There is so much good in this world!

Since I'm trying to get my life under control (LOL), and I didn't feel comfortable with that lottery business, I decided to contact the OLG (Ontario Lottery and Gaming). I got to the website and discovered I could talk to an agent on the computer. So we went back and forth, and she asked questions -- what time was I there, where did I buy the ticket, what date was the draw, etc. Never once did she say that this could never happen. She was very professional about the entire thing. 

I got a Reference Number, and she asked me to call customer service if they had more questions. I didn't have time, and in the afternoon, I received a phone call from the OLG. WOW --- they have an amazing amount of data on lottery tickets and what transpires with EACH ticket, and they were FAST to get back to me. 

This is what happened. When I was at the counter, there was another woman in front of me, scanning tickets and dealing with the agent simultaneously. When I checked my ticket, the machine had not finished with her tickets, or there was a slight delay. So, in fact, my ticket was NEVER scanned by me. Apparently, they can tell that in the system. They know EXACTLY when each ticket (lottery or scratch) is bought, when it is scanned, and where, and well, they know everything. 

So my ticket, which was for the October 11, 2022 draw and bought in Huntsville, was scanned ONCE, and that was by the retailer, and in fact, it only won a Free Play! The $10 winnings I saw belonged to the woman in front of me. It was a bit weird and one of those moments when I wasn't paying 100% attention to what I was doing. 

Huge apologies to the lotto kiosk for thinking they were trying to scam me, but it just didn't feel right, and I'm glad I followed up. I also learned that if something doesn't feel right AT THAT MOMENT, I need to question it IMMEDIATELY. Keep that OUTSIDE voice handy when you need it. 

That was a feel-good story and well, let's see if I win anything with that free play! I'll share the story of the scratch ticket tomorrow. 

I've got an even better story to share with you today. Yep --- I'm a storyteller! OH, by the way, I love that container for my Happiness journal. Why? It's large enough to hold the book and the pens. The pens settle down at the bottom, and I grab one. It's totally random, and I LOVE that. Who will care if I get the same pen two days in a row? 

OK -- so I'm the kind of person who is always behind. In this instance, it was getting my snow tires on the car. OH, excuse me --- the WINTER tires, not the snow tires. I struggled with getting them changed at the dealer as it always took hours to make it happen. They would say 2 hours, and it would end up being 3. It drove me nuts, so I switched to an independent garage. My tires are on rims, in case you are wondering. 

I could walk to and from that garage, so it worked fine. Then they moved, and while I could walk to and from, it was a hike of 5 KM one way. I did walk there and back one year on the same day. Last year, I will confess that I never got the tires changed on the car, and they were still sitting at this independent garage. 

We have a MIDAS not far from the house, and they will swap tires, so my plan was to have them do it. I had picked up the tires from the independent garage, which were in the back of the car. I had not made an appointment yet, but I was going to SOON. 

When I bought my car in 2019, I purchased a service package that was good for three years. The package expires at the end of this month, so I needed to get my car in for that last service. That was happening yesterday, and before I went, I stopped at Tim's (right beside the MIDAS), and I noticed that the shop was NOT busy. 

On my way to Toyota, I called MIDAS (do you see where this is going?) to book an appointment. Yes -- I could come right away, but I ended up booking for 1 PM. 

When I got to Toyota, they noticed the tires and said -- we'll put those on for you. I immediately said NO, YOU ARE NOT. Well, the guy said -- we have to do a tire rotation for you, and we could put the winter tires on as part of the rotation. OH CRAP!!! I caved. I had to call and cancel my other appointment. 

A few minutes before, a man walked through the service bay and came to look at my car. Now here's the thing about my car. It's a STANDARD, and I swear that every time I go to the dealer, it becomes a beacon because they are RARE. As a matter of fact, Toyota no longer sells a car with a standard transmission. YIKES!!!

So I engage this guy in a conversation. It turns out he is the SERVICE MANAGER. Well, that got me going. He was a very nice person, and we had the MOST ENGAGING conversation for almost 40 minutes about this car, why it doesn't have Android Car Play, and why they no longer sell standards. OK --- he got me when he said that the new gearing system is much more fuel efficient than even the standard transmission! I must get with the times! 

As an FYI, I called Toyota Canada a while back to see if this car could be upgraded to Android Car Play, but alas, in that year, which was a lousy decision year for Toyota, it is a hardware upgrade and cannot be done. It is now software-based and comes standard in all Toyota vehicles since 2020.  

I know that is a long story, but the point is that this manager took an enormous amount of time out of his day to make me, the GUEST, feel comfortable with my purchase from three years ago and to clear up some issues that I've been stewing about for those three years. This was the BEST customer experience I've had in a long time! 

I told him all about the wait times and, well -- everything. I was polite and took some of the blame (I should have DEMANDED a different sales rep when I bought that car), but then we talked about new cars and trade-ins. I thought my car would be worth little since it is a standard and who wants that? Well, my car is desirable. 

Let's just put it this way -- DH and I need to have a serious conversation! 

Sorry to bore you with that long story, but I was buzzing the rest of the day. In the same way that I can feel Murphy vibrate with excitement when she sees something, that was me! I had to go for a long walk to "calm" down. 

WOW!!!! If only more people in the world were like that! I felt guilty at how much time he spent with me (he showed me a car and introduced me to the sales manager) and was even waiting to say goodbye when I left the shop. Oh, and he threw in a free car wash. I was FLOORED. Thank you, Erin Park Toyota -- you have restored my faith in your brand, and I will be a STAUNCH TOYOTA customer for the rest of my life!

Thank you, Erin Park Toyota

Now I need to write him a thank you, and I'm writing to Toyota Canada to say how impressed I was. 

Phew -- -do I still have time to tell you about other things. OK --- so the kitchen counter is empty except for this one box, and my goal was to clear enough out of it so the lid would close. I always get hyper-excited about cleaning and take on too much in one day, so I will focus on this box. 

The current box of crap to deal with

What did I take out? A car charger with adapters. Seriously? It's never been used, and I am still trying to figure out why I bought it.  

A car charger

I don't even know if my car has that adaptor -- you know, that fits in the cigarette lighter - remember those? It is in the electronic waste pile. 

A plug-in for the car

Then there was this tube. I knew what was in the tube! 

A tube

It was the old wheels for the long arm when I upgraded them many years ago. Why did I hang onto them? 

Old wheels for the long arm

I removed one other thing, and I don't remember what it was. The lid barely closes, but it does. What I find astonishing is that we feel we NEED to keep junk like those two items above. They WILL be useful one day. How many years have those items taken up real estate, and I've never used them? I'm getting so much better. 

The box lid almost closes

I found a bunch of fabric license plates from the Row by Row Experience from 2015 - 2018. These were duplicates, and there were close to 20 in all. I've found a home for all of them within my Mondy sewing group!

Fabric license plates -- GONE

My Monday sewing group also helped me find a home for a BRAND NEW Chromebook we got as a thank-you gift from some company. It had never been used. I called the local school, and the man who answered the phone practically wept when I asked if they could use it! He said that it would be donated to a student in need. It's now at the school. 

WOW --- it was such a feel-good day yesterday that I about exploded! Plus, I cleared up some stuff that had been bothering me for a long time, and well, it was one of those days you want to bottle and keep forever. 

Now, here's a question for you all. There was (and probably still is) a brand of yogurt that came in small glass jars. You can buy plastic lids for them. I thought this was such a great idea, so I bought it for a while. Yep -- what does one do with all those jars?? So if anyone has an idea --- they are up for grabs. 

Small glass jars

As mentioned, there is NOTHING sacred in this house. It's like a store closing -- EVERYTHING must go! Well, not quite everything, but you get my point. I want all this crap gone! And we are getting there! Slow but sure. 

Oh yes ---I processed the return for the power tower, and I just need to package up that box and take it back to the post office. 

And being organized is a HUGE time saver. So even if you don't care how messy your house looks, the time saved by being organized is HUGE. I have a lot of quilt tops that need to be quilted. Don't ask, and don't go there. But they are all organized in these tubs, which you'll notice are labeled. Ooops, one tub is turned backward, so we can't see the label. Trust me -- there is a label on all the tubs. 

Labeled tubs of quilt tops

And every quilt in each tub is listed in a book. For the most part, they are also sorted by style or type. So when I wanted to find some quilts for my One Block Wonder class tomorrow, it took very little time to get what I wanted. 

The list of quilts

That should be enough incentive to keep going in the office, and I will. But the stuff I'm dealing with here is piddly stuff that shouldn't take a lot of brain power to throw out, but this is the epitome of junk, and well, that is hard for me to cope with. Baby steps, and the thing to remember is how far I've come. Yes --- there is a faint light at the end of the tunnel, but behind me is complete darkness, so there is only one way to go, which is toward that light! It gets a bit brighter with each thing I toss or give away. 

When it comes time to downsize, and we are not that physically mobile, it's going to be easy peasy because there will be little stuff left in the house! I hope M appreciates all that we are doing for her! She may not get much money, but she won't have to clean out the house!

I got ZERO sewing done yesterday! I was too worked up to sew and had writing to do and spent a lot of time on the phone! 

Today -- it's back to work. 

Have a super day!!!!!

Ciao!!!!