Car Trouble, Oh Yeah

From the song I listened to on repeat much of the way home from Waco last night (where I picked up my car with a spiffy new alternator!)...

Lyrics Dnia

...You don't have to love me
If you don't wanna
Don't act like I mean nothing
But if you're gonna
Then you better
Unkiss me, untouch me, untake this heart...

"Unkiss Me" Maroon 5

Gah. Great song.

So. Our study meeting was fabulous. I had never been to the Grand Hyatt in DFW Airport Terminal D and my expectations were quite honestly "meh." But it's reeeeeeeally nice. You can sit in your comfy bed and operate everything from the nightlight in the bathroom to the shades on the window. Gorgeous bathroom. Oh man. Very impressive!

The bar is also amazing. We had a great time and great food there.

My presentation went very well! We had over 100 people in the ballroom. My speech at the Foundation awards was for closer to 200 folks, but I only only spoke for about three minutes then. This presentation is about 20 minutes. I'll give it again in the UK next month.

All weekend, David and I were explaining that Austin is 3 hours away from Dallas and how it's better to drive than fly, because it takes the same time, but you have your car with you and you don't have to deal with the whole airport hassle. Both of us drove, while everyone else flew up.

Cut to Saturday evening, on my way home, when I thought maybe there may have been an advantage to flying. My windshield wipers were moving very slowly. I've had some battery trouble the past couple of years, so I thought I would stop in Waco and get a new battery.

Then my battery light came on.

Then the electronic stability control light came on.

Then the anti-lock brakes light.

So I pulled over and looked up the Auto Zone address four miles away. Cool.

Back on the freeway, I got up to speed and one by one, every light that can illuminate did.

Finally.... Brakes... Engine.

I made it to the next exit (thank goodness) and barely sputtered into a school bus parking lot. Four miles outside the city. It was getting dark and it was cold and rainy. Blah.

My Hyundai roadside assistance lapsed in 2011. Yay. But they called a tow truck to bring me to the dealer. Then they called back and said the dealer was closed and I couldn't park there, so I would have to store my car somewhere for the weekend.

So I called USAA roadside assistance, which I knew I didn't have, but I thought they might recommend a towing service. Turns out, they too will take care of your towing if you are a customer. You just have to pay for the tow, since you're not covered. The operator was thinking smart and suggested I bring the car to a mechanic that was open Saturday evening, in case they were able to fix it that night.

I got the nicest tow truck driver ever, so I was only ever-so-slightly afraid that he might be an axe murderer. (I don't get into cars with strangers, y'all. I'm not even super-keen on riding in taxis. My only other choice was to sit alone in the pitch black darkness in BFE Texas, in the cold and rain, to wait for my family to pick me up an hour later.)

Turns out my car's issue was the alternator, not the battery, but it explains the battery issues I've had. (If your car loses power and dies while driving, it's usually the alternator. If it won't start, it's usually the battery.) They couldn't repair it Saturday, so Lauren took me to pick it up Monday.

Luckily, my battery was fine, but here's a battery tip for everyone: The mechanic I went to charges $70 to install a new battery. Sears charges like $10. If you go to Walmart or Advance Auto Parts (or probably similar parts shops) and purchase a battery, they will install it FOR FREE. Don't have the car shop charge you. Search for a shop with free battery installation on Google.