extrordinarily crappy day
So yesterday basically sucked a whole lot. First, I was sick. I had a fever and a cold and felt like crap. second, I had a lot of work and was kinda stressed out from that. third, my car sucks ass. The only good part of the day was that I got to spend a few hours with Elizabeth, even if we were both feeling sick and in crappy moods.
Now, back to my car suckign ass, which really is the point of this post, and why yesterday counts as one of the worst days ever. So, my car has been acting funky for a while, first the check engine light that was on inexplicably for about a month or so and then went out, then the battery light coming on sporatically and the battery dying (guess I whould have prepared for teat one, what with the battery light coming on). So last week I got a new battery, and the mechanic said that the alternator was fine and that the old battery had 2 bad cells. So I figured that the problem was fixed. The battery light still came on, but I wasnt too concerned, maybe I should have been. Anyway, Last night, I'm driving home from Elizabeths, and as I am drivign down 95, my radio suddenly cuts out, comes back, and then cuts out permanately. Then the airbag light starts flashing, its done that before, but usually only for a few seconds. This time it kept flashing, which made me a little concerned that the airbag would deploy while I was driving at 70 MPH. Anyway, at this oint I thought that maybe I should pull over, because something was amiss, but I wasnt too far from home, and really didnt want to be stranded (especially since i didnt have my cell phone with me, a fact that will be very important in a few minutes). So I kept driving. Then, suddently, my engine starts to lose power. and for some bizare reason, giving the engine gas in 5th gear causes the car to slow down. I guess that this was because the engine was losing power and slowing down. but the car would actually seem to speed up when in neutral (probabaly not really, since I wasnt on a noticable hill). This obviosly was a real problem. At this point I am entering the ramp from 95 to 495 and my car completely stalls out. I managed to get to that little traingle where the two roads merge and stop the car there. I try to start it and all I get is a few clicks. This is when I beat the steering wheel with my fists and yell FUCK really loud a few times. This is the extent of me getting really mad and frustrated with something. Anyway, as I said before, I had no cell phone with me, a fact that becomes painfully clear as I realize that I am stranded on a little sliver of asphalt between two super highways with 18 wheelers buzzing by on either side. This is when the "I'm Fucked" instinct kicks in. luckily, my parents gave me a little electronic flare deally for christmas, and I have a car emergency kit that has a flashlight with a orange cone on it (both of which are real nice since my emergency flashers arent really workign at this point) so I get out of the car and wave both devices wildly trying top flag down anotehr vehical. I dont know how long I was flaggign for, but it felt like a very long time. Also, it was cold, and I was sick and coughing up a lung. Anyway, no one stopped, although a few people flashed their high beams at me. I dont know what teh high beam flashign was about. Perhaps they were signalling that they were calling for a cop or a tow truck, or telling me to get my ass off teh road or something. Anyway thsi seemed futile, so I tried startign the car again, and I'll be damned, it worked. This was good because it ruled out teh possibility that I had run out of gas, a posibility reinforced by the fact that my gas was indeed low, and that as part of the cars death throes, the gas light had come on. But lo, the gas was not that low, and was not the problem. anyway, I peeled out onto 495 hoping against hope that I would not end up in a place even less convenient than I was leaving.I figured that the faster I drove, the further I would get before it crapped out again, and besides, if I got pulled over, at least the cop could help me call a ride. so I sped my way to the exit for kennilworth (i considered gettign off at rt 1, but decided it had to many lights and probabaly more potential of stalling out) and as I exited, my car puttered to a halt. So once again I was stranded, only this time a lot closer to home, and in a much better place. Also, I was a little less concerned since I knew I could proabably start the car again in 10-15 minutes. Also, if worst came to worst, I could walk home. anyway, some guy eventually stopped, even though I wasnt signalling and I used his phone to call ducore, since that was likely the only chance I would get to make a call. So ducore drove to meet me and when he arived, I was able to start the car and he followed me home. As I parked the car outside my house, it stalled again. So thatw as convenient.
Anyway, to make a long story even longer, it was an extremely crappy night. If I hadnt have been able to start the car the first time it stalled, I dont know what I would have done. It would have been a long way to walk anywhere, and I dont know if anyone would have stopped, it was a little dangerous to stop there. I imaging a cop would have eventually stopped, but evidently in the easily 20 or more minutes I was there, eitehr no cops passed, or none cared. I guess I could have comitted some sort of crime, and gotten a cop to come, maybe I could have pissed on the road or something. cops see every crime you commit, right? anyway, I guess thats the last time I drive without a cell phone.
Now, back to my car suckign ass, which really is the point of this post, and why yesterday counts as one of the worst days ever. So, my car has been acting funky for a while, first the check engine light that was on inexplicably for about a month or so and then went out, then the battery light coming on sporatically and the battery dying (guess I whould have prepared for teat one, what with the battery light coming on). So last week I got a new battery, and the mechanic said that the alternator was fine and that the old battery had 2 bad cells. So I figured that the problem was fixed. The battery light still came on, but I wasnt too concerned, maybe I should have been. Anyway, Last night, I'm driving home from Elizabeths, and as I am drivign down 95, my radio suddenly cuts out, comes back, and then cuts out permanately. Then the airbag light starts flashing, its done that before, but usually only for a few seconds. This time it kept flashing, which made me a little concerned that the airbag would deploy while I was driving at 70 MPH. Anyway, at this oint I thought that maybe I should pull over, because something was amiss, but I wasnt too far from home, and really didnt want to be stranded (especially since i didnt have my cell phone with me, a fact that will be very important in a few minutes). So I kept driving. Then, suddently, my engine starts to lose power. and for some bizare reason, giving the engine gas in 5th gear causes the car to slow down. I guess that this was because the engine was losing power and slowing down. but the car would actually seem to speed up when in neutral (probabaly not really, since I wasnt on a noticable hill). This obviosly was a real problem. At this point I am entering the ramp from 95 to 495 and my car completely stalls out. I managed to get to that little traingle where the two roads merge and stop the car there. I try to start it and all I get is a few clicks. This is when I beat the steering wheel with my fists and yell FUCK really loud a few times. This is the extent of me getting really mad and frustrated with something. Anyway, as I said before, I had no cell phone with me, a fact that becomes painfully clear as I realize that I am stranded on a little sliver of asphalt between two super highways with 18 wheelers buzzing by on either side. This is when the "I'm Fucked" instinct kicks in. luckily, my parents gave me a little electronic flare deally for christmas, and I have a car emergency kit that has a flashlight with a orange cone on it (both of which are real nice since my emergency flashers arent really workign at this point) so I get out of the car and wave both devices wildly trying top flag down anotehr vehical. I dont know how long I was flaggign for, but it felt like a very long time. Also, it was cold, and I was sick and coughing up a lung. Anyway, no one stopped, although a few people flashed their high beams at me. I dont know what teh high beam flashign was about. Perhaps they were signalling that they were calling for a cop or a tow truck, or telling me to get my ass off teh road or something. Anyway thsi seemed futile, so I tried startign the car again, and I'll be damned, it worked. This was good because it ruled out teh possibility that I had run out of gas, a posibility reinforced by the fact that my gas was indeed low, and that as part of the cars death throes, the gas light had come on. But lo, the gas was not that low, and was not the problem. anyway, I peeled out onto 495 hoping against hope that I would not end up in a place even less convenient than I was leaving.I figured that the faster I drove, the further I would get before it crapped out again, and besides, if I got pulled over, at least the cop could help me call a ride. so I sped my way to the exit for kennilworth (i considered gettign off at rt 1, but decided it had to many lights and probabaly more potential of stalling out) and as I exited, my car puttered to a halt. So once again I was stranded, only this time a lot closer to home, and in a much better place. Also, I was a little less concerned since I knew I could proabably start the car again in 10-15 minutes. Also, if worst came to worst, I could walk home. anyway, some guy eventually stopped, even though I wasnt signalling and I used his phone to call ducore, since that was likely the only chance I would get to make a call. So ducore drove to meet me and when he arived, I was able to start the car and he followed me home. As I parked the car outside my house, it stalled again. So thatw as convenient.
Anyway, to make a long story even longer, it was an extremely crappy night. If I hadnt have been able to start the car the first time it stalled, I dont know what I would have done. It would have been a long way to walk anywhere, and I dont know if anyone would have stopped, it was a little dangerous to stop there. I imaging a cop would have eventually stopped, but evidently in the easily 20 or more minutes I was there, eitehr no cops passed, or none cared. I guess I could have comitted some sort of crime, and gotten a cop to come, maybe I could have pissed on the road or something. cops see every crime you commit, right? anyway, I guess thats the last time I drive without a cell phone.
posted by Unknown | Tuesday, January 11, 2005
5 Comments:
Yeah, I've been really lucky to only have my car have a problem when I had a cell phone. Also, AAA is nice to have in an emergency. They take care of everything.
Update:
the problem with my car was the alternator. So at least it wasnt something huge and extremely expensive, and the Shell in Berwyn Heights was able to fix it in a day. However, Carmax, Whom I paid 3000 dollars for an extended warranty to pay for stuff like this would only agree to pay for less than half of what shell wanted (and shell only wanted 1.5 hours labor, which is resonable since they had to take the front axle off, and a resonable markup on the market value for the parts). Carmax only wanted to pay for like half an hour labor and less than retail for the alternator. dumbasses. Anyway I could have had teh car towed to Carmax (which would have been covered by the warranty) and had them fix it which probabaly would have taken at least a week, if not multiple weeks, during which time they would have given me a loaner, and only had to pay a $50 duductable, but I just wanted my fucking car fixed as soon as possible. kudos to Carmax for playing on my desire for simplicity over cheapness and makign me pay more.
CARS SUCK! As do alternators that die on us at key points.
At least you weren't hit by a tsunami.
-Will
Yeah. Its funny how the things that seem so shitty, really arent. I mean, I complain about my shitty car experience even when I know that I'm pretty damn lucky. I really cant complain about my car dying when there is famine, and poverty, and natural disasters and war and shit like that and my biggest problem is that my late model car that I could afford because of my well paying job broke down. Theres a lot of people who dont have jobs or cars, or food for that matter so I'm pretty lucky. I think that perspective is a pretty interesting thing. what seems like absolute shit form our perspective is a walk in the park from another. we will never have the experiences that much of the world has to suffer through every day, and we will (hopefully) never know real suffering. so, in conclusion, my car problems have gotten far enough into the past to become absolutely hilarious. and secondly, this comment is way to fucking serious, and I dont know why I went on this long ass rant.
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