I GOT MY CAR BACK!!!

I forgot to mention there was a message on my machine Thursday, saying the car was done. So, I called Friday morning (just to double-check) and sure enough, they said it was done. Hurray!

So, I left work about 9:30 AM to fetch it. First, I went to the car rental place (in pouring rain - and I do mean POURING!). I settled up ($309.72) and asked them to drive me to the repair shop. This being "Enterprise," they readily agreed.

So, I got to the repair shop and paid them off, too ($1,750.80) and I was back at work just after 10:00 AM ($2,060.52 poorer). The rain had penetrated my "waterproof" rain jacket and I was drenched.

The mechanic told me that they had to flush the coolant system four times to get all the oil out. He also said that they had to degrease the entire engine compartment so they could safely work on the motor.

So, I noticed two things. One, there is a bad, almost kerosene-like smell in the car (probably the degreaser and hopefully it will go away) and two; they must have disconnected the battery because now the radio lock is on. This is supposed to be a Volvo theft deterrent, because if you disconnect the radio from the battery (or vice versus) you have to enter a secret code. This happened to me when I replace the battery a while back. I ended up driving like 30 miles to the nearest Volvo dealer, showing them proof of ownership and the VIN number and they gave me the secret code. Now, I know I wrote it down somewhere... I just have to remember where and how you enter it, so I can play the radio again. **Sigh**

I ran the dishwasher at lunchtime (still raining, but not as hard). So when I got home after work, I emptied it. I went out and cut three more lilac blooms (they're starting to go bad though) and replaced the dead ones in the bedroom.

I was searching for the secret code when they came on the TV and announced a severe thunderstorm warning (with deadly lightning and one inch-sized hail to quote the weatherman) and also a tornado watch until 11:00 PM tonight. Geesh! I don't see no tornado or one-inch hail, but it is thundering and raining like a bitch out there.

Uncharacteristically of me, I decided to disconnect the monitor and the computer, so I unplugged both and disconnected the cable input. Normally, I trust in God, luck and my surge protector. But, since God and luck have turned against me, I thought I wouldn't take any chances. The guy did say "deadly" lightning...

I searched through every scrap of paper in the car and in my drawers inside and could not come up with the secret code. Dammit! Looks like another long ride for this old boy.

My friend B___ call just after 8:00 PM and just after my search concluded. He chided me for not having the trellis done ("And you call yourself a woodworker?") and for losing the secret code ("Why in the hell didn't you put it in the computer the first time? That's how people these days save things!").

But, as we talked, I remembered the incident more clearly. The guy at the dealership wrote it down on the back of his business card and, after I entered it and got the radio working again, I swear I threw it in the glove box. I sorted through everything (I got like a grocery bag of junk - four year old oil change receipts, etc.) but what I didn't do was to open up the four or five old maps. It could have slipped into one of them! I'll check that in the morning.

After we hung up, I was starting to get hungry, but being discouraged, didn't feel like making something. So, I reheated a big bowl of the parsnips and mashed potatoes, added butter salt and pepper and called that dinner.

I watched the Friday Night Fights until they ended and then went to bed.