I got bad gas and the sound that came out was "FORD!"

Maybe I will get a few snarky remarks from friends, maybe I will get some weird looks from family, but I don't care, I am going to say it: Ford sucks, but I can't change brands. I've driven all the other makes, the only one that works in the bush consistently is Ford... for better or worse.

The number one grievance this time around is the fact that I bought an extended warranty policy that is almost useless because I can't afford to book an appointment 1-2 weeks in advance. I never know where I will be or what dealer I will be closest too. Ford states that the warranty is North American wide, but just try to book at any dealer other than the one you bought from and see how you get treated. I feel like I am always low on the totem pole of priorities when I try to get work done.

I came home from the latest job the other day. I have taken to going different routes, trying to find the fastest most direct road with as little aggravating traffic as possible. So this time I came through the Alberta BC border at Baytree, and like always I try to fill up in Alberta so I don't contribute or pay into any socialist British Columbia tax hole and their ongoing green-hippy-bullshit adventures in fleecing the evil motoring public. Anyway I stop at Baytree for what I thought was a good deal, hey $1.14 per liter as opposed to $1.25 in communist BC is a good deal or so I thought. Wrong. Starting my pickup the next day proved troublesome. I got some bad gas. I should have known better...little podunk gas station out in the middle of nowhere with few customers equals slow turnaround and stale water logged gasoline.

And that brings me to the number two grievance against Ford...the dealer in my hometown called Fort Motors. A look back in this blog will show just one instance of how they fucked me over, you will have to take my word that that wasn't the only time. Service is not job #1 there. It pisses me off that in a time of need not even my shadow will darken their doorway. Maybe it's my fault that I have some scruples in who gets my hard earned money, but even if it hurts me in the end it makes me happy that it will never be this dealer. I am proud of the fact that I have never bought a vehicle from them and never will.

I found a private mechanic to scan the codes...misfire on all and random cylinders along with the story and symptoms came to the conclusion of bad gas, I was told to get some fuel conditioner and run the tank out. Its still not 100% but getting better all the time...special thanks to Walts Automotive in FSJ for taking time out of their morning to give the answer I needed.. And to the dealer mentioned: See what I did just now? bad customer experiences are never forgoten or forgiven, only now its online

Half way through 2012...no Mayans to be seen

I haven't posted for almost a month. But I am back working at Edson Alberta again. Had to go into an eye clinic yesterday and they dilated my eyes to take pictures on the inside...cool huh? Made for a very bright world.

I did indeed get some time off finally. It was a good 3 weeks. Didn't do an awful lot, hung out with PG and the kids, went to Avengers, bought some Mothers Day gifts and hurt my fingers learning banjo (I know the "G" lick now, just can't play it fast enough yet). All in all it was good to relax and do nothing.

Went online and bought some gold, much to the chagrin of PG...it's only 5 quarter ounce coins I tell her...and gold is gold! Yeah right..."Its not helping the house down payment fund now is it?" You just never know, maybe it will...but she knows me too well. Knows that I only buy the ones I love and covet. Prying them from my miserly grasp is going to be hard.

We have been actively watching the local MLS listings. Some good houses out there but it seems like there are very few with what we want for less than $400,000. That's a tough mortgage to get my head around. To get even 20% down we need to round up $80,000 and even then it is still a $2,500 payment each month. I need to get it through my head that I need to treat it like an investment opportunity, that no matter what we cannot lose and the money is not going down the drain.

The small city we are looking at (my home town) has a very bright future I believe. With ongoing big oil and gas activity some forestry and the kicker is a multi year dam project the will probably get built (though I am totally against it). I think it may hurt even more to not buy now and then watch as housing prices go through the roof...but the question is: Do I really think I can get at least a 20% return when I go to sell the hypothetical house...if we ever do? And what if we are just now entering the biggest depression the world has ever seen and the plunge of 2008 was just a popcorn fart in the whole scheme of things?

These are the questions going round and round in my mind.