Gripe session...

All right, Today began as any day.  Angela woke the children got 'em prepped for school, walked 'em up then came home and roused my butt.  We had our coffee then she went off to open the store and I began my routine of cleaning.  Now mind you during the day I don't have anything on electric (cept the fridge, and washer and dryer) AC is shut off at the breaker, and nothing else is running.  So this is why I didn't realize that the lights had been shut off until later in the morning when I went to turn the fan on!  OY!  OK we been down this road before.  I'd paid $700.00 a week ago on a $753.00 light bill (yes folks that's for ONE month) and My fault forgot to pay the other $53.00.  I know my responsibility and all that but it just seems to me that if someone is going to at least make an effort to pay their light bill (in my case 92% of said bill) and in this day and age you'd cut 'em a little slack!  But...no.  Side note for any of you folks reading who DON'T live in Florida (and even some of you who do) This is the result of living in a monopoly driven state.  YES I said the "M" word.  I know they'll fight tooth and nail to say it's not one..but there ya go!  A little info some of you may also not be aware of (facts that my family is PAINFULLY aware of)  But in the state of Florida if you fail to pay your utility bills and get shut off, and do not pay it and restore your power in a suitable amount of time, and you have children...the state will take your children.  Nope I'm not kidding (see the Oct. 1st, 2009 edition of St Petersburg Times, Floridian section "When Love Is Not Enough" by Lane De Gregory).  Also it is against the law to NOT have Power and Water running in your home.  If the city (at least this one) finds out they will condemn your home and evict you!  So no one can tell me that the law makers and utilities are not only in bed together but they take turns wearing the dress, AND share morning biscuits together!  (I direct you to the recent Progress energy 23% rate hike!)  But, hey I know they're REALLY hurting for money!  They may just have to park the Lamborghini and take the Ferrari to the office,  HEAVENS!

OK That rant is over! 
So any way, realizing it's to no avail to fight it, I call the Power company to find out how much I owe (I did say I forgot, remember?) and this Saccharine Syrupy sweet woman who is OH SO SORRY for the inconvenience proceeds to give me the amount and then without prompting, begins to rattle off "assistance" agencies that would be "more then happy" to help me.  I'm polite, and I listen only making a half-hearted mental note of the familiar non-entities shes shooting off.  I should have said don't bother, but hey maybe it makes her feel better, I'm sure she is oblivious to the fact that out of the 6 agencies she re-fers me to, two no longer exist and the other four are so poorly underfunded they are perpetually out of funds 15 minuets after the first of the each month! (a fact I'm well aware her superiors surely fail to inform her of) But I can't help say to myself "Look I paid $700.00 and as much as a strain as that was I can come up with the rest!"  I think I'd rather have the old rude operators I'm use to.  At least there is now false attempt to hide their staunch contempt for my worthless existence, and utter disgust that I have ANY problem paying WHATEVER they deem appropriate.  Hey call me masochistic, but I like honesty!
So what other bug has crawled up my but that I can harp on?  OH yea!  Got into the shop a little after 3.00 pm today, went right to work on finishing the Huffy commuter I'd started last night, when a new customer of ours had come back in with his GT we'd done some tweaking on.  He'd been noticing a creaking, grinding noise in the crank and was wondering if we'd put enough grease in.  Well we gob grease in when we do bearings, our rule is "you can never use to much grease and we use heavy duty automotive Axel grease.  So I get on and try it out...no grind, no squeak.  I ride it up and done the gars around and around and try to mimic the experience...nothing finally while standing and pedaling hard I feel it... the bearings are gone in his pedal.  So we change it.  Then an ensuing farcical comedy.  Of over two hours of tweaking and testing because in changing the handlebars (he went with a taller set) I can't get the front derailleur to work right.  But whats worse is.  I get on it and it works fine, rapid fire Shimano's up down up down smooth as silk, he's watching me I show him he agrees,  up down up down smooth as silk.  He gets on it...GRIND, GRIND, CLUNK, CLUNK, SKIP,SKIP!  Can't get it into this gear can't get it into that gear.  Well after a multitude of attempts he has to go, but we agree that he needs to get a second opinion, this ones a stumper!
I don't like it when I can't satisfy a customer, so it's a little grating.  I referred him to a mechanic I can trust.  I do hope he takes that advice and doesn't go elsewhere or their gonna try and convince him he just needs to buy a new bike.
Wow! that's a lotta bit$#in@ even for me!
OK good stuff!  The Rockadille we battled yesterday went home with the winner today.  He was quite thrilled with the quality of bike he got for a song!  He traded in the bike he had just bought off of Craigslist, once he realized how much it would cost to re-pair or re-place almost everything (serious rust and metal fatigue, the shifter cable was so rusted it snapped in pieces when we tried to test the derailleur).  The Huffy I finished today sold about 15 minutes later (at least I got a pic this time, see below) we cut her a nice deal.  Her son needed it as a replacement bike to get to and from work.  These are the folks we love to work for!  The kids came up to the shop and hung out for awhile, waiting for the lights to be turned back on, and we went next door to Subway (oh yes shameful plug:  the Subway next door for us has a special, every night after five if you buy three or more foot longs you get any on the menu for just $5.00 a piece!!) (plus they give our kids free cookies)  So the 9 of us (soon to be daughter in law and moms best friend joined us(their both Twihards)) Funny, restaurants seem to empty out when we come in...can't figure it out?  Then secure in the fact they had AC to go home to, the place emptied out.  Kaleb's hanging out working tonight as theirs no school tomorrow, hence why I"LL be opening tomorrow (HEHEHEHEH!)
And last but certainly NOT LEAST my awesome son Logan brought me a real neat, and sweet story he wrote for his 3rd grade writing project.  We all have (as parents) certain soft spots for certain children.  Logan, where as outwardly appears just a regular kid, has had it a little tough in his life.  Not to divulge to much, and I hate to get to serious but about 2 years ago, Logan died.  He was clinically dead for over 15 minutes, but his mother god bless her wonderful soul performed CPR until the paramedics arrived and were able to revive him.  As a result of this accident he has a hard time with short term memory retention.  So this story touches me very deeply.  The direction was to write about your fondest, earliest memory.  And as a father and as a bike fanatic it's one of the best gifts I've ever received.  Hope you enjoy it.