One Step Forward, Two Steps Back

So, yesterday was set to be Otis Appreciation Day. We had big plans, Otis and I. We were to get a driver's license, registration, oil change, brake light, new cd player, and find someone to help me put the bed cover back on. If he was good, I was going to surprise him with a bath!

This is what actually occurred:

After a little legal problem I had, I was under the impression that I needed to pay a fine to have my license reinstated. So, I head to the good ol' VFDub in the OKT. I waited in line, was told I could not be helped there, given a phone number. Called phone number, told I was clear (yea!) and needed to go talk to DPS. Back to DPS, waited in line, received number, tried to read, distracted by loud blonde girl behind me on phone with her BFF ("Oh my god! Her facebook status has been all about Matt for a week!"), finally my number is called. Yes!

Oh, but the waiting doesn't end there. You're only sent to another room to wait. I finally speak with a nice lady that informs me that there's nothing she can do to help me, because I don't actually need to do anything until my license expired in 2010. What a waste of two hours!

It's getting close to five, I either have time to go to the bank or haul ass down to Bear Creek to get registration. I opt for the bank and post office. As I'm leaving the post office, I hit a major traffic jam in Historic Downtown Katy. Seriously. I turn around in a bank parking lot, and a nice old man in a pick-up truck calls out to me (I can hear him because I haven't bought a cd player yet) that my left brake light is out.

I reach for the two shiney bulbs in their package on my dashboard and hold them out the window to him. "I'm working on it! Haha! Thank you!" Since I'm already in the OKT, I head over to the parentals to borrow a screwdriver to change my lightbulb. I've been promised it's easy.

Of course not. After fighting with the last screw for 10 minutes, I shuffle into the house. "Daddy?" He finally gets the screw off and the damn thing still won't work! We test the bulb in the working socket, it's not the bulb that's out. BOO!

So, I head over to O-O-O-O'Reily's Auto Parts! I've stumped them. If it were the switch, both brake lights would be out. If it were a fuse, all the lights would be out. Must be wiring. Go to a mechanic. Oy.

So, on to the oil change. I'm starting to feel a little down. I've accomplished nothing. I have a gift card to Wal-Mart, so I turn Otis in their direction for an oiling. I arrive at 5:40, they don't close until 7pm. Fantastic! I turn my baby over to an old man who in turn hands me a 'pager'. "It'll light up and buzz like when you're waiting at the fancy rest-a-ronts. It's got a clip on there for your pants. Careful, though, there. It moves around alot." I fight the urge to shove it down the front of my pants for a cheap laugh and place it in my purse.

I've had just about enough roaming when the damn pager goes off and scares the piss out of me. I head back to Lube & Tire where I'm informed that there's a problem with my hood. They broke it! After the oil change service, the hood stuck about an inch or so up. They couldn't get it to completely close or reopen. I try. They're not doing it wrong (it's an older model, sometimes people have trouble), it's just stuck. The next 45 minutes I watch in frustration and horror as they bang, jump, and stick random tools in my truck.

They try to blame this on me. "If you don't open the hood often, it'll stuck." I don't think so, buddy. I've opened that hood numerous times in the past few weeks to change headlights, tires, and check the oil. And you just opened it to change the oil. F..ker.

The manager finally arrives just as they dismantle the damn latch. I tell him I'd like the service order to reflect that the hood was operational upon arrival, and was not upon depature. He agrees and says if I have any problems they will pay for a mechanic to fix it.

This is not what the service order says. It says, "Hood broken on arrival." LIES! After six revisions, I am finally handed a service order that I am happy with. Then pay full price for an oil change that took 2 hours with no vehicles in front of mine. I even had to clean their dirty oil hand prints off of my hood myself. Lame.

At this point, it's too late to call around to find someone to help me with the bed cover. I admit defeat and head to Mills in search of black dress pants. Steve & Barrys is going out of business again, and I found a pair that didn't make my huge ass look so huge for only $4.83!

So, Otis Appreciation Day was a complete disaster. It turned out to be Otis Abuse Day. So, I'm trying again. After a quick proof read, I'll chug the last of my coffee (and fight the urge to right a cheesy poem about it), jump in the shower and go to Bear Creek to register Otis and my dad's Explorer. Then a new CD player for our journey to Denver tomorrow. (I dropped the faceplate in a cup of coffee a while back.) Wish Otis and I luck!