slr2moons | An epic about exhaustion and cars. Yes, cars. Specifically mine. :P

The human body is a marvel of efficiency. If, for example, yours is like mine and it prefers to be tubby, then it will sink its claws into every ounce of fat and refuse to give one up unless you hold it at gunpoint. And by gunpoint I mean 1200 calories or less and a 3.5 mile run minimum every day. *grumble*

Don't skip over my entry yet, that's all the weight wank I'm going to subject you to, I promise.

As I was saying, the human body is a marvel of efficiency. It will build just enough muscle tone and store just enough ready energy to deal with the physical trials you toss its way on a regular basis. I can jog 4 miles in an hour and be pleasantly tired for a while and completely recover after a few hours. However, if I push myself like i did yesterday, where I walked 5.5 miles in two hours, I pay for it dearly. This is why I only did half a page of work yesterday, and why I am a zombie today. I am T...I...R...E...D.

I knew this would happen if I walked that far--though I didn't think my exhaustion would be THIS extreme. My long walk had a mission: I needed to return a book to my favorite bookstore. I'd bought a couple books last weekend without the aid of my manga collection list, so of course one of them ended up being a duplicate. This store only has a 2 week window to return items. I could have taken the Max, which is Portland's commuter train, but I'd been meaning to try walking the whole distance, at least one way.

If you're wondering why I didn't just drive... this is because I've started my third week without a car. Wheeee!!! No, I didn't give it up to go green, and it wasn't stolen (thank the gods, I never want to deal with that again.) It's in the shop, and is the true subject of this post.

For the past few months, my car has been more and more reluctant to start. The last time this happened, my dad changed the battery and all was good again. However Dad is in TX and I am most decidedly NOT, so to a car shop I needed to go. I made the appointment, and in the most perfect comedic timing you could ask for, my car refused to start this one last time. *facepalm*

The one neighbor I'd feel comfortable asking for a jump wasn't home, which meant I could call AAA or beg a jump off the apartment management office ladies. They all know me pretty well due to the large amount of packages I receive through work and the internet (my mailbox is tiny so the mailman leaves a note to pick any packages up from the office). I walked in and asked them if they'd help me out. They all looked at each other and asked me if I knew how to jump-start a car, to which I cheerfully replied, "Nope! But I have cables and I bet I can find out on the internet!" They laughed. ^^

One of the women offered to help me out, and she and her suburban met me at my dead car. I didn't have to google "how do I jump start a car?" after all because my cables came with a nice set of directions. How very handy! Dead positive to live positive, live negative to dead negative. Piece of cake. ^^V

Now, I admit I don't know much about cars. I can check and fill my oil, do the same with air in the tires, change my tire if needed, and know Unusual Engine Sounds are Bad and Should Be Investigated. I, however, am a bastion of auto-competency compared to the kind woman who offered to help me. She wasn't even sure how to open her car's hood, and couldn't identify the battery. She was terrified of getting anywhere close to her engine while the car was running. She was so cute. :3 It was quite brave of her to help me like this!
I hooked our cars together in the proper manner, turned the key in mine, and it started right up. :D Wheee! I even convinced the office woman to remove her car's positive clamp. Look at me, helping spread knowledge. I dropped my car off at the shop, told them what was going on, and walked back to my place. (Note: it was NOT 5.5 miles away. :P) This was Friday the 5th. I also bought a bin of cookies for the office in thanks, because giving me a jump was truly above and beyond their call of duty. I was and still am greatly appreciative.

On Monday, I call the car shop to see why I hadn't heard from them yet, and the manager told me my car had an electrical drain on the battery, one pulling power even when the car was turned off. That's not good! One strong enough that simply replacing the battery wouldn't accomplish anything, the new battery would be fast. That's really not good! They had checked all the easy possibilities and had progressed into the more difficult areas.

Around Friday that same week, I hear from the manager again. They finally found the drain: my car's remote keyless entry reception box. They can't fix it, they have to replace the entire box. Now, my car is a '95, and they don't manufacture specific parts for it any more. The shop will have to find a used box through a scrap and junk search. At this point, it's been one week without my car.

The next Tuesday, I hear from the manager again. They have found a replacement box! If I add an extra $40 to my total, it can be over-nighted. :P I'm already feeling rather leery of the final bill, so I decide to wait for the much cheaper shipping. Also, the manager made it clear that once the new box is in place, I'll have to take my car to a Ford dealership to have my keychain remote(s) matched to the new box's frequency. That isn't urgent, though, I just won't be able to use the remote until it's done.

It is now Sunday, and last Friday was the two week mark. I haven't heard from the manager since that phone call, so I'm hoping no news is good news. I plan to call on Monday to see what's going on. I'll let you guys know how this epic ends. :B

Wow, writing that has drained me of the energy I'd managed to gain from a nice nap. The ironic thing about yesterday's walk is I spent an hour looking through the bookstore and didn't find a single thing to buy. I had my list with me and everything, but no books called to me. *sigh* At least I was able to treat myself to some delicious frozen yogurt, obtained at a new shop in the same mall as the bookstore. :9 I probably burned it all off on my return walk, too! Heh.

Now I shall sip on my energy drink and cherry coke mix, check on my brewing coffee, and try to finish that half-page of Natsume I started yesterday.

Braaaaains.....

ETA 4-3-10: My car is back, I actually retreived it on Wednesday the 31st. Two days short of a full month!