It Never Rains...

This afternoon, we were on our way out to Fernley to have a look at the house we still want to buy if we can swing the private financing. (And it looks like we might be able to make it happen, particularly if there isn't really anyone bidding against us, just a 'bot, so the bank just gets its asking price. Woe unto us; had we started this search a month sooner, we would probably have been in business by now.)

( Then my van broke down on the freeway )

We got back to Reno too late once again to go to the Nugget for dinner, and after dealing with a day's accumulated mail, we didn't actually get to dinner until about midnight. We initially were going to go to the 24-hour restaurant in the Silver Legacy (Circus Circus appears to no longer have a 24-hour restaurant), but the booming music from the nearby Rum Bullions bar drove us away and into the adjacent El Dorado (the three casinos are interconnected), where we had a very nice, quiet dinner. The server made a slight error on my order, and to apologize gave me a slice of sugar-free cheesecake for free. I appreciate the service.

There's a chance I may have to stay over several extra days in Reno waiting for my van to be repaired, but I have no time off days left. Fortunately, I think I could "work from home" in the sense of working from the hotel room. With the mechanic's shop just a few blocks from here, it would be easy to collect the van once it's ready. Circus Circus also has "half-day" rates, so if I have to stay until, say, 6 PM, that might be doable. There's certainly no danger of the place filling up. Reno is very quiet right now.

If I have to stay more days, my AAA trip-interruption insurance should pay for the extra hotel nights and meals beyond those previously planned. I hope there isn't some clause that says if you claim beyond a certain threshold your insurance is cancelled, because this would make it the third straight July in a row that I've had an interrupted road trip due to vehicle failure. And it has been a different vehicle each time!

Pre-emptive Cancellation

I had two separate medical appointments scheduled for next Monday morning. (I was trying to be efficient and make one trip to Palo Alto Medical Center serve for both a general diabetes check and my annual diabetic eye screening.) Although I still don't know whether the mechanics will have my van ready today, I think it's prudent to proceed as if it won't be. I can, after all, reschedule the appointments later when I know I'll be back in the Bay Area with a working vehicle. Also, it will give me a chance to schedule the eye exam for late afternoon so I can do it after work, since dilating my eyes makes me useless for close-up work for a couple of hours.

Minor Problems Cleared

There are still some major issues in my life, including of course that house in Fernley and some family issues that don't go in this LJ, but some of the minor annoyances have cleared and not been as bad as they could have been.

( Rolling Again )

I have good things to say about Greg's Garage on Sixth Street in Reno. They were very professional and efficient, and they managed to turn my van around even though they were swamped with work. They were also very polite to Lisa and didn't try to patronize her, which is always welcome since she's very much a better mechanic than I am. (I can hold tools and follow directions, but Lisa is the diagnostician.) I expect that this is a place we may want to return for work if we do manage to pull off a relocation to this area, as it's no farther from Fernley than Mehama is from West Salem.

After a hot day driving back and forth between Reno and Fernley, we headed back to the hotel room to cool off and decompress some. Tonight we'll be heading over to the Nugget to finally have our beloved shrimp pan roast. Then we'll cash in one of our coupons to buy a 50-draw keno ticket (10 cents/play) for travelswithkuma.