Why I Shouldn't Be Left Alone

Yesterday sucked. Let's just get that out of the way right off the bat. I was to meet my Mother-In-Law at Yeehaw Junction to pick up the CoA at 3pm. It's just under two hours to drive there, and I left a tad bit early to leave time to get gas and lunch. When I was about half way there I get a call from the MIL saying they were delayed and were just leaving. Hmph! Oh well, thought I, I'll just go wander about a Wal-Mart for a while. Which I did. Then I got back on the road, and due to torrential storms arrived at Yeehaw at just about the same time as they. Well, not quite at. About two miles from the main intersection that is Yeehaw Junction was where traffic came to a standstill. As I sat there, inching forward, I noticed my temperature gauge kept creeping up. Not good. Finally I realized that nasty things would happen long ere I reached my destination, so I pulled over onto the other side of the road, and called to have them meet me there. The handoff was made, and the CoA and I began the return home.

20 mile later we reached more tail lights. About a quarter of a mile ahead were numerous emergency vehicles, and traffic was not moving. I, and many others, turned off the car and got out to see what was going on. Before too long a chopper landed near the crash, so I knew it was going to be a long wait. After nearly an hour the chopper took off, and the word came down the line: at least two hours before the road would be clear. For those of you unfamiliar with Florida, there are excellent interstate highways running along both coasts, but few straight shots across the width of the state. So I decided that rather than wait there with an increasingly full bladder, and an increasingly restless kid, I'd head back to Yeehaw and go north to I-4. This I did, without incident, but what should have been a 4-5 hour long jaunt became a 10 hour ordeal.

Which leads me to today. I took the car to the shop 10 minutes before they opened, and was the first customer through the door. I figured the cooling fan motor was dead, and that they could fix it quickly and I'd be on my way. Alas, no. The coolant temperature sensor needs replacement, and they won't get the part until this afternoon. Oh darn...day off. But, after a while I got bored. I played a bit of City of Heroes, and then I got silly.


And now, lunch.

TTFN