by the insurance. I really think that getting that work done and waiting till the fall to set up the truck for towing is my best bet since I am not going to want to move out of my home again for several years after this!

Bitha and Nee are now living in the garage. My girl clung to me and cried and cried when I brought her in there. I’ve never seen her behave like that. If this change of environment stress does anything to my cats, I will be out for blood!

Have I mentioned recently just how exhausted I am?