KNOWING your mechanic

Killian's best friend's dad is a mechanic by training and trade. He's only 34, but his body is just wrecked from all those years of working on cars, so he made a career switch. Unfortunately, he was laid off and had to go back to mechanic work...which he really seems to enjoy, but it's painful for him physically.

So...our power steering has been leaking for ages. We knew that eventually it would need to be fixed, but were just making do with checking it every other day and refilling. Well, the whole thing just "blew" on Sunday. We called Erick, who was already willing to fix it for us and he just was able to come out today.

He not only fixed the problem we knew about, but one we didn't. Notified me of a problem with our new tire so that we didn't get screwed out of our warranty, told me which shop in town is actually honest (ONLY ONE!!!) and told me things to watch out for when I go to get the car serviced and things to look for and ask when buying a new car. He's a GREAT guy. It feels AWESOME to KNOW that my vehicle has been fixed properly, I wasn't screwed and I have a wonderful resource for any questions that might come up in the future, even if Erick doesn't want to work on cars once he find another non-mechanic job.

It's depressing to know that the entire car repair industry is frought with crooks and is set up to encourage short-cutting in favor of honest, complete repairs. I had no idea that many/most after-market parts are crap. Erick won't even use a lot of them because they're of such poor quality. Erick told me that a big part of why he gave up his chosen career was that he had such a difficult time finding an employer that wasn't screwing either him or his customers. That's BAD.

So, I guess I'm saying that, if you have a kid who is mechanically inclined and you've raised him or her right, car repair wouldn't be a bad idea. There is a huge shortage of truly good mechanics out there!!

Reunions...

I got my first piece of 20 year reunion info yesterday. I haven't been interested in attending any of my other reunions, but I actually went upstairs to tell Christopher that I'd really like to go. His response was funny, in a peculiar way, not so much ha-ha funny. He said, "Really? You knew that many people?"

I forget that even though we grew up in the same town, we went to different high schools and his experience was so much different than mine. I knew TONS of people. I wasn't a "popular kid" but I was one of those people who had friends from almost every "group." I would love to go see how everyone turned out- LOL! I know Wendy wouldn't DREAM of going, but I could visit her while I was there and all the other friends and loved ones that have been "left behind."

I'm surprised that I really do want to go. I didn't think I would.

So...I come out of my bedroom last night and....

who is sitting in my school/computer/play room?? MY DAD! WTF!? He forgot my birthday and Killian's. He emailed me a week later apologizing for forgetting and saying he'd recognize Killian's in some way (oh, gee, thanks!). So, two weeks after the fact he shows up unannounced at my house while my in-laws are here.

Now, even though I have no intention of maintaining a father-daughter relationship with him, I would probably have let him in if I'd answered the door. I don't want to cause scene in front of the in-laws nor the children, but it would have been nice if my husband had warned me that my dad was here!

I love my dad. I really do. I hate his behavior. I was forced to deal with it most of my life and hide it and defend it and placate him. I WILL NOT continue to do that. I just have to figure out the most loving, but still honest, way to handle this stuff. I'd love to be able to sit down and talk to him and come to some resolution. Unfortunately, that's just not possible. I don't trust him with my kids...especially my girls (absolutely NOTHING sexual implied here) because he has such a volatile temper and seems much more likely to lash out at girls than boys...at least that's been my experience.

I was verbally and emotionally abused by my grandfather (dad's dad) and I refuse to subject my kids to that. I must be there...or Chris must be there...at all times. That makes for some very awkward gatherings. This sucks.

Plugging right along...

So, the in law visit is going well. It usually does. It's just the build up to them getting here that has me stressing out every.single.time. Thing is-- I'm EXHAUSTED. I have no clue why, but I could seriously sleep for an entire day if anyone would let me.

Sundays have turned into crazy days for me. I usually have kid laundry to do and planners to prepare (a 2 hour job...minimum) and Mass and dinner and I try to make sure I do something fun with the kids on Sundays, too. Sundays are supposed to be about rest, but somehow I'm just not feeling it.

Chris officially starts at Medtronic tomorrow. Whew! I think we'll make it through the next 8 hours without major injury or illness. We have weathered the 6 day lapse in insurance. What I want to know is where is Chris' final check? I mean, they screw us over by dropping us as of the 30th and no pay for those few days or all the vacation pay we're owed. Nice! Jerks!

Back to the school grind tomorrow. I think the homeschooling is what is wearing me out. I just feel like I'm running ALL the time, not in the same way as before with all the driving, but just as "bad." Someone needs me every second of the day. It's like having 4 newborns in some ways- LOL! Melanee & Chris plus 4 :-p.