Curse

I pwnd U · Jan 18, 2016, 06:54 PM // 18:54

Shocking slippers are not the kind of slippers I want... That is for sure... Mine have rubber soles on the bottom and don't seem to build up static electricity inside of them. So that is good.

Naps are always wonderful. Day off today so I'm recuperating from the first 2 weeks. Have to go pick up my sister from the airport in a couple of hours. First time driving solo to O'Hare... Not looking forward to it.

**cosyfiep** · Jan 20, 2016, 06:20 AM // 06:20

ah...the memories...ohare on a holiday.....well, this one shouldnt have been too bad since it really isnt a holiday (only for gov't and banks ...and public schools)., but as long as you read the signs (and dont park for too long) you should be ok (the chicago pd are very strict about that!)....just have to watch for the crazed chicago drivers and cabys.

getting warmer, in the positive numbers today....nice change of pace.

I pwnd U · Jan 21, 2016, 12:04 AM // 00:04

It really wasn't too bad. She had already landed and gotten through customs so it was a matter of me stopping and putting her and the bags in the car and going. So PD stayed out of it. And not to many cabbies out there at that point either.

Was warmer today, but we also got a dusting of snow. So crazy drivers were out in full force.

**cosyfiep** · Jan 21, 2016, 12:29 AM // 00:29

yep saw the snow, drove in it as well....
glad your trip was uneventful--glad you didnt have any 'ins' with the locals

still have my cold, just doesnt want to go away

I pwnd U · Jan 23, 2016, 03:26 PM // 15:26

Yup, still cold here.

Been a very crazy past couple days... Car that my wife drives didn't start again on Thursday. So I had to drive down to her work after being home for 10 minutes (which I was on the phone with my bank for a different reason during that time) to try to help her start it. I self diagnosed it as the brake switch being bad, since we have a push start we have to depress the brake. It wasn't recognizing that the brake was pressed so the car wouldn't start, but we could get power to the dash and everything, just no starting it. So I called a Nissan place, they said it could also be the Electronic Steering Column Lock (ESCL). That is pricey, like $1000 pricey. And your car is a brick if it is that. Gave me the number of a tow truck company and then told me to let them know if I was bringing it in. I didn't agree with them since I seemed to remember that with the ESCL no lights would come on. So I called a different Nissan place to see if they had the brake switch in stock. The guy agreed with me and said it was probably the brake switch and transferred me to the parts department. While the parts guy is looking for the part I was able to mash the brake so that it "unstuck" the switch. Got the car started and drove it to the Nissan place next to my apartment. Small victories.

Fast forward to yesterday. Get a call from Nissan, the brake switch is going bad (duh, knew that!) but apparently the ESCL is ALSO going bad... That bricks the car and makes it so we would have to tow it ($$). On top of that the serpentine belt was pretty dried and cracked (I also knew that, but had forgotten about it... Oops). All together we are looking at $1400 in repairs. I am not in 100% agreement with the guy that the ESCL is going bad, but I know my wife would feel better (since she drives this car) knowing that it was replaced so that we don't have any problems with it, and if we do it would be under a warranty. Both the brake switch and ESCL problems are EXTREMELY common. So common that everyone thinks there should have been a recall on the parts, but since they don't deal with a moving car, Nissan was never forced to recall it by the NHTSA...

But that wasn't all. Nope, more bad news. Apparently the transmission was also making a noise. This was also apparently very common for these cars to do. New transmission, having done the one in my wife's car last year, I knew would easily run around $3000. But, I was given some good news. It is very possible that the problem was covered by a warranty! If so, they would be able to replace it for free and they keep those transmission in stock because of how common it is. Again, recall? If it is that common a recall should be done, but alas none has been. So I get that news about mid-day, the guy says he will call me back once he knows more about the trans. So I wait. And wait. In the mean time I get home from work and help my wife prepare stuff to go to our brother-in-laws birthday party that night. Of course as we get in the car to leave the guy calls back. Now I've been stressing over the transmission all afternoon. Not as bad as I did over the Civic's mainly because the place I got the Altima from gave me a 2 year powertrain warranty. So it covers the trans. The problem would be finding time to drive back to where I bought it from and staying down there until the car was finished. So I figured if the warranty wouldn't cover it, I had a back up plan to keep me from paying out the nose. So the guy calls and tells me that yes, the transmission is making a noise it isn't supposed to be. It is $4000 to replace it. And that is where I finally get a win. The guy tells me he had called Nissan and that Nissan told him it was covered under warranty and to go ahead and do the swap. So we don't have to pay anything for the transmission repair.

It sucks being down a car, especially since this is a fairly new car, and new to us as well. I'm not happy about having to pay $1400 for all the repairs, but they are necessary to keep the car running. But, since all of this happened now, they caught the transmission issue while it was still under warranty. That means they are taking care of a MUCH LARGER issue that would have been 10x worse than the other ones. Having to pay $4000 for a transmission is WAY worse than paying the $1400 for the brake switch, ESCL, and serpentine belt with a under warranty transmission replacement. So I can't complain too much. And my wife will feel more comfortable driving the car again knowing that all this work has been done.

So we are borrowing her moms car through Monday, when our car should be done. It has lead to me having very little time to relax over the past 2 days, which is why I disappeared. I'll be glad when we have it back and once I drive it again to see that all the fixes worked as planned.

On a positive note, my cold has majorly subsided, so I'm not dealing with that near as much any more. So yay?

**cosyfiep** · Jan 23, 2016, 04:19 PM // 16:19

pwnd, wow.....on 2 counts.
first...that is the longest post I think you have ever written! (see what happens when you get older and married???)
and second, I thought my car luck was bad, but I think you win this time! Though I would definitely be rethinking that car purchase (and would not buy another one of those in the future).
Glad you cold is doing better, mine seems to have moved to my stomach--no appetite and a bit of nausea all the time

still playing catch up here with stuff...got most of my xmas decorations down, but still have the tree up (it hangs on the wall, so it is out of the way, but still, its time to be put away), hope to get the rest done this weekend.
And now its tax time---getting all the parts in the mail, going to the bank to make those ira deposits and such...seems there is always something-----

I pwnd U · Jan 23, 2016, 09:59 PM // 21:59

Ya that was a pretty darn long post. But it needed to be long to explain everything.

I actually haven't been rethinking that purchase. The car has been solid up until this point, with only regular maintenance things to take care of. It just so happened that lots of things went bad at once. So still been a good car, but i probably will avoid push to start cars in the future.

We finally got all of our Xmas decorations down today. My wife and I probably won't do taxes until March, because she likes to wait.

**cosyfiep** · Jan 24, 2016, 07:11 AM // 07:11

yep yep...and that was what I used to say too when people pointed out my posts were sooo long (yes, that would include you back then

)....as you get more responsibilities (wife, car, house, ....kids), things get more.....complicated and posts will get longer (for the explanations)....its just the way it works.

I like to get my taxes out of the way as fast as possible (and get my money back from the ......er, ....uhm....ah...nah....sigh....government)..... though I guess you get an extra day or so this year to file (some crazy holiday or some such thing)....I plan to have my money already back in my safe hands before then

got the tree and decorations down...still have a few more to put away.

I pwnd U · Jan 24, 2016, 03:26 PM // 15:26

Amazing how those things change as we get older. My wife and I were just talking about how it was so much easier to be a kid lol. Didn't have to worry about all this other stuff!

I like getting mine done ASAP as well. But my wife likes to put them off for a while... I also realized yesterday I have to wait for the W-2 from my old job to show up as well since I worked for them the first part of the year last year. But hey, I was never out of work, so I can't complain! We are going to stuff our tax return into our housing savings, so hopefully it is a fair amount.

I noticed yesterday we still had some things up. Those apparently, according to my wife, are winter decorations. So they get to stay. Who knew?

**cosyfiep** · Jan 24, 2016, 05:10 PM // 17:10

lol, yes I have "winter" decorations as well (snowmen and such) that stay up until valentines day when the valentines decorations should be up (though the snowmen usually stay out until just before easter around here

)

your tax forms should get to you by the end of the month (according to the feds they are supposed to be stamped by the 31st of january)....our refund goes to paying more taxes

I pwnd U · Jan 25, 2016, 12:32 AM // 00:32

We will always have some sort of decoration up. She likes those things.

Ya I'm just not sure how I'm getting it. I'm assuming they will send it to me and I believe they do have my new address. I am pretty sure I gave it to them. I do know they have my new work email, so there is that.

**cosyfiep** · Jan 26, 2016, 12:00 PM // 12:00

yes, they will send it to you (I am sure they got your mailing address when you left as they are required by law to send you your w2 when it comes out).

snow melting here...upper 30's yesterday, was nice for January.
I like decorations too (must be a girl thing

)...I have a set of stuffies that I change out for the holidays---they sit by our tv, though at halloween and xmas since I have tons for those holidays, they take over the condo (easter is almost as bad with all the bunnies), and some of my decorations just never seem to come down (one of my stuffed toys has a garland--she has had it for 2 years now and will not give it up, so it stays out).

Cant believe January is almost over...

time is sure flying by again.

I pwnd U · Jan 29, 2016, 02:06 AM // 02:06

I just got it the other day. So we should be good to go. Just a matter of getting the wife to set down and do it.

Snow was melting here as well. Supposed to be in the 40's this weekend! Woo! But then cold again with possible snow... Oh well...

This month has flown by. And I'm not complaining about that! lol

**cosyfiep** · Feb 01, 2016, 06:51 PM // 18:51

...and its a new month now. My cold is finally on the way out, was a beautiful weekend (ok, it rained and was cloudy, but heck it was in the 40's

!!).
Hope you are feeling better, pwnd and the car issues have been 'worked out'. All the xmas decorations are down, all the calendars for 2016 are up ...got a lot done this last weekend.

super bowl is next weekend, and the chinese new year the next day--year of the monkey!

I pwnd U · Feb 03, 2016, 10:40 PM // 22:40

Indeed, a new month. January flew by. Which is nice. We got some warm weather the past couple days. All the snow missed us, which is good, though a snow day would have been nice. But oh well.

I'm feeling better and car issues seem to be sorted for now. *knock on wood*...

Super Bowl should be interesting. Hoping the Broncos win.

**cosyfiep** · Feb 07, 2016, 07:30 PM // 19:30

was a very cloudy day for groundhogs day (my plush ones refused to even come out)...so the ground hog did NOT see his shadow --which is supposed to mean spring is coming!
---and after this weekend, I could believe it (if it were not for the weather forecast for the upcoming week

)

not planning on watching the game--not a fan of most sports and hubby is going to friends so perhaps...a dvd...of...penguins of madagascar or harry potter!
(as well as laundry and some cleaning)

I pwnd U · Feb 08, 2016, 10:44 PM // 22:44

Definitely the most scientific way to determine if spring will be early or not. Does a groundhog see his shadow or not?! Oh well. Got to enjoy it.

Game was surprisingly good. Can't complain and Broncos got the W. So all good there.

**cosyfiep** · Feb 09, 2016, 11:05 PM // 23:05

and he is only correct about 40% of the time too

(not that the weather forecasters are as accurate 6 weeks out either----)

got some laundry done as well as some cleaning, so was a pretty good day....and now its the new year---year of the monkey!

I pwnd U · Feb 11, 2016, 02:17 AM // 02:17

The groundhog in Central IL is actually correct more often than Phil is. Just saying.

Monkey year? That explains a lot of my students...

**cosyfiep** · Feb 11, 2016, 06:23 AM // 06:23

lol, I think you could flip a coin as be as accurate!

monkey year is not supposed to be a good year for those who are monkeys, but good for just about everyone else (I am hoping for a good year, would be a nice change of pace).

COLD here...glad my car started this morning, not looking forward to even colder temps for the rest of the week (and weekend)...spring can not come soon enough---please let Mr Groundhog be correct this time!