saablog

As you've likely already read here on Saablog, I left last Saturday to travel to Wisconsin and Minnesota to visit Erik and Katie, and to work, respectively. I drove the 900 to the airport because I'm not concerned about door dings or other careless behaviour around the 900 like I am around the V70R, which still *amazingly* doesn't have any door dings. (Stating that has certainly just jinxed that fact into impending obsolescense).

In any case, when I pulled in to the SeaTac garage last Saturday and drove up to the 7th floor on the sweeping left-hand circular ramp, my phone headset slid off of the passenger seat onto the floor between the seat and the door. So did some CDs I was bringing with me. After parking, I turned on the interior light of the car to locate all of my stuff on the floor in the relative darkness of the parking garage. I remember thinking "Hmm, I need to turn off the interior light so I don't drain the battery." Evidently that's where that productive train of thought ended.

While I was racing from Minneapolis to Madison and enjoying my visit to the upper Midwest, the interior lamps were steadily draining the battery in the 900. When i got into the car yesterday, after having pre-paid my parking ticket (special pricing means $89/week instead of just $20/day), I turned the key and heard the dead mechanical key sound that I had heard on this day. I instantly looked at the interior lights switch, which was, of course, still in the ON position (actually the "2" position, I had to read the manual to figure it out when I got the car). Poop.

I've parked in lots and garages that offer complimentary jump-starting services. Port of Seattle's SeaTac Airport parking garage is not one of those. I headed in to the airport and found the information desk, where the volunteer made a couple of calls to determine that I could have a taxi jump-start the car for $15, or I could have the Valet Parking people jump start it for $10, cash only. Hmm. Since I had $11 cash, I opted for the cheaper jump. Good thing I didn't have a drink on the plane.

So I headed to the Valet station, filled out a liability waiver, and a valet followed me up to the car with a jump starter. It started right up. The valet had never seen a car whose hood hinged at the front. He made a really big deal about it.

When I got down to the exit gates, I chose the cashier-staffed lane, just in case. Good thing, as it had been exactly 25 minutes since I had paid my ticket. I owed another $2. Which is ridiculous since I'd already paid the weekly maximum. Since I had only one dollar cash left I put it on the good old Corporate American Express and began my hour drive home, having learned some kind of lesson. It remains to be seen exactly what that lesson is.