The good: My insurance on the condo seems to think I overpaid them so they kicked a $400 check back. I put in a 55 hour week last week, and this week I should be close to, if not more than that. I cancelled the out of pocket dental visits (for now) because they aren't critical, which saves me about $800. So with all of that I could actually manage to go do MFF!

The bad. I cancelled the room reservation, cancelled the flight reservation so no chance in hell I'm going to MFF despite the good. I fired up the 89 GT convertible to drive to a car display today where we do a trick or treat kind of thing. I made it about 120 miles from home (160 to where I was going) when my battery gauge dropped into the red (hmmm not good but maybe not critical yet). Right about that time it felt like there were lead weights strapped to the steering wheel (which means power steering is gone). Final nail was the temp gauge shot to full. So with all that I dove into the rest stop by the freeway, popped the hood and found this http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g.....ps9af24dc1.jpg wrapped around the water pump. That used to be the serpentine belt on the front of the motor that drives all the accessories (water pump, alternator, power steering, air conditioning), so I spent a few hours getting towed home by AAA.

The headdesk: This was pretty much my one day off I'll have in two weeks, the car dies, I didn't get to the event I wanted to go to and mom invited herself over all weekend it seems. The whole belt thing could've been easily prevented if I had checked the belt better (I didn't see any fraying in it or cracking, but I know it's an old belt (maybe the original 25 year old one) and it literally takes like a minute to swap belts.

Installed the new belt and everything seems fine with that at least. Also the cancelled airfare goes towards credit on another flight. I just have to decide when and where I would bother to go it seems.