It started with a minor problem. We went in Friday morning early to sign the lease and give the management our money. Kobold had taken the day off work so he could get started. Apparently when we spoke with the lady about getting into the apartment 'early' we were not clear on how 'early' we wanted in. Misunderstanding being what it is, Kobold ended up having taken the day off work for no really good reason, as our apartment (and our key) wasn't ready yet. Not truly a big deal, more aggrivating than anything else. Kobold went home, and I began the drive to work.
But then Ava's "check engine" light came on. This is not generally a good sign, especially since the AC has stopped working, and about 5 minutes later, the temperature light came on. Not good. I left work a little early to make sure that I could get her into the shop before they closed. I needed an oil change anyway, and I figured if this was a coolant issue (could be), they could fix this issue by making sure that the coolant was full, etc... The service man at Terrible's was excellent and said that although he did not see anything wrong with the coolant, that Auto Zone did a free diagnostic scan (and they were just down the road!).
So I rolled down the road in the 114 degree heat and got the free scan, which said it was a coolant issue. Interesting. Being that the Auto Zone shares a parking lot with Pep Boys, I drove there to see if they would give me some assistance with this coolant issue. I told the man what was wrong, he said he could fix it, no problem but then as soon as I told him what kind of car I drove, he turned whiter than a sheet. Not a good sign. The man said he did not work on bugs. I asked him to recommend a shop that did and he said that my best bet would be to take it to the dealership (wuss).
Now my mission was clear but I had to drive from Henderson to Las Vegas (normally about 30 minutes) in the heat, avoiding the freeway because it's Friday and all the tourists are in town. It took me about an hour to get across town to the dealership, which thankfully is very near to my house.
I get to the dealership, soaked in sweat and now very cranky (and PMS-y). I tell the service man what's wrong and he proceeds to tell me that he could check the Check Engine light for $139 and the temperature light for $70. I stare blankly at him.
What the hell?
Of COURSE I want you to check BOTH lights but seeing as they're related, let's go ahead and check the cheaper one because, well, that sort of makes sense to me. Idiot. He proceeds to treat me like a stupid 'female' that doesn't know anything about cars. Until we get inside at the dealership and I start raising a fuss. Then he starts to listen. I inform the man that I have an extended warranty and that I will call him with the details (as I don't have the warranty in the car). This is when Kobold picks me up.
So we go home, have dinner and I promptly pass the hell out.
Saturday dawns early and Mr. Puck has joined us from AZ. Kobold and I loaded the first truckload last night so we could take a load over while we get our keys. We get tot he office and the nice lady tells us that we don't have keys yet. She calls maintenance. Apparently they are surprised we're moving in. . . but the apartment is unlocked, so we go upstairs to see what's up. Apparently they are surprised because they had to do some major hustling yesterday. One of the workers fell and broke Kobold's bathroom's toilet. There is no toilet in his room.... just a hole. He's not pleased. Not only this, but the refridgerator is not cold and smells (literally) like something died inside it.
So we start to unload what we can. Dan is on his way (one of my friends from work) to help. He gets there and promptly locks his keys in his car. This is when I have to call Freak, because, well, he lives in the complex and probably has a wire hanger. He brings it over and helps to unload the rest of the truck. Apparently my friends are not skilled in unlocking cars with wire hangers. I call AAA and Freak and Kobold go back to the house for another load.
An hour later we've got a few loads done and AAA has finally showed up to unlock Dan's car. That done, Puck, Sparkles and Kobold are each loading trucks and making runs while Dan and I unload and generally help out as best we can.
The rest of Saturday was rather uneventful, we went to Madison Ave for pizza and drinks and then passed out. The boys went out, I don't know where, but they were out late. I was dead to the world.
Sunday saw no change in the toilet or key situation, and someone locked the actual doorknob when we left for the day Saturday... and we don't have keys for the doorknob, only the deadbolt. Puck and Kobold took a load over (while mom and I were cleaning the house) and just about had to break into the place. Once they had unlocked the door, they discovered that the elevator was broken. We're on the 3rd floor. They called Dadu and Sparkles for help while Mom and I did our best to get the house cleaned and ready for the inspection for deposit-retun.
After 2 long days of sweaty, back-breaking work, I'm ready for a massage and an island getaway.
The good news is we're moved and all we have to do now is unpack and 'nest' properly. Thank god.
