Day of disasters

So yesterday was a really bad day. The bad stuff started first thing in the morning. The recycle guys never come before 2:00pm so at 9:30am I'm just putting on my jacket to take it out to the street and see them driving by leaving me with a bin full of recycling. Then I'm getting ready to go get my driver's license changed over and I'm on the internet looking up the rules on the documents when I get attacked by the java byte trojan. My virus program duly informs me but I spazzed out and clicked on the wrong button and closed the screen so I had to run the whole system test to get the virus and by then it was embedded, and I had to go through a lot of steps to fix it.

So of course it's getting late by the time I get to the DMV but fortunately it's a local office and not crowded. I'm at the desk with the paperwork within 15 minutes and got to witness an Oriental girl get her learner's permit. She barely spoke English but her husband is fluent. Apparently she had failed the written test 5 times before this and she was just glowing with joy.

The DMV officer was really nice when she tells me that in the enormous folder of paper I have spread across her desk, I'm missing one key piece which I know is sitting on my desk at home. So I'm sitting there at like 3:30 on a really good hair day and I even put on lipstick thinking I would be having my picture taken. In fact on the way over I was thinking this would be the first time I ever had a shot at a good driver's license photo. Still all was not lost. I had time to run home and come back. But God apparently just doesn't want me to have a good photo on my license. As I'm driving out of the DMV, my brake suddenly went all the way to the floor and barely stopped the car. They pumped up but kept fading and I was glad they held the few miles back to my house.

But now what? I had to be at the family homestead later that day and I barely have a clue about cars. So I call the nearest place under car repair, it's within walking distance of my house and ask if they'll fix it. I figure I have enough brakes to get that far. The guy doesn't actually fix cars but he gives me a little phone consult and the name of the local mechanic. He thinks I could get there if I put some brake fluid in the car. So I duly get out my manual and figure out how to check the brake fluid and it's indeed low so I trudge over to the nearby convenience store and get some. Getting it to pour in without spilling took a couple of tries but I get it done and drive up and down the driveway pumping up the brakes as instructed. It's not working. Pumps up great and then goes to the floor again. I'm thinking it just needs more pumping up when I realize I'm backing into a cloud of brake fluid and upon inspection I discover the fluid is energetically dripping behind one of the tires. The good news is I've been needing to find a mechanic and I believe I inadvertently hooked up with the right local guy.

Of course when I arrived here last night with a still unused laptop, I couldn't hook into the house wifi without the WEP key that no one remembered. Fortunately, after my failed attempt to set up my own wifi at home, I at least knew what it was and today I got online without tech support and they towed my car to the garage without my having to be there. Hope this is the start of a better trend.