A Little Less Stress, A Little More Peace Of Mind in Ultimate Randomness

Wow, for once, something worked out the way it was supposed to...well, mostly. So I took the car by a garage up by my in-laws house yesterday. The time had finally come because my FIL and I couldn't really do anything else without just randomly changing things and spending a shitload of money. So yesterday morning, after having to jump the car off yet again, I brought it up to the garage and dropped it off to have them diagnose the problem. Instead of calling my MIL for a ride back to their house, I decided to walk. It wasn't all that far and it wasn't too hot by that part of the day, so I hoofed it. It was a nice, calming walk where I was alone with my thoughts...which is not generally a good thing, but for once, I felt like I had made the right decision. Once I had gotten back to their house, I stayed for a little while before heading off to my shrink. I must have said something right, cause the appt. took very little time and she set up the next one for three months from now. Still on the same meds too. Whether or not I am right, I truly believe the meds do exactly what I need them to and that is keep me from dropping into my deepest depressive state where I contemplate suicide. I have been really down and, on days, wished I wouldn't wake up, but I have not actively considered ending it all almost as long as I have been on the meds, so it works for me. The antisocial mentality and hopelessness...well, that is a learned mentality and the only way those get cleared up is if I convince myself to start believing in letting people close to me again or if someone comes into my life who gives me that reason. Am I happy? Not specatcularly. I don't like being alone, but I do understand it alot better than just throwing myself out there. I am an introvert to the fullest extent. Hermit is a fair word. I may be happy again but it will take someone else to make me social. That part of me is just gone. Sorry, that went on and on. So after my appt., I headed to the dentist to pay off the balance of the bill from my filling the other week (paid in cash so the ex can't bitch about it), I headed to work and waited for a call back from the garage. Around 2:30, I got the diagnosis. I still had a misfire in cylinder 4. We had checked it before and couldn't figure out why, but now I know why. Apparently, the ignition coil was sparking (conducting electricity), but it was sparking out the side of the coil also, causing some scorching on the inside of my cylinder. The evap system leak that I have had for almost 9 months was the result of a leaking valve. However, the leak was so small, the mechanic assured me that it was not the cause of my car problems and only needed to be fixed if I wanted to do it. I will eventually need to, but not right now. As far as starting, my battery was completely dead and there was no way to know whether or not it was the alternator that was the problem unless I had a running battery. In any case, I left work a little early and went to pick up my car. They gave me a jump and I headed to Advanced Auto to buy the parts I needed and to have them check the alternator. A check revealed that the alternator was the problem. Admittedly, I probably should have been a bit more thorough. It is possible that something was done wrong and I bought a part I didn't need now. But, the fact is I would have needed it eventually (probably sooner than later), and it was better to get it now while I'm still technically married. To quote Ryan Reynolds, "And that's basically turning a frown upside down." Hey, I've paid for plenty of her bullshit, so this seems fair. It was $235 when I bought it, but I got a $40 refund when I brought the old one back. All told, between that and the ignition coil, it cost about $285 or so. That doesn't include the $90 I dropped on labor at the garage, but again, I had cash. For once, I was happy I am a pizza delivery guy. Of course, I did have to call out yesterday because of the car. First time in 9 years I have called out of work. Oh well. Oh, and the battery. Well, it seemed to be ok, but I will get back to that. So I took my haul back to my in-laws and waited for a little while for the engine to cool down before we could start work. I say "we", but mostly I was just an assistant. I can break stuff just fine, but fixing it? Not so much. But I can play a mean assistant, so I helped best I could. I must have done something seeing as I woke up sore today. Anyway, for the next 3 or so hours, we changed the alternator, gave the car an oil change because we needed to remove the oil filter to take out the alternator, changed the power steering and alternator belts because they were about to fall apart, and replaced the faulty ignition coil. It was full dark by the time we got done, about 9:30 I think. We jumped the car and took it for a test drive. I can say with all certainty that the car has not sounded so good in years. After putting it through it's paces, we went back to the house. We turned the car off because my FIL figured it had been running enough to have charged the battery...but we were wrong. It is hard to know whether or not the battery is bad, so we hooked it up to his battery charger overnight and I borrowed my MIL's truck to get home. If the battery is still a problem, I will stop off on the way to work and have them replace it. The upside? It is still under warranty from that Advanced, so I get a new battery and have it installed for free. I am about to get ready and head over there before work. On a final note, when I went to sleep last night, it was the least stressed I have felt naturally in almost a year. I was thinking about that yesterday and it feels like this is the first big thing to have gone right since before my vacation last August. Sure, I wasn't planning on spending money on the alternator, but I won't have to buy a battery, so it almost evens out. The reason I feel better is, because of my luck, I could have had to drop a whole lot more money on this car. I figured I would find out it was an electrical/computer problem and have to drop over a thousand, in which case, I probably would just not have a car. There is a high school in my area in a town called Red Boiling Springs, if I am remembering correctly. The high school went years without winning a game. Many years. Finally, a few years back, they finally won one. I imagine the way I feel right now is the way that team and it's supporters felt that day. Thrilled, relieved, but bittersweet. That is about how I feel. In any case, good day to all and hope to talk to you all again soon. Happy...July 30th. Oh well, can't get them all right...