Something that I need to clarify, lest you think I am a crook or something. Generally speaking, when I speak of leaving work early or rolling in late, I have used my accumulated time off entitlement to cover the hours not worked.
Having said that, I took off at mid-morning today and picked up Sneedlet One. He is staying with the lovely Mrs. Sneed and me this evening and tomorrow, a day earlier than normal, because we might be going to Las Vegas on Sunday. By "might" I mean we are. We will be gone Sunday, Monday and Tuesday and we are staying at the Mirage. We have never stayed there before, but I am guessing it is not too different from the other Strip hotels. Some people go to the mountains or to the seashore for Memorial Day. We seek out the only place hotter than our fair city.
Someone asked me today if we were driving to Las Vegas. I know people who drive to Las Vegas from Southern Arizona. You may have heard of them, they are called idiots.
We are flying on Southwest Airlines for $138 each round trip. It will cost us $20 to park at our airport and $20 each way for cab to and from the airport. Our transportation cost for this trip is $335. Counting driving time to the airport, flying time and travel to the hotel in Las Vegas, we will invest 6 to 7 hours getting there and back home.
People who drive to Las Vegas think they are saving money. I am not buying it. The round trip mileage to Las Vegas from our city is about 850 miles. the cost to operate a car is between 40.5 cents (IRS) and 56 cents (AAA) per mile. Using the lower figure, the cost to drive to Las Vegas is .405 x 850 or $344.25. But the clincher for me is that the drive to Las Vegas is 7 hours each way. No thanks. I know plenty of people who can't figure this out, though.
In other news, the Seafood King is out of town this week, so we didn't play golf yesterday. Some Guy Named Bob called and he and I are playing in the morning with some guys I don't know. Should be fun.
In still more news, Younger Son Sneed is back in the hospital for an indefinite stay. We went to his doctor yesterday and he and the doctor agreed that he needed some in patient care to stabilize his situation. In particular he needs someone to regulate his medicines and keep him on a schedule. His mom was doing it, but he insisted on taking over for himself again and this past week has been a disaster as a result. This is a huge problem with people that are mentally ill. There is often no reasoning with them.
We went to visit him tonight and he was in good spirits. He says that confinement suits him at the moment, because he needs the structure. It will be nice not to have to worry about him while we are out of town over the holiday weekend.
And then there is this. The Lovely Mrs. Sneed thinks car maintenance is for chumps, so from time to time I have to commandeer her car and take it in. I took her car to work today because I needed to pick up Sneedlet and he isn't allowed to ride in my truck. Sneedlet and I used this opportunity to take it to our Honda mechanic because it needed an oil change. Mrs. Sneed doesn't drive many miles so we change the oil based upon months instead of miles driven.
When we got to the repair shop, Rod, our Honda guy, told me that we needed the 15,000 mile service done, so the $30 oil change became $165. We plan on driving the Honda for many years, so I don't mind spending a few bucks to keep it fit. I am forever amazed by people who buy a new car and then don't do proper maintenance. Penny wise and pound foolish, as they say.
This guy Rod has a nice little business working Hondas and Acuras. He has been in business for 12 years, after having been a mechanic at a Honda dealership. You can trust Rod to tell you what needs to be done and nothing more. If something can wait he will tell you that too. An honest mechanic is worth his weight in gold. Rod's shop is always busy because he is not a crook.
Things in this blog represented to be fact, may or may not actually be true. The writer is frequently wrong, sometimes just full of it, but always judgmental and cranky
Tag: Daily Life
Personal Finance
Humor
3 comments:
I'm glad younger son Sneed is getting some inpatient treatment. That sounds like a great idea. And as you said, it'll be a huge relief for all of you. It's great that he realizes the need for it, too.
I gotta say, $165 for the regular Honda maintenance is a pretty good deal. I think it used to cost me something like $400 at the dealer, back when I had my car.
They say your chances of getting a good merchanic are about the same as getting a good doctor: 50/50. Or is that 50%?
I wish I had someone to monitor my meds.
Why isn't Sneedlet allowed to ride in your truck?
please post a picture of your truck or a similar truck.
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