Oh how I loathe getting ready in the morning, feeling like it's going to be a good day, walking out of the house into 100 degree heat, and then finding out that your car won't start. Yeah, that happened to me this morning. I was doing just fine getting ready for school, watched a little bit of World Cup this morning (along with a guilty pleasure-the ever dramatic Dawson's Creek) and was feeling good about the last day of classes. You know your day is going to go downhill when you open the door and it feels like a brick wall of heat slams into you. All you guys out there are lucky...we women have to spend time doing our hair, fixing our makeup, etc. just to have it streaming down our faces in 2.5 seconds. Highly annoying. Anyway, my car wouldn't start so I had to get help from someone. Luckily, I am one of those girls that actually does own her own set of jumper cables (thrilling christmas gift from good ole' dad--I wouldn't actually think to go get a set on my own). So I thought my day was back to normal....oh how wrong was I. Taught my last class for the summer and was ready to head back to the house to study for my final. I stepped out into the sauna, walked to my car only to realize it was dead...yet again. I always feel really terrible about stopping some random person and asking them to help me, but this girl was really nice. We were having a nice little conversation while my car was charging when two guys walked over to the car to make sure that we did it right...you know red on red, black on black and such. They actually looked impressed that we weren't complete imbecils ( I just looove when guys do that. Obvious sarcasm). So after my second bought with dead car, I realized that something was probably not quite right. Took it to Big 10 Tires, who told me that they would have everything done in 30 minutes. Ok, NEVER trust them when they say that. 45 minutes later, I have read every magazine, newspaper, flier, sign on the wall, etc. and was in the midst of counting the cars driving by when my name was finally called. Sweet relief! But noo....fooled again. Not only was my car going to be there for several more hours, but I was going to need a new alternator (hint: NOT cheap). The guy proceeds to fill me in on every detail that he is doing to my car, which to me sounds like some language I have never heard. He had to know that I didn't know what in the world he was talking about due to the stone blank look on my face. The only thing I heard from his whole spill were three little words: "Seven hundred dollars." Not exactly something I had planned on hearing as I rolled out of bed this morning thinking about the day to come. What else was I going to do? It's not as if I could say no, politely drive off, and spend everyday having my car jumped off any time I wanted to go somewhere. 700 dollars they charged, 700 dollars they got. After looking at my receipt, I realized where alot of the money goes to. Labor. Don't get me wrong. I'm sure the guys at the car place do an excellent job and all, but honestly, 200 dollars for 3 hours of work? And let's really think about it. Does it REALLY take 3 hours to change out the alternator? How does someone make 60+ an hour?? It's a little baffling. I have spent many years trying to get all of these degrees and will probably NEVER make 60something an hour. A little depressing when you think about it. Anyway, enough of my story. Wasn't really all that good. Just wanted to vent about my very hot, annoying, and expensive day.
