Al Gore Looks Scornfully Over at Me
March 30, 2008
Yesterday I had to call AAA to come and jump start our van, proving that our membership is good for something other than getting slightly discounted hotel room rates. Someone had turned the lights on inside the van and the battery went dead.
I called and the guy who came out and jump started it said to let it run for at least half an hour to recharge. That seemed so wasteful, especially with the prices of gas these days. But I had nowhere to go. So I said I would and happily went inside where it was not bone chillingly cold. (Spring, hello? Where are you?)
Three hours later I suddenly remembered the van.
Yes, it was still running. In the end it probably would have cost less to go buy a new battery.
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At least it got a good long charge…
March 30th, 2008 at 9:18 amHey! Same exact thing happened to me yesterday (interior light left on, battery dead) and a neighbor jump started it for me and said that thing about letting it run for an hour. So I called our mechanic and he said it wasn’t true, 10-15 minutes max is all that is needed.
That same neighbor, a few weeks ago, did the same thing you did - left his car running to charge the battery and forgot about it for 3 or 4 hours. I was worried I’d be equally forgetful….
I hope you at least turned out your lights at 8 last night to make up for it?
March 30th, 2008 at 9:18 amYikes! I can’t imagine how you could have gotten distracted and forgotten about it
March 30th, 2008 at 9:52 amhaha that sounds like something Id do and Im sure I have done.
March 30th, 2008 at 9:52 amWell, at least your battery should have been well-charged by then!
March 30th, 2008 at 10:07 amPlease don’t lose sleep over it… Al’s probably plotting what business venture he is going to do next,so that HE can pay his electric bill on his umpteen thousand square foot house that 3 people live in.
On another note - been a lurker forever - love your photos - love the blog! You are a great writer - your “voice” is colorful and an easy read. Thanks for the great laughs.
So cold here - cats won’t go out… they just sit in the door jam, peering out with their noses, and then look at me like “are you kidding? I am NOT going out there.” Spoiled - the lot of them.
Keep warm-P
March 30th, 2008 at 10:40 amHey, but then the old battery would have been in some landfill polluting the ground. I am not sure you can win.
March 30th, 2008 at 10:58 amI would have done the same thing! Actually last summer I had to jump start the tractor so I plugged it in to my truck and went to hang out with my family. A few hours later I remember what I had done, but the truck had completely ran out of gas!! Live and learn I guess…although I wouldn’t be surprised if I did it again!
March 30th, 2008 at 11:34 amThis reminds me of the time my sister plugged the bathtub, turned the water on, then forgot about it for who knows how long. My parents and I got home to find water running through the garage and down the driveway from the upstairs bathroom… it was disastrous!
March 30th, 2008 at 11:37 amWell, you just made me feel better about MY sometimes-faulty memory!! Obviously, you don’t live in a part of the country (like I do) where leaving a car running (and unoccupied) is like putting out a neon sign that says “HEY!! COME AND STEAL ME!!!”, especially for 3 hours! Oh, and as for Al Gore?? I read recently that his house in Virginia (or wherever the heck he lives) is extremely large and uses HUGE amounts of energy - the article was comparing his monthly energy uses to GWB’s usages on his ranch in Texas….GW’s ranch won! So, I wouldn’t worry too much about what Al might think. Thanks for the Sunday morning laugh!
March 30th, 2008 at 11:41 amUm, oops? You were, uh, trying to warm up your whole, entire neighborhood. Aren’t you nice?
March 30th, 2008 at 11:52 amI sure wish someone could figure out where spring is…
March 30th, 2008 at 12:43 pmIn my hood we woulda stayed outside and froze with the car. Never know who is going to walk by and decide they need a ride today. LOLs. Funny story!!!!
March 30th, 2008 at 1:38 pmthat’s pretty funny!
March 30th, 2008 at 2:10 pmD’oh
March 30th, 2008 at 2:19 pmDoes it suck considering gas prices are so high? Yes. Does that make it any less funny? I think not!
March 30th, 2008 at 4:33 pmOy vey! I know what you mean. It takes us $70 minimum to fill the gas tank on the mini-van these days. We can’t just sit and let it run while one of us runs in to pay bills or whatever and the other sits with the kids. That’s hard to take when it is so cold outside too.
March 30th, 2008 at 4:49 pmOh Man.
March 30th, 2008 at 5:19 pmI feel so much much much better.
You’re normal.
And forgetful.
Thanks for the giggle.
sounds like something i would do!
March 30th, 2008 at 5:21 pmLOL.
One year, my Mom left her car running with the keys locked inside, and the air conditioner on for an hour and a half in the parking lot of Costco. (over 100 degree temps in Phx)
It was nice and cool when she was finally able to break in.
March 30th, 2008 at 6:04 pmOh geez… that sucks! Yes petrol is way too expensive to be leaving your car running! hehe
March 30th, 2008 at 6:37 pmThanks for proving you’re human, Chris! You never cease to amaze with your gorgeous kids, home, projects, self. I’m glad you forget stuff sometimes….glad the van was still there too!
March 30th, 2008 at 6:47 pmMy brother once left his truck running for four hours. Apparently he was on his cell phone and forgot to turn his truck off went he got to work. He’s lucky no one stole it.
March 30th, 2008 at 7:03 pmBuy a compact florescent bulb, you will feel better. Al will know it, he will sense it.
March 30th, 2008 at 7:49 pmI guess it was WELL charged!! I have done things like that, better the van than running bath water!
March 30th, 2008 at 8:12 pmI do something similar with the gas grill at least 2 or 3 times each summer. I leave it on to burn off some of the mess so it’s cleaner for the next use and forget that I’ve done so. That is, of course, until I walk out the next night with a plate of pork chops to be grilled only to find the knob is still in the ON position and I’m out of fuel. At least it’s clean, though!
And your battery is VERY well charged!
March 30th, 2008 at 8:38 pmIt’s so hard to keep track of EVERYTHING…one human mom can’t be expected to….:)….I can not tell you the number of times I’ve forgotten something like leaving the grill on after bringing in the meat?? It’s impossible.
March 30th, 2008 at 9:35 pmI seriously have to set a timer for myself these days or I just wander off..at least if i set the time..I think…huh…wonder why I did that. Sometimes I remember..
March 30th, 2008 at 9:51 pmOh my goodness! Don’t spend anymore time feeling badly about it. At least you didn’t get ticketed. Here in my town in Colorado, if a cop drives by a car that is idling and nobody is in it they give you a ticket.
March 30th, 2008 at 11:04 pmYes… I would have done this too. Except in my neighbor, the car would have been stolen long before 3 hours had passed
March 31st, 2008 at 9:24 amneighborHOOD I mean!
March 31st, 2008 at 9:24 amI was going to suggest a timer, but Brit beat me to it. I use a timer that won’t go off until it’s turned off and usually put a post-it note near the timer so I remember why it was set.
March 31st, 2008 at 12:38 pmWow! I assume it started after that recharge!
April 1st, 2008 at 12:00 pm