Confessions of a Liberal Puritan

Just a note on what's been happening, and a hearty recommendation for the French film "Apres Vous" which I saw (subtitled in English) on Sunday afternoon (funniest movie I've ever seen about someone suicidally depressed and the adorable head-waiter with the perennial hangdog expression who tries to save his life -- see it, if you get the chance).

My car was functioning fine all day Sunday, then sat in the horrid heat all day Monday, and when I went out to run errands a little after 5 PM yesterday, it died quite dramatically at the first stop I made, in the pharmacy parking garage.

I knew something was wrong, actually, before I stopped, when both turn signal arrows suddenly started glowing bright green, though the turn signals were off. When I parked and turned off the engine and took the key out of the ignition, the electrical system just kept on running full blast, acting for all the world as though the key was in the ignition and the engine was running (which it was NOT). Furthermore, I couldn't get the engine to start again (nor to even turn over, since the whole electrical system was convinced the engine WAS running already). I turned off what I could, manually, but couldn't get the security system or the headlights to shut down.

Since I'm one of the two or three people on this planet who still don't have cell phones, I had to seek help from the guys behind the counter at the pharmacy to call my local garage and eventually get a guy to drive over and see what he could do. He came prepared to jump start me, but by fiddling with the headlight controls he managed to get the electrical system to shut down, finally, and allow the engine to start normally (after which he discovered that flicking the headlights to "bright" shut the engine off again!). I was able to drive back to the garage and pay them for the service call, and then drive home (where I was eventually able to fiddle with the lighting controls enough to get the headlights to turn off and the security system to acknowledge that the engine WAS shut off).

Anyway, this was not only traumatic (I hate phoning garage guys in tears, or crying all over pharmacists to elicit their sympathy, but I really WAS on the verge of hysterics), but also a major inconvenience, since I'd been planning to drive to Omaha today to begin my belated summer vacation, including spending this weekend in Des Moines at a science fiction convention). Instead, I drove my car back to the Buick dealership at 7 AM this morning, where the mechanics were unable to recreate any of the problems I'd experienced yesterday. I left the dealership with a receipt listing the problems I'd described, since the warranty will expire before I reach the Kentucky border, and the mechanic's blithe assurance that, if she were me, she wouldn't hesitate to drive the car to Omaha, since there are GM dealerships everywhere and service won't be hard to come by, if I need it.

So, I'm planning to pack up and leave early, early tomorrow morning, drive to Omaha to pick up a friend, then head to Des Moines for the convention Friday afternoon. Then, it's back to Omaha on Monday for a few days, and eventually a more leisurely drive back home again, the Car Gods Willing.

Thanks to everyone who's helped to update and revise my survey for the Con this weekend, and an updated version is now posted on my LJ, as well, for anyone who wants to throw in their two cents' worth (most welcome!).