Lock Woes

Unfortunate things always seem to happen to me on the Thanksgiving weekend that interrupt my efforts to leave town and see my family.

Last year my car wouldn't hold coolant. When it overheated again the day after I refilled it I figured I couldn't trust it to a six hour trip, and I called my Dad to tell him I wasn't coming (at the last minute). I was sad to have to do that because I think Thanksgiving is the time for family, not the time to be stuck at home alone. But then my Dad came to see me, so that was kinda cool. But it left me cooking a Thanksgiving dinner. We had chicken.

This year the problem was that my door wouldn't lock. I went to leave the house this morning and my key wouldn't turn in the lock. Neither would the spare key. Not even after WD-40. Eventually me an the hardware store got it figured out, but it made me late for breakfast and set my travelling plans back about two and a half hours.

When I discovered the problem, I called those in charge of my apartment complex. There was no answer at the office number, which didn't surprise me, so I called the emergency number. Although this wasn't exactly an emergency, I needed it fixed right away so I could leave! But the emergency number only yielded a busy signal - for three hours! And that really frustrated me. One reason why I rent instead of buying a place is that I am no good at these kind of things, and I don't want to have to be responsible for them. At the same time, though, I do try to be low maintenance. I've never called them before. And not getting through tells me to never call again. And what if I had actually had an emergency - something that was causing more damage the longer it continued, like a pipe breaking or the dishwasher flooding or something? What if I couldn't take care of it myself?