TIHL #14 How To Jump a Car
Several years ago, I recall having a conversation with my Gustavus roommate that went approximately like this:
Roomie: "I saw a guy try to jump a car today...it was funny...he was having alot of trouble!"
Me: (after approximately 15 seconds of puzzled pondering) "He tried to jump a car? The long way or the short way?!"
Fast forward in your mind, if you will, to last night. My friend and I had just stepped out into the much-too-chilly-for-October night from our other friends' condo after a wild night of Pinot Gris and Scrabble. I had just started my engine and cranked up some Stevie Wonder when I heard my friend's voice: "Erinn? Um...my car is totally dead. But I have jumper cables in the trunk!" "Fantastic!" said I, "Do you know how to use them?" "Well, no....kinda....I bet we can figure it out." It quickly became apparent that this plan of operation was doomed from the start, just about the time that my friend asked me to pop my hood. I realized that I had never actually done this, and I was having a bit of trouble locating the correct apparatus with which to pop. Only moments later, with windshield wipers going, washer fluid flying, lights blinking, and a veritable symphony of beeping sounds, the hood was open. It was at this point we decided to call in the reinforcements. Our friends (whose condo we had been at) were down in a flash. "Erinn, turn off your lights. They're shining into everyone's windows!" "They're automatic!" I protested. "I can't turn them off while the car is running." At this point I was forced into surrendering the keys to my vehicle and turning the car-jumping over to the professionals. (Or at least, someone who had done it before...) Even after much dramatic sparking action, we were unable to revive the poor Honda. I'm not yet sure how this story ended, but it was a startling realization that I have a thing or two to learn about my car. Want me to assemble a piece of furniture? No problem. Want me to paint a wall? Ok. Still, somehow or other, it appears that the book of basic car knowledge was left untouched on my shelf. I should probably learn how to change a tire. And someday, I should probably learn how to jump a car...but the question remains--the long way, or the short way?
Roomie: "I saw a guy try to jump a car today...it was funny...he was having alot of trouble!"
Me: (after approximately 15 seconds of puzzled pondering) "He tried to jump a car? The long way or the short way?!"
Fast forward in your mind, if you will, to last night. My friend and I had just stepped out into the much-too-chilly-for-October night from our other friends' condo after a wild night of Pinot Gris and Scrabble. I had just started my engine and cranked up some Stevie Wonder when I heard my friend's voice: "Erinn? Um...my car is totally dead. But I have jumper cables in the trunk!" "Fantastic!" said I, "Do you know how to use them?" "Well, no....kinda....I bet we can figure it out." It quickly became apparent that this plan of operation was doomed from the start, just about the time that my friend asked me to pop my hood. I realized that I had never actually done this, and I was having a bit of trouble locating the correct apparatus with which to pop. Only moments later, with windshield wipers going, washer fluid flying, lights blinking, and a veritable symphony of beeping sounds, the hood was open. It was at this point we decided to call in the reinforcements. Our friends (whose condo we had been at) were down in a flash. "Erinn, turn off your lights. They're shining into everyone's windows!" "They're automatic!" I protested. "I can't turn them off while the car is running." At this point I was forced into surrendering the keys to my vehicle and turning the car-jumping over to the professionals. (Or at least, someone who had done it before...) Even after much dramatic sparking action, we were unable to revive the poor Honda. I'm not yet sure how this story ended, but it was a startling realization that I have a thing or two to learn about my car. Want me to assemble a piece of furniture? No problem. Want me to paint a wall? Ok. Still, somehow or other, it appears that the book of basic car knowledge was left untouched on my shelf. I should probably learn how to change a tire. And someday, I should probably learn how to jump a car...but the question remains--the long way, or the short way?
posted by Erinn @ 12:29 PM
2 Comments:
At 11:52 PM,
Anonymous said…
These are the things about hanging out with you girls that I miss! I don't know how to jump a car either but I could've been there laughing about it the whole time! I'm almost home!
At 10:07 AM,
Anonymous said…
Haha! I had completely forgotten about that incident!
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