Tuesday misc three… and final

OK, not so misc. since I have something specific to write.

The alternator is indeed bad – free check, and it’s only putting out 11 volts.  At idle – less at road speeds.

Toast, fer sure.

Well, it is 17 years old – the van’s VIN plate says it was built in late 1989 as a 1990 model.  It’s yet another part that’s past it’s lifetime.

I wrote that I had priced the alternator and found it to be surprisingly expensive.  It is still raining,  I would have to be in the rain to change it out.

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Fuck that noise.

I am having the shop replace it.

$348.00

(imagine a sense of shock and awe)

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I would say the hell with it, but I cannot; I need it to get to my bus driving job.  No way am I gonna taxi it to work, then wait in the rain for Tri-met’s bus (once an hour) to get home.

No fucking way.

I bit my toungue and did not say what I was thinking, instead, making a joke that brought a smile to the mechanic’s face.  Heh.  Better than pissing him off, eh?

He’s giving me a 10% discount because I am a former customer of one of the mechanics, who I wrote about previously.

 

 

I dropped off the van and walked across the street to the store to pick up my check.  The boss was there.  We had a long and frank talk about the papers.  He is ok with me bagging the dailies – ok, but knows he will have to work himself (thus confirming my suspicion that he has not found – or tried to find – a replacement for me) 

I gave him a month’s notice.  I have played more than fair.  It is not my problem that he hasn’t found a replacement.

I made a point of telling him that the bus barn has more hours of driving to give me.

The point being, I will not be available AT ALL to pick up slack.  I will only be able to do the Sunday first and final edition on the weekends.

I was nice about it.  I am most always "nice".

You’d probably like me in person too – most people do.

Even Blacky Cat, who sees me "backstage" when I ain’t so nice, likes me.

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Heh.  Mr. Nice Guy.

You don’t spell that L o s e r, but it seems that might well be close enough…

But, I gotta live with myself, so I am as "nice" as I wanna be.

That too could be worse.

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$348 later, maybe that "check engine" light will go out.

I live in Hope.

(although that’s spelled P o r t l a n d)

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4000 page views since 10/29/06 when I began using the site meter.  Maybe it’s not so much "Mr. Nice Guy" as it is Mr. popular.

Heh.  So why am I alone?