Art is a mix of response and remembrance
Thursday, Jul. 03, 2003 at 7:54 p.m.


Remember that little car problem? Well, I stayed up until 5:30am last night basically resetting my clock, only to wake up at 9:30. Roommate wiggled my cables and the dome light came on, but the car wouldn't start. She pushed while I steered and we got it out of its parking space and into the alley (miraculously with enough room for other cars to pass, with no planning or effort on our part). Tried to jump it. Dome light came on. Car wouldn't start.

Let me just break this down in short sentences because today's events do not deserve embellishment. Had called car garage recommended by roommate and location of possible deal. Called back when car wouldn't jump. They did't have a tow-truck.

Looked in phone-book for a garage that replaces alternators and has the biggest ad. Called. Am referred to separate towing company. Call towing company. Am told it will be forty minutes. Wait by car in alley an hour and twenty minutes. Call again. Am told it will be another twenty minutes to a half-hour. Wait forty minutes (two hours total) on my front porch. Wave down tow-truck and give him garage address, saying me and roommate will follow. Roommate nearly looses him on the freeway several times and her hood is not fully latched from trying to give me a jump.

Run across street to get $65 cash to pay tow-truck when we get to garage. Go inside garage and am greeted with, "so you're the alternator girl?" (Actually, I thought that was pretty funny.) Am told they close at 5pm and roommate works until 8pm. I, of course, have no car. Realize that after 5pm today they are closed until Monday for the Fourth of July. Realize that if they don't finish they're diagnostic within fifteen minutes I'll make roommate late for work. Discuss that if they can figure out the problem and have me pay in advance I can A) have roommate drive to work with me in the car and me take the bus home again, picking up the car after hours, or B) have her go to work and me take the bus home from the garage. Discuss that if I cannot pay before she must leave for work I will wait in the garage for three hours until it is finished.

They figure out that the alternator needs replacement, and that it will cost me approximately $300 dollars. Pay. Roommate drops me off at work (same bus stop as home anyway) and presumably makes it to work on time. Two hours into work get call from garage.

Alternator is replaced but bad news: three-month-old battery which had cost $95 due to odd shape is now bad. Suggest I call my regular garage (too far away to have had the car towed to earlier) since it is probably under warranty. In addition to leaving keys locked in car, they will now put dead battery in trunk. Call my guys; car is indeed under warranty. They are open Saturday. Plan is hatched.

Saturday roommate will drive me to dead car to pick up battery. We will take battery to my normal garage to have it either recharged or replaced for free, which will take about an hour. Will have them explain how to install a car battery. Will have roommate drive me and charged battery back to dead car where I will install the battery and hopefully drive home.

Bright side: I checked online and apparently replacing an alternator in a 2000 Neon costs an average of $360, so despite the sticker shock I actually got a good deal.

My poor baby!

Oh, and today's title? Just something I thought of while I was in the tub.


I'm listening to Sixteen Horsepower -- Folklore
I'm reading Islam by Karen Armstrong (and actually making headway this time)
I want ... see rant in entry

Previous:
- - Thursday, Oct. 27, 2005
back yet again - Thursday, Aug. 04, 2005
Batman - Friday, Jun. 17, 2005
Just fucking around today - Sunday, May. 22, 2005
pre-birthday - Saturday, Apr. 30, 2005