Nicky Hicks

New Car!

Nicky Hicks — Sat, 28 Aug 2010 01:37:24 +0000

Without further ado….pictures of my new car, which has saved me after the untimely demise of my Intrepid.

Doom! (sort of)

Nicky Hicks — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 06:03:52 +0000

So the word came in and my noble steed has become a noble hunk of shiny metal and plastic parts. Apparently, the problem was not that my car was running low on oil and it wasn’t the fuel injector or anything easy like that. What happened, according to our trusty local mechanics, is that the timing chain snapped and promptly began hurling pieced of itself into the engine…
Which transforms the engine into a loudly knocking, sputtering, slow hunk of “holy crap please don’t blow up before I get home”.
Yeah.
Soooo…Ricardo and I are looking at new (to me) cars to replace my steed.
I am really sad about losing this car because it’s the first car I’ve had in my name that has been completely, totally mine. I still have a soft spot in my heard for that first car, my Mazda B2200 series 4-speed Manual transmission which died of a cracked block after over 250k. I still miss Igor, my 1992 Plymouth Acclaim with it’s crushed front hood – the result of my first accident while trying to go to lunch with a car full of friends during lunch rush hour. But the Steed was my first “My car”. The Mazda had been my grandfather’s (who was also my adopted father) and my love for it stems from that. Igor had belonged to my great-grandparents, and was loved for that and for its war-stories from my high school and early college days.
The Steed was in my name, and brought me from Lubbock to Dallas. New car, new life, newer, stronger relationship with my then-boyfriend/now-fiance, and the last year and a half of college. This car has traveled not just miles, but distances of dreams and desires.
I always wanted to live in or near Dallas. This car brought me here.
I wanted desperately to leave Lubbock, to get to a place where I would feel at home, where I would have friends, and support, and where I wouldn’t feel outcast. This car got me here.
I needed a reliable car to go to and from school, from Plano to Richardson, every day in rain, sleet, day and night. This car did that for me.
I needed to feel independent and responsible. The title was in my name, I arranged the insurance, I kept it clean, installed a new radio, took it for oil changes and car washes, checked tire pressure (though probably less often than I should), changed the air filter…and now it’s gone.
I know at the end of the day it’s an object. It’s inert and really the car doesn’t know, care, or feel anything one way or the other.
But I associate a lot of memories and good things with this car, just like the others, and it’s hard to lose it. I finally got up the courage this evening to go clean all my things out.
I’m insisting that we stick the radio it came with back in so I can keep mine – the radio is what made it personal for me when I got it, since I’m such a music nerd – but I peeled off my UT Dallas stickers as much as I could and now we’ll have to sell it for whatever the parts are worth.
I hope we can find it a good home, but most likely it’ll really be sold for someone who wants parts.
Tomorrow we go looking for a new car for me to try and be buddies with.
I’m restless, and excited, and thinking “Can anything ever be as good as this last one?”
Wish me luck, folks. I need a new ride.
Oh, and if anyone wants a 2002 Dodge Intrepid, I’ve got one for sale.

NEWS! (or not)

Nicky Hicks — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 03:49:10 +0000

So, for those of you who wondered, I did not drop off the face of the Earth! I have, however, had an exhausting time of things lately. Since Lovey’s gotten settled, we’ve been trying to work out a schedule for me to run errands for her while balancing out the errands I need to run for myself. Ricardo has been helping out when I’m tired, busy, or just feeling too frazzled to deal with the madness of the grocery store or the pharmacy.

For the last week and a half, I had a temporary assignment at a place where I was doing some data entry and later on helping out with other things. This job itself was nice, and the people in the workplace were nice, too. To make things more interesting both of the Fridays that I worked at this place, I had to make time in the mornings for an interview for a permanent job. For the first week, I only worked Wed, Thu, Fri – so I just worked an extra hour once I knew about the interview. For the second week, since it was a full week and I knew about the interview Monday, I took half hour lunches and worked a half hour late each day to total up things to 35 hours by Thursday, and only 5 hours left on Friday to have a full-time schedule. This resulted in a couple 9-hour workdays, plus about an hour to get home in traffic, so I’ve been too exhausted to post anything once I made it home.

Today, while on an errand picking up a prescription for Lovey, I got into my car and it wouldn’t start. >.<

While sitting there, at CVS, waiting for my Ricardo to show up and help me out, the only thing I really could do was check the oil (since the battery is under the air filter, it’s harder to take a look at that). Turns out my car was totally out of motor oil. Yeah – that hurts… Since I got my car the oil light has flickered every time the RPMs drop below 1,000. So, you ignore it. It never came on as a steady signal so apparently it was more than a glitch, it was just totally broken. Hence, my not checking the oil when the light was flashing at me (because, as usual, it only came on and flickered when my car was idling below 1,000 RPMs).

CVS does stock motor oil, so I got my work gloves and a funnel out of the trunk and added 4 quarts of oil, after which the car started. Unfortunately, the engine didn’t sound as healthy after that as it had before.

It seems like there was some oil in the engine on the drive to CVS, since my engine wasn’t fused into one massive lump of inert metal, but now the RPMs are dropping from just below the 1,000 mark to around 500 when it idles. Bad, bad, bad.

Ricardo and I are taking the car to the shop tomorrow, and he seems to think it could be something relatively straightforward – like the fuel pump, or the timing chain – causing the real problem…so let’s hope we can get it fixed. Ricardo does have a “spare” car, if it comes down to that, so neither of us will be completely reliant on one vehicle for transportation, but I love my car and I’m hoping it can be fixed quickly (and cheaply!!!).

Also…I should hear back tomorrow about those interviews – so cross your fingers and hope that I get some good news on Monday!!! This one is a job I reeeeeaaallly want!

Rained Out!

Nicky Hicks — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 22:29:16 +0000

First of all, the install of tv/phone/internet went well at Lovey’s. It’s all set up and we tested her phone earlier so that’s working and she should be able to call anyone in Texas without worrying about long distance charges.
When that was done – it took a while! – I went out to lunch with Ricardo at one of our new favorite places to eat. I fell asleep in the car on the way home so he made me take a nap when we got back to my place. Our plan was, after my nap, I’d chill out for a little while then pick him up at 4:30 so we could go see a movie at 5 – but after I picked him up it started pouring rain so hard I could barely see the lines on the road! So, I suggested that we just have a movie night at home. We just got rained out. I don’t mind so much, though. I get cold in theaters, I always want butter on the popcorn in the bottom of the bag instead of all on top, and it’s expensive! Oh, we’ll probably make it up later, but tonight I’m sort of glad we got rained out. It’ll make for a nice evening in.

Wedding Stuff: To H-E-Double-Toothpicks With It!

Nicky Hicks — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 06:11:11 +0000

This is not directed at anyone as an attack or anything, but I am sick of questions about my wedding. No, check-out girl at the grocery store, you are not invited to my wedding. No, classmate from three semesters ago, I like you and all, but you are no invited to my wedding. No, no, no!
IF – and I mean big honking IF with bells on – IF the wedding ever EVER gets planned it will be a small, private affair with immediate family and really, exceptionally close friends ONLY – not casual friends, either, but like “I’ve known you since early childhood, and you’ve seen me at my best and worst, and yes it’s okay if you carve out my liver and sell it on the black market since you’re in a jam” kind of friends.
Now…for now I am totally disgusted with even the word wedding and anything related to it. It’s like the game we played at my friend Jen’s bachelorette party, only instead of stealing a ribbon if you say anything related to the wedding, I will scream bloody murder and start pounding my head into the pavement.
Now, before you panic, this isn’t because there’s anything wrong between me and Ricardo. I still think he hung the moon (and I forgive him for not taking me on that trip with him) and he still seems to think I’m pretty great (which still shocks me) so that’s not a concern.
It’s just that life has gotten in the way of any free time I have, most of the wedding planning relies on me, and I have no freaking clue what I’m doing, where to start, or when I’ll ever have a chance to figure it all out. Life just keeps getting MAJORLY in the way. I needed to get Lovey moved in, I need to find a job, I’m trying to study for A+ Certification, and our budget is limited.

It seemed all simple when we got engaged, but now it’s turned into a big fat ugly mess – and I hope it dies…

Jen has assured me that the engagement is the hardest part…the planning the wedding, the lack of interest on the groom’s part…et cetera.

However, Ricardo does care a lot (he’s pretty picky and I have no set preferences outside of simplicity so that’s another obstacle) and he’s also concerned about the fact that our plans seem to being set to “spin tires” mode right now.

My frustration now stems from that I had gone and made that subject all sidelined and taboo in my mind and someone decided they had to ask me when the wedding was.
Now, this person meant well, but to be painfully blunt (character flaw alert) this particular person isn’t going to be invited because I do not know this person that well, though we are (or were) on friendly terms. This question almost made me lose my temper in a very real and nasty way.

First, because this person is expecting to be invited to my wedding when realistically we hardly know each other. Secondly, because I am – when not apathetic – incredibly frustrating that life doesn’t seem to care when I want to get married and that I need time to plan this all. Thirdly, because it is nobody’s place to push me on this subject – my wedding, Ricardo’s wedding, and nobody else’s. Fourth(ly?), because I had already told this person there were no firm plans but hopefully later this year and I would let him/her know when plans were made so asking me – bugging me about it – when I’d already said “I’ll let you know.” seems intrusive. (I say his/her, by the way, because I don’t want to slip this person’s details out to the general public…it is the internet after all and privacy should be respected even if I’m ranting here.) Lastly, it’s a sensitive subject to me lately and when this person brought it up it meant bringing back all my emotional/mental frustration, confusion, and distress.

Hence, my rant/outburst/warning about the wedding.

I didn’t reply to this person (this took place online) because I do genuinely like and care about him/her and didn’t want to be snotty over what I’m sure was a well intentioned-inquiry, but I was ready to explode. This person will hopefully never see this post – not because I mind them knowing how I feel but because I don’t want to hurt his/her feelings. That’s also why I specified this wasn’t a personal attack post – just venting a little.

I’ve calmed down considerably (not that you can tell be reading this), but that’s just brought me to the point of slightly depressed apathy. My wedding dress, sitting in my closet, seems like an accusation, a cosmic joke on me, and only very slightly inspiring right now. Mostly, it just makes me angry and sad because at this point I feel like I’ll never have the chance to wear it, or that when I do have the chance I’ll have gotten much older to far too fat to fit in it. (I do tend to make things into a catastrophe in my mind – character flaw again.)

I have talked to Ricardo about this all and I think at this point we’re equally puzzled, equally overwhelmed, and unequally upset about the situation. (He manages to be calm and rational; I’m alternately ready to crawl in a hole or take hostages.) The fact that neither of us have a handy solution (unless it’s winning the lottery and hiring a wedding planner) is disheartening.

If you’ve read all the way through this, then thanks for being a pal because I needed to get this off my chest even if it goes out to empty cyberspace. I do have some hope that things will calm down and this will all work out, but for now I can’t see the forest for the trees and letting out some steam in a relatively harmless outlet like this helps more than one would think.

Tomorrow, I’ll be back in action helping (and hopefully not having to argue with) Verizon set up internet, phone, and tv at Lovey’s place – there was some issue with the first order being “not found” by a customer service person…which resulted in a second order of the same service but (likely) for more expense. It should be straightened out, but when they show up for the install tomorrow I’ll be there to make sure it all goes the way it should and that the prices are what they ought to be when all is said and done.

With any luck, I’ll be home in time to have lunch with my fiance (for lack of a better term) and that will help me wind down before I start working on the computer sitting in my living room floor (personal project) and studying for the A+ Certification.

Good News!

Nicky Hicks — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 05:59:38 +0000

This update is coming a week late, but we finally got my grandmother moved into her new apartment! I was quite relieved when all the paperwork went through, and the Assistant Manager – who helped us through the whole process – made sure that everyone was ready to go so that the move-in was delayed only because we had a fun time scheduling movers at the end of the month.
I’ve spent the past week with unpacking, replacing many things that were regrettably left behind and running errands. I’ve made so many runs to Wal-Mart for groceries and odds-and-ends that I think I’ll cry if I have to step through those sliding doors one more time before the weeks is out.
So many things were left behind! Desks, trash cans, a bed frame that was going to go into the smaller second bedroom at the new place as a guest bed, a computer (it was malfunctioning, but perfectly salvageable if I could have just sat down with it for an hour or two!), a table, pots and pans…
So many things are having to be replaced!
There is a bright side to this, though, which is that in replacing these things my grandmother is getting a lot of things that are nicer and in better condition than the things than were left behind. She is enjoying having a place that is not a tiny hole-in-the-wall apartment, and the fact that she’s starting out with sort of a clean slate in terms of decorating and arranging things.
Also, our old house was in a sad state of disrepair because she either physically or monetarily could not take care of upkeep.
Thankfully, she’s mostly settled by now – the most important things are unpacked and Verizon should be coming by Thursday to set up phone, internet and “cable” (fios). Some of the members of the community have noticed us (or her) around and made sure she knows she’s welcome. One couple that lives up on the third floor brought her a loaf of homemade bread and a card to say welcome to the community. Another pair of sweet ladies invited her to bingo nights with their group.
Another advantage – though a little frightening to me – is that the apartment is near enough to mine that, if one wanted, the distance is walk-able (or drive-in-a-cart-able) if you’re willing to cross the street a couple times. The scary part is that the street-crossing is not at a small, residential intersection, but she seems to have gotten the hand of being careful at the cross walks and went out the other day to a small Barbecue place across the street. (I nearly had a heart attack when she told me!)
So…good news all around. Lovey’s settling in well, and things are together enough that I can put my focus back into finding a job.
Along those lines, I’m starting to study for A+ Certification – because it’s one thing to say I’m good with computers and another to have proof on my resume. Ricardo has gifted one of his old, non-working computers to me to fiddle with. (We fixed one up a couple days ago to replace the one that got left behind in the move, which was fun.)
Anyway…I’ll end this rambling update now because it’s late and I need sleep! I have quite a lengthy to-do list for myself since most of my energy has not been going toward things like cleaning my apartment, doing laundry, and job-hunting in the past week.
For family, I’ll make sure that when the new house phone is connected you get Lovey’s number
I hope everyone else is getting to relax a bit – I know I’m going to take a little time when I can – and that you don’t mind my update being so long after the fact!

Complications

Nicky Hicks — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 16:38:41 +0000

So, the apartments that we’re planning on for Lovey needs a TON of paperwork done to prove that she can get the apartment – because it’s income-restricted. The recent sale of our house makes that really complicated because they have to count the proceeds from that sale for two years. The lady that was working with me on all the paperwork explained that she thinks it’ll all turn out fine, but the catch is this: by law she has to tell us it’ll take two weeks for the paperwork to go through. In practice it could be less, or more, but we should expect it to be two weeks.

Since Lovey has to be out of the house by next Tuesday, that means she’ll be bunking here until all the paperwork is settled. For the place and the prices it seems worth it all, but I know it’ll be hard on both of us to share my apartment because it’s not set up for the disabled in any way. The threshold is sort of high, the doorways are narrow, the microwave is above the cooking range so she can’t reach it…the list goes on. All these things can be worked around, but it’s hard on her. I’ll be rearranging my apartment as soon as I know she’s coming so we can fit her bed in my living room for the time being. I’m going to try to find some way that we can do that and give her some privacy…maybe I’ll end up hanging a sheet from the ceiling?

I’m frustrated by the whole process, though thankfully the lady that’s giving us all the paperwork has been wonderful about explaining it all, letting me fill out as much as I can before we mailed it off, and she made sure that I knew that either Lovey or I could call her at any time with questions. It just looked like we were going to get a quick move in date since the apartment is already prepped, and I’m disappointed at the delays.

Good News!

Nicky Hicks — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 15:46:01 +0000

Yesterday we found an apartment for my grandmother! Yay!
This particular apartment is one we looked at when she was here last summer to visit and see a doctor. At that time it didn’t have any vacancies and, because of that, we weren’t able to even view a unit to see how it would be if we made it onto a wait list.
It’s a senior community – over 60 only – the apartment is set up pretty well for the disabled, and they have a lot a little amenities that should make living there a lot more fun and convenient than living in a regular apartment complex.
For one thing, it’s quiet. They have a breakfast for the residents twice a month, plus coffee (or tea) and snacks every morning in the lounge/tv room. They have a small library in the main building, a beauty salon that’s open twice a week, and water and trash pickup is included in the rent. All of those are a big plus. The trash pickup is wonderful. I didn’t realize how nice that was until I moved into my place, where I have trash pickup. It’s wonderful to not have to lug everything out to the dumpster several times a week.
Another big, big plus is that this place has a lot of income controlled units and at the moment they have (well, had since we’re getting it) a two bed/two bath apartment available at the same price as a one bedroom.
The extra space may not have been necessary, but since she’s moving from a three bedroom house it is an advantage. Plus, the master bathroom has enough room for her to get in and out in her wheelchair easily. They also said they’d replace the stove with one that had all the burner knobs on the front so she can reach them, and that anything else she needed they would do. Wonderful!
I’m really glad that everything there is like a little community, too. It would be weird for her, I think, to move to a place where you aren’t always friendly with your neighbors.
Here I hardly know who my neighbors are. I just assume they’re the people I see around my building the most frequently.
At this place, they have little parties and get-togethers, card games, etc. every day. They also have buses that go to the local grocery stores here so if she’d rather get out and go rather than just giving me a list then she should be able to get a ride.
This place is also really close to where I live, so it’s comforting to know that if she needs me for anything I’ll be nearby.
Anyway, I’m planning to go to the gym today (finally I can go without worrying about where my tooth was pulled) and work out. I’m going to have a busy day today!

A Quick Update

Nicky Hicks — Sat, 05 Jun 2010 16:58:36 +0000

I am finally out of the woods with this wisdom tooth business. It turns out the extra days of pain were from dry socket. They took the medicated gauze for that out yesterday, and now I’m pain-free! What a relief!

Pictures from San Antonio, Part 1: The Botanical Gardens

Nicky Hicks — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 20:00:43 +0000

The Rose Garden:

The Conservatory

The Japanese Garden

Botanical Gardens