Underneath my yellow skin

Tag Archives: emergency

When it rains, the umbrella breaks

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So. Today I went to the car so I could go to the grocery store. The battery was dead. Ugh. I called my brother to confirm how to jumpstart the battery. He gave me a battery charger years ago beacuse I’m single and he’s the one I would call to demand a jump from (and have done). I got the car going, which is great! But the emergency exclamation point light was on (which, I’ll say was the case yesterday–and I thought it was probably low air pressure in my tires as that has happened before), but then another light came on. A message saying to check the hybrid system with an angry red warning symbol.

Well, hell. I Googled it and discovered that it could range anywhere from the car is about to immediately explode to the sensors might be bruised.  I have done the very mature thing of deciding this isn a problem for next-week me, which is the adult equivalent of putting my fingers in my ears and pretending I can’t hear someone screaming at me.

My brother called me back and told me it could be a fuse. I really hope that’s all it is. There’s another light on, but I know what that one is. It’s an exclamation point in parentheses–which my brother said is a tire that is flat on the  bottom. I can see it now that he’s said it, but I always thought of it as an exclamation point in parentheses (though I call them brackets). I did Google it the first time I saw it and realized it had to do with air pressure, but I never made the connection to the image. I don’t go by images–I go by words.

So this is a angry red triangle with an exclamation point in it. My brother insists it’s orange from the pic he saw on the internet, but it’s red in person. Or this could ba a blue dress/gold dress situation. Anyway, as I was talking to my brother, I went out to the car bectause my brother said there should be another message, and I had thought I had seen one.

I did not. Instead, the check hybrid system message and angry red exclamation triangle both started flickering on and off. Like, it was there, then it would disappear. A few seconds later, it was back> I informed my brother what was happening, and he said it might be a fuse.

This is what I think is wild. The message covers everything from a fuse being wonky to the hybrid battery being bad. That’s a five dollar problem and a several thousands of dollars problem. It makes my head hurt to think that it could be anything from one to the other. Five bucks could fix the problem or it might take $8,000. If it’s anything close to the latter, it might be time to buy a new car.


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Break From the Ordinary

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I had another post planned for today, but sometimes, reality takes precedence. My mom fell this afternoon, twisting her knee. She tried to tough it out by icing it, but it was really hurting. I took her to the Twin Cities Orthopedics (Coon Rapids) because they have Urgent Care that is open until 8 p.m., and I’m relieved that nothing is broken or torn.

However, because of it, my whole schedule is in shambles, and I’m not up to writing the post I was originally working on. Therefore, today, you get Shironeko (white cat with orange markings in the background) and his buddy just chilling.

I could do with a little serenity, and Shironeko helps me get there.

Odlly enough, however, for all my PTSD worst-case scenario catastrophizing, I’m actually pretty good in a real crisis. Instead of overreacting as I normally do, I’m calm, focused, and relaxed. I concentrate on what needs to be done, and I’m not upset or flustered by what is happening. I think it’s because I’ve practiced in my mind for a disaster so many times, actual terrible things are easier to handle.

It’s also taiji. I’m always going to give credit to taiji for making me calmer and more able to deal with stressors.

The doctor told my mother that all she needed was ice and Tylenol. She (the doctor) did give my mother crutches, which she’s using to hobble around. The doctor looks twelve, by the way, but she was terrific, as was the technician and the front desk person. All in all, it was an easy and smooth experience, and I would recommend them to anyone who needs orthopedic work.

Here’s an extra video of Maru relaxing in a hammock plus various other activities, including laying flat on his back with his tail lazily swishing back and forth. Bonus appearances by his sister, Hana. I can’t with the cuteness!