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Bruce the van is back home. Finally, and not without a great deal of travail and gnashing of teeth.
My friend Jennifer (who, as I mentioned last night, is a Hero of the Revolution) drove me three hours to Coalinga, with her two daughters. We arrived to find that the people at dealership in Coalinga and Enterprise Rent-A-Car had screwed up, resulting in us being overcharged by a hundred fifty dollars, and neither party was going to help us.
( Aaaaarrrggghh! )
Jen drove me out to Coalinga. She helped argue with the service department lady -- allowing me to be less confrontational than I would have otherwise been. (All my practice in patience dealing with my kids helped: several times I walked away to remind myself that I getting these people mad would solve nothing, and would make things worse.) She stayed there the entire time until it was resolved, and then drove back with me in case anything went wrong. A Hero, I tell ya.
Then there was the drive back....
Driving along CA-33, a two-lane road with no traffic, winding through golden hills and oil fields with the late afternoon sunshine slanting down and my music blaring, was wonderful. As was driving 152 from Los Banos over to 101 at sunset. Sheer magic.
You have to appreciate the good moments, even when everything else is terrible. Sometimes the good moments seem all that much better because of it.
My friend Jennifer (who, as I mentioned last night, is a Hero of the Revolution) drove me three hours to Coalinga, with her two daughters. We arrived to find that the people at dealership in Coalinga and Enterprise Rent-A-Car had screwed up, resulting in us being overcharged by a hundred fifty dollars, and neither party was going to help us.
( Aaaaarrrggghh! )
Jen drove me out to Coalinga. She helped argue with the service department lady -- allowing me to be less confrontational than I would have otherwise been. (All my practice in patience dealing with my kids helped: several times I walked away to remind myself that I getting these people mad would solve nothing, and would make things worse.) She stayed there the entire time until it was resolved, and then drove back with me in case anything went wrong. A Hero, I tell ya.
Then there was the drive back....
Driving along CA-33, a two-lane road with no traffic, winding through golden hills and oil fields with the late afternoon sunshine slanting down and my music blaring, was wonderful. As was driving 152 from Los Banos over to 101 at sunset. Sheer magic.
You have to appreciate the good moments, even when everything else is terrible. Sometimes the good moments seem all that much better because of it.