The Unbearable Banishment: Unexpected expenses arise

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Unexpected expenses arise

During the last 18 hours I spent in Cleveland visiting my family, the following happened:
  • I received a speeding ticket on I-480. Unbeknown to me, I was going 74 mph in a 60 mph zone. Cost: $155.00
  • 4-Year Old Daughter landed on the side of her foot while on a trampoline. The initial diagnosis was a hairline fracture in her ankle. Later at the pediatric orthopedist, it was discovered she just has a bad sprain. She has to wear a boot and revisit the doctor in a few days. Cost: Still calculating
  • I received a phone call from an exterminator back in New Jersey. As we suspected, there is a carpenter bee hive behind our shutters. What is a carpenter bee? I don't know. Cost: $267.50
  • I stepped in a pile of fresh, moist, squishy dog crap with my new (12-day old) deck shoes. They have a detailed and intricate tread pattern and because they're so new, the treads are quite deep. I had to clean them out with a series of toothpicks. The worst part? 8-Year Old Daughter warned me it was there just :05 minutes prior. I hate dogs and this hasn't helped matters. Cost: Approximately :50 minutes of my precious vacation time
The happy news is that we were undercharged for the hotel to the tune of about $87.00. So there's that to be thankful for.

22 Comments:

Blogger savannah said...

i hate when that happens, sugar. xoxoxoxo

August 11, 2010 at 7:27 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Visiting with family PRICELESS!
MT

ps-posted sauce info

August 11, 2010 at 8:12 PM  
Blogger The Elder said...

You still haven't matched my $900 crown from last month. Hope daughter isn't in pain.

August 11, 2010 at 8:50 PM  
Blogger mapstew said...

I bet she LOVES that boot!

There are always unexpected expenses. Daughter #1 is going to her Debs (sorta like Prom?)later today. Had to have new 'clutch bag' (??), it's fuckin' TINY and costs *%$x*! We've all calmed down now! Back to my decorating! :¬)

August 11, 2010 at 8:54 PM  
Blogger The Unbearable Banishment said...

Savannah: None of it is REALLY bad, thank God. Not even Daughter's injury.

MT: Amen to that! See you in November!

Mr. Elder: If it had been the 8-Year Old there would have been a lot of drama but 4-Year Old couldn't care less. That's the difference between them.

Map: I like reading your stories about your daughtrs. They prepare me for what's coming.

August 11, 2010 at 9:07 PM  
Blogger Zen Mama said...

I have so enjoyed your trip to the Midwest, with all the food, family and fun. Now, to see you are reporting back to us on life, unexpected expenses, which is even more, shall we say, relatable.

August 11, 2010 at 10:17 PM  
Anonymous Sid said...

You hate dogs? What type of person hates dogs???

Shit! The boot/pictures makes it seem more severe than a sprain. I was thinking broken leg for sure.

August 12, 2010 at 1:35 AM  
Anonymous daisyfae said...

ouch. all the way around. as for the trampoline? that was the one serious "Not 'No' but 'Hell, No!'" i put down for my young spawn. there was one in the neighborhood, and my kids were forbidden from using it - and best i can tell, they didn't.

August 12, 2010 at 6:45 AM  
Blogger The Unbearable Banishment said...

Mama: It was a great trip and I still have a thing or two to report, but it is nice to sleep in my own bed again.

Sid: After I posted that, I thought I should go back and edit out or soften the part about hating dogs. But the truth is that I just don't them. They foul my city. I like cats a lot. I've never been woken up at 6:30 on a Saturday by a meowing cat. But you can have dogs.

Daisy: I'm trying not to be an overbearing parent. I want my kids to be kids. But maybe I should have stepped in in this case. Too late, as usual.

August 12, 2010 at 7:03 AM  
Blogger Please Don't Eat With Your Mouth Open said...

I would have loved that boot when I was little. All I wanted when I was really small was to get a go on a pair of crutches and have a cast. Without the pain of anything broken, naturally, but just so I could wear it to school and get everyone to write on it.

August 12, 2010 at 7:19 AM  
Blogger kyknoord said...

Remind me to bring my own toothpicks the next time I visit you.

August 12, 2010 at 12:38 PM  
Blogger Ponita in Real Life said...

Carpenter bees, I believe, use the wood from your house to build their nests... not good.

I know all about unexpected expenses... and I am never prepared for them. :-(

I *have* been wakened by a meowing cat... and my dog never makes a peep. Literally... she does not bark. Ever. Don't hate the dog. Hate the owners for not cleaning up after their pets.

Hope youngest daughter heals up fast!

August 12, 2010 at 6:27 PM  
Blogger Ponita in Real Life said...

PS - An old used toothbrush works wonders for getting whatever out of the treads of shoes. :-)

August 12, 2010 at 6:28 PM  
Blogger The Unbearable Banishment said...

Jo: Actually, I thought it might have been kind of cool for her to have a cast applied while in Cleveland. That way, her aunts, uncles and cousins could all have signed it.

kykn: Just leave your dog at home and you won't need to.

Ponita: I didn't know what carpenter bees were but it sounded like something I didn't want in the house. Thx for the toothbrush tip. Hopefully, I'll never need to use it.

August 12, 2010 at 10:01 PM  
Anonymous dinahmow said...

Or the *current* toothbrush of the dog owner!
Too bad we could'nt have sent autographs for a proper cast.Maybe we still could and you could print them for her scrapbook.
I'd draw a funny cartoon.

August 13, 2010 at 2:51 AM  
Blogger Pat said...

Poor love! Into every life a little rain must fall and you have been having a swell time with all that lovely nosh!

August 13, 2010 at 4:56 AM  
Blogger The Unbearable Banishment said...

Dinah: The boot is almost off already. The cast would have been fun for a day or two but that would have meant no more swimming this summer!

Pat: We're just glad it happened on the LAST day of our trip and not the FIRST.

August 13, 2010 at 6:14 AM  
Anonymous nuttycow said...

Oh dear, poor thing. Glad to hear the boot is off and she's (no doubt) running around again like a mad thing.

August 13, 2010 at 6:45 AM  
Blogger The Unbearable Banishment said...

Nutty: Poor thing? Do you mean my budget for August?

August 13, 2010 at 6:51 AM  
Blogger Ellie said...

Don't hate the dog! Hate the owner.

I know we can't help our tastes! It's what makes the world so seasoned.

August 15, 2010 at 9:07 AM  
Blogger Kono said...

It's dawned on me that children in general are chronic unexpected expenses.

August 15, 2010 at 10:30 AM  
Anonymous Sofia Britts said...

You know what they say -- you can't have happy without a little sad. LOL! But that turns around just as fast, as what the undercharged hotel rates have demonstrated. Well, I guess the lesson here is that you should bring your emergency fund even in family trips. Kono has a point -- children are harbingers of unforeseen spending.

April 18, 2011 at 7:32 AM  

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