When your day turns out different than planned

Yesterday was supposed to be a "lost" day, but it turned out completely different from what I had planned. I had to get the car serviced and the tires changed. Yes, it's a bit late in the season for the tires, but with the weather, it wasn't a big deal. 

The appointment was scheduled in the fall when I had the last service. About a month ago, I received an email to confirm that appointment, but I happened to be away, so I ignored it. It was in the back of my mind to call them and confirm. It's so hard to get appointments with the dealer service department. 

Then, two weeks before the appointment, I got another email cancelling the original appointment. NO!!! So I called immediately, and they said they could give me another appointment that same day, but there was no guarantee when the car would be finished. OH -- they said that an appointment that came in at 10:15 AM would be completed before the end of the day, but it could take hours! 

Which is ridiculous. I said nothing because it was my fault that the appointment was canceled. 

I was dreading the day a bit because how long would it take? Should I book a ride home? Would I do the shopping that I had planned? So I decided to bite the bullet and take stuff to work on. I would do my shopping, as there are a lot of stores in that area that I like to visit, but it's too far to walk to. I prepped some computer work and threw it in the car, and I made a shopping list. 

When I dropped the car off at 10:15, imagine my surprise when the service guy asked if I was going to wait. When will it be done? In about 1½ hours. WHAT? You are kidding, right? No—he said they weren't busy at all and that the car that had come in at 10 AM went right into a service bay. 

OK -- well, I have some shopping to do, call me and we'll go from there. 

I grabbed my shopping bag and off I went. I walked all the way to the farthest store and bought a magazine. I know—I shouldn't have, but I like this one. Then I went to the camera shop for a new camcorder and a tripod. 

What the heck happened to the price of camcorders? They used to be a couple of hundred dollars, and now they are $1000. That was a bit too pricey for my budget, but I did buy a tripod. It was a bit more expensive than I wanted, but it does what I wanted, so I bought it. It was a tad bulky to carry, but that was OK. 

Camcorders are pricey!

Then, onto the next store, which also sold electronic equipment. Yep—camcorders were $1000 there as well. However, the helpful staff member located a lesser brand for $150. Let's hope it works OK. Why is there such a price difference? 

We then had a big discussion about fitness trackers. They didn't have what I wanted in stock, but the shop in the mall has one, so I'll be off to the mall later today. I'll be checking out this small store in the mall to see if it can substitute for the larger store that isn't within walking distance.

New fitness watch

I stopped at the thrift store in that area and was browsing when the dealer called to say the car was ready. Good grief -- I'm not done shopping! That took 1½ hours, just like he said. So instead of stopping at the last three places, I decided to zip back and get the car. That was the fastest service I've ever had, especially when they changed the tires and serviced the vehicle. But that's how long I would expect it, so why can't they push the cars through that fast, even when they are busy? 

By the way, I did not find anything interesting at that thrift store. It's the same chain as the one close to me, but I never find anything interesting! 

I'll go back and finish my shopping another day. Only one other thing on the list was urgent, but I don't need it until next week. So all is good! 

So all that prepping in the morning was not necessary, but when I got home, I took everything I had prepped, sat at the computer, and did the work at home! It was a good day!

I bought lunch and ate it outside, and the girls were hanging around, hoping I would drop a French fry or two. Sorry, girls! They are so not used to being left entirely on their own! 

Mom, we would like a French fry

I didn't stay outside long. What's with the weather? It's COLD. What is hardest is knowing what to wear. Can I wear shorts? Do I wear a down vest, or do I need a jacket? And if I dress up warm, then I'm sweating in no time. It's crazy!

I'm happy to report that Miss Lexi is getting really comfy in her new bed. It took a little time before she realized that the sofa was not coming back! Poor thing—she hates change!

MOM - I really like my bed now! 

And Murphy? I swear she has issues. She has zero problems unwrapping her toys and the ball from the many blankets in her dog bed. She flings them around the house with ease. But when she finally released the ball from hiding, she wouldn't bring it to me. I could hear her grumbling in the kitchen, and when I went to investigate, I found this. 

MOM - I can't get the ball - HELP!!!!!

Muprhy! That is NOT an obstacle. You can just come around the chair and get the ball. Sigh........

So while I accomplished things at the computer and finished my ebook, I didn't get any sewing done. Oh, and I have to say that I didn't get a cup of tea yesterday. My plan was to drop off the car and then walk to Tim's and have my tea while I read my ebook. With the change of plans, that didn't happen. So I took some time in the afternoon, curled up in the chair in the living room, and read. 

Now, back to the sewing. I did not want to fail on day two of completing a 60-minute or less project, so I got my butt downstairs and finished these mug rugs. YES—they just needed some top-stitching around the perimeter. Even with finding the thread and winding a bobbin, I bet it took less than five minutes. 

My completed mug rugs

And now there is something else tidied up! OK - this is too easy and I'm winning! 

I spotted this on social media last night. How true it is! 

While you can do this, you can't use the AutoSave function. That ONLY works if you save to OneDrive, which is why Microsoft did that! It's annoying as all get out, but if you happen to write from multiple locations, like I was going to do yesterday, it's handy. The AutoSave feature used to work if you saved documents to your computer, but it's been years since they moved that feature to documents ONLY saved on OneDrive. 

The other thing I do not like about OneDrive is that you can ONLY back it up to your hard disk on the computer. You cannot back it up to an external hard disk, which I would love to do, but it's not possible. GRRRRRRR! 

Sometimes, these companies just make our lives so much more difficult. Make the systems 100% flexible so we can work where we are and how we want. I'd still have OneDrive—I love it, but I'm not a fan of being forced to use some of its features in a certain way. 

I notice that I have to go in and clean up the files because they're clogging up my computer's memory and storage—something that wouldn't be a problem if they let me set it up MY WAY!

There is a Virtual Retreat this weekend, so watch for that. I don't have time to post the links today, but schedule it in for Saturday night from 6 PM and Sunday from noon. 

And on that note, I'm off to spin class. 

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!!