Metaplanar Babel

Apparently, I have somehow offended the mighty Saturn. I had the Friday from hell last week, thanks to my car’s alternator dying out a mere two months after its warranty was up. At that time, it was the third alternator to die in the 9 years that I’ve owned it (hard to believe it’s been that long, sheesh..). Anyway, the guy down at the place where I’d had it done last year went ahead and honored the warranty, even though it was two months over, and replaced the damn thing for labor cost only. I think everything’s great, I continue to make plans to replace the evil thing, and life goes on. Until today, when the car starts driving all wonky as I’m heading home from work. Thinking there might be a problem with the transmission (why me?), I drive the car to the same mechanic who replaced the alternator (just last week!) and tell him the problems I’m having. He concurs that it might be the transmission and refers me to another shop, because his doesn’t do transmissions. I head back outside, a little apprehensive about driving the car across town with its problems, only to find that the bloody thing won’t even start! WTF?

I go back inside, inform the guy that now the car won’t even start up, and he comes out with a battery/alternator tester-thingamajig, and after fiddling around a bit and jump-starting the car, he says that he thinks the alternator is broke, because it’s putting out too little charge. This is the same damn alternator that he just put in LAST WEEK. He asks if I can just leave the car there for until they can take a look at it and get another part in, so I have to call Jon at work, where he’s in the middle of a busy meeting/interview-filled afternoon, and get him to come pick me up. This has not been a good month so far.

I’m worried that appeasement of the Saturn is a lost cause at this point, since we were looking at replacing it anyway. Maybe therein lies the true cause for anger.. *sigh*

Update: apparently a wire in the alternator had come loose. All hail the Saturn~