I love the week-end. I took some stuff to the dump that I needed to get rid of. I have weekly pickup of garbage and recycleables but I had so much that I made a dump run. I got rid of some shredded personal papers and also the very first thing I bought when I moved out on my own. It was my very first tv. I bought it in 1986 so it lasted for a while. There was a black line that started at the top and went from side to side. As time went on the line grew wider. I figured there was no sense in getting it fixed. It was a twenty inch so it wasn't huge. It has already been replaced so it was just sitting on the floor in the basement.

I am looking forward to the great weather that is coming. There is suppose to be some rain but the temperature is going to go up and up. Yee Haw. It makes me want to start spring cleaning. I have to make a list of what to do on what days. I find that if I do not have a plan, nothing gets done. I always start one thing and move onto something else while the first thing never gets completed. It is a nasty habit that I am trying to break.

I am thinking of giving my two cats a bath. Yes that will be fun. I am so glad that they are both declawed. I change into some old clothes, put some water in the tub, have everything that I need within easy reach and then go get the girls. I lock the three of us in the bathroom and neither woman or beast gets out until they are bathed. It is not so bad as long as it is quick. For the most part they put up with it and accept it.

Well that is it for today.

Have a GREAT Saturday.

Well I got the tracker back. It cost GM $994.00. I am so glad that I did not have to pay that. It is so nice to have my own vehicle to drive.

Okay I took my car in to the dealer on Tuesday night. The next day I talked to the dealer to see what was going on. First I had to leave a voice message, no problem. Tim called me back and said that they had no idea of what was in the letter that was sent to me because they did not have any thing on file and could not find anything. He asked me to fax the letter to him, then they would look at the letter, look at the car and then get back to me. Well a few hours later they called and said that they found the information from GM and have ordered the parts for my car and it woudl be ready the next day. I asked if what the letter described was the reason the car was acting up and he said yes. I asked if Gm was covering it and he said yes. Needless to say I was very happy, that did not last long. I asked for an oil change because I was past due and he said that if I got a maintence instpection done at the same time I would save $15.00. I asked how much he said $89.00. I thought it was a good idea that way I can find out if there is anything else that may go wrong. Well the next day I get the call. He asked if I wanted the good news, the good news or the bad news. I said hit me with the good news first. First my car is mechanically sound the back brakes are in the yellow so in the future I would have to get them changed but not for a while. Second good news they talked to GM on my behalf to get some bushings covered on the fornt end. It wasn't part of the "special coverage" (GM will not call it a recall) but Gm said to cover them (132.00 each). The bad news the part comes from Montreal. They were hoping that the part would come in on Monday. I asked about a courtesy car but they said no. Damn. I sent an email to the head office and a really nice lady called me. She apologized for the problems with my car but she could not provide me with a car either. But she said she would contact the dealer to make sure I was satisfied. Today, Monday, I get the call that the part did not come in and they were hoping for tomarrow. I asked if they could pick me up at work if it was ready. He said that it would not be a problem.

I guess I will have to see what tomarrow brings. Cross your fingers for me

Well not long after my last post we had a bad snowstorm with over 15 inches of snow. My poor snowblower had a work out. It got to the point I could no longer see over the snowbanks and trying to blow the snow to the top of the banks was a losing battle. I did get the driveway cleaned and that was that.

Now on Tuesday I was driving home from work and my steering felt loose. I thought that I was low on air. I checked the pressure and the one tire needed some air. Problem solved I thought, boy was I soooo wrong. I pulled out of the gas station and when I stopped at the light my steering wheel turned to the left on its own. I thought, what the f**k? I started to travel down the road and the whole front end started to shake like it was possessed. I put the 4 ways on and pulled over. I do not have a cell phone so I decided to try and get home. Well I started out good until I hit a bump. Then the shaking started again. I pulled over and tried to fiqure out what to do. I started off again and made it to a pay phone. I called home and said I was taking it to the garage I go to but I needed a ride home from the garage. Then I changed my mind and decided to come home. When I got home the stupid hydro started to go all wonky. It would go out, come on, go out again for at least an hour.

As I was talking on the phone getting a ride arranged to work the next day I remembered that I had a letter from General Motors about work that needed to be checked for the Tracker. I found the letter and guess what everything that the letter said the car would do it was doing. There was a problem with the 1999-2000 trackers that they were fixing at their cost. A front suspension crossmember did not receive adequate corrosion protection. In short the rust causes some brackets to rust away and the steering is affected. More in part two of the story of me, the tracker, the dealer and gm head office.

Well today has not been a great day. The snow started last night and hasn't let up yet. Later the wind is suppose to pick up and cause whiteout conditions. I went to Home Depot last night to pick up some stuff for painting today. So far I have washed the trim and walls now I just have to rinse them and prime the surface. I got this really good primer that is suppose to adhere to varnish without sanding. At least that saves some time so I can maybe get all the door frames and woodwork primed this week-end. I also bought some new ceiling fixtures that I am going to try and install on Sunday. The idiot that lived here before put a ceiling fan in the foyer. The ceiling is about 9 feet high and he did not put in a switch for the fan part of the light. The fan works but you need a ladder to reach the pull cords to turn on the fan. I am thinking that he screwed up with the wires because the light bulbs keep blowing. He must have hooked it up wrong. I know for the one my mother has there were a lot of wires that had to be hooked up properly.

I am trying to get things done around here and then the house will probably be going on the market. I have lived here for six years and this was always gong to be a way to get a foot in the door with home ownership. I want to get a detached home, away from the city. I am not sure where exactly but some place quieter and more space would be great.