09.22.09
And so it’s Tuesday
Tuesday is my Hump Day. My insanely busy day – after school at least. Two swimming times, travel time, 60 minutes to get home, eat and get back out to pick up Mr 8’s mate and drop off to cubs. It is the one day that I would never usually add something into the mix.
So why on earth did I put something in there for today? Cos I’m mad is the only reason I can think of right now.
Last week I had to take our family car for its WOF. And having pointed out it needed a new bulb for a rear light, the only thing I thought might have been an issue were possibly the tyres.
Now, I have had to go to a place other than my usual mechanic because six months ago, I discovered that W&A had gone bust and they refused to tell me were Barry had gone. That annoyed me becuase he’s a great mechanic, and one that I have trusted over the years to be straight with me.
So I head to another big name place where I know I’m paying more for labour costs but expect a good job. Big mistake.
At this WOF check, not only did they fail to call me as requested should any work other than the known blown bulb need doing, when I did turn up, they had failed the car on about $800 worth of work. Excluding labour. Going through the list, my heart sank…. I was expecting maybe tyres but not all these jobs…. and the list seemed endless. And then they said “seatbelts not retracting.”
Woah!
Back up!! Did you just say that the seatbelts don’t retract? Yes, he did. Alarm bells start jangling. You mean, these seatbelts here, I questioned as a demonstrated perfectly functioning seatbelts retracting in the front. Well, yeah, those were the ones down here. Well, why don’t they work – when clearly they do…? I questioned. Let me go check, I’m told.
He comes back…… oh, it was the centre belt.
Ok, so you have marked down here that the front seatbelts have failed because they don’t work, but as they do work you really meant it was the centre back belt. The one that we haven’t used at all since the last time you passed it six months ago? What exactly is the issue with it? Um….. it doesn’t work. What doesn’t work? I almost hiss through clenched teeth – all the alarm bells ringing for me. Ummmm…. it doesn’t work. You mean this one that is working very well now? I ask. Yeah – that one – it’s a bit dirty.
By now I’ve had enough. I’ve been pulled up on perfectly working seatbelts plus a whole lot of other expensive jobs that supposedly need doing.
I tell him that I think there is a lot of BS coming from his team and that if any work needs doing, it will not be them receiving payment. And then I drive off to VTNZ. Which I probably should have done in the first place, except I like one-stop shopping.
I discovered that there is a natinal computer system – they knew I’d just failed elsewhere. he wanted to have a chat with me after his check….. He couldn’t find issues and wanted to find out why I had failed 30 minutes prior. He looked at me like I’d grown another head as I told him my perfectly functioning seatbelts and nearly new wiper blades were among some of the failures earlier.
I was still failed. For two nails in a left hand tyre that wasn’t picked up by the last lot, and a funny bulb pattern in my headlight. That was the only thing the two places agreed on. So today I went to a garage to get these things done. It cost me around $50 – including labour – to have them sorted out.
A saving of over $800.
I will never, ever use that first place again. What makes me wild is that if they hadn’t harped on about the seatbelts, I would have trusted them on the rest of the work – I knew no differently.
And my very busy, crazy Tuesday got a little crazier as I had to catch a bus in order to get to and from the new mechanic. But it has been so very worthwhile! I haven’t found Barry yet, but I think this new place is almost as good. Thank goodness for decent human beings!!
09.08.09
Into the pack
Many of us grew up being involved in organised groups such as guides, girls brigade or scouts. I remember well being a brownie then flying up to Guides in St Anthony’s 71st down in Christchurch. I often wonder if it is still an active troop. There are many memories of our activities: selling Girl Guide biscuits door to door (in and around Wainoni too which I don’t think would be done much these days, sadly), polishing the brass guide badge until it SHONE, likewise the shoes. Making and cooking damper over a real campfire in somwhere that felt like it was in the wop-wops but really was just in the massive grounds of our leader’s home. Going on a camp for the first time somewhere near Oxford and being part of the Six that found a cow skull. Those Six leaders were mad…. they spray painted the skull with luminous green glow in the dark paint and then waited until dark to scare the bejeebus out of a rival Six……!! Fun times!!
I think that some of the skills that I learned first in Brownies, and then in Guides (keeping three 2c pieces in a hanky at all times and knowing how to dial for help in a phone booth…. Or, lashing together a bivouac from tree branches and a raincoat…) have taught me more things than I’ve realised. And in this age of PC-dom and bubble wrapping of kids, I realise just how much fun it was to learn a bunch of skills towards independence alongside other kids just like me.
I was thrilled then to finally be able to get Mr 8 into Cubs at the local den. Even more so that I was able to get a mate of his to start at the same time. They’ve been learning the ways and wherefores of becoming a cub… quite a bit different to the ways of Brown Owl and the mushroom! It was recommended that we get the original Jungle Book story (ie NOT the Disney version! LOL) to help with understanding some of the things that cubs do. In preparation to take the Oath and be invested as a cub, Mr 8 and friend have been learning about good turns, what it means to be a cub and all sorts of other good stuff.
A couple of weeks ago, the group had some relay races involving lighting a candle with matches. It made me realise how many simple tasks that I learned when I was younger just don’t seem to feature in today’s world that often. I loved hearing about how excited and pleased Mr 8 was to be able to actually DO this for himself. And now, we’re learning how to make a cup of tea from go to whoa – including pouring boiling water safely. Why on earth did we wait so long to teach these things???! I now have hot cups of tea almost on tap… wooohooo!! 
And then last week, they were invested:
Mr 8 and friend with Akela
Mr 8 was so proud to get his Investiture Badges (five in total!) and his woggle and scarf. Now I just need to get them sewn onto the vest in time for the next meetng. Actually, I’m sewing on four and a half – Mr 8 wants to sew some as well.
