Today I didn’t clean All The Things, but I cleaned a Good Many of them, and really, it’s amazing what a straight-line equation it is, the ratio of Clean House to Ability to Think.
I might even be able to tackle some writing tomorrow. Which is good, because there is lots of writing to do, including another collaborative short story with Mark, which we have brainstormed and he has outlined, leaving me only to, you know, write it.
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But there was silliness about the Subaru today. The attentive reader will recall that its cruise control mechanism had stopped working. So I took it into the shop last week, where they very sadly informed me that repairing such a thing requires opening up the dashboard, and therefore, this is not a small matter.
But, well, one needs cruise control on the car one uses for long-distance freeway journeys, so I sighed and agreed, and wished I hadn’t spent so much on an aquarium, but oh well. “And you can replace those burnt-out instrument panel lights too!” I said. “Of course!” the mechanic agreed. “Great idea! We’ve already made a note in the file!”
And so a part needed to be ordered for the cruise control, and all that. Good thing I have another car. And good thing Mark left *his* car here too, so that I could drive my friend and others around on medical-thing day yesterday.
Anyway, amid all that, the mechanics called and told me the car was ready yesterday. But I was too busy to go then, so they kept it till today.
This afternoon, late-ish, a couple of us showed up to pick up the Subaru (because there is not so much walking to the mechanic’s in this weather). “It’s all done!” they said, handing me the key and taking my credit card.
“It’ll be so nice to have those instrument panel lights fixed,” I remarked, signing the bill.
“Ummm…hmm….let me check on that……….”
Checking happened. Instrument panel lights had not been replaced. “We’ll do it right now!!”
We sat, drank coffee, waited. Forty-five minutes or so later, the deed was done. “We replaced ALL the lights, because why not! We’re so sorry! And your next oil change is free!”
All good. We drove off, and GEE those instrument lights are nice and bright!
Got home, dropped off Miata, picked up third person; on our way to grocery store, it was noted: “You forgot to turn off the parking lights.”
At grocery store, attempt was made to turn off parking lights. No can do. Also brake lights (not just taillights). And, hmm, there’s no light on the gear-shift lever, that tells you what gear it’s in. This is not right, none of it.
I phone the mechanics, but they’re gone for the day. Nothing we do will make the dang lights go off.
So we caravan back to the mechanics, leave the Subaru there, with its lights burning; depart for evening activities in Mark’s car. I figure, if the car is going to drain its battery overnight, might as well do it where someone is equipped to deal with such things.
Good thing I don’t REALLY need it till next week!
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And now it occurs to me that I titled this post “Entropy, I Sweep You Back,” and I wrote a couple of lines about restoring order from chaos, and then several chapters about chaos surging in. Ah well. Let that be a commentary on the state of the world, or something. 🙂 Because despite it all, I feel better about stuff–my friend is healing astonishingly well, my house is cleaner than it’s been in some time, errands and chores are getting checked off the list, and, well, the Subaru will be fixed eventually….