The End of the World...

That's what it feels like, anyway, when your computer dies. We returned from the beach yesterday to find our desktop computer glaring the message NT LDR NOT FOUND.  That means the entire loading system for the computer can't be found, so it can't even be booted.  After spending 7 hours on the road to get us home, Blair popped back in the car with the computer for the 45 minute drive to Best Buy's Geek Squad, to see what could be done.

It doesn't look promising. For $100, they will try to recover the data and for an extra $100 they'll try in 48 hours. Bet your a-- I ponied up the extra money for the fast turnaround. Good or bad, I need to know what I'm dealing with.

 This is most inconvenient as I have 3 assignments I told myself I'd work on "when I got home from the beach." Well, guess who can't access her work? The last save we did was on May 17th. (That wretching, sobbing sound you hear is me, trying not to barf.)

I've got my laptop, which is something. It doesn't have Outlook on it and all my e-mails, which is a big thing. Remote e-mail access is not my friend but I will try sucking up to it and see if we can get along for a few days.

The funny thing is, we stopped in the Apple store in Raleigh on our way home yesterday to look at Mac Books. Even before this incident, I had had it with PC's and their constant locking and rebooting. The plan was to save for a couple of Mac Books and ditch our desktop and current laptop.  With the new/used car going boom last month (we decided to install a used engine with 20,000 miles - about $2800) and the computers dying this month, the Harris' are going to be eating PB&J for awhile.

And I am going back to work.  Freelance work. I've spent the first half of this year doing some experimental writing and I've greatly enjoyed my time and am sad to see it go bye-bye, but it's time to bring in some money.

God only knows what will blow up next around here...

Wal-Mart Doesn't Do Vanity Sizing...

Ah yes, now I remember why I pay large sums of money to shop at designer stores. It's so I can maintain the illusion that I'm a real size 6. Because people, let me tell you, the folks who make the Wal-Mart clothes can't be bothered with catering to our body-dwelling egos. They have no mercy.

We're going to the beach this month and since I haven't bought a swimsuit in, say 5 years, I figured I was due. Wal-Mart, I had noticed on our most recent grocery trip, had some cute mix and match tops and bottoms in swimwear. I had some spare time today, so I swung by.

And ended up sobbing on the dressing room floor. Well, okay, not sobbing... but I might have sniffled a time or two. Here's why.

I'm a medium girl. Tops, pants, shorts, shirts... bring me the medium. Nothing wrong with that. It's my niche.

So I grab some medium swimsuit tops and bottoms and head to the dressing room. Then head right back out for new sizes. Because I apparently need a LARGE for my ass and a SMALL for my top. Uh-huh. If that smiling little Wal-Mart face had bounced by I would have bashed him.

Whatever. It took me 30 years to get here, but I'm finally of the mature realization that it doesn't matter what size the tag says as long as the clothes fit and you feel good in them. And I feel charming in my large bottoms, so there.  It's just a shock after the Ann Taylor and Banana Republic vanity sizing lovefest where sales staff stand outside my door and coo, "Should I bring you the 4 to try on?" while they clear a path to the checkout counter for me. "Easily bruised self-esteem when it comes to beauty," should be tattooed on my forehead.

But hey--I got me one good price on a swimmin' suit. ;)

Car Shopping

I spent two hours car shopping today. It's all I could take.

The guy at the Nissan dealership was lovely. Very low-key, actually talked up Honda Accords (he owns a Honda and used to work at the Honda dealership.) I test drove a 2005 Altima and, aside from the dashboard, liked it very much. The dashboard has these funky looking... tunnels... you peer down to see your speed, mileage, etc. Not lovin' the tunnels. But the ride was great.

Then I went to the Honda dealership where I met the very definition of a used car salesman. Super nice guy but just dripped used car sales. I was his favorite customer. He liked me. He would fight for me. He was just an ol' country-boy trying to do the right thing.  What set me off is I went in and said, "I'm not buying today.  I just want to test drive an Accord." And instead of taking me out to the lot, he went to talk to his manager about the best deal he could get me--today--for a car. He was selling me the car before we were even on the lot. I drove a 2007 Accord, 23,000 miles. Nice, but didn't really do it for me. I liked the Altima better.  But if I could make a decision in the next 24 hours (and here he pulled me to the side so his manager wouldn't see that he was just giving the car away), he could problably get me an aggressive end-of-month deal.

It's a great car and decent price but just... ick. I hate being sold to.

I went to Saturn's site and I think I want to test drive an Aura. I loved my Saturn SW so maybe I should just go back to them.

Unfortunately with all of these, I'm creeping out of the price range I'd set for myself.  I swear, is there no service I can pay and just say, "This is what I want. Go get me the very best deal possible and call me when it's done?"

And why is there no damn mass transit system in my area? Phooey.

Dena

(Who apologizes to her readers for her foul mood while writing this.)

Sludge in the Engine - 2002 Toyota Camry V4

Remember my 2002 Toyota Camry I just bought to replace my Saturn? The car I've had for less than 6 weeks? The car we paid cash for?

History. Toast. Buh-bye.

The oil light came on when we drove to Washington, causing us to turn around and come home and select a different car. We took the car into the Toyota dealership this weekend and they called to say there is a bunch of metal in the oil pan and the engine is filled with sludge. We can either replace or rebuild the engine, both of which will run close to $6000.

Massive bummer.

Per the dealership, they say the sludge comes from whoever had the car before us not keeping it up. That seems odd, as I know the person who drove the car before us and am positive she had regular oil changes. At my best friend's urging, I went online to do some due diligence and learned that sludge in the engine is a HUGE problem for Toyota, and in fact there has just been a settlement this February with Toyota and Lexus owners (Not that the dealership we took it to bothered to mention this). However, my year car is not included in the settlement. Still, I went to consumer affairs and there are multiple reports of my year/make/model car with engine sludge and owners adamant that they kept the car up. Apparently, Toyota's kneejerk reaction is always to say, "The car wasn't kept up. Nothing's covered."

Our choice is to repair the engine or bail and get a new car. We were aiming for repairs, but as we started talking to the dealership we started getting more of the "Well, we won't know what we're going to find until we're in there," talk, and that makes me nervous. Very nervous. I don't want to throw good money after bad and end up with a $16,000 car that's worth about $7000 and may still have future problems. So now we're looking at buying another used car. And we all know how enamored I am of that process. I'd rather run three marathons back to back then deal with buying another used car.

The good news is, there's no rush. I'm going to take my time and look and compare. And most likely file a complaint with Toyota, if I can prove the car was maintained properly but still developed sludge.

I'm trying to look on the bright side. It kills me to see all the money just slide away--might as well have burned it. But on the other hand, something of this nature would do a lot of people in and leave them with no options. We're not anywhere near that point, so I'm trying to count our blessings.