Laughable, really...

So, electronic bill pay is wonderful until it comes out on an unexpected day, a few days BEFORE payday! Yesterday was quite irritating...I was just doing a general check up on my account, when lo and behold, there was the account, in the red, with an automatic payment (which had been changed to be on the appropriate date) deducted on the former date of "disbursement". Of course, since I so readily clean out my e-mail inbox (about 3 times daily), I did not have the confirmation e-mail that I had made a change, and so the company that did the disbursing said, "It's not our fault...so sorry, this happened. You'll know better next time!" How maddening! A friend advised me to call the bank and explain what was going on, and lo and behold, I encountered humanity! It is amazing what a difference it makes when people actually treat you as someone that they might actually meet in real life. The bank manager waived the fees associated, and was very kind...even though she technically should have only made the changes if it was because of a bank error. (I think it helped that I said I would open another account there too!) She really made my day!
Fast forward to today...after signing to open the new account, I headed home, looking for a road that intersects the one I was on. I hit a speed bump, heard a loud clang, and lost all power to the van. Crap! What to do? Fortunately, I just sent in my membership fees for AAA (1st time member here...) and had a temporary card with a number to call on it! So, after calling that number, getting the van towed and calling a lady in my ward to HELP me by bringing me home, all I can do is sit and laugh. The van is already fixed (within an hour of getting towed)...waiting for pick-up, and I'm grateful it all happened within a few miles of home.
So, the lessons learned from this? AAA is great! Small towns have their perks (mainly the human touch), and sometimes, cell phones are invaluable. I would have liked to have a phone book in my van...so I'll be putting one in there...as it was, I could only call people whose numbers I had committed to memory, which isn't altogether bad, but had none of them been available, I don't know what I would have done. (Actually, I do know, I would have relied on my resident knight in shining armor...but it would have disrupted his work day, but still!) I am very grateful for all of the help I had today, and truly, sometimes crappy things have to become, well, just laughable!