I’m a sucker for sappy stories, so I have enjoyed reading the Voices of Katrina blog set up by the Houston Chronicle. My favorite today? The boys who raised $1,005.20 for Katrina survivors with a lemonaide stand in their neighborhood.
(By the way, The Oprah said I can not call them refugees. They are survivors. Not victims, not refugees.)
I had a physical therapy appointment today and as I was leaving I looked at my front tire and thought it looked strange. I went to check the tread to see if it was time to get them replaced, only to discover a cut in my tire. I went straight to the tire shop – I have yet to have a tire go out on me while driving, and I was definitely not going to wait and give it a chance.
While waiting to have two new tires put on my car, one of the servicemen came out to talk to me. I figured it was going to be the usual we’re almost done, blah blah blah speach – instead, he tells me that while taking off a lug nut, the stem (?) broke and, uh, yeah, my tire is basically attached with three bolts instead of four right now. But they are ordering the part and it should be in tomorrow. (Of course, tomorrow morning is the class that is further from home. Getting there involves highway driving normally. I guess I’ll take the backroads tomorrow.)
He then tells me that once they get the part in, I can take it to this other shop down the road to have the part put on – they are only a tire shop, so they can’t do it. He hands me the information sheet for Ultra. While Ultra used to be right down the street from the tire shop, it is now several miles down the road. I cringed, since I am doing my best to keep driving to an absolute minimum these days – $2.95 a gallon is a good motivator for no driving.
I asked him how much it was going to cost me to fix – I wanted to make sure they were covering the bill – and he says, “Oh, it should only be about $100.”
*Gasp*
He then says he is just joking – they will foot the bill, they have an account with that shop which is why they are sending me there. I tell him, really, when it comes to money that is NOT a funny joke. The lady across from me in the waiting area even chimes in that you shouldn’t joke about $100.
I go back to waiting, a bit annoyed about this whole bolt thing, but ok since they will fix it. A different guy brings my car out and comes to tell me that it is ready. As I’m gathering up my things, he starts the “let me tell you what we did…” speech. I cut him off and say, “Yeah, I know, you broke my car.” (referencing the bolt situation.) He responds, “Yes, there is a big crack in your windshield and we took the windshield out.”
What?!?
“Oh, I’m sorry, I was just joking.”
Someone needs to tell these asshats to get a clue – telling a customer that they have done further damage to their car which will cost them more money is not a joke. Not to people that have already had to pay for tires that they probably didn’t want to buy today to begin with. Really, it is never a joke. So not funny. I’ve been know to bust people before … tomorrow, I think I will have to do it again. Asshats.
Thanks to Mike’s parents, we have finally seen the photos of Mike’s Aunt Yvonne’s House, which I posted to Flickr along with the full story. It is the one with the red dot. The photo is a cropped version of one that they were able to pull off of the NOAA site. The site is hard to navigate if you don’t know the layout of New Orleans very well; I found the one on CNN easier to use, although not nearly as detailed.
Thanks to Dell, I was able to look up the local charity groups and learn more about their ranking. In case you want to check them out, they have information on the Houston Food Bank and Northwest Assistance Ministries.
If you want to see some photos that make the need so clear, check out Katya’s Hurricane Katrina set. She has been down at the Dome taking pictures, and they are very poignant.
I wanted to put everything into one post to make it easy to find. If you knit or crochet, you can use your talents to help.
I am collecting knitted goods for the victims of Katrina that are here in Houston. I plan on making baby bootees first – a little yarn goes a long, long way when it comes to bootees. It is 92 degrees in Houston today, so no one needs heavy clothing. As time goes on – I’m sure the victims will be here through the fall – things like blankets, sweaters, and really anything else will be needed. If you would like to send goods, please leave a comment and we will work out the details. One very important detail – make sure the items you send are easy to wash. Yarns that can be tossed in the machine to wash and dry are the best option.
Also, the Knit at Night Guild that I belong to is collecting “stash” items to give to the victims to use to help pass their time. Needles, yarn, patterns whatever you have – they will take it. Again, contact me for more information.
Last but not least, I’m Knitting As Fast As I Can is coordinating efforts for the Red Cross. In exchange for your donations, you will be entered to win knitted goods donated by other knitters. They did their first drawing yesterday. They are also working on auctions for knitted goods. [via Wendy Knits]
Knit for Katrina. You can make a difference.