if it can go wrong, it will

Sounds like a fatalistic attitude? Nah, it's just a plain simple fact of my life. Here's a few examples:

* Remember our broken clothes dryer? Steph thinks that Big Appliance Store Chain has some kind of deal that if one of their repairmen can't fix your appliance, some of the money you would have paid for the repairs can go towards a new appliance from that store. We drove to Troyes yesterday (to run many different errands, as you will see) and stopped by the Big Appliance Store Chain to speak to someone in the SAV department (Service Après Vente, literally Service After Sales) if this were true. Of course, we were given a phone number to call where all our questions in this area would be answered, plus we can make an appointment at that time, too. Steph and I looked at each other in wonder - we're standing in the store but have to go home and call a number. Incredible.

* The car is simply falling apart now, which I suppose is its right after ten years of service. The driver's side window is broken (electric windows are lovely until they don't work) and slowly slides down as you drive, so when you stop you have to slap your hands on either side of the window to push it back up again. If it was any other window (and not the middle of winter) I'm not sure we'd care, since we're planning on replacing the car later this year, but not being able to take parking lot tickets or pay the tolls on the autoroute without getting out of the car is a pain in the rear. At least we were able to pick up the right brake light in Troyes yesterday for the one that blew out.

* So, I'm a bit knitting obsessed at the moment. Steph likes the scarf I'm working on, so it's going to be for him. I've done all I can do with the yarn I have and it's only long enough to throw it jauntily over one shoulder, so I've offered to double it for him (yes, I know the colors may be a bit off since the likelihood of finding the same lot is next to impossible since I bought the yarn online). Steph and I both seem to remember that there is a Phildar shop right in the middle of the shopping district in Troyes. My memory is iffy, but if Phildar is a name that sticks out in my husband's head, we surely can't be wrong, right? So I put off ordering more yarn since we're going to Troyes on Saturday, where we discover that what we thought was a Phildar shop was really something else entirely. I came home quite depressed because this meant that I would have to wait until the middle of next week to receive my order of yarn, which I ordered online first thing after walking in the door, and my anxious fingers don't want to wait.

Basically, we went all the way to Troyes yesterday to buy a new brake light, which we could have done here.

At least the weather was pretty.

Anyway, these may sound like petty annoyances but I promise you, these are simply the tip of the iceburg. Besides, everyone's entitled to a little bitching and moaning now and again, right? So, would you like a little cheese with my whine?