So the missus and I have been trying to buy a used car, and the process is just no fun at all. In part because every time a dealer gives you a final price, at the last minute they decide to add on a huge fee that was never before mentioned.

Why didn’t they check with me first?

If they had, I would have politely told them that when someone tells you a final price, it should be a FINAL price, and that the word “final” is pretty specifically defined, and is not really open for much interpretation.

Then, this Sunday night I come home to find that instead of airing The Simpsons at 8pm like they always do, Fox decided to pre-empt the show with NASCAR. That’s right, NASCAR.

Why didn’t they check with me first?

If they had, I would have politely told them that no one cares about NASCAR, and watching a bunch of rednecks turn left for six and a half hours is just not entertainment. Now a show about a cartoon family that has been on the air for TWENTY FRIGGING YEARS is, in fact, quite entertaining, and that should therefore take precedence. Also, us non-rednecks have DVR’s that record our shows for us, and when things like this happen, we just get screwed over. The hillbillys who like their racing could very easily change the channel on their TVs to FX or some other channel, which wouldn’t interfere with their VCR recordings of their favorite “sport.” Now, I have to find 22 minutes to watch the show on Hulu, which is just inconvenient enough for me to whine about on my blog.

Then, I come to find that not only did I not win the raffle to buy Mets Opening Day tickets, but single-game season tickets will go on sale on March 15th, when Wifey and I will be on vacation.

Why didn’t they check with me first?

If they had, I would have politely told them that I am plenty displeased with how they are handling their ticket buying process. The fact that tickets are going on sale so late, the fact that the promotion schedule has still yet to be released, and the fact that their color-coded stadium pricing chart contains 42 shades of fuchsia all make for a rather annoying process.

So, in the future, if everyone could check with me before anything happens, it would be much appreciated. Thanks.