Have YOU Ever Had One Of Those Days?

Well it's been one of those days for me.  Oh yes.   I broke, the gear-shifter on my Buick. You know that little stick that goes from Park to Drive, well, when it works?  Yeah, that thing.  Oops. 

This is the funny thing, well, there were many funny things about this.  I am probably just so mad at myself that I'm laughing, you know the crazy madwoman cackle because I've about lost my mind after the events of today.  It started out all innocent. I had plans to take my Buick in for service today because the tire was a little low and it has been that way for a while.

I had an appointment even, to have it looked at.  I thought perhaps, it was just a valve stem, or a nail in my tire that I couldn't quite find, who knows, but it's been low on air for a while.   NO THIS IS NOT THE FUNNY PART.  Yes I am a blonde.  I was going to head to this appointment, so I hopped into my Buick, who I have named, 'Billie', you know like the 'Billie Jean' song...

And, IT WOULD NOT GO OUT OF PARK?   I kept trying to no avail, it was locked in PARK. So, being a blonde female, and since I am one, I can pick on them and be safe, right?  I called into the station to ask one of the guys who works there to come outside in the parking lot and help me fix my car.  He couldn't figure it out, but it was nice of him to help, THANK YOU BRIAN.... anyways, he had no idea what the problem was.  So, I kept trying everything I could think of.   Within about two minutes, the gear shifter just snapped in my hand.  Well, it's broken now.

I grabbed my smartphone and called a towtruck.  I told the nice gentleman on the other side of the phone conversation, "My shifter is broken, so I need you to come tow my car."  He asked if I could get it into any gears at all, I said, "No, it's just dangling here... " He then asked me if it runs.  "Yes, nowhere... but it runs... "  So a few minutes later, Mr Tow Truck Dude arrives.  He was laughing at me, I swear, big ol' grin, as I flagged him over to my Buick.

I know this is a long story, BEAR with me here...

He gave me a very serious look and then asked me, "Well, I have two options for you, pick one of the two.  I can haul it on the flatbed or flip it into drive so that you can drive it."  We joked around a little bit about driving the car without a shifter, and at the time I did not really see the humor in the whole thing, but now, again, with my madwoman mental state after the fact, it's hilarious.  So, given that the second option was far more economical AND easier on my precious Buick, I decided to go with what was behind door number 2.  I got it to the shop and everything was grand.  (As far as I know it probably will be too, but oh how I hope not, I just don't know yet what kind of pocketbook damage I have done.)  So, I pull into the garage at the service entrance but I'm far too afraid to shut the car off until it arrives at it's resting place for the evening, and seeings how I cannot get it into any other gear than 'DRIVE', I cannot just get out of the car.  Well, needless to say, and to make a long story short, I got all taken care of and directed to a safe location to shut it off, you know, in front of a mechanic who knows how to deal with these kinds of situations.  ( Not that they probably happen very often.  )   HUGE THANK YOU TO THE AWESOME TOW TRUCK FELLA... & THE NICE SERVICE PEOPLE!

The nice people at the service desk set me up with a rental car, because you know, it might take them a couple days to fix my car.  So, after all of this rotten unexpected luck, I am directed outside and given the keys to a shiny NEW Buick.  I mean NEW.  I mean barely any miles on this BRAND NEW BUICK to drive while mine is at the doctor.

Every cloud does have a silver lining, eh?

A 'Silver Lining' with lightning bolts, thunder, darkness, and ... silver linings.  So this was my day.  I temporarily am the proud driver of a brand new Buick while mine is having surgery. Blonde woman breaks gear shifter...

Anything like this ever happen to you?  What a crazy day.