Radiator @ MindSay

As if you all don't have enough problems, and drama in your lives you get to read about mine. Last night I had the charger hooked up for an hour and the gage never changed. So I unplugged it. Noone would tell me how long to leave it plugged in, and I didn't want the battery to explode. Turns out the battery is a self maintanence one, so I popped the tops off, and the acid was way low. It took about 3 1/2 cups of water to fill it back up. I used tap water, and apparently that wasn't the right thing to do. I could have sworn my dad always used tap water to keep his batteries at the right level. So anyway, this morning I decided I didn't want to kill myself, or blow up my van, so I called my neighbor and asked her to have her husband come over and jump start the van. Of course he gave me lessons on what exactly he was doing. I was kind and pretended I cared what he had to say when all I really wanted was for him to hook up the damn jumper cables and get the van started. lol Besides, everything he was telling me was exactly the opposite of what I had just read online. The only part that was the same was not to connect the negative cable to any painted surface. Anyway, after about 5 tries the van finally started. I left it running for about an hour while I took a shower and got the kids ready to run up to the Advance store about 2 miles away. We got out of the van and got everyone buckled in and I am smelling something burning. It was an electrical smell. Awesome! NOT! Drove to the store, got the guy to come out and test the battery. I pop the hood and he looks and says "I don't need to test it, you have acid seeping out. You definately need a new battery." (apparently you don't use tap water, umm maybe should have been distilled water? not sure why the difference though) Ok, $100 later I have a new battery, it's installed for free, and a gallon of antifreeze. For whatever reason last night I checked the coolant and it was low, so that's why I bought more. On the way home my temp gage went all the way to the H! I had put the antifreeze in before I left the store, and this still happened. I've been out and since filled coolant to the line because I felt a little awkward doing it in the parking lot, and didn't want to look like an idiot cause I was spilling it. Hopefully when I go back out in a bit it won't have all run out in my driveway. I'm really hoping it over heated so much because of the battery getting so hot.

I just don't get why everything has to go wrong now, a week before my husband comes home. If this had happened 8 months ago I would have been like ok, give me a rental car, and let the shop take care of it. Now I feel like I need my husbands advice on what I'm supposed to do and I haven't heard from him in days. I don't know how many days before the flight they actually move to Kuwait, so he very well could be there, and not allowed to contact me. The advance party soldiers called their families, but some of these guys have broken the rules before. I told Dale to call me when he gets to Kuwait because the rates are much, much cheaper on the cell phone then from Iraq, but I don't know if he will. I just really want him to call me and tell what I need to do. This all sucks double because of the plates on the truck being expired. Because now he may have to drive on post with an over heating van just to go get the new tags for his truck so he can drive that instead. Seriously though, I may end up picking him up in a rental car. It's not bad enough that the a/c doesn't work in the van because it needs a new condensor ($400 worth of work), and my steering sounds like a huge spring that's been wound too far, but then I had to deal with the battery, and now the over heating problem. Looks like our savings may be going to fix my van instead of buying a new outboard for the boat. Ugh!

Dixie currently feels:

COLD 

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IT'S SO BLOODY COLD.

March is SUPPOSED to be the first month of spring!

It certainly doesn't feel that way.

I'm sat in my bedroom, I've just had a shower - a really warm shower... Ahhh, heavenly bliss, it was.

I get out, put on my robe, and come in here.

NO HEATING, NO RADIATOR.

The coldness smacks against my wet self - and makes me SHIVER.

I had to walk up to school today in HAILSTONES.

With NO COAT.

Fine, it's England - it's only about... 2 degrees?

Fine, in Canada, Iceland, Russia, Scotland - it'll be in the minuses.

From -5 to -20.

But... ARGHHHH...

They're USED to it!

It's NEVER this cold in England!

HOW I HATE GLOBAL TEMPERATURE CHANGE.

Global WARMING?

More like GLOBAL FREEZING.

...Dixie needs a nice warm hug.

...Emily - where are you...?

I'll tell you where Emily is - or, where she bloody will be soon - packing off on a holiday and leaving me all on my Billy Todd.

How grand.

And she's off to bloody Florida - you know, the SUNSHINE state!

I'D KILL SOMEONE FOR SOME WARMTH RIGHT NOW.

Dixie is so damn jealous.

Ok so today i sat in a McDonalds parking lot for an hour and a half at 7:00 becuase my car was like dead....becuase like something w/ the radiator....its a long story so i'll try to tell it in a shorter way...

drove to dance after school

stopped at wal*mart on the way

came out after buying flavored water

giant puddle of green liquid under my car

note on my window from some good samaritain saying to check the radiator

drove to dance

car was smoking

asked ppl what to do

borrowed a watering can to fill radiator w/ frequently

ppl staring out dance window at me usuing a water can and spilling stuff all over

drove to wal*mart called mom and dad

ended up waiting at McDonalds for dad to come and get us

becuase he said the motor could over heat and die

dad came, fixed it, and now i'm home!!!

yay so thats my story and i'm sticken to it...haha sorry that songs retarded....yeah but anyway true story. I'm so glad i have a late start tomorrow!!! yay

i bought a curling iron today....yeah

**Melissa**