Wasn't expecting that...

Here I am driving to work like I do every morning. I've mentioned it before, my 43 mile one way trip down HWY 75.

The only difference this morning is that I was trying to get to work early and traffic was fairly good. I was minding my own business and having a good morning. Listening to the radio and looking forward to seeing if the HOV "Enforcers" had caught any single drivers trying to get a quick ride. Just as I was getting my hopes up to see some violators, my car decided to sputter. Traffic came to a stand still and I stopped "safely". As traffic began to move, I stepped on the gas. My engine roared and my car stood still. I messed with the gear shifter and stepped on the gas again. My car went nowhere. "NOT GOOD!!!". I was now that guy who was stalled on the highway.

I quickly put on my hazard lights and then proceeded to stair in my rear view mirror to see cars flying up on my rear. I decided to try to get my car to the far left lane (next lane over). I was able to push it and steer it over. This lane was the feeder to the HOV lane so not to many cars were in it. However, there were enough to freak me out when they came up on me. After calling my roadside assistance to get a tow truck, one of Plano's finest placed his truck behind me to protect from traffic. The tow truck arrived and I was ready to head to the car dealership to find out what was wrong.After getting to the dealership I was able to find out that the transmission pump was out. Again, NOT GOOD!!! So then came the next bit of excitement. 1) I now needed a new transmission - Honda has a 3 month waiting list, 2) They were having issues finding a rebuilt transmission 3) Once they found one they gave me a quote...$5000!!!!! Luckily, our good friends the Booths have family connections to a repair shop in Frisco. Called Allison's dad's shop and he quoted me well below this price in order to rebuild MY transmission. Who wouldn't take that. So thanks for the diagnosis Honda, it's off to someone who will take care of me and for less $$$. Ok, got this taken care of, now I need to get to work the next two days. Cool, I just need to get a rental car. A lot easier said than done! After calling a few companies and finding they were SOLD OUT or the had 1 car left and wanted premium pricing for them, I was clueless as what I would do. Finally I got a call from Lisa saying that she was able to find a rental car in McKinney for a decent rate! My wife working her magic. Thanks to her and her brilliant work, Hertz was able to get me a car so that I could move on with my day and get to work.So, after trying to get to work an hour early, I actually showed up about 3 1/2 hours late. Why is it that sometimes life gets in the way of life? (ponder that for a moment).

When I woke up this morning I thought that maybe I would spend a couple of bucks on a drink or something. I ended up spending about $200 before 10am. Then hearing that I would be out a few Thousand before the end of the week... GREAT!!!So happy birthday Lisa you are getting a new transmission for my car!! Woo Hoo!!!What stands out most in my mind about this morning is the exchange between myself and the tow truck driver as I was getting out of his truck. He said, "bad way to start the day, a sick baby at home, and a broken down car...I hope it gets better." My response to him, "It could be worse." Let's remember, it could always be worse! Also, let's remember the joy of car ownership!

Enjoy!

JB

The Odds Were Against Me

In the 86 miles (round trip) I drive to work each day, I see a lot of things. One thing I see way to much of is car accidents. In the estimated 25,000 miles I have driven in the last year or so (to and from work), I have been lucky to stay out of them. However, today my 1 in 25,000 odds were against me. It was my turn on a dark, rainy morning in McKinney, Texas. That's right, this morning on my regular commute to work, I locked up my breaks (after the cars in front of me slammed on theirs) and slid on the wet road into a Nissan Pathfinder. Good news...No one was hurt. I was in the car by myself and the lady in front of me was by herself. We were both able to drive our cars off of the freeway and into a parking lot where we were safe. My car took the brunt of the impact and is currently at a collision center. I'm hoping that it can be repaired and we will be reunited once again - my good friend. At the end of the day, it is just a car and the important thing is that everyone is safe (well that and I carry maximum coverage). So tomorrow drive safely, you never know when an orange construction barrel will jump out onto 1 lane of a 2 lane road. This could lead to an accident. So, be on the look out and be careful.

A Sad Day, Yet A Proud Accomplishment

As most of you know I spend a fair amount of time in my car. We have developed a sort of bond. I spend more time in my car than one person should. I do have a respect for my car. Lisa and I were blessed enough to pay it off under the term limit and I now have a true sense of ownership. What an accomplishment, I now own a depreciated vehicle. (I truly do like it and am proud to own it). Today I hit another milestone of accomplishment. When I left the house this morning I had a lot of miles put on the car but nothing worth blogging about. On my way home from work all of that changed. As I passed Honda Cars of McKinney (where we purchased the car) I saw this on my odometer.

As things go in the world, one mile later I saw this.That's right...I have now put over 100,000 miles on my '04 Honda Accord. Thank goodness it's a Honda. I have another 100,000 miles to go and plus some. At this point I can proudly say that this is the best vehicle I have purchased to date (I've only purchased 5).

So this is nothing life changing, but it is something that I have known was inevitable. My baby is growing up! tear...

Enjoy!
-James