Been a strange couple of weeks, quite a bit worse for wear and my wallet got a little beating, but still kicking!
- Left 9 Dec for Massachusetts to finalize dad's estate
- Ice and rain from Nebraska all the way to Mass, the storm was clearly going the same speed as me. I'd drive through it, sleep at night, it'd catch up, same for 3 days
- Stayed in Hampton Inns the whole way because the radio was reporting bed bugs in cheap hotels LOL
- On a good note I got 18.9 mpg average over 1400 miles from Omaha, NE to Springfield MA with an 8200 lb 4x4 crew cab
- Got to Mass, started to load my truck, 1st top box I grabbed to load on the truck, I dislocated my shoulder and tore my bicep tendon from the bone. Maybe 250 lbs, maybe 300, not sure, but not more than I thought I could lift
- Looked around, realized the truck was surrounded with tools and no-one seemed to be running to my rescue LOL
- Finished loading the bed of the truck one handed, in severe pain, but couldn't load the trailer. Had 4 full rollaways and a ton of other stuff that needed two hands
- Found some friends over the next few days, they loaded my trailer, I left for Nebraska on the 15th. One bad wing and a previously dislocated shoulder, but a full bottle of Motrin and two 20 oz travel mugs of Starbucks black coffee!
- Snow and sleet through Buffalo, get to PA, UHaul trailer wheel bearing didn't have a cotter pin in the spindle, I look in the mirror, wheel is flopping around at 70 mph
- UHaul says the best they can do is bring me a trailer and I swap the load (one arm in sling)
- I decide to fix the wheel bearing myself, one armed, had a jack and plenty of tools, used a flattened key chain loop for a cotter pin sitting at a rest area. At this point proud that I can't be stopped LOL
- Just to continue the story, averaged 14.9 mpg for the second 1400 miles with approx 2000 lb in the bed and 6500 lbs of trailer
- I get home, my guys unload as I help, tear my arm more...one Captain, my exec, says "Sir, please sit the F- down, you are slowing us down" LOL (I am 44, not 104!)
- Doc says the tendon I tore is unrepairable, I'll get used to losing that one, but our upper bicep has two, the other will make up for it, just rest
- We get a huge snowstorm that night, I snow blow and shovel, more shoulder and bicep pain, my computer shits the bed, 260.00 to fix.
Wait, there's more
- Our baby cat (the one that follows ME around everywhere like I am a superhero) gets a deadly stomach infection, 360.00 in transfusion and meds save her, vet estimated death within 48 hrs if we hadn't brought her in
- Today I get the computer back, cat and computer are well, my wife gets a bill for 696.00 because she filled out insurance paperwork incorrectly (That one should be refunded)
- At the same time I get a second bill, to continue my college age student under my insurance, 175.00 / mo starting in Jan
- Last fun thing, the diesel now has 5000 miles on the oil, I go to drain it, my 4 gallons of oil, drain bucket, and filter is inside a metal cabinet blocked by the SAME top box that ate my shoulder and bicep LOL I drove to NAPA and bought 4 gallon of oil and another filter
Good thing I save my money for rainy days, this was a doozy!
So, I have a messed up right bicep, two sore shoulders, one bruised from dislocation, an empty wallet for the moment, but my computer works, the cat is healthy, the truck has fresh oil and I am finally caught up.
My guess is that the Mayans were right, but the story got exaggerated over the years. End of the world really was just a bunch of little pains in the ass!
I may wrap myself in bubble wrap and just hide in the basement until January 1st ....
