5/26/2013

weekly update 5/26/2013

This week, I received photos of Sarah & Emily. Sarah is a pitcher on the JV girls softball team at her high school. Emily is a gymnast who has recently won 2nd place in a state wide competition. They are both beautiful.

This was a week of auto mayhem. It began when I couldn't get the back window to fully close. This has happened before, so I dragged out my repair receipts to see if it might be covered under warranty (what are the chances?), but last time, it was the passenger side window; this was the drivers side. In order to avoid taking it back to the dealer and waiting a long time out there, I tried to get it fixed at the Goodyear service station on the corner. As I was doing that, I realized that the car wasn't locked, and the more I tried to lock it, the more I understood that it wasn't going to happen. So, that needed to be addressed, too. The mechanics at Goodyear couldn't do it, and said I'd need to take it to the dealer. Crap. At least they didn't charge me anything. They shouldn't - I must be one of the most loyal customers they have and I believe I’m putting the manager's children through college with the repairs, oil changes and general maintenance they've done for me. So I made an appointment to take the VW to Vaden on Tuesday afternoon. They kept me waiting for 2 hours, then told me that it would take 6 hours and almost $1,000 to fix. Whoopee! Since I had not packed a toothbrush for an overnight stay, they shuttled me back to the condo, and came back to pick me up Wednesday when the repairs were done. The man at the desk “found” a coupon to give me 10% off the work, and that helped. But it was still a big chunk. I hope this is it for a while. I fear that when it begins to cost me more in monthly repairs than a car payment, I'm going to have to do something with the old girl. I don't want to. I want the VW to be the last car I own. 

 

I had plans to go to the Sandgnats (extremely) minor league baseball game with Lisa & Dave on Monday night. I try to get to one game each season, so this was the night I’d planned to get there. The more I thought about it, the less I wanted to leave the car in a parking lot at Daffin Park with the doors unlocked and the window down, and it also looked as if it was going to rain. I told them I couldn't make it. But, then, I thought some more and why not? So I took a chance, downloaded a coupon for the price of admission, bought myself a Bud Lite, and settled in. Lisa & Dave decided that since I wasn't going to go, they wouldn't have a good time (what???) and they passed on going. I found another friend there, Susan Gentry, and I sat with her and some of her friends. The 'Gnats won, but it was a poor game, lots of errors.

 

On Friday, before I started my afternoon at DH, I walked to the Savannah Box Office, which is very close to DH, to get a ticket for the evening's performance on Urinetown. It was being performed by SCAD's School of Entertainment & Arts at the Lucas Theatre. The theater is also close to DH, but I went back to the condo to get something to eat before going back for the 8 pm curtain. The musical was well done and I enjoyed it very much.

Saturday I drove out to Wormsloe Plantation for the War of Jenkins Ear festival. I guess festival isn't exactly the right word I want, but they were having a series of demonstrations & talks about colonial life to celebrate the holiday weekend, so I went. Imagine my surprise when who was there but none other than the founder of the royal colony of Georgia, James Oglethorpe himself! I've heard so much about him since I've lived here; I've seen his statue in Chippewa Square many times, and walked past his bench on Bay street often, but I'd never met the man in person. What a wonderful man! And to listen to his stories of the founding of the colony was truly amazing. There was also a musket firing show, and the same park ranger who gave Marcia, Andy & me a guided tour less than two weeks ago was dressed in colonial garb to tell the same stories that he had told us.

I had to bite the bullet this week and I turned on the a/c. I had hoped to be able to put that off until June, but I was getting too uncomfortable in the evening and when I tried to go to sleep at night. So, I hope to have an even temperature in the condo for the summer in spite of what it's doing outside. I've also worked on trying to get my Medicare straightened out. Nothing with the government is ever easy, but I keep plugging away. I hope to get it taken care of soon, as I'm technically over the age limit now, and have three months to get the elder-specific insurance.

 

Sunday was the normal - open Bonaventure and then return to answer questions and give directions in the afternoon. And, then close up again. Sunday at closing is when I’m supposed to count the money in the donation box and total it up for deposit by the treasurer of the historical society. But, this Sunday was so busy, I didn't get to lock up until almost 4:30, and the City locks the front gates at 5. I certainly have no intention of being locked in a cemetery, no matter how lovely, overnight, so I simply locked everything away and left it. I plan to go back tomorrow, perhaps to open up the visitor center for a few hours - after all, it is a holiday, and there may be people wanting to visit on a day off - and I'll finish up with the money then.