I Suck At Oil Changes

I was in for quite a pleasant surprise on Friday.

After dropping Karen off at the train station so that she could get to work, I noticed that our car had surpassed the 3000 mile mark since the car's last oil change. So needless to say, I decided to bring the car in to the local Firestone for an oil change.

Now, I suck at oil changes. The past few times that I brought my car in for service, I have been disappointed... not by the service staff because they are great, but by the fact that the car needed fluke work performed on it.

It goes without saying then that I brought our car in for an oil change with some trepidation. I was afraid that the staff would uncover some other issue that needed to be addressed or something like that.

Well, to my surprise... there was no other issue. That was good news. Truth be told, the staff at Firestone has claimed before that our car is actually in great working shape and should last a while. Whether that's true or not, I don't really know. I'm inclined to believe them since they are more knowledgeable than me when it comes to cars.

Anyway, the best part of the experience happened when I went to pay for the oil change. The staff at Firestone simply gave me the oil change for free. I was pleasantly surprised by that nice gesture. The manager just told me not to worry about the oil change because he knew of the fluke work that we had done on the car. I was ecstatic. Sure, an oil change does not cost that much, but it was the kind gesture that I'll always remember. It was really a great way to start off my day.

Needless to say, I was in a pretty good mood for the rest of the day. Thanks again Firestone!

I Suck At Getting An Oil Change

i think i have come to the realization that i am cursed. my friend (aimee) thinks that i am usually lucky. if only she knew how terribly mistaken she really is...

saturday was not exactly a great day. during the week, i remembered that it was time to bring our car in for an oil change. the car had definitely exceeded the customary 3000 mile mark from its last oil change. yes, i suck at getting an oil change.

so saturday morning, i brought the car in for an oil change. i generally bring the car in bright and early in the morning to the local firestone because i will have time afterwards to go about my normal day and do other things.

unfortunately, it just wasn't meant to be on saturday. in what has become a common trend of late, the car needed a repair... not just any repair... a new timing belt and a rear brakes.

since my son (braden) passed away over two months ago, it seems like things have continued to be... well... rather disappointing: our oil tank had to be serviced because the furnace was not receiving the oil properly; the septic system control panel to our house malfunctioned and needed repair; our alarm system needed to be repaired to properly send signals to their monitoring center; and now... the car.

it probably would not be so bad if these repairs were not all within a two month span. after all, it makes things like planning for a headstone for braden, planning for the remembrance jewelry for braden, and planning a vacation during braden's original due date a little more difficult.

needless to say, saturday was not fun. in addition to the annoyance of having to repair the car, both karen and i would actually have to be without the car for a good portion of the day while the brakes get fixed. so unfortunately, karen and i could not go anywhere. it's amazing how not having a car can limit things.

anyway, it was very frustrating day.