Two fixes, one day -- sort of

As has been the more than 20-year tradition at This D*mn House, no one thing can ever be wrong. I call it the Homeowner's Rule of Law: If it isn't one thing, it's 10.

For now, the mystery of the disappearing channels has been resolved. Charter came out this morning and fixed a few frayed wires. They even gave us two new remotes. (One remote Carole used to change the channels on the television, instead of the cable box, so I was greeted at the door with, "The TV in my bedroom doesn't work." Luckily, I resolved that in under 30 seconds.)

Apparently, there was one section the previous tech missed when he put a new outside box on the back of the house a few weeks ago. It had been disturbed during his switchover and obviously, not making connection as intended. Hence the alternately disappearing and reappearing channels. Case closed. I hope.

But yesterday I dropped the car off at the mechanic's because something fell from the undercarriage while we were on our way home from shopping Saturday. (I had intended to go to a party that evening, but had to pass because, while I didn't think it was serious, I didn't want to take that chance.) Turns out it was the cover for the catalytic converter. Not a huge deal.

It does, however, have a nasty oil leak and there were a few assorted and pricey problems that came to light so it will be a second night and third day of a car-free existence. That's not really a huge deal either. I take the bus to work. There's food in the house for both us and the animals. And as long as Carole has cigarettes, we're OK.

I'm just waiting to hear how much this is going to hit me for. I shouldn't complain too mightily. The car is old, starting to rack up miles, but has been one of the best ever in terms of repairs. That said, it's making the itch for a new set of car keys almost impossible to stand.

Ah, wistfully waiting for the day when I can park a new car in This D*mn Driveway!