[Groop] Comic Con & 2 Grooisms!!!

Culdagor culdagor at netcabo.pt
Sat Jul 5 12:55:07 PDT 2003


Off course that I then proceed to demonstrate how Groo really afects your
higher brain functions when instead of replying to the Groop I replied only
to  Larry.

Well that was my grooism for today.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Culdagor" <culdagor at netcabo.pt>
To: "Larry Steller" <mrgrooism at yahoo.com>
Sent: Saturday, July 05, 2003 10:18 AM
Subject: Re: [Groop] Comic Con & 2 Grooisms!!!


> Well... If this doesn't prove that reading Groo is bad for you menatl
health
> nothing will.
>
> And it is nice to see that car mechanics are more or less the same the
world
> over.
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Larry Steller" <mrgrooism at yahoo.com>
> To: "Groop" <groop at groo.com>
> Sent: Saturday, July 05, 2003 6:23 AM
> Subject: [Groop] Comic Con & 2 Grooisms!!!
>
>
> > Yes, No, Yes, No, Yes, No, Yes, No...
> >
> > Well, after much agonizing and the obligatory Grooism
> > or two, I've finally made up my mind and AM going to
> > San Diego this year.
> >
> > When?
> >
> > My, isn't THAT a good question, which leads me to my
> > two Grooisms!
> >
> > As many of you are aware, it's been a rough year for
> > me financially (and for many of you out there too, I
> > know!!!) After being out of work for just over 6
> > months, I'm finally working again, although not making
> > very much money, and have been hemming and hawing for
> > a while about whether or not I could afford San Diego
> > this year.
> >
> > It's been a never-ending series of "I'm going, I'm
> > not, I'll try, no way" back and forth for a while now.
> >
> > A month ago I made up my mind that I was DEFINITELY
> > gonna go!
> >
> > Then I did something I rarely do, I DROVE into NYC
> > instead of taking mass transit to meet some friends
> > for dinner. My car gasped, shuddered and winked out
> > DIRECTLY in front of the main entrance to The American
> > Museum of Natural History during a particular rainy
> > evening! My alternator went and my car was hit with
> > the vehicular equivalent of a blackout.
> >
> > I called BMW Roadside Assistance (Hey, it's a 1988,
> > I'm broke, remember?) only to find out that my
> > Roadside Assistance had expired two weeks previous,
> > although I never received a renewal in the mail.
> >
> > They graciously offered to send a tow truck anyway, as
> > long as I had an arm and a leg for payment...
> >
> > When the tow truck arrived, the guy said if I let him
> > fix my alternator instead of the BMW dealer, he'd save
> > me a bundle. Being a cheapskate, I erred and said yes.
> >
> > He quoted me a price the next morning of $480.00 -
> > cash please - and I wouldn't have to worry about
> > towing.
> >
> > When I came to pick up the car (after missing a day of
> > work), the repair bill had ballooned to over $600.00
> > because of the $120.00 I owed for the towing. He said
> > he never said I didn't have to pay for the towing,
> > just didn't have to pay THAT NIGHT.
> >
> > I said I only had the $480.00 cash, but I would bring
> > the other $120.00 when I got paid Friday. He
> > reluctantly agreed.
> >
> > Here's where it starts getting Grooish!
> >
> > Driving into Manhattan that morning to pay for the
> > balance of my repairs, my car once again gasped,
> > shuddered and winked out as I was rounding the helix
> > approach to The Lincoln Tunnel! YIKES!!!
> >
> > The Port Authority folks pushed me through the toll
> > booths to a safety zone outside the tunnel, and I
> > called my "trusty" mechanic. "Good news and bad news,
> > I'm on my way to pay you, but you'll have to come tow
> > me there..."
> >
> > At 11:00 Friday morning he said he'd be there in an
> > hour. Two hours later he said 20 minutes, an hour
> > later he said no really, 20 minutes, and an hour after
> > that he PROMISED it would be only 20 minutes to a half
> > hour tops, he was ON HIS WAY! An hour later I was not
> > only livid, but the Port Authority Police were
> > threatening to impound my vehicle since I was there
> > ALL DAY! I called and said I was going to call another
> > towing company and HE'D have to pay for it, but HE
> > PROMISED that traffic was bad and he'd be there in -
> > you guessed it - 20 minutes!
> >
> > BTW, I was SUPPOSED to be at work at 1:00, another day
> > lost!
> >
> > An hour later I insisted on calling another tow
> > company and he agreed to pay for the towing.
> >
> > An hour later the new tow truck driver showed up, and
> > if I told this right then I spent 7 hours outside the
> > Lincoln Tunnel! 7 hours!!! I felt as gullible as
> > Charlie Brown when Lucy SWEARS she won't pull the
> > football away THIS TIME! Just 20 minutes!
> >
> > It gets better.
> >
> > Now it was end of the day Friday, car won't be fixed
> > till Saturday evening, and I have to both open and
> > close the store Saturday to make up SOME of the hours
> > I missed, so now I have to RENT a car for the weekend
> > just to get to work!!!
> >
> > So I went to pick up my car Monday morning loaded for
> > bear! FIRST I stopped by BMW and got an estimate for a
> > new alternator, they would have charged $430 for a NEW
> > Alternator, tax, labor and all, while my BUDDY who was
> > supposedly saving me money charged me $480 plus $120
> > towing for a REBUILT alternator that DIDN'T WORK!!!
> >
> > I also had a minicassette recorder running in my
> > pocket for all of our conversations!
> >
> > I went to get my car and he said it wouldn't be ready
> > till the end of the day. I said NOT ACCEPTABLE since I
> > had to be at work by 1:00 in New Jersey, so had to
> > leave his shop no later than 12:00 noon.
> >
> > He then asked me where I got that horrific sunburn.
> >
> > The Lincoln Tunnel, I said, I got it waiting 7 hours
> > for you to pick me up outside the Lincoln Tunnel!
> >
> > He said he'd have it done by Noon.
> >
> > So noon comes and my car is ready, and I went upstairs
> > to discuss The Bill.
> >
> > "So" he said "First, I paid $125.00 to have you towed
> > here."
> >
> > "WHICH YOU WERE OBLIGATED TO DO SINCE YOU LEFT ME
> > STRANDED FOR 7 HOURS OUTSIDE THE LINCOLN TUNNEL!!!"
> >
> > "That wasn't my fault."
> >
> > "Don't EVEN try that, YOU left me stranded for 7 hours
> > because you couldn't care less about helping me, since
> > you KNEW you were going to have to tow me and fix me
> > for free, so don't even go there! PLUS because you
> > kept me waiting all day, I had to rent a car for the
> > weekend just to get to work, which cost me another
> > $100!!!"
> >
> > "OK" he said, "But you still owe me $120.00 from
> > Wednesday, but that was for a REBUILT alternator and I
> > just put in a BRAND NEW alternator."
> >
> > "The way I see it, YOU owe ME money, because you
> > PROMISED you would fix it for less than BMW, and I
> > just came from there, and here is their written
> > estimate. See, they would have charged me LESS for a
> > new one than you charged for a rebuilt one, so YOU owe
> > me money, I don't owe you a thing!"
> >
> > He looked at me, and I was SEETHING! I had NEVER in my
> > life yelled at anyone the way I yelled at this guy. He
> > just looked at me and said. "OK, you can go!"
> >
> > And I STILL gave him another earful.
> >
> > SADLY, the $480 I shelled out plus the $100 car rental
> > plus missing two days of work REALLY put a crimp in my
> > plans to attend COMIC CON this year.
> >
> > I called Gary and told him I wasn't going to make it,
> > but he said unfortunately Becky & Claire weren't going
> > to make it either, so I could share a room with him!
> >
> > Hmmm, I still had to figure out my finances, no
> > decision till I see if I make July rent!
> >
> > I made July rent, cue second Grooism.
> >
> > (I'll keep the second one short since the first was so
> > long)
> >
> > I arranged with my boss to have Wednesday through
> > Monday off for the week of Comic Con, and called
> > American Airlines to redeem what little I had in
> > frequent flyer miles. I found that there were no
> > flights available that were eligible for Frequent
> > Flyer Miles discount rates!
> >
> > However, she did find a low enough fare, so after
> > shopping around a bit I called back and accepted
> > American Airlines nonrefundable fare! Yippee, I'm
> > going to Comic Con.
> >
> > Right?
> >
> > Wouldn't be much of a Grooism if it ended there now
> > would it?
> >
> > I signed onto www.newsfromme.com for my daily does of
> > Mark, and what do I see but the following:
> >
> > "Convention Forecast  10:56 AM
> > The Comic-Con International in San Diego is, as you
> > know, July 17-20.."
> >
> > July 17-20???
> >
> > I just booked my nonrefundable fares from Wednesday,
> > July 23 through Monday, July 28!!!
> >
> > All together now, with feeling: "DID I ERR???"
> >
> > Without reading another word I grabbed my cell phone
> > and called American Airlines back! I explained what I
> > did, and halfway through that person agreeing to
> > change the flight after all I lost the signal on my
> > cell phone and dropped the call!
> >
> > WHY DID I USE THE CELL???
> >
> > I called back and started all over with someone new,
> > who said she was JUST able to cancel the order, but
> > the only flights available for Wednesday, July 16
> > through Monday, July 21 were something like
> > $999.00!!!!
> >
> > Priceline to the rescue! I got a fair from them for
> > about $360, a little more than American a week later
> > and no accruing of frequent flyer miles, but I am
> > going to San Diego!
> >
> > Right?
> >
> > Or AM I???
> >
> > That little nagging voice inside my head was now
> > saying "Larrrrry, what week did you request time off
> > for Larry, huhhhhhhhhh???"
> >
> > I checked my notes.
> >
> > Wednesday, July 23 through Monday, July 28!!!
> >
> > * sigh *
> >
> > Soooooo, I called my boss, explained what a bonehead I
> > am, and NOW have the correct week off from work.
> >
> > And that means?
> >
> > I'm going to Comic Con!!!
> >
> >
> >
> > =====
> > -------------------------------
> > -Larry "Mr. Grooism" Steller
> > Mendicant Second Class
> >
> > Check out: . FORGOTTEN NEW YORK, photohistorian Kevin Walsh's journal of
> fading NYC: http://www.forgotten-ny.com/ . Insider entertainment stuff and
> an anything goes weblog from Television/Comic Book Wordsmith MARK EVANIER:
> http://www.newsfromme.com/ and http://www.povonline.com/ . Comic Book
> Artist/Animator SCOTT SHAW!'s ODDBALL COMICS, a tribute to classic comic
> strangeness (and message board!) at
> http://www.comicbookresources.com/columns/oddball/
> >
> > __________________________________
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>



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