Dollars and Nonsense

Another Day Lost

OK, so I probably could have ridden as the ring was nearly thawed. But, in order to do that, I would have had to have been home.

Instead, I was hanging around the mall and service garage waiting for my car to be serviced.

It all started out innocently enough with a chiropractor adjustment late morning while things were still frozen. Then, I decided I really needed to have a long overdue oil change on my car.

Stopped at the reputable service garage, pleased to find out they could take my car in right away. The oil change included a free tire rotation, so that was good. I guess.

Soon after it all started, the service manager called me in to show me that my brakes were nearly worn out and that my car's rear suspension was worn out, causing my rear tires--still nearly new--to wear badly on the inside tread. The car is a 2003 with about 50,000 miles on it, so it's not worn out, but brakes do need work and, I am guessing that lugging hundreds of pounds of grain in the back is not exactly the best thing for the rear struts.

Since they could do the work immediately, I opted to get it over with, but suddenly, my plans for the day took a bad turn. Now I was going to be stuck in East Brunswick, miles from home with no transportation for some 3-4 hours!

Lunch at MacDonalds next door took up about a half hour and then there was nothing else to do but "hit the mall" behind the garage and do some shopping. Well, browsing, really. There wasn't a thing I needed despite all the post holiday sales.

I did pick up a pair of jeans on sale and two blouses--not needed, but nice. Tried on a few other things just to waste time, but that was just for entertainment purposes. Weird dress--Vera Wang. Don't know who would look good in it, but I surely didn't.

Then I found, in another store, some epoxy stuff that is supposed to hold nearly anything, so I might be able to fix the broken lamp part in the living room.

Next door at the home supply store, I got a shorter extension cord for my water heater in the ring and some caulk to replace the seal around the bath tub.

That still left another hour and a quarter to kill, so I went back to the service shop. Cosmopolitan and Seventeen--teenage female magazines--dominated the reading library, so for the remaining wait time I discovered all kinds of things about how to dress, to attract boys, and how to out on make-up.

Nearly $1500 later, I escaped, got back home with some very sore knees, hungry cats and horses just waiting for me and a nearly thawed riding ring. By the time I fed everyone, I was done for the day.

Poorer for certain, and totally shopped out.