Last B & G Bazaar of 2019 is This Coming Saturday

The last B&G Sponsored Events Bazaar of 2019 is almost here. On Saturday, December 14th–God willing and the creeks don’t rise (my SUV is going into the shop on Friday for a tune-up. They promise to have it back to me by end of day so I can use it to get to the bazaar) –I’ll be there at a table showcasing my books.

Location:

First Christian Church (not a church-sponsored event)

602 North Orchard Street Tacoma WA 98406

Time:

10 AM to 5 PM

 

Free parking, free access for shoppers.

 

Santa will be there between 11:30 and 4, so bring your kids, holiday shoppers!

 

I think this will be my last outing with B&G. Books don’t sell very well at crafts bazaars, for some reason.

 

I’m going to see if I can interest enough local authors to throw an Authors Bazaar sometime in 2020 to see how that goes. If we advertise well enough to book lovers, we should get a targeted audience to turn out, and that’s always better than “come rummage around for anything that might tickle your fancy.”  Most people, sadly, aren’t readers these days…

 

I’ve been thinking about doing this for quite some time, but haven’t really kicked myself into high gear yet and actually done it. I have access to lots of local writers. I belong to Creative Colloquy here in Tacoma, and King’s Books is a favorite haunt of mine.  When I presented at King’s Books a couple years ago, we got a sizable turnout. Sweet Pea (owner) said it was a great turnout for a first show: I think we counted 12 or 14 people, and at least half of them bought books…

 

B&G has some terrific vendors and treasures. I’ve enjoyed my time with them immensely this year, but the gig just isn’t getting me the sales or connections I usually get when I carefully research where I could be getting the biggest bang for my buck. So, for me, it isn’t converting well enough to make it a habit. (One of my author friends also tried it once, did slightly better than I did, but not significantly better to make it a staple venue for him, either.) I sure did appreciate the opportunity to give it a try, though! And Bill and Gail and their daughters will always remain good friends, I’m sure. (We connected because of our mutual affection for DeForest Kelley and Star Trek.)

 

In Other News…

Wanna know what chaps my hide?

I used to believe that anyone who used their own name as their business name had to be a straight shooter–which is why I used my own name when I became  a professional writer– because I figured no one would besmirch their own name by dealing underhandedly with their clients or customers. I certainly wouldn’t.

I was rudely disabused of this fantasy by people named Trump, and more recently I have come to discover that someone local whom I formerly considered an honorable guy is in the same ego-bloated boat, oblivious to the damage he’s doing to his name. I won’t name him here, but I will tell the story of what happened to me when he “served” (I use the term sarcastically, so it’s in quotes here) me

 

As of Friday evening, I will have put more than $2,000 into repairs (and the repairing of repairs) into my SUV recently. It’s approaching 100,000 miles and Jerry at Dodd’s Automotive (who I adore for his true concern and care for his customers) says it has zero major issues but several minor ones that need to be addressed before they cause major issues.

 

First off, I need a tune-up. I thought I just got one (spark plugs, wires, gasket replacements, etc.) from a backyard mechanic I know, but because I bought after market materials at O’Reilly’s instead of OEM for him to install (he gave me the list of what to buy), the tune-up went south almost immediately. Most of the new spark plugs are fouled. So they and the wires and coils all need to be replaced AGAIN, this time with OEM materials so my SUV communicates and dances with them properly. I paid $230 for the parts and $300 for six hours of the mechanic’s time, so that was $530 total…all down the drain.

 

I had it in to Dodd’s for fluid flushing and other miscellaneous maintenance a little over a month ago. That was about $230 at that time. (I have NO beef with Dodd’s. They’re the full meal deal.)

 

Jerry at Dodd’s is straight with me. He says the motor mounts (which were only cracked) didn’t need to be swapped out at all, but another service station told me they did (based on a suggestion I got from Les Schwab after they drove it and heard the intermittent clunk I’ve been experiencing when shifting from reverse or neutral to drive) and I believed them, so there went $533 plus the $220 I had in the kitty at that place for “future repairs”.

 

Jerry told me the price the other outfit got for replacing the two motor mounts was ridiculously high and showed me what Dodd’s would have done it for. (Slow burn.) I should have asked them for a quote before having it done and then just closed my account at the other place and brought the $220 to Dodd’s. (Needless to say, I learned my lesson, but far too belatedly.) (And P.S.: The intermittent clunk is still there and my check engine light just came on yesterday. Jerry put it on his diagnostic machine and says the clunk will be cured when the engine is running right again, which will happen on Friday.)

 

The vehicle has cost me very little money to date and I was planning on spending about a thousand on it,  but I relied on the wrong people to serve me and spent/wasted more than $1000 in doing so.

 

I think a lot of these repair shops see women coming in the door and think, “Aha! Another victim ripe for the plucking!” It pisses me off, but it is what it is. And they may do it to everyone who walks in the door, not just hapless women. I really have no way of knowing…

 

I have a letter explaining to my former auto repair shop why I won’t be taking my vehicle there anymore, even though it’s very near me and far more convenient. I also asked for the $220 back that was in the kitty since they charged me over $700, all told, for a job that should have cost $480 or less. I hope I get it because I need it for the honorable, straight-dealing, compassionate auto mechanics at Dodd’s!