It’s always a long story, isn’t it? My BFF invited me to stay at her beach house this weekend, and I took today off. I left my house yesterday after checking to make sure I had 1) Fix-A-Flat 2) insurance and registration and 3) chargers for all my stuff.
Well. There was rain yesterday, literal tons of it. I had to make my way around all the South Jersey roads that were closed due to flooding (thank God for GPS) but finally was well on my way. It was a disgustingly hot day, the kind that wears you down when you have to be outside longer than ten seconds. Thank God for the AC!
I am about 40 miles away when I hear a loud squeal for about twenty seconds and then, boom! The AC stops working. I am in a state of denial, I can’t quite accept it. I pull off at a strip mall and check the coolant levels, which are fine. I get back on Route 33, heading east with the windows open. I am hot and sweaty, and the car is filling with clouds of pollen from all the scenic greenery (I much prefer looking at it from behind a window). I begin to wheeze — I’m having a tiny little asthma attack. By now, I’m wondering why I ever took a shower.
I am about 30 miles away when the GPS starts flashing, “Low on battery power.” I keep jiggling the the adapter, and every time, it works for another two minutes — and then finally, the GPS goes completely dead.
Oh, I forgot to mention I was dealing with this on less than two hours’ sleep — the same storms that brought all the rain were very loud, and I (who can normally sleep through anything) couldn’t sleep. This actually worked out, because I was too tired to panic when my car started to fall apart.
This morning, after reading all the concerned emails from people who saw the Philly refinery fire on the news (I wasn’t home, and if I was, the refinery is miles away), I picked a random garage in the next town and got the fuse replaced for the cigarette lighter. The AC compressor is shot — I’m hoping to get another car at the end of the year, but I don’t see myself getting through another blistering, humid summer without air conditioning. I’ll figure something out.
And so it goes. Thanks, global searing!
