Oil Change

Ok, so yesterday my husband mentioned that he had to change the oil in the car before going on a trip this morning and he didn't want to do. I piped in "I'll do it" - thinking 2 things. A: How hard could it be, and B: It'd be a good skill to have in life.

Yeah.

So, I tell him to just verbally walk me through it. We start by putting on the emergency brake, jacking up the car (both no prob) and then he says "grab your wrench and take off the bolt on the oil pan." Ok... so I find it and start to pull.

Nothing.

I'm pulling with one hand, then with two, my legs are even off the ground as I'm trying with my entire body to get this stupid bolt off. (and mind you our driveway is paved but it's one of those... I don't know... like chipped paving... it's a rough surface and sucks to lay on.) All the while my husband's saying stuff like "Ya ok? Counter-clockwise... Ya got it?" To which I'm silently TRYING to get this stinkin' bolt off.

Then my 2 year old daughter says "Why are you doing that Mommy" ever so innocently and I reply, "Because I can do anything Daddy can do and probably better". (I glance out and see my patient and amused husband smiling (he's knows I'm slightly competitive).

So, still can't get the bolt off but I'll be DARNED if I ask for his help! Alas, after a neck injury and 10 minutes of trying with all my being, he said "Would you JUST let me help you?" and I relented.

Not happy.

He loosened it for me and I got back under the car.

Now I want you to understand that he's the kind of person who tells you stuff 30 seconds too late for it to actually help. So as I loosen the bolt the rest of the way and it shoots off into the catch pan (now filling with dirty oil) he says "Now you're gonna want to be careful not to drop the bolt in the pan or you'll have to get pretty messy getting it out."

Thanks, Dear.

So it goes on like this.

Now, I want to point out that I have a head-cold. I feel like crap. My body is resting on this rough payment. There's bugs crawling all over me. I'm already ENTIRELY stressed out about our move, and life in general lately. And now I'm in over my head with this (but obviously won't admit!) My husband is at it again with the "Counter clock wise. COUNTER CLOCK WISE." Saying it like some idiot who tries to talk to foreigners in English and thinks they'll understand better if they speak really slowly and really loudly. And I'm trying to patiently reply "I AM going counter clock wise."

At the same time, two chubby little purple-nail-polished feet stand but inches from me as my daughter sings over-and-over-and-over "Zippity Doo Da" and plays with something under the hood of the car thus making smutz fall in my eyes. And, again, patiently I'm trying to say stuff like "Honey. H...Honey. HONEY. Stop playing with that. Stop. No, stop please stuff is falling in Mommy's eyes. Honey.... Ok, could we sing a different song?..." (To no avail).

So whatever. Anyway, the oil got changed but as I was finishing up my husband's like "See, it costs about $30 to have that done at the shop and you just did it for $9" all proud. To myself I'm thinking "$21 bucks. $21 stinkin' bucks. Are you kidding me?! That's all."

I think that is one thing I will pay to have done from now on! :)