It was annoying enough discovering the Hot Mess Express’s battery was dead yesterday. But while I was nervous as hell, I was determined to jump start it myself. We have a jump box, yay! I charged it yesterday until the “READY” light was green. I’m 43, and I have NEVER jumped a car; the prospect terrifies me and I’m convinced I’m going to blow shit up. Thus, I watched several “how to jump a car” videos. I was so determined to do this on my own, I closed the browser tab with AAA’s signup screen.
Then, this morning, I dressed, I was ready to go out and DO IT. I rewatched a video on how to jump a car, and I read the jump box’s manual. Then, right before I went outside, I pressed the “TEST” button on the box. It’s orange. Not good. FUCK. I sign up for AAA, and there goes $79. Then I put in a roadside assistance call. Because the appointment and sign up were the same day, it’s another $75. If I’d signed up yesterday – which I thought about doing because I planned to do it anyway before the long drive – I wouldn’t have had that extra fee.
Twenty minutes later, there’s a nice AAA guy under the Hot Mess’s hood. He has cables and gadgets and shit all over the place, and guess what? I have well and truly borked my battery. “I can jump it, but it’s not gonna charge. If you shut it off, you’ll be calling me back out again.”
Lovely.
And that’s how I spent $300 before lunch.
Aside from the battery, the rest of the day was ok. StressedRPh didn’t piss me off too much. I came home, and there was a letter from Shawshank waiting for me. It’s nice to read things from him after a not-so-great day.
