Merry Christmas! I will be in Jasper on Christmas Day and Lake Louise on Boxing Day, may head into Calgary and visit friends on the next day.
Some things have happened, it was like a country song, ‘One Step Forward, Two Steps Back’. This the order it happened.
On a couple of weeks ago on Thursday I found out that the NVP of the Union was actually behind the whole petition thing (see previous blog). This is the lady that got upset when I accused her of lying. The person was reliable and it made sense. I took it in stride when I heard it, but later that night the whole wound was ripped open. I replayed every event and conversation. Needless to say, I got no sleep. The remedy for this was relayed to the Union on Monday. I told them I don’t want to hear anymore about me and the union. The new President understood. Avoidance will help keep me sane. Karma can take care of the rest.
The Saturday was a great day, I became a National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Certified Firefighter (FF), certificates and all. This was a great achievement, kind of a surprise as it was a work in progress for several years. eleven courses, eleven exams - mostly two weekends for each course. The chief decided to let the whole department get a chance at the designation. So the weekend commitment was reduced, every fire practice was dedicated to working on the skills. There was a lot of repetition, but I managed to get through it all. Fire Fighters get better the more often they do something. Volunteers need to practice as often as possible. Fires, medical assists and MVC’s don’t care about your employment status.
My car had been acting up, it had an overheating issue. My mechanic friend said the thermostat may fix it but it was most likely a head gasket. On the Sunday after becoming an FF I tried to go to the city. The car was overheating after going a fifth of the way. So I wound up parking at a rest stop and letting it cool down. I turned around and went home.
I drove slower than the speed limit, to ensure I got home. I used my headphones and called my Dad, since I hadn’t spoken with him in awhile. Boy was that a conversation! It was like pealing an onion, finally he got down to why he was not feeling well. His prostate was really acting up, acting up so bad he hadn’t peed in a long time. I am not sure how long it was, but he required urgent draining. This led to a whole discussion on catheters, which you can discuss in a way as a FF. But hey, this is my Dad. He was on an emergency list for an operation. He was all ‘Oh well, I’ve had a good life’ etc and he had outlived his Dad. I told him to make sure I get a call as soon as anything was known. I honestly thought I’d be flying to Ottawa.
I got the thermostat fixed, but the mechanic said the car was terminal. So I started to search for a newer vehicle. With all the stress I had, shopping for a car is not something that is fun. Especially since Christmas is one of the most stressful times for me, at the best of times.
I found a Jeep on an online site. I put in an application was approved and Wednesday I drove to the city (the car didn’t overheat). I had cleaned her out before, as this was most likely the last time we’d be together. On the way to the dealer I had checked the online app again. They had re-listed the vehicle (with exactly the same mileage) at a new higher price. This pissed me off.
I contacted another dealer of used cars and he looked for another Jeep. I wound up with a whole pile of time with nothing to do. So I went looking. The looking lead to my buying a new Jeep. The other dealer did not really find another vehicle. Meanwhile, the dealership that raised the price on the one I was going to buy called. I told them about the price change. she tried to say that they have a lot of people in marketing and someone messed up. They’d honour the first price. By then though, I had already decided on a new vehicle, it was $4000 more and it had a warranty. The one I was looking at was 4 years old. So I told her, then she tried to sell me a new vehicle on the phone. By then I was on the car sales assembly line. In fact the salesman saw me talking on the phone and asked me not to speak to other dealers. One time I was calling a friend, I had to end that call and say I was speaking to a friend. It was a long 4 hours. I drove the new Jeep home.
The new Jeep had its own issues, it was Plain Jane. I wanted the bigger wheels and tires etc. The dealer said not to buy them there, it would cost BIG BUCKS. So I didn’t and I am glad I didn’t. I went to a tire shop, I was going to buy different rims and new tires. He told me the factory rims were the best ones for the Winter. The after market rims are alloy and salt and sand eat away at them. He recommended buying snow tires. I went back online to my app [and found a whole set of rims rims for my Jeep for $160. I bought them. I am having snow tires installed on them and then mounted on the Jeep. I may keep the stock wheels and rims, or sell them for around $1000 and buy after market ones. Not sure, the Jeep is the Winter vehicle, the bike is the Summer vehicle. Anyway, despite the fact I now have car payments, I have cut down on the car stress.
My Dad called this morning, early for my time, later in the morning for his time. The operation went ok. I asked if it was cancerous, but I think they explained the details to someone else, because he couldn’t answer the questions. He did tell me about self insertion of a catheter……NOOOOOOO!
Hopefully the Winter tires will be on the Jeep for a trip down the Jasper/Banff highway aka Columbia Icefields parkway. Nikon, Jeep, possibly my son and I on a Christmas adventure.
