Seriously...what do car flashers mean to you?

Monday, December 27, 2010

I don’t think that I’m the sharpest knife in the drawer, but there are some things that I think are so basic that everyone would know them. For instance…if I’m driving and approaching a vehicle stopped in the road with its hazard flashers on, I figure something is wrong and that I shouldn’t pull up behind it because it isn’t likely to be moving anytime soon.

Savannah called me shortly after we’d jumped her jeep. It had died in the driveway and after getting it started, I suggested she drive it some to recharge the battery. It was only a year old, but we’ve found that if she leaves the vehicle parked for a number of days and has her GPS plugged in, it drains the battery. Anyway, it started right up and I figured it would be okay. It wasn’t. She stalled and died a couple of miles from the house and said the flashers wouldn’t even come on. Not good. I arrived on the scene and pulled up behind her and put my flashers on. It was dark and they could be seen for a good distance…and still cars pulled up right behind me…even with me waving them around. Maybe I am a genius.

Anyway, I managed to push her off the road and into a parking lot over the next 20 minutes. I was a little surprised that no on offered to help even though a couple of young, strong bucks came out and got in their cars as I was pushing. I guess the feelings of wanting to help our fellow man had passed on Christmas Day. I did manage to get it jumped and home and put a charger on it over night. I figured I’d take it to Dan and see if the alternator was acting up.

It was another poor eating day. I had a huge bowl of sweet potatoes…I’m so glad no one else likes them re-heated…and a load of turkey. We spent some time at a neighbors’ party and I managed to nibble my way through a bunch more hollow calories. At least I’d spent 60 minutes on the bike earlier in the day, but it was clearly another of those ‘more calories in than out’ days. My only consolation continues to be that I’m maintaining the exercise habit. I know the holidays will end and so the random grazing of hollow calories…and I’ll still be exercising when it does.

Bike duration: 60 minutes
Training Heart Rate: 130
Calories burned during workout: 900