Fcking Fourth, Red flags
My July 4th weekend started off with a Saturday of normal tasks including mowing the grass which is now a weekly requirement. Mowing requires a bit more attention as I need to maneuver around the areas where the bahia sod was laid which wont be able to be mowed for weeks. I also handled a few minor projects throughout the day as I did my spot checks of tropical storm Elsa predictions, which seemed pretty favorable for our area.
Katie and DJ came over later in the afternoon. We had fun as always. DJ and I spent a lot of pool time together. Towards the end of their visit Deb came over to hang out as well. Saturday night we watched Tomorrow War on Amazon Prime with Chris Pratt. It was entertaining and lengthy with a final fight scene that made me laugh out loud, it was that silly. I’d give it a B.
Sunday was the fourth of July, a holiday I sort of used to like when I was younger but now can’t stand. The only good aspect of it is it is a work holiday. The reason for my about face is dog ownership and specifically just how terrified most dogs are of fireworks. Nicki was always terrified of fireworks and Sadie is scared too but Elsa may be the most scared of all of them. She will cower, shake and hide in the tub for hours. There is very little we can do to comfort her.
It doesn’t help that the neighbors are the type that like to have their own personal fireworks display, maximizing the noise for all around them. It’s really frustrating but there is nothing I can really do about it, it’s legal to set off fireworks 3 days of the year if my memory is correct, New Years Eve, New Years Day, and Fourth of July. The area we live is filled with people that set off their own fireworks. I often wonder if these people have dogs and if so does their burning desire to see things blow up override any concern for their animals? It’s one of the many things in the world that just don’t compute in my brain. If fireworks are so exciting for you, go see one of the professional public displays, right?
Deb was over again yesterday for our BIG 4th celebration which included veggie dogs for me, Miller Lite, and macaroni salad. I also took a long ride out to Ave Maria on the Sherman, my first real long trip on the wheel since I did all that work.
I have had a few frustrating phone conversations with Vroom support agents, trying to figure out where the paperwork is that was supposed to be Fed Ex’d to me. I was not happy when i realized that it appears that Vroom has an outsourced Indian call center, one of my pet peeves that will immediately turn me off to a company. The inability to get me a clear answer on when I will be receiving the documents was frustrating. My latest call this morning ended with an assurance that the paperwork will be sent out tomorrow. However my confidence in that going down is not very high.
A quick search on Vroom customer service paints a pretty scary picture of furious customers that have dealt with a variety of issues both with buying and selling vehicles. None of it gave me a very warm feeling when it comes to doing a 50k transaction with them which requires them to both pay me and the lien holder. I am still moving cautiously forward but if there are any more delays I am not afraid to pull the ripcord on the entire deal.
The rest of today should be pretty chill. Cindy spent time outside gathering up small plants vulnerable to the potentially strong tropical force winds Elsa could bring tomorrow. My concern level for the storm still is relatively low, a feeling that seems shared by most in my area, there weren’t even lines at gas stations. We have thunderstorms that can deliver the same if not more punch, just not potentially for as long. Hopefully it is a non-event for us.