Not Likely To Happen

I’m really not much of a shopper. I don’t like shopping, even when there are certain things I need to buy. The whole experience bothers me; looking for a parking spot, the crowds of people, wandering through the store (and not finding what I want), the frustration of being limited in my choices, and I really don’t like not being able to compare prices—without running all over town to different stores.

And that is why I am extremely glad for online shopping. It eliminates all the hassle. 

Unfortunately, online shopping is not always an option, since my purchases can’t be delivered instantly. So, at times I’m forced to shop at a store. Like last Friday. Black Friday.

Finishing up a home project, I needed some last minute things and without thinking about what day it was, I headed to Home Depot. And found no place to park. So, truck driver that I am, I went to the docks and parked—out of the way of trucks, of course.

Inside, things got worse. People were crowding everywhere; all looking for that great buy of the century. A nightmare in other words. It took a while to navigate the treacherous aisles but I finally made it back to the trim boards, found what I needed and went to wait in the checkout line.

After a good half hour, I’d paid for couple of items and was gone, promising myself next time I would NOT make the mistake of shopping on Black Friday.

But then, I seem to recall doing much the same thing last year. And the year before that. Probably just about every year, because I’m always busy doing something. Maybe a better option would be for them (whoever they are) to discontinue Black Friday. Then guys like me, who can’t seem to remember it’s Black Friday, and always end up needing something, right then, could get in and out of the store in a timely fashion. Just a thought. ~

Bruce A. Borders is the author of more than a dozen books, including: Inside Room 913, Over My Dead Body, The Journey, Miscarriage Of Justice, The Lana Denae Mysteries, and The Wynn Garrett Series. Available in ebook at www.amazon.com/Bruce-A.-Borders/e/B006SOLWQS and paperback on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Books-a-Million. Bruce A. Borders is a proud member of Rave Reviews Book Club.

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Going For Broke

Well, I paid my property taxes last week. So, I guess we can continue living in the house for another year. That’s nice. I’d hate to move. Too much stuff. Too much work. Pretty sure my wife wouldn’t be happy at the prospect either, especially since I just installed her new floor.

Besides, moving seems like such a hassle. It’s been a while since I’ve done it but I remember the routine. The endless packing, loading, unloading, carrying boxes and other items up steps, down steps, through narrow doorways and halls is work. And smashing fingers and elbows while lifting heavy objects isn’t exactly fun either. And the cleaning—of both houses—is a never-ending job. Then there’s the canceling of utilities, (and setting them up at the new place), address changes, (which involves notifying half the population of the planet) and a whole lot of other stuff, I’ve gladly forgotten!

And invariably, something—usually a prized possession—gets broken. Or, some important items, say birth certificates, get lost. Yes, I speak from experience on that last one. We once lost the birth certificates for the entire family. No worries though, the losing of a birth certificate doesn’t automatically end one’s status as a living entity. All five of us are, in fact, still very much alive! It did cost me almost $200 for replacement “official” birth certificates, though.

But aside from all that, and even without such a fiasco as losing birth certificates, moving costs money. Lots of money. So even if I wanted to, I really can’t afford to move—I just paid my taxes! ~

Bruce A. Borders is the author of more than a dozen books, including: Inside Room 913, Over My Dead Body, The Journey, Miscarriage Of Justice, The Lana Denae Mysteries, and The Wynn Garrett Series. Available in ebook at www.amazon.com/Bruce-A.-Borders/e/B006SOLWQS and paperback on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Books-a-Million. Bruce A. Borders is a proud member of Rave Reviews Book Club.

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Singing The Blues

I’m feeling a little like Johnny Cash lately. The skies have been overcast and “I ain’t seen the sunshine since I don’t know when.” Thankfully, only the clouds are to blame and I’m not stuck in Folsom Prison—or any other prison for that matter. But then, neither was Johnny Cash so, I’m not sure that matters.

Back to my point; it’s that weary dreary time of year again—for those of us who are summer people, anyway. The sky is nothing but a foggy haze. Continually, it seems. Depressing is what it is, especially knowing that winter hasn’t even really started yet. That means I get to look forward to cloudy skies for at least a few months. And I gave up looking for the silver lining behind every cloud years ago.

Actually, I did see the sunshine on my way to work the other day—for about five minutes. The brief reprieve did brighten up my day! Then it was back to reality.

But at least it isn’t snowing yet. Last year at this time, I was already immersed in wintery driving conditions. And the long, drawn out winter that ensued was discouraging to put it mildly. I’m hoping this winter is not a repeat performance but I’m told by the “experts” that it likely will be. Sigh. Just the thought brings dismay, discontent, and dread—along with several other “D” words, all equally distressing.

But, I suppose there’s not much I can do about it. What will be, will be. Or, to quote another Johnny Cash song, “I don’t like it but I guess things happen that way.” ~

Bruce A. Borders is the author of more than a dozen books, including: Inside Room 913, Over My Dead Body, The Journey, Miscarriage Of Justice, The Lana Denae Mysteries, and The Wynn Garrett Series. Available in ebook at www.amazon.com/Bruce-A.-Borders/e/B006SOLWQS and paperback on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Books-a-Million. Bruce A. Borders is a proud member of Rave Reviews Book Club.

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A Simple Oil Change

In some previous posts, I’ve mentioned that I like to do things myself—rather than pay someone to do them. Part of the reason is that I’m a cheapskate—or thrifty, as I prefer to call it. But it’s more than that. Having someone else do the work usually makes more work for me—when I have to fix it.

This past weekend, my wife’s car needed an oil change. So, after purchasing the oil and filter, I went outside in the cold to change the oil. The job should have taken no more than fifteen minutes. Should’ve, but didn’t.

The first problem I ran into was I couldn’t get the drain plug out. The socket wouldn’t stay on the bolt. At first I thought I just didn’t have things lined up but on closer inspection, I saw the corners of the bolt had been rounded off. Odd, I thought, because I’m the only one who changes the oil. Who had been messing with my vehicle? And who in their right mind would crawl under a vehicle, ruin the bolt, and then just put it back? It wasn’t like the vehicle had been low on oil either. But obviously, someone had done something; I knew it wasn’t like that the last time I changed the oil.

And then I remembered. The last time the car needed an oil change, my wife had been gone on an impromptu trip to Wisconsin. One of those oil change places had done the job. Which was okay, since I wasn’t there—until this weekend.

So, I set to work, selecting a slightly smaller socket, driving it onto the bolt, and then smacking it with a hammer. But the bolt didn’t budge. I did manage to break a socket and bend a few other tools though!

And then it all made sense. I can’t be certain, but what I imagine happened is whoever changed the oil last time used an air wrench and over tightened the bolt, stripping the head in the process.

Eventually, with the help of another socket and a bigger hammer, I got the plug out. And then moved onto the filter, which I discovered was the wrong one. (I did double check to make sure I hadn’t been putting the wrong one on all this time). The filter fit so it did the job but taking it off was another matter. My oil filter wrench was too large. But with a little friendly persuasion, I got it off. I finished changing the oil in the dark—thanks to the annoying time change—but at least I got it done. The job had taken an hour and forty minutes, a lot longer than the fifteen minutes it should have been.

And that’s why I do things myself. It saves time and hassle later. ~

Bruce A. Borders is the author of more than a dozen books, including: Inside Room 913, Over My Dead Body, The Journey, Miscarriage Of Justice, The Lana Denae Mysteries, and The Wynn Garrett Series. Available in ebook at www.amazon.com/Bruce-A.-Borders/e/B006SOLWQS and paperback on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Books-a-Million. Bruce A. Borders is a proud member of Rave Reviews Book Club.

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