I don't earn a TON of money, but enough to pay the bills and put a little aside each year for three trips: (1) some adventure with Jerry, either camping in the PNW or traveling in a foreign land; (2) an annual sojourn to Seattle to see the latest production from Jake's group, Handwritten Productions. I travel to Seattle a lot, and can usually do it for less than $250, but the trip to see a Handwritten play includes (shhh... this is a secret) sneaking the bill away from the young people and paying for the Opening Night Festivities. This usually happens at a great pizza joint, with plenty of libations and a long night of youthful energy. This requires saving... and (3) a trip to Ashland with Jake and Sara to catch some Shakespeare or other great play. This last has not actually been an annual trip, because we have to juggle three busy schedules to do it, but I save for it every year, just in case.
I did not save enough this year. Because my transmission blew up just outside Roseburg on Sunday on our way down. We were going to catch a Sunday play (either Tempest or Two Gentlemen) and then spend Monday enjoying the town and catching up with Jeremy Thompson (one of Jake's friends, also essentially Ashland Royalty), and Wrinkle in Time on Tuesday.
A wasted day in Roseburg, finally got a rental car and headed to Ashland mid-day on Monday. And then the trickle of bad news to worse news as the wonderful Carol of C & S Transmissions, Roseburg called and texted to update me.
A thingy that houses ball bearings failed. The ball bearings turned themselves into tiny ball-bearing-bullets and shrapnelled throughout the transmission, damaging pretty much everything. Carol's Parts Team spent several days finding all the little bits and pieces for my 12 year old Tundra, and are shipping them down today. Then Carol will rebuild my transmission.
She checked with the Toyota dealership on buying an already assembled re-build. Toyota's cost is $1000 more than her cost. F*ck Toyota. So, sometime next week (hopefully), I will be able to return to Roseburg and check Big Bertha out of the Auto Hospital, with her newly transplanted transmission purring like a Maine Coon cat.
That gives me a week to juggle my budget around and figure out how to pay for this...
But, since money is a renewable resource, I'm confident I'll find enough spare change in the seat cushions to reclaim my truck. And I really love that truck.
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