Hey There!
It's 8:43 AM EDT, 72°F, Humidity 94%, Wind 3 mph NW, overcast. AQI 60
Looks and feels like it's going to start pouring rain any minute now. I think a huge collection of storms just passed to the south.
Yesterday was a much more involved day than I had realized was coming. I was hoping for a calm first day off, but no such luck. I went through my morning routine, treating myself to two muffins. I took a long time sipping coffee, and didn't get to breakfast until 10:45 AM. The one thing I did do was bring the Kia in to the mechanic for a final inspection and oil change, and to check the air conditioning system.
I also got an email from the project lead director saying that the space we had been thinking of using for a possible Big City presentation had come down in price. While he did not say anything more, I felt that just giving us that information was trying to re-open the door a crack to re-consider our decision not to go. So I replied by firmly closing the door on my end, mentioning that I had already moved forward with plans to assist Son2 with his side hustle in the fall, and was thus unavailable. I'm pretty sure that will do the trick.
After dealing with a few other small matters (like who is doing my next colonoscopy), I decided to treat myself to a BBQ hot dog from my local burger shack. While I was waiting, I got a call from the mechanic letting me know that my AC system was basically shot, and would cost $2200 to repair. I was stunned. Once the hot dog came, I called DW to break the news to her. This is the car we were going to give Son1 and then take his current car and sell it for $4K to someone else. I had already put maybe $4K into the Kia. This was exceedingly depressing.
So I finished the hot dog and DW and I thought things through. Son1 is not someone with a very good salary. He does OK, but he's not a professional of any sort. He works as an aide for one highly autistic adult who lives with his parents. And he is also married to a very psychologically fragile woman who had a very difficult time dealing with the world's realities. Working a job seems to cause too much stress for her. The Matrix he has is working OK, but that was the car I was planning to sell. I can't give him the Kia now because I don't trust it won't cost more financial concerns for both of us. DW and I thought about buying him a more modern used car, and we looked at the website of the guy we generally buy a car from, but that's still an outlay of money.
In the end, after talking it over with Son1, we decided to leave the status quo as it is. I am going to take the Kia back and try to sell it for whatever I can get for it in its current condition. My potential buyer will just have to find something else. So now I am in the position of having to sell a vehicle without AC. What a drag. And watching all that money just get flushed away is depressing.
I grilled a couple of hamburgers for dinner, and then settled in for the evening's ball game. It had a bit of a late start, but the team managed to pull through a good win. I didn't watch the complete game, since it nudged up against bedtime. I cleaned up the kitchen and headed for bed at 11:07 PM. A lot to absorb on a day I thought was going to be laid back.
'Til We Meet Again!