A Bit Of A Whine

[filkertom]

Never lets up, does it?

FenCon was exhausting, but very nice as usual. Spent almost no time with Jeff & Maya Bonhoff, and didn't see Scott Merritt even though I know he was there, but I at least got some face time with some other very nice people, and Marc Gunn and I had more time to talk than we've had in awhile. My Sunday concert went pretty well, considering I was ready to collapse. Just haven't caught up on sleep this weekend.

And so I left the hotel about 4:00-ish, with the damn grinding below getting worse. I knew it was the brakes; I thought and hoped they just needed some brake fluid.

No such luck.

The first fun was when something underneath suddenly when WHANG as if an entire sink had fallen out of the bottom of the van and was dragging. I pulled over as quickly as I could, and a nice couple pulled over as well to help. Turned out I'd run over a TV satellite dish, fallen from some van or other, and they fished it out without having to jack up the van or anything. I thanked them and got on my way.

Now I really wanted to find a service center. And it's getting later in the day on Sunday.

Just about 5:30, I saw a Firestone center on the I-30 westbound service drive. I carefully made my way over there, and hallelujah! They were open. A nice guy named Justin looked under the van, and said the pads 'n' stuff on my front brakes were worn down to pretty much nothing, and the metal supports for them were grinding as well. They were just getting ready to close for the day, but I'm already in the system to get it taken care of as soon as I get there in the morning.

And so I got some munchies from the Target nearby, found the Super 8 just down the road, and here I is.

The brakes will cost about as much as I cleared this weekend. I would complain, but, hey. I've got it to pay for the brakes. And obviously they would've needed work soon.

But this nickel-dime-alla-time stuff is getting hard. I've gotta come out with some new merch, open some new sales possibilities, find new audiences. Or win the damn Mega Millions.

Thanks for listening to me whine. I hope your day's going all right...?

Comments

[maiac.livejournal.com]

I'm just glad the brakes didn't give out in a really bad way. It sucks that the brakes knew just how much money you made this weekend.

[catlin.livejournal.com]

Be careful with firestone, and make them show you the worn part. We have had a problem with them not being very honest in the past.

[sveethot.livejournal.com]

Well, shitski, that sucks wind. Hope the rest of your trip is uneventful.

[mdlbear]

The disk crapped out on my desktop computer last night. Fortunately everything is on the fileserver, which is doing ok, and I was planning to install a new OS (either 64Studio or UbuntuStudio) soon anyway.

[alverant.livejournal.com]

I had a few close calls this year with car repairs too. At least they were caught on time and didn't cause more damage. They weren't cheap but the alternative was more expensive. I don't know how many of the repairs were necessary. Several expensive repairs in the same year can make one suspicious. But my car is 10 years old and these things happen.

My weekend was OK. Got some online time with friends. I'm trying to improve how the main page of DucKon looks. Next week is our first meeting for the next one.

Work is OK. I've hardly seen the boss all last week. Unfortunately that's why it was a better week than most. I got handed an assignment last week due in another four.

Well Civ 5 comes out on Tuesday. The office is near a Best Buy so I can grab it over lunch. And I'm talking with an old boss about doing some freelance work on the weekends. Anything for a few extra bucks for Windycon right?

[wrenn.livejournal.com]

Just as additional confirmation, if it was already 'grinding' then you were already through the pads and into the metal at that point. So replacing it all is what has to happen. (I *was* married to a mechanic/welder/mill-wright with-a-car-habit/obsession for 6 years. /shrug/)

Cars do seem to *know* what you have in ready cash.

[peachtales.livejournal.com]

I'm happy you are ok!
I had a very nice weekend, involving friends, a zoo, too much good food, and a concom meeting. None of it changes my current situation re: the house, but it was nice. :)

[thistlethorn.livejournal.com]

I'm so glad you got your car to a mechanic and yourself safely tucked up in a motel until the brakes can be fixed. But I'm sorry your con $$ are leaving you so soon. Been there, totally understand. :-(

[filkertom.livejournal.com]

Oh, trust me, the part has been worn for a little while. It's only been the past several days that I've heard it, but I remember when the rear brakes went.

[saganth.livejournal.com]

Since I moved to Chicagoland from Buffalo at the end of April, I've had to shell out approximately $1200 in car repairs (fuel leak on top of the gas tank, muffler system rusting away from the catalytic converter and a leaking radiator). I can't afford a new used car and I need a vehicle to limp along in for errands and job interviews. I can relate totally. *sigh*

[zellion.livejournal.com]

Well it was time anyway to find an album to buy that contains "Hey It's Can(n)on." Have had that one stuck in my head all day...

[pjhandley.livejournal.com]

ouch. I understand about nickel & dime. we're there with ya.

And Russ did FenCon, Scott was in Atlanta for some anime show.

[hms42]

I've gotta come out with some new merch

You have been. Band camp concerts, old tapes that were out of print.

I hope your day's going all right...?
Doing good. I got the laundry done that I needed to do so. (Also check your email for a couple of messages on a different topic.)

Thanks for listening to me whine.
You needed to vent. It happens to all of us at time.

[filkertom.livejournal.com]

Which explains why Scott never came out to see me at my table out on the gallery. :)

[dement1a.livejournal.com]

I'm running around much like my icon here. We had to replace the brakes on Luke's car last year... yeah, that one that got totaled a month ago. *sigh*

Also, one rarely needs new rotors, if they're trying to sell you those. Everyplace tries to since they're a huge cash cow ($300 for a $50 part and an hour of labor? Score!) So were I you I might just do the pads and see how that goes. YMMV. (Literally!)

Ah well. I'm glad you're ok, satellite dish and all!

[alverant.livejournal.com]

I'm hoping you like Chicagoland so far. Good luck with the interviews!

[strredwolf.livejournal.com]

Any more concerts you're going to push out to BandCamp? I'm hoping the Anthrocon one pops up soon.

[judifilksign.livejournal.com]

I swear, there is a force out in the universe that knows just exactly how much you make or have, and creates a disaster that costs just a little bit more than that - every freak'n time. Happens to us all of the time, too.

[pocketnaomi.livejournal.com]

I shall whine too, because you made the mistake of asking (at least implicitly) how things are going and to keep you company. I've got money trouble but honestly this isn't about them, for the simple reason that I can't concentrate enough to care about them. I'm buried under pain around level 7 (for reference: childbirth was about 8; 7 is roughly where I was when I emerged from the anaesthesia after the assorted major surgeries I've had in my life) for the last week-plus, with very little respite. Pain meds knock it down to around 5 or 6. I get that much of a break once a day for four hours, because doctors don't like to prescribe anything habituating for more of the time than that. The rest of the time, it's back up to 7 or worse.

I'm getting to the point where waking up in the morning causes me to cry, because I wasn't aware of the pain a minute ago and now I am, and I know I can't go back to sleep for many more hours that are going to hurt as badly as that first moment does.

Meantime, thank you for the vent space, and I'm relieved you're all right even if your brakes and your wallet aren't. Sympathies on the cashflow woes. I agree with Judi -- the universe knows how much money everyone has and creates disasters so that your expenses exceed your income by just enough to cause heartburn. Every time.

[solarbird]

Agh, stupid brakes. But! At least you found out the less-hard-way that doesn't involve fiery death. That's always the good way.

Me, I had a good weekend - can't complain at all, really. New track uploaded on the album (along with some temporary album art because I got sick of looking at their "visualisations"), the best damn bass line I've ever done (on Stars, not uploaded yet 'cause it's not finished but it's close), I got a bunch of gutter filter installed, and the weather was much nicer than it was supposed to be, with all the FOOM FOOM FOOM FOOM rain coming at night. I did miss a housewarming party, tho (laying down some vocals, got inspired, lost track of time then fell over exhausted). I should send them a note.

Good luck coming up with something new. You've got the full-spectrum recording set down, so there's no deficiencies in your aural attack, that's for sure.

[catnip13.livejournal.com]

Cars and cats. Yep.

[starcat-jewel.livejournal.com]

Yep. Scott was at Anime Weekend Atlanta; he hasn't done FenCon for several years now. Russ does it as Instant Attitudes rather than the Emergency Holographic Scott. :-)

[bryanp.livejournal.com]

Sorry to hear of your car woes. Mine has given me no trouble for years and then suddenly this year it's been one little thing after another.

I spent this weekend the same as last weekend - preparing to move from my house into my fiance's house when we return from getting married. Trying to get this house ready to put up for sale. Hoping to be able to squeeze in OVFF but not sure if I'll be able to.

[tomreedtoon.livejournal.com]

Regarding new income streams: I've mentioned it before in regards to Talk Like A Pirate Day. This event has some traction, and if you could get some media time somewhere to sing the song and talk about it next year, it'd get you known.

You're a great entertainer, Tom. You can sing, play and amuse. You currently do so for fandom, but your talents could get you known outside that community. If you could hook up with a few radio stations that have "morning zoos" in the places where you're about to perform, and play a little bit for them under the pretext of promoting the convention, you could get better known. Songs like "Tech Support for Dad" and "The Most Trusted Man In Nigeria" would go over well.

This is blue-skying, of course, but the wider you spread your PR net, the more people will want to know you and buy your stuff. Your stories of convention travel and life on the road, weird as it may sound, remind me of Loretta Lynn, who also started humbly and unpretentiously.

[ladyskada.livejournal.com]

You need people to buy your stuff.

Done.

[filkertom.livejournal.com]

I've got two things to work on when I get home: a couple of commission jobs and uploading four or five concerts. I hope they'll be ready by the weekend.

[filkertom.livejournal.com]

[hugs hugs hugs]

[vettecat.livejournal.com]

Sorry you had to deal with that but glad you're safe.

[kilbia.livejournal.com]

Hugs! I hope that things turn out well in the end. And good on you for keeping the perspective that this expense would've been coming anyway.

I know it still sucks, though. In my case, this past weekend, my husband and I were driving down to San Antonio again to see his brother and we got to talking about how we'd want to handle the matter of getting a new vehicle. And I swear, it's like the truck heard us or something - it's been starting more roughly since it got back.

[phecda.livejournal.com]

So, on that whole new audience thing -- have you considered throwing songs at Maddow and Olberman? There is a potential there for you to be the next Tom Lehrer...

And no, I have no connections, or anything else that can help, but perhaps a youtube channel and putting stuff up on public issues in a timely fashion would get some attention.

[msminlr.livejournal.com]

Tom, you REALLY need to consider breaking the drive to FenCon into three pieces! You are welcome to make the second night with us, and if your vehicle has seating for a second person we should be able to assign you a relief-driver.

OR, we could shovel all your stuff into Rick's van before we put all OUR stuff into it [we are nowhere NEAR challenging its vertical capacity, even if we DID fill up the floor completely this trip] and you could ride to Dallas and back to Little Rock with us.