Minivacation of Doom

rax and I just paid a lot of $ to fix the car last month, and it had been working well, so I felt confident driving to NY.

Now I am stuck in the parking lot at the rest area because I stopped for a drink of water, came out, and car won't go. Even jumping it didn't seem to help. It has oil. I don't know what's wrong. I suspect the stupid "pigtail" part of the battery/alternator that they just replaced broke again somehow.

I'm 70 miles from where I am supposed to be and have no idea how to get our car back to my hometown or to Boston. It is 2 in the morning. My parents have to drive an hour here to get me and then we get to leave the car here and/or do car repair at 3 am and/or come back for it in the morning.

I was supposed to hang out with my parents this weekend and outline an essay for Readercon and try to relax. Instead I bet I will be spending a lot of time and money. I wonder if I will even be coming home the same way I got here.

This was definitely the wrong week to also buy photoshop.

At least they have the internet, so I can complain.

Update: I was driven home by my parents. I got to see one beautiful orange moon in a dark purple sky, one sunrise (we got home at about 5 am), and the problem was *not* the alternator! The problem is the shift thingy sticking such that the car thought it shouldn't start because it wasn't in park because the fail-safe wasn't closed all the way (even though it was in park). It can be fixed with a little bit of lubricant.

The vacation isn't ruined, actually. :)