Today I am thankful for OBD II code readers.
At least I was thankful for it, until Michael gave it away.
My car bit the dust last month, the day after I signed my mini-van over to Michael. An employee of CenturyLink hit the van and his company offered Michael $1980.00 for the damage.
Michael was awarded the sportscar in the divorce. I got the mini-van I paid for with student loan money. Michael started driving my van the day of the divorce claiming that the car was damage beyond repair.
So, it was my car. It was my money. I signed the title over to Michael as I thought that money would help him move out of my house.
Now, I don't know if Michael was being helpful or sabotaging. He and the neighbor offered to fix my car as it needed a new water pump. They put tap water in the cooling system. When it started up and ran for several minutes, it began to heat up very fast.
Water heats up much faster than coolant.
At this point, my car needed a new motor and a coolant flush.
I started shopping for cars. On the first day, I took the OBD II reader with me. I can not believe the sheer number of people selling cars who claim they have no idea why their "check engine light" is on.
I could tell them before walking away.
The very next day, the code reader was gone. Michael claims that he lent it to the neighbor who never returns the things he borrows.
I'll never see it again.
******
Since my car has died, Michael is claiming to be traveling from state to state selling insurance and not making any money. I think he's probably staying with his mother.
He doesn't have an insurance license. He can't sell without a license.
He's only gone a few days at a time. Then he returns, needing food and money.
The lawyer says that I cannot change the locks until he has been property evicted.
During my car hunt, I became desperate. We're running low on food. Almost everything I do is either on foot or via public transportation. All the cars I looked at had to be on bus routes.
I decided not to buy an expensive car from a dealership until Michael was away from the house. The goal was to buy an inexpensive car I wouldn't care if it were messed with and that I could give to my daughters once my financial situation improved.
I did buy a car. I bought it from a local Hispanic family. It cost $3,400 and in the same room as my mechanic, their son swore up and down that it only idled rough because it had been sitting. I asked Michael to drive the car and give an opinion because his daughters will learn to drive in it. Michael drove the car and said it was good. The mechanic said the young man could be right.
This was a time when I needed the code reader.
I bought the car, only to find that the previous owner messed with the title. The car was rebuilt from salvage.
Before I bought the car, their son spoke English. Now, no one speaks English. I couldn't communicate well enough in Spanish to get his mother (the registered owner) to sign a newly required "Notice of Title Brand" form so that I could get a new title.
Years ago, salvage titles had a big capital S on the upper right of the title. Now, they just have a space that reads TITLE BRANDS. Someone in that family must have erased it.
I couldn't get the car titled without getting a bond.
A few days later, my mechanic changed his mind. He looked over the car and found that someone in the family had cut the wires to the check engine light and that the fourth cylinder of the engine was filled with coolant (which explains why it idled rough before it warmed up).
The code reader would have caught the issue.
I now have two junk cars, with the exact same problem, and a decimated savings account.
I also (allegedly) have over 400 djinn. A certain family is going to take a karmic hit for $3,400. An abusive guy I dated briefly told people that demons plagued him after he got nasty with me. I think he was being a jerk trying to betray me by revealing my religion. Everyone knows I'm Pagan. These people probably think he's insane. I think the demons plaguing him are of his own creation.
As far as this situation, I'll get the money back.....somehow.
The legislators I know are going to get a swift tongue lashing. What the heck? I can't register a car for my own damn good because someone did not disclose an accident in writing?
If it's that big of a frickin' deal, please consider printing the titles of such cars on another color of paper than regular titles! That way, if someone gets creative with an eraser....a buyer can still tell that the car carries a title brand.
Apparently, the law that is preventing me from registering the car was put into effect last year.
If I could register the car, I'd pay another mechanic I know $2,000 to fix it. That way, I'd know it was safe. It's not worth the effort, if I can't register it without taking out a bond.
Nannyism - it really messes everything up.
Actually, it is control that messes everything up. I'm dealing with too much control.
*******
The friend who was trying to help me with a car has fallen ill. It's Ramadan and he's very devout. He hasn't been eating or drinking water and his doctor told him to rest. I'm not going to bother him, so I've decided to strike out on the car search on my own.
I've been going from dealership to dealership. It's insane.
The first one wouldn't sell me used cars under $10,000 although they are on the website. I don't want to risk an expensive item being vandalized due to issues I'm having with other property being destroyed**.
The second one has a creepy sales guy who texts me weird things. He wants to pick me up. He thinks I want a Subaru. He'll text saying that we have appointments we don't have. He also made several hard credit checks which lowered my score. I will never buy from that chain....ever.
The third one would not let my mechanic look at the car I was willing to pay cash for. In fact, he didn't even want me to hire a mobile mechanic. There must be something wrong with the vehicle.
The fourth one tried incredibly hard to get me to lease a new Honda Accord when I just wanted to pay cash for a vintage one in their used lot. After two hours at the dealership, I walked out. I can't afford to miss the last bus home.
I think I'll have luck with the fifth dealership. It's a cash only dealership. The owner welcomes mechanics. The only problem is that it is on the outskirts of town, two miles away from the nearest bus stop.
*******
People ask why I don't use Uber or Lyft.
Both of my smart phones have been destroyed. Although I have a data plan, I cannot seem to connect to the internet unless it is with wifi. In fact, I cannot use most apps on either of the phones.
I can't count on Uber and Lyft until I figure out why my phones aren't working. One is an LG and the other is branded Blu. The cheap one was supposed to be for emergencies because the LG is hacked a lot.
I still get creepy calls that last several minutes. They are no longer silent. I hear Michael in the background. During one of these calls, I overheard him complaining about me giving him the title of the mini-van.
He kept going on and on about me calling him "en-titled."
Why pun-ish me that way?
Sigh.....
If I have my phone reset, I'll lose those messages and the proof of who is sending them.
********
The remainder of my savings if probably going to go to legal fees and to purchase another car.
I tried to take out a car loan but they needed me to prove that I receive child support.
It was the same for the HELOC.
I don't receive child support. I probably never will.
I need a car for my job, so I'm now looking for a new job with hours that work with public transportation.
This is what I'm going to do today. I was supposed to be in Taos with the kids. Instead I'll be car shopping.
********
My lawyer sent an eviction letter to my ex-husband. It arrived on Friday. I see it on my ex-husband's chair unopened. My ex claims he never received it.
I came home from work on Saturday and found that someone had damaged the screen to my laptop making it hard to sign on to the computer. It now has several cracks. This is the one with the keylogger that I cannot use anyway.
I'm going to have to find a way to transfer my work to another computer.
Of course, my ex-husband doesn't know how the computer was damaged.
This is why I can't have nice things.
They get vandalized.
I'm sure I could get a restraining order due to the vandalism. It's a form of psychological and financial abuse.
*********
I am paying for things for Michael. He'll say that he'll give me rides to work if I pay for his auto insurance or phone bill. I pay them. Then he'll pick me up and go to a gas station where I will have to pay to fill up his gas tank.
I can't do this anymore. I can't afford to do this. He's expensive!! I only make half of what he used to make!
He says he doesn't want a relationship but he doesn't want to leave. I thought about paying a Marriage and Family Therapist to explain how this is impacting the kids. He won't go.
He doesn't want to look for a job with an hourly wage.
He's making stupid decisions. I don't want to continue to pay for them.
I have a business that is commission only. It's a side job. I also have a job that pays the bills.
I tried to explain that until one is established, it is hard to support oneself entirely with a commission only job. He may wish to find an hourly job that can give him some spending money.
He won't listen.
He's told me in the past that I'm "a woman. Women are Stupid" and that he doesn't have to listen to women.
I need $1,500 before the lawyer will start the contempt citation.
I don't think I'll ever be free.
I think all of these crazy things happen to me to keep me off-kilter and unable to solve the problems.
I think much of this chaos is designed to keep me stuck.
Someday I'll laugh about this.
Someday......
Hope your days are brighter than mine.
Love,
S.
EDIT SOME TIME LATER: I was able to find a young bi-lingual family who needed a car. The man was a mechanic and he knew how to get the car bonded if the woman who owned it previously wouldn't cooperate. They towed the Nissan away. It was a beautiful car and it had very low miles. All they needed to do is get a new engine. It only cost them the registration fees and the cost of a new engine.
It took six months to find this family. I'm thankful my nasty neighbor didn't call Code Enforcement on me because I never moved the car from my driveway. Beautiful things happen when we are patient with one another.
Happy endings are the best.
Happy endings are the best.
For the Witches:
SPELL TO RECOVER STOLEN MONEY
Burn the Pine Incense and wave it over the salt. Do this for several minutes.
Chant: Come back to me That which has been Unrightfully taken Away with the wind Return to me Thief (or Conman/Swindler) on the prowl. It is mine I order you now This spell is true And harms no one As I will it It is done
Next, pour the enchanted salt in a path to your front door and before long your money will follow! The money will not necessarily come from the pocket of the thief and into your hands, but the Universe will work it out in such a way that the thief will lose the same amount of money that you receive which will, of course, be the same amount they had originally stolen from you.