Real Life Interruptus

So I went out to my trusty Dodge Caravan yesterday to drive down and get the comics. I hadn't driven the van for five weeks, but I didn't anticipate any problems. Yes, it was parked out under a tree, but it's a good little van when it isn't misbehaving, and I got the last spat of misbehaving fixed some time ago. So I got into the van, put the key in the ignition, turned the key... and nothing. Not a thing. Not even a click.

I figured the battery was dead, which isn't all that unusual for a vehicle that's just been sitting around. So I put the van in neutral and rolled it out into the street so I could get a jump from somebody. I miscalculated, however, because without power steering the van is VERY difficult to maneuver. So I ended up with the van partly stuck out in the street, in a very bad spot. Ooops.

I called my little sister, who is usually quite amazing in such circumstances. However, she was very busy. They could come and help me later, but not right then. I don't know many people up in Bothell, since I'm a bit withdrawn in general. However, I did have the number of one neighbor who belongs to the same church I grew up in, and I called her. She wasn't there, though. Her husband answered, and when I explained who I was and asked for help he hopped in his car and came over right away. I need to get a thank you gift for him (any thoughts?).

We managed to get the van started, pretty much on the first try. He suggested I drive around for at least 20 minutes, then only stop at a place where I could get help. I told him I was going to Jiffy Lube, since they regularly service my van. He offered to follow, but I declined. I figured once I was down there, help would be all around. At least the van was no longer in the middle of the street.

The Jiffy Lube I picked was very near the comic shop. I figured if worse came to worse I could walk over to the shop. When I got there, they looked at the car, but found nothing obviously wrong. However, I miscalculated again. The guys at Jiffy Lube are really good at one thing... changing oil. They aren't mechanics. So when the van wouldn't start again, they were clueless.

We were all agreed that the battery was the most obvious problem, so we called Les Schwab, which is just down the street for a jumper truck to come out and give me a jump so I could get the van to a place where a new battery could be installed. In the meantime, the Jiffy Lube guys changed the oil on the van (it needed it anyway, although it felt a bit like rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic).

The Les Schwab guy arrived, but couldn't get the van to start. He told me that the electrical system was shot, and it looked a little like something had been chewing on some of the wires (oh, joy). I was absolutely certain we could revive the van long enough for me to drive it somewhere, since I'd gotten it to Jiffy Lube in the first place. I noticed that the Les Schwab guy put the cables on the battery differently than the neighbor had, so I made a little suggestion.

Surprisingly, it worked. Simply rearranging the cables so the ground was in a different spot allowed me to start up the van. But the instant he pulled the cables off, the van died. We had a little conference, the Les Schwab guy, the Jiffy Lube guys, and me. We decided my best bet was an auto shop just up the street, less than a full block away. If I could keep the van running that long, the shop should be able to help me.

So we tried again. Once the van started up, I kept the gas on. Everybody cleared the way, and I lurched around the corner and up the street to Auto Max.

Let me give you an idea of the mental state I was in right then. I didn't want to stop the van because of the difficulties we'd had starting it up. I didn't want to leave it running, because I've been trained not to do that. I had never been to this particular shop before, and I had no idea if they were honest or not. In short, I was pretty stressed. I left the van running in the parking lot and went into the shop.

The gentleman who helped me recognized right away that I was stressed, and took it slow and simple. I explained the problem, he said they could fix it. I explained why I left it running. He said they could be able to get it into the garage even if they couldn't start it. He asked me what my "I'm blogging this" t-shirt meant. I told him. He asked me if I needed a ride home. I suddenly realized that I was in a pretty good spot to be stranded and said I was fine. He asked me if I was in desperate need to get the van back, and I calmed down even more as I realized that, no, I wasn't in any horrible need. I would survive without it if need be. I gave them my back-up key and information, and went out and turned off the van.

At that point I wasn't sure whether I was looking at a complete rewiring of the electrical system, or just a new battery. But I couldn't think about it any more. It was out of my hands. I walked over to the comic shop, where I got my comics and a ride home (thanks Carol!).

Today, after I finished a job that I have been meaning to do for a long time (more on that in a bit), I came into the house and found a message on the phone from Auto Max. The problem was with some wiring, not too serious, and they would have it done for me tonight. However, the battery does need to be replaced. I told them to go ahead and do it, and breathed a sigh of relief. Not a pleasant experience, but at least I'll have my van back soon! And it appears I have a local shop to take the van to in the future.

The other exciting real life thing isn't nearly as thrilling, but did manage to keep me away from my computer for a couple of hours this morning. I mowed the lawn. Now, now... I know you are thinking, "big deal," but it really is a big deal. Our lawn, while small, has a lovely hillishness to it that makes mowing rather difficult. And I've been suffering from fibromyalgia long enough that I have often wondered if I'd ever be capable of doing simple things like yardwork again.

Don't get me wrong. I hurt all over right now, and I fear I may have overdone it a little. But the yard looks almost like a normal yard instead of a dandelion farm, and hubby-Eric has one less thing to worry about. It took me about two hours, and it was hot and getting hotter as I worked, but I stayed out of the sun for the most part and got it all done. I even grabbed the weedwacker and tidied up some bits on the hillside that the mower couldn't reach. So I'm pretty pleased with myself at the moment. I can't wait until Eric gets home and sees it. I'm dying to hear someone say "Good job".

And now... I think I need a nap before I get back to comic book reviews. Lots to read already, and another package arrived from AIT/Planet Lar that I haven't opened yet (I still haven't read Hench!). And so to bed.