Yesterday sucked

Work has not been much fun this year. I can't believe my department has experienced more turmoil/stress this year than we did last year. I've been at my limit for months now and I have no clue how I'm continuing to keep things together. I don't know that I've ever been this stressed. Yesterday morning I started my car in the driveway with my spare key that I throw in my fishing vest and then grabbed my normal keys on the way out the door. When I locked the car at work I knew right after shutting the door that I had locked the spare key inside. No biggie...I put the other keys in my backpack. We had students for half the day and then conferences until 8 at night. I looked in my pack at 1 and could not find the keys. I assumed I left them on the table so I got a ride home but found no keys. Then I went back to work and looked in the car. They were on the seat. So I went to grab some welding rod from the Industrial Tech class but the seals on my doors are really in good shape and I could not get in.

So...I called a locksmith. About 30 minutes later this guy arrives. I actually posted the pictures out of order so I'll explain. He pulls up in front of the school and calls me. I'm standing there in the front of the school and do not see a locksmith truck. I then look at this beat up Toyota Celica and can see the guys lips moving exactly when the person on the phone is talking. I hang up my phone and sigh, "Oh great." The Celica was in bad shape. It had mismatched panels, bald tires, steel wheels, and no muffler. The guy had already passed my car and the loop at school is one way so I have to get in and take him back around to my car. The interior of the Celica was on a whole nother level. I did my best to document the incident photographically.

This picture was taken shortly after I asked how much this was going to cost me. I was stunned when he said $120. I'm pretty sure my response was, "Yeah you can pound sand." For $20 and some time, I could break a window and go pull one at a yard. He then tells me that he could go down to $110 and I don't even remember what my response was but I know it wasn't polite. Then he tells me there is going to be a service charge of $30 for him coming here. I tell him I am not paying that either. We go back and forth a bit and things get heated. I am not in a pleasant mood at this point and am told by a co-worker to keep my hands in my pockets. The locksmith calls his boss to let him know that I am refusing to pay the service charge and I end up talking to him.

We argue a bit and I say some things I probably shouldn't have said. He knows there's nothing they can do to make me pay a service charge and tells me he can do the job for $100. I need my keys back and I need to get back inside as well so I tell him I'm at $60. Then he tells me he can meet me in the middle at $70. OK I say...right in the middle at $70. The locksmith gets back to work. Here he is in action. He is trying to slip the air bladder in but, like I said, the seals are in really good shape. I get a little concerned when he retrieves a flat head screwdriver from the Celica and begins to pry on the glass with it.

While he was busy working, I was checking out the Celica. Ironically, the drivers seat was in better shape than the passengers.

Within 30 minutes the locksmith is dropping multiple F bombs because he can't get in. At one point he runs back to the Celica to grab another "tool". It was a milk crate so he could be higher up. After 2 hours he finally gets in. He's packing up his stuff but goes back to the Celica and pulls out a credit card machine. I tried not to laugh when saying, "I won't be paying with a card but you're welcome to follow me to the ATM machine." He does and we settle up. I go back inside for the rest of conferences and have plenty of time to think. I KNOW I only have 2 keys for the car but something doesn't feel right. When I get home I start going through the junk drawer in the kitchen. I find a remote that looks oddly familiar. It does not say Subaru on it but it does say made in Japan. On a whim, I push the lock button and hear a faint horn honk. I go out on the deck and push it again and clearly hear the Subaru horn. This all costed me $70.

Fortunately, later that evening I would sell the Cannondale road bike that I've gone back and forth about getting rid of for a year now. Here's what I came up with for packaging. I was able to get the shipping charges down to $52 which is nice. So it's gone. I'm still sick to my stomach over yesterday but this helps a bit.