I’m Cursed!
Posted on November 6, 2007 - Filed Under WTF?, bad hair day, brain farts
Okay, so I don’t know what the heck is going on but I’m starting to think somebody has put some voodoo on me.
You may remember that I bought a ‘new’ car just a few months ago. I was very excited because it was pretty and I was assured that Toyotas were indestructible and were low maintenance. I got the car a bit undermarket and all seemed well.
I got the car at the end of March. On Easter morning, whilst I slept, some large vehicle hit the car, smashing the left tail light and leaving two inch gashes in the top of the back left panel - scraping the paint down to the bare steel.
I started parking the drive and decided to live with the dents. Then I noticed there were little oil leaks in the spot where I parked. I took it to the mechanic and he said it needed a seal replaced - well it turned out to a lot more and $470 dollars later I got the car back. Two weeks later it was still leaking, I took it back. They couldn’t find the source of the leak so I left it for the day for them to check it out. They steam cleaned the engine and let it do its thing for a while to find the leak. Nope, nothing. I picked it up. On the drive home, the ‘check engine’ light comes on so I bring it back the next day. It needs an alternator - a mere $200 for that.
Then last week as I was driving home the other day I thought to myself that maybe the car wasn’t so bad and that it had been pretty good (except that it was still leaving oil in the driveway but nobody could find a leak so that must have been my imagination) and literally within 30 seconds, I tapped my breaks and it did this weird pull to the left and made a funny sound. Yep, back to the mechanic. I told them to do the brakes, told them what was happening and told them if it was worse than the brakes to call me.
An hour later they called - the hub bearing was messed up - so I told them to fix it. So, that was Friday and another $406.
Today (Tuesday) as I was leaving the staff parking going down the steeply inclined driveway I get a wicked grinding on the right side. So, not only do I get to miss a day of work (and pay) but I also get to pay more for whatever the hell is wrong with it this time.
Oh and I did I mention that the software that we use for appointments and billing at work went belly up on Friday. And then yesterday, my assistant’s computer broke? And in the last 6 months I’ve gained 30 pounds inexplicably? And I think I mentioned the agent’s rejection after taking 4 fricking months with it.
Oh yeah and the car I had before this one - was old and I’d sunk about $2000 into that one in the previous year, which made me think I needed to just get another car and forget about all the repair bills.
So…tell me, am I cursed or what? What have I done to anger the universe so severely? Am I just bad? Do I deserve it? Should I just become a gansta and go with the flow?
Criminy!
WC
Comments
23 Responses to “I’m Cursed!”
Leave a Reply
Aw, hon .. repair work is sooo flippin’ expensive. . i feel your pain, I really do…
I have one question, and it popped into me head while reading this. Do you frequent the same mechanic .. is the place trust-worthy? I know it sounds bad, but as a woman, they could charge you more than what they should .. since you’re a woman and you “don’t know shit” when it comes to vehicles . . just a thought.
And yes, generally Toyotas are great cars, can’t kill the damn things! Maybe a lemon? They have lemon laws in Cali dont they?
Hey Cutie,
Nah, it’s not the mechanic, I’ve been going to them for years and they go to great lengths to give me the best price they can. No lemon laws in California, I think they used to have them but not anymore.
WC
I’m with Red - they could be giving you a line of BS - try a new mechanic first. Toyotas have a great reputation. But that doesn’t mean they don’t have the occasional lemon. I had a Subaru lemon one time after specifically buying it because of it’s great reputation. Hmm. Maybe just the car is cursed?
Hey Teeni,
Nah, I think it’s been my job. In fact, all the trouble began when I started the job. The first day I started there, my car broke down. Three weeks later it broke down again. Four weeks later I bought another car and it’s been breaking down ever since. Are we sensing a pattern here? I never have this kind of luck with cars or any machines actually. I just replaced a television last year for one I’d had for almost twenty years. My stuff doesn’t break - tht’s why this is so fricking weird. Anyway, I’m giving my notice on Thursday when I go back to work. Then probably two weeks and I’m done and can possibly enjoy the holidays. Wish me luck.
Annie
“So…tell me, am I cursed or what? ”
No, just rather unlucky with cars.
“What have I done to anger the universe so severely?”
Voted for Bush? {kidding!!!!!}
” Am I just bad? Do I deserve it? ”
Certainly not. You simply have to honestly believe that you deserve to have good things happen to you. I know that sounds corny, but it’s true. Expect the universe to treat you well, and most of the time it does.
Whenever I’m having a bad day, I try to remember that tomorrow may very well be a good day, and try not to let it get me down too much. Whenever I’m in a bad stretch, I try to remember that the cycle always turns, eventually. When that doesn’t work, there’s always Old Bushmill’s.
“Should I just become a gansta and go with the flow?”
The thought of you as a gangsta conjures up some rather startling mental images. But going with the flow is often a pretty good idea. Perhaps the universe is not really being bad to you at all, it is merely pushing you in a different, and better, direction.
-smith
But that’s the thing, Smith, I’m not unlucky with cars in the 30 odd years I’ve been driving I’ve only had four cars. And I’m not even sure it’s this car per se or that it’s a lemon - I think it’s more my job then anything else. Since I started that job it seems like the everything has gone wrong. Anyway, that’s my story and I’m sticking to it.
Thursday I give my notice and hopefully my ‘luck’ starts turning around again.
Annie
PS: Me as a gansta is actually funnier than you think - although I do have a penchant for baggy clothes.
WC
oh honey…i don’t think you’re cursed, just having a bad trot is all, and it happens to all of us…with you it’s cars, with me it’s marriages!
you’re quitting your job??? you have another one? or are you gonna travel maybe???? 
Nope, I don’t have another one. But I’ve been squirreling away money for a while now and will probably just take a few weeks off before I get another one. Catch up on some writing and blogging and just take a break through the holidays. I need one.
Annie
But think of the good times …
…
Now don’t shout at me. Only joking.
I remember having a car once that had a ‘phantom’ problem with the electrics. Everything went wrong. Took it the garage loads of times, but the mechanics couldn’t find the problem.
Eventually I sold it. The guy who bought it smashed it up within a week. He was alright, but the car was total scrap.
LOL Tony, actually I have been thinking of the good times - which is why I’ve decided to leave my job. I’ve had precious few since I started working there and that’s just not me. The car thing has been a pain in the arse but I think it’s more a symptom than the problem itself. Know what I mean?
WC
Red said what i wanted to say, but i see by your reply that you trust your mechanic so, m’yeah. i don’t know what else to say about that.
i don’t know anything about cars except how to check the oil and where to put the gas. It sucks that it’s giving you so much trouble and taking your money.
This stretch of unfortunate happenings won’t last forever, Chica. i’m cheering you on from the north and wish you well in your new employment adventures. i hope that the next job you have is a fulfilling, high paying one, where you are treated like the shiny, multifaceted gem that you are!
Aw, that’s sweet, honey. I know that things will turn around. But it’s funny, I also know when things are messed up that there is something I’m not confronting. I have spent months trying not to confront the work situation - out of stubborness, loyalty to friends and denial. Although it’s a little weird to have to think about getting another job - I know it’s what I needed to do for a while. I’ve so not been myself these past few months and I was just unwilling to really face the cause. I don’t relish telling the doc because she is a nice lady and don’t want to leave her strapped but in this case I have to think of what’s good for me I think.
Annie
Sheesh, there’s nothing worse than car trouble, is there? And it’s usually just when you need it too. We forget how reliant we are on our transport sometimes; it’s almost like an extension of ourselves, and we just know when something’s wrong, even if we can’t quite describe it.
When something’s playing up here, I’ll usually give it a solid whack; even if it doesn’t help, it makes me feel better. I imagine you’ve tried that several times already.
I don’t think you’re haunted, though, WC. You’re just having a rotten run of luck. Hopefully it’ll clear up when you get some more time to yourself… hope you enjoy your break.
Thanks, CJ. Yeah it’s been quite the run. And the break will be good - I think it will help.
WC
I know. Me too. You know the car that my husband kept getting tickets in? The one that he’d been in 4 accidents with this year? Last week the transmission dropped. Literally. Droppped out of the damn car. I didn’t even know that was possible.
Sometimes I think I must be reaping the crappy seeds sown by someone else’s life. Because I certainly haven’t done anything to deserve long periods of absolute shit.
This is why we have alcohol. And cigarettes. And chocolate. It makes it all bearable.
Oh my gosh, hon. I didn’t know a transmission could do that either. I feel for you. I hope you didn’t catch anything from me. Yikes.
Love
Annie
Well, letsee…my grandmother said these things always happen in “threes”…or is that Celebrity deaths? hm.
LOL - it may be both.
WC
Well, i am glad that you have decided to take the steps necessary to get your peace back. It is a big change, but you strike me as a woman of resilience and determination.
Good for you!
Yah, I think I just stayed at the party too long. Hard to describe but maybe you know what I mean?
Annie
Oh, well if you think it’s the job and you are able to leave it then by all means leave it because having that in the back of your mind can’t be good for you or for the job. Get those resumes dusted off and get to work to rid yourself of the curse!
Yes, I think that’s what needs to be done - and ultimately is the right road to take. I just realized yesterday that I’d been fighting the obvious for months - and when I realized that I just let whatever I was holding onto go - it seemed right.
WC
After my unfailingly-reliable Mazda was taken out by a deer in the summer of ‘06, I searched around town for a while and finally settled on a virginal-looking (despite 88,000 miles) Infiniti I30 for about a grand below Blue Book. In the first 9000 miles I put nearly $4,000 into that car. In the most recent 6000: $440, most of which was a set of new tires. I think these things just go through spates of crankiness, which eventually abate. Maybe it’s the position of the stars or something.
Hey CG,
Yes, you may be right. It turns out that the new brakes just needed adjustment. So, all seems to be well again with little miss car. Hopefully it will settle down and just drive for a while.
WC
Hi WC,
It’s just a bad time for cars which is affecting my family as well. You may have missed my post on the subject, but one week last month, my son totaled his car (which was repaired for the insurance payout,) my wife totaled her car which wasn’t worth the towing charge to the junk yard, and my truck spontaneously combusted. The truck was returned to life for only $1,000 by our trusty mechanics, who like me because I barbecue for them every year, and which was a good price considering that every belt, hose, wire, and plastic part in, on, and near the engine had to be replaced. Unfortunately, the 1990 full sized GMC pickup with its 350 cubic inch V-8 now runs like new, and it’s no longer easy to keep to the speed limit, so some traffic fines may be added to the repair cost in the near future. On the up side, the Dude, a 1986 Lincoln Town Car that a friend gave us is a nice replacement for my wife’s vehicle, and is running like a champ, although with a professional athlete’s appetite for fuel. It’s also much more likely to survive a collision than any economy car. The moral, if there is any, has to be buy old American cars.
the Grit
Dude, you just had a triple whammy. Man alive. Sounds like things turned out okay in the end, though.
We Californians get very cranky when our cars act up - we depend on them so.
WC
No you are not cursed. You bought a car with problems that’s all. Remember if you continue to focus on having problems with the car then you will have more problems with the car. Things will smooth out.
Thanks for the reassurance - I sure needed it. Yes, all things in perspective, eh?
WC
No wonder Toyota did away with their old slogan “Oh What A Feeling” Sorry to hear of your predicament chica…G~
Wasn’t that the main song in Flashdance?
WC
I also don’t really think you are cursed, but I can certainly see why you might think so! Sheesh! It was exactly one year ago today that I was wondering something similar ~ why us? In the end I decided it had nothing to do with me or us, it just was. Faith comes in believing that you will be ok no matter what.
Anyhow, I truly am trying to not make this all about me! LOL Good luck with your planned changes my dear, I’m looking forward to seeing what comes your way next. The Grand Adventures of Annie!
Jennifer
Hey Sweetie Pie,
Yes, I remember that too - and I couldn’t be happier that things just didn’t turn out the way we thought they might. It’s a good example that things do turn around and often surprise you in the best ways. Thanks for that.
Love
Annie
I think the cure for all of this is to spin in circles in a field of heather, chanting lines from the Necronomicon.
If that doesn’t work, then try burning some sage on the eve before a full moon.
Okay…as long as I don’t have to be naked.
WC
((( WC ))) Cars breaking down just sucks. Hopefully this will be the last of your woes
(((Gracie)))
Yeah, I have a feeling my luck may be turning around soon. I’ll know more tomorrow after I give the boss notice. Hopefully she won’t flip. i don’t think she will though. LOL - cripes I have no idea what she’ll do. I’ll keep you posted.
Love
Annie
I would just become a gangsta if I was you.
( kidding). and drive round all day with Zelda in her white lexus. Ha!!
(((((Hugs))))))
Oh gee Di, the thought of me and Zelda as gangstas is funnier than you know. We wouldn’t be believable I’m sure, but it would be fun to try.
WC
Annie, something else occurred to me when I reread this post. This may very well have occurred to you, as well, and if so, please forgive the additional blathering, but here goes:
I have always believed that deep down we instinctively realize when we’re not where we’re supposed to be, even if we don’t want to consciously admit it. But even when we don’t, the universe does. Sometimes, we find it too difficult, for whatever reasons, to make the change of our own accord, so, sometimes, the universe does it for us.
When this happens, the ensuing days, or months, or even years, can be difficult and painful. We may very well like we are “cursed”. But it has been my experience that when the universe forces us to change direction it is almost always for the best, in the long run. The hard part, of course, is riding out the transition period.
The universe answers our prayers, but it is not always the answer we want, or were even expecting. But the answer we do receive is inevitably the right one.
Hope this helps a little. Be well.
-smith
Hey Smith,
I actually agree with your assessment and have pretty much been thinking the same thing. Life often flags the problem long before you notice it yourself. I’m considering myself flagged. Thanks.
Annie
Hi WC,
In the end, it was good. I would, however, point out that Californians are no more dependent on transportation than most of us. My wife’s clinic is 20 miles away, which is a tiny bit out of reach for daily horse and buggy commuting. Even I, who work at and around home, am hesitant to make the 6 mile hike to the nearest supermarket on a regular basis since, most times of the year, this would result in a race between the perishable food spoiling and my death from not being in good enough shape to do that sort of thing. We’re all in the same boat
the Grit
Well Grit, I suppose those of us who live in historical farmhouses are also in a co-dependent relationship with their vehicles.
WC
Hey, I can relate to the car thing. My car is doing weird things, even after I just spent $2500 at the mechanic. For instance, it doesn’t “roll” to a stop, it jerks to a stop. What do you call that? And there are weird flapping sounds coming from the right side. It’s driving me crazy!
Oh, and I got a speeding ticket two weeks ago and have to go to traffic school on top of paying $200 for the ticket.
Oh, and about that agent who rejected you after four months? She did you a favor. Most agents who are good won’t take four months
Oh my M,
You are having worse stuff than I am. I can’t even imagine what the flapping sound is about - are your tires inflated properly? Jerk to a stop? Hmmm, maybe the brake shoes need adjustment?
Interesting what you say about the agent. I just don’t get why it took so long. Anyway, there are thousands out there, surely there is one for me. Fingers crossed.
WC
PS: Hope things turn around for you. The good news is that you can do traffic school on line - much easier and comfortable too.
I am persevering with the car as I can’t afford to take it back to the mechanic. I have resolved to drive my car until it literally stops in the middle of the freeway and I need to get it towed somewhere (hopefully I will still be alive)
Anyway, I think you will know when you have found the right agent. It will be the one who believes in your writing and who treats you with as much care as she treats her “big-name” clients . . .
Oh, I didn’t know about on-line traffic school. That’s a relief.
I understand the view on the car - I’ve had a car like that in the past. Ironically, once you make such a decision the car usually stops acting up.
You make a good point about the agent - that gives me a different view to work with. Thanks.
Oh yeah, traffic school online. No more sitting in dark dusty rooms with questionable looking people.
Actually too, I felt I learned more on the online school and there was no parking problems either. 
WC