So This Is Coping?

My original title for this post was going to be,"Getting Stupid". Because I was. But that's likely to be too common a title, and I figure there was something else going on, like my life and all the other things in it (ya think?). Anyway, that's my excuse, and I'm sticking to it.

Last week we had a couple days that were rainy off and on. In Minnesota that means headlights on. (If you've now jumped to the logical end, pat yourself on the back and go find something productive to do with all those brains.) It was also a bit of a slow afternoon. I took advantage of the lull to pull over into a parking lot and snooze until I was beeped for my next job. I was tired too, for the above reasons. And I'm a great cat-napper, able to pop in and out of sleep for short periods pretty much at will in the right surroundings.

After facing west for a bit, the sun came out and got uncomfortable. I started the car, moved it a few spaces down, way out in the middle of the lot away from stores, facing east this time. Being too warm, I rolled the windows down.

Snooze again.

When I finally woke, it was 4:30. Wow! Really dead day! I checked my Nextel to make sure it was actually working and I hadn't missed anything. It was. I hadn't. But it was time to account for the water I'd been drinking earlier, so I decided to move the car next to the convenience store with a bathroom, sparing myself a long walk.

Click, click, click, click.

Dead battery. Lights left on, which isn't supposed to be a problem in my car. If you leave them on even after you leave the car, they shut themselves off when you pull out the key.

Oops. I hadn't pulled out the key. Not only that, I'd left the ignition in the "start" position, needed for rolling the windows up and down. With a dead battery, they were stuck in the down position. This meant I couldn't leave the car to walk to the bathroom without risking somebody reaching a hand in and grabbing anything they wanted. I was so-o-o-o stuck here!

I typed to dispatch what was wrong and logged out. Then I called Paul. His cell is off until he gets in the car after work, but 95% of the time he remembers to turn it on. He'd get my message and call for my location and come jump start the car. Unless this was one of those 5% times.

Please please please let it be one of the 95% days!

I turned the key completely off and pulled it out. Sometimes batteries can recover just enough after being drained. I had a book to read while waiting.

And squirming. After about half an hour of that I tried starting the car. It tried to half turn over, and started clicking again. But now there was enough juice to roll up the windows. I could leave!

And once I got back, I had enough juice to roll them down again while I waited for Paul to show up and rescue me. Fortunately, he carries jumper cables. About a three second wait after connecting them, and I was off and running again. Not straight home, of course, since there were errands to run.

There always are.