A Bad Week in Ardwulfsville

Over the weeekend, I had my credit card number stolen and some bogus charges made to it. Called the bank immediately and was told that I would need to come in to the branch to sign the paperwork the next day. The customer service rep could not tell me which of the two card numbers on the account has been waylaid, so I had to cancel the both of them. Upon arriving at the branch on Saturday, I was told that the charge was a hold and the proper paperwork couldn’t be processed until it actually cleared, and that I would need to come back on Tuesday. Alas, I have an unusual condition called a job which prevents me from getting to the bank during the week, so it would have to wait until the following Saturday.

On Monday night, I blew a tire during an ice storm. I pulled over, of course, and started changing the tire. Five minutes later, the police came by and told me I needed to move – ice sorm and all. So I had to drive on the flat for about a quarter-mile until I exited the highway. Needless to say, the tire was destroyed. Alas, the nuts of the wheel had all be over-torqued, so I had to wait for AAA and their better tools – and even they had to rig a solution to get the things off. I made my way home, slowly, for 40 miles on the donut.

I took Mrs. Ardwulf’s car to work the next day, with the intention that she would take my car in to get the tire fixed today. This morning, her car wouldn’t start – the starter is blown. So I missed half the workday taking my car in myself. New tires cost $237. The tire place informed me that the pressure sensor/valve stem was faulty, and that it was probably the reason the tire went flat in the first place. I called Kia, home of the ‘great auto warranty’ and was told that the factory warranty had expired – I would need to call the dealership to get information on the extended warranty that I’d bought with the car. I did that and it required argument with the service department to even get them to look at the faulty valve stem – they said I’d driven on it, so it would not be covered, and that even replacing the faulty sensor would cost about $200 with installation. Said service department closes at 5 PM every day, so this too has to wait until Saturday.

Thanks to the unpaid break, I get no paycheck this week – Mrs. Ardwulf and I had planned for this – but not for unscheduled car repairs. We’re kind of hosed.

I also have a severe cold that I am working through – because I can’t afford to take time off – and I missed five hours today getting the tires fixed.