SOT: The Black Cloud hanging over me Options

[stepuptotheMike]

Is it they say bad things run in 3's? Well I should be due at this point. Sorry for the vent, but this has been the shittiest week. This is the first week of vacation that I have taken all year as work has been just plain crazy.

So I spend the first couple of days at cubscout camp with my oldest boy. Decent time. Come home early because the wife injured her arm/shoulder and needed some help. So that's when the fun starts.

1. Her laptop pukes and dies. I've repaired the thing a couple of times before but this time the thing is completely gone. It was an Acer disposable laptop, so not totally unexpected. Replacement HP unit..... $700. Cha-Ching

2. Lighting storm comes through and takes out the DirecTV DVR in the family room. Lose all of my recorded shows. Go to BestBuy and buy another one ($100). Of course the communists at DirecTV peg you for another 2 year contract just to activate another stinking receiver. The $100 wasn't too hard to swallow, but the prinicple of the damn 2 year contract to turn on another receiver is rediculous. Especially since they are all "leased" now. I've been with DirecTV for at least 8 years now.

3. So I head out to the garage this morning to get started on a day of finishing projects on the teener. Throw the jack under it and start to lift.......... squish.... jack fluid all over the floor. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/headbang.gif) WTF??? I'm on my 3rd F'ing jack. Granted the first one was an el cheapo sears jack that I had for a good number of years. The 2nd one was a cheapo Northern tool aluminum jack that puked after 6 months. So this third one I bought was a craftsman professional 4 ton heavy ass jack. I don't think the damn thing is a year old.

So now I've got no way to get the car in the air and back on jackstands (where every good teener feels at home). The major projects I need to finish are all underneath the car.

So What the hell am I supposed to buy that isn't going to piss all over my garage floor within 12 months?

ok..... rant over. I feel better.

Mike