Out of the Jaws of Something
This morning I rose early and got myself pulled together before I tried to wrestle YG out of bed, only to be told that she felt "barfy" and had a headache. I diagnose this as a hangover from Too Much Fun (tm) yesterday. So I left her behind, went to WeightWatchers to weigh in, then took off for San Jose and Baycon again, all on my own. Things got busy: had coffee with friends upon arrival, then did my first panel (the Regency panel which had been postponed from yesterday because they double booked us in the same room with a themed reading), then took part in a poetry contest (but had to leave before the winners were annouced; I doubt I was one). It was about then that I realized that one of my earrings (a long dangly silver-and-opal-and-black-pearl earring made by Laurie Edison, my favorite jeweler) had come out of my ear. I looked everywhere, could not find it, and felt that weird sort of mourning when that comes from losing a beloved object. Despite that, I made it to my last panel (on Barbarians vs. Civilization, and how to tell which is which), and was about to strike off for home again. But as I passed the probable site of my lost earring I saw a friend bending over, picking something up. My earring, a little bent around the finding, but whole. After profuse thanks to the friend, I started home. But first I had to get gas...
...and when I had filled up the tank at a nearby gas station, the key would no longer turn in the ignition. I could pull the key in and out of the lock; I could Nothing. Tried all the usual tricks to defeat such a problem, and yet it continued. Called AAA, who promised to send out a truck within half an hour, and sat in the car (hot, too, and since I couldn't turn the car on I couldn't open the windows) fiddling idly with the damned key. Fifteen minutes later, for no particular reason, the damned key turned, the car started, I waited long enough to call AAA and cancel the tow truck, then drove home without problem. The children are still alive, Spouse is still in Spain, I have acquitted myself fairly at the convention, and I think I'm going to have a glass of wine tonight. Or maybe two.
...and when I had filled up the tank at a nearby gas station, the key would no longer turn in the ignition. I could pull the key in and out of the lock; I could Nothing. Tried all the usual tricks to defeat such a problem, and yet it continued. Called AAA, who promised to send out a truck within half an hour, and sat in the car (hot, too, and since I couldn't turn the car on I couldn't open the windows) fiddling idly with the damned key. Fifteen minutes later, for no particular reason, the damned key turned, the car started, I waited long enough to call AAA and cancel the tow truck, then drove home without problem. The children are still alive, Spouse is still in Spain, I have acquitted myself fairly at the convention, and I think I'm going to have a glass of wine tonight. Or maybe two.
posted by Madeleine Robins at 6:03 PM
1 Comments:
Our old Honda Prelude does that sometimes. For us, the trick is to wiggle the steering wheel a little bit (the centimeter or so that it will move) and then try turning the key again, and voila!
Ah yes, I actually found it hidden in the manual, under "Ignition Switch:"
"...If the key is difficult to turn from the O to the I position, turn the steering wheel slightly to relieve pressure on the lock...."
Some sort of safety feature to ensure that you are indeed the keyholder. But you may have tried that already.
Don't you feel much safer now?
e of the sTools
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