Sorry, but there's nothing we can do about it.

I've been told this several times today about one situation or another. It's actually quite humorous that with every call, I received the same answer. In some of the circumstances, it was a relief, while in others, it was just plain annoying. Here's the haps:

• Our water has been tasting a little off, like moldy or dirty, for a week or two. I have talked to others in the county, claiming they found the same thing going on at their house. I even filter my water, and can't enjoy it unless I add a little lemon to it. So I called our waste management (or something) people, leading me on a wild goose chase of about six phone calls, each person claiming that "this is the number you should be calling." Finally, when talking to the right person, she just told me that several people have complained about this, and they do every year since it seems to happen when winter arrives. I haven't noticed it until this year, but she acted like it was just how it is, and there is nothing we can do about it. Looks like we'll be going through a lot of bottled water, which I usually only use in dire circumstances. I guess this is one. Annoying, but we'll live.
• There was an unfortunate turn of events in my kitchen this morning. I simply wanted a bowl of cereal, so I reached for my favorite little Pampered Chef Prep Bowl. As I tried to unstack it from the rest, not one, but all of them came out of the cupboard toward me, one of them landing on one of my favorite Corelle plates, taking both of them to the hard and unforgiving tiled floor. It was a mess. Glass broken like I'd never seen. Into smithereens. Dust. And two of my favorite pieces no less. I am a little neurotic about having complete sets of things, so with two of my sets incomplete, I went promptly making calls. Corelle plates are known for being chip and break resistant, so I thought they have a pretty good warranty. I read up about it online, figured mine broke under replaceable circumstances and gave them a call. Turns out there are only a couple ways to make it eligible for replacement. If it comes to you broken, or if it mysteriously breaks on its own. What is the freaking five year warranty for anyway? I didn't use it as a weapon, or use it to pry anything open, I didn't put it in the oven or on the stove top. It simply fell off the counter, and that isn't good enough for them. For a single salad plate, it will cost over $12.00, with shipping. Not too bad, I know. But still an annoyance.
  
• Now, Pampered Chef has always been good to me as far as returns, and replacements go. In fact, one of these very bowls had broken before, and it was a very simple procedure getting the replacement. So I called Molly, a Pampered Chef consultant and friend, and asked her what steps to take. She said that all I need is my receipt and I'm good to go. So, during one of my last returns, I sent my receipt, being too lazy to copy it, with the item for verification. And I can't find any of the other paperwork. I know it's around here somewhere. So she basically told me that without that, there is nothing I can do. I think I'll search around some more, and make a couple calls. I know this isn't an emergency, but I want my whole set of prep bowls, dang it.
• I went to the dentist a month or so ago inquiring if I needed to get my wisdom teeth out. I had felt a little more pressure than usual, so they took this fancy Panorex x-ray thing. I'm pretty sure I'd had that before, so I'm pretty sure I asked them if it was covered. Or they should've told me that it's usually not, or something. But I just did as I was told, and then we got the bill. About 100 bucks for that since my insurance doesn't cover more than one of those ever 5 years or something, and I guess I didn't have my records from my previous dentist sent. They also said they needed a current x-ray to send to the oral surgeon for when I see him for my wisdom teeth. So no weaseling out of that one. I know, again, it's not much money, but still a blow. I just paid it right then on the phone, and am washing my hands. Nothing I can do about that one.
  
• I thought I'd save the best for last. My car, along with a recently burned out headlight, is sporting a new sound since it's been cold. I don't like weird sounds in cars. So we took it in. I hate taking it in as well. You never know what their gonna start saying you need, and how much money you'll have to throw down. But we trust our new place, so we left it over night for them to check it first thing this morning when it's nice and cold, and the sound is the loudest. It seems to go away as the car and the weather warm up. So I called them up, and he simply said that it was the power steering pump that when cold lets a little air in it making this weird sound. He said his wife's car does the same thing and it sometime happens in the cold weather. Nothing serious or life threatening. Just a little obnoxious. But I can stand sounds if I know I'm not in danger because of it. So he was very kind and said it was fine and ready to pick up. He also looked at another simple, non-scary thing I asked him about (a loose gear shifter thing) and fixed it, no problem. It almost sounded as if there was no charge. Maybe there will be, but I'm sure if he does charge us, it won't be nearly as much as many car fixes seem to be. So this is one of the times I was kind of glad I was told there was nothing I can do, cause it means less money for me to pay.
  

So that is my long and drawn out saga about my day of phone calls, let downs, and surprises. It could be a lot worse, so I'm not complaining, just thought it was quite coincidental.