Oma's Trip ~ 02/26/03 and 2/27/03
Dateline: Houston (Katy), TX
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
On top of everything with the car, the laptop modem
died so I'm preparing this now so that I can upload it
to the website as soon as I get the modem replaced.
On to yesterday's part of the ongoing saga...
First Choice Auto repair in Crowley, LA parts list:
$5.58 1 cup
7.44 1 rotor
10.00 1 fuel filter
10.00 gas [dunno how much - so no mileage stats]
mechanic said the car quit on him on his test run,
so he added gas and it was fine.. even though the
gas gage said 1/4 tank
60.00 labor
------
$109.95 on the road again -- headed west on I-10.
So far, so good...
4pm -- Driving down the road -- westbound on I-10 - and
headed for Exit 751 where I will find the Motel 6 in
Houston (Katy). Just past Exit 771 I loose power
completely...
pop the clutch -- nothing...
downshift -- no help there!
I was in the left lane and slowing down fast so I put
on my emergency flashers. I had just passed a sign that
said "left lane closed" (for construction?). There
were big orange/white cones up blocking that lane off
so I pulled into that lane -- steering carefully so I
wouldn't hit any cones. She stopped and wouldn't go...
called 911 -- they'd "send the next available officer."
Yeah, right! I was freaking out... called again at 4:30
-- they'll "send an officer... he should be pulling up
any minute." Yeah, right!
About 4:45, I called 1-800-TowTruck They wouldn't send
a tow truck since Houston police was their way. Apparently
when Houston police arrives, they're supposed to call
for a tow truck.
5pm and it was getting DARK... traffic was getting
heavier -- whizzing by... and I called 911 AGAIN --
Third time's the charm, right??? WRONG!! That was the
first time that 911 won't patch me thru to the Houston
police... because I said I wasn't blocking traffic.
So when I called back AGAIN, I didn't TELL 911 that I
was not blocking traffic... I just said "I'm in the far
left hand lane" (which was true) and they patched me
thru to Houston Police. That time the dispatcher asked
"Are you on the east freeway or the Katy freeway"...
"Hell, I DON'T KNOW!!! I'm on I-10 westbound!!! I'm
just past Exit 771. I can SEE three green signs just
ahead of where I am [and tell them what's on each
sign]... WHEN will somebody be here??? I'm starting to
freak out here." They told me that officers had
already been dispatched and they couldn't find me... I
said "Tell them that they HAVE to be in the far left
hand lane or they'll never be able to pull over... or
just send a tow truck!!!"
So, at 5:30, I called AGAIN and I was in full panic
mode by then... while I was on the phone with Houston
police that time, an officer pulled up behind me. He
actually asked me if I had tried to flag anybody down.
"Hell no!! I stayed right here in my car WITH MY SEAT
BELT ON!"
Cop went back to his cruiser and called a tow truck
(Snap's Towing) which arrived shortly. They hooked up
the car and I told them to just tow me to the Motel 6
at Exit 751. Nice guys... they even stopped at the
Texaco station close to the Motel 6 so I could put gas
in the car -- thinking that if I ran out of gas, that
would fix the problem. Gas gauge said 1/4 tank, but
what the hey!! I'll try anything. THEN the motor
wouldn't turn over because the battery was dead -- I
had been running all day with my headlights on and had
forgotten to turn them off. So the guys finished towing
the car to Motel 6, I got checked in and they towed the
car around close (kinda) to my room. They gave me a
"boost" and it turned over, but wouldn't "go" and/or
wouldn't STAY going. They they went back to the gas
station and got a little bit more gas and tried to
"prime" something under the hood. That got it going,
but it wouldn't stay lit, so I paid them and they left.
I got all my stuff unloaded, hooked up the computer,
got the local Earthlink access number, clicked my
desktop icon to get online... WRONG!!! I got an
"Error: 666" (some computer geek with a sense of humor
programmed THAT one) and it said for me to connect the
modem and try again.
Talked to my favorite computer tech in North Dakota and
he says my modem is fried and I need a new one...
EASY... just go get it and plug it into the slot on the
side. Can't do that without a car, huh?
So I crocheted last night. I'll look at all this
car/modem stuff in the morning..
2/27/03 It's another night in Houston. How's this for
progress? Changed rooms to one that is closer to the
car, unloaded the car before I had it towed to the
Firestone Shop.
~ 
Guy came with a new modem... so I can go online and post this now...
Maybe the car will be fixed in the morning.