I have been very busy lately! I had to go to the emergency room for an infection in my foot and an allergic reaction to the antibiotic. After the visit I still had a rash all over my body and extremely puffy eyes. I had my relatives come over to give me a blessing of wellness.
A couple days later I flew back to Washington and picked up a 16' rental truck to get my bicycle, tools, and car parts. The house had no electricity or water, but I camped out there with some friends who loaded the moving truck. I also hired two professional movers to help them get it loaded. Well, they got the truck loaded in one day, but it turned out that my roommate still had a lot of stuff there that he wanted brought back, so after loading his things there was almost no room left for my stuff. I got my bicycle, tools, and a few of my car parts on, but had to leave the majority of my car parts behind once again.
I drove the moving truck to Utah to attend my sister's wedding. It was a good experience and I got to see many people I hadn't seen in years. I was also able to sneak away for my 10 year high school class reunion. It was a small turnout, but it was nice to see some people that I hadn't seen in years.
My roommate called to tell me that someone had gotten into my 300SD and threw the papers in the glovebox all over. Fortunately, it seems nothing was stolen and even the radio was still in it. He proceeded to lecture me on locking my doors, though I physically cannot lock them since something is wrong with the vacuum system and my keys don't even fit the door locks.
I drove from Utah to Arizona and I had movers scheduled to unload the truck at 8 AM the next morning by the same moving company that had unloaded the truck the last time and done a great job. I waited around for the movers, and at 9 AM I called to ask if they were on their way. The owner told me that he was on vacation and forgot about the appointment. He apologized and said he would come out personally with a couple of workers and today I would get "great service".
Three hours later two lazy-looking guys in a beat-up car with no front end rolled up. One of them asked me if I had a computer and could get him the number for Check Into Cash. I did so and he proceeded to call them and talk to them about paying off a loan. When they started working they weren't very careful with things and broke my roommate's large decorative pot. After working for two hours they got really antsy about wanting to get out of here and were constantly asking if their boss had called me yet. It took them four hours to do what should have been a two hour job.
When they were done I called the owner about the broken pot and then he had me give them the phone so he could speak with them privately. The owner said he would make it right with me if I gave him a value, so I told him I would ask my roommate what he thought it was worth and would call him back. When the movers drove off, they left a large run-over soft drink cup in the road that I had to pick up.
When I called back the owner and told him my roommate valued the pot at $50, he proceeded to tell me that he was only liable for 60 cents a pound, etc. and that he wouldn't pay because his guys said that my roommate and I were helping them unload the truck, which caused the load to shift and the pot to break. I told him that wasn't possible, because my roommate was not even there at the time (he was at an unemployment meeting) and I was on crutches and not able to lift anything (the movers were obviously lying to protect themselves).
So, I sent him pictures of the broken pot and am trying to get him to make things right with my roommate. The first time they were so good, but this last time they gave horrible service. I actually expected a discount, or at least for the owner to show up to help and "give great service" like he had said since they "forgot" about the appointment.
After the moving fiasco was over, I went to the podiatrist's office to see how my foot was doing. The doctor said that three of the broken toes were nearly healed and he was even bending them. The bones in the worst of the toes were still too far apart to heal, but had moved closer since the last time I was there. The infection is nearly gone as well. The doctor said I could start walking short distances in my walking boot, so now I can walk a little and carry light objects.
The 300SD now has a place in the garage next to my roommate's car.
When I was at my mother's house, I picked up a package that I had delivered there from w116.org forum member sclass. I had it delivered there because I didn't know where I would be living at the time it was shipped. It took the postal service three months to deliver it from South Africa, but it was well worth the wait. Inside was a long-searched-for oil pan skid plate for my 300SD along with a spare set of manual window regulators (including a couple window crank pads that match my interior). Not only did sclass make me a great deal on the parts, but he even went so far as to have the skid plate powdercoated for me! It arrived looking like a brand new part. I am so happy with my purchase and it has helped take my mind off of the difficulties in my life. I am glad that there are people in my life that care.
