When Technology goes bad...
Today we had things to do and people to see. You know, the kind of day when you actually have a schedule that makes sense and you really feel like your going to get some things done. Since my day usually consists of wandering around the house in a daze and wondering what I should do, this was a welcome change.
It started by me and Dianne going out to eat lunch at Hoggs Brothers. As it turns out, this would be the highlight of our day. If I had know what fate was about to befall me, I would have asked for a job as a dishwasher. I probably would have been happier. So we order our food (It was soooo good) and ate like we had not eaten in 2 days. Actually I think it had been 19 ½ hours or something like that…. We left just as they were closing the place. It was about 4pm and I needed to find a photo processing place that was on the same road.
Being a man I did not bother to write down the address or name of the location. I just know it was somewhere on the road we were on. “Not a problem” I keep telling Dianne. We will just drive up and down the street until we find it. Ok, after the 20th lap up and down the street I decided that I should probably find the address. So we stop at a shoe store and I ask for directions. The shoe repair guy just stares at me like I am about to rob him or something. I ask for the yellow pages, and he snaps out of his dazed stare. I quickly find the place I am looking for in the yellow pages, and quickly memorize the location. It is just a few blocks down the street anyway. I hop into the car, program Petuna - she is our “never get lost anymore GPS unit” that can find anything (Yes, we do name or electronics, especially if they talk to us…).
Now here is where the real fun begins. You see, when we left Florida we had an alarm system installed into our car with something called “Blackjack™”. What that is, is a device that prevents your car from getting stolen if you are carjacked. Ok, stop laughing. We figured if someone wanted to steal a minivan with a trailer, they wouldn’t get very far. Today we proved that theory. You see, when we pulled out of the shoe repair shop, and entered our, “oh so secret and mysterious” code into the key pad (it actually only has 2 buttons, but for what we paid I am calling it a keypad) nothing happened. We entered it again - nothing. Ok, we believe it is not working, but are not sure. So what should we do? That’s right, we ignore the problem. If we don’t acknowledge the problem, it really doesn’t exist, right? Wrong. Just like the manual said, about 30 seconds later the car dies, the lights flash, and it begins making sounds that would make a circus jealous. We are now in an alley with a dead car, lights flashing, and siren going off at full blast. No, this does not look suspicious at all…..
All efforts to enter the “secret” code fail and I am forced to walk to a business and call AAA. Just 2 short hours later the tow truck shows up and hooks us up. I help by putting the car in neutral, turning the wheel, turning off the alarm, and starting the car. Yep, the car knew that AAA was there, and decided to work. I thought about telling the tow truck driver not to worry about it, that we had just gotten it to work, but I had been waiting for 2 hours. Instead I had him tow the car to a car stereo shop where he dropped it off. I advised the shop of the situation, and promptly drove off.
Now I do have the alarm in “valet” mode which should keep it from going crazy, or at least not working until tomorrow. You see, tomorrow I will be having the “amazing costs too much” alarm system ripped out and turned into a pile of yesterdays trash. I am not even going to bother trying to figure out what is wrong with it, if anything. I decided this while waiting for 2 hours in 10 degree weather in a car that would not accept it’s little “secret code”.
We are going old school. Back to the days of actually having to unlock your car with a key. And if you have to unlock the other doors, you will have to press the power unlock button. I am actually thinking about getting one of those “clubs” that you lock to your steering wheel. Well, then again, probably not. The crime rate around here is nothing compared to where I came from. I actually told the guys at the audio shop that I had an “anti-car-jacking” device on my car, and they laughed. I found out that there are not many car jackings in Alaska.
I suppose that I will miss the little chirping bird that locked me out of the car and made me sit in a freezing alley for 2 hours. Then again, probably not.
It started by me and Dianne going out to eat lunch at Hoggs Brothers. As it turns out, this would be the highlight of our day. If I had know what fate was about to befall me, I would have asked for a job as a dishwasher. I probably would have been happier. So we order our food (It was soooo good) and ate like we had not eaten in 2 days. Actually I think it had been 19 ½ hours or something like that…. We left just as they were closing the place. It was about 4pm and I needed to find a photo processing place that was on the same road.
Being a man I did not bother to write down the address or name of the location. I just know it was somewhere on the road we were on. “Not a problem” I keep telling Dianne. We will just drive up and down the street until we find it. Ok, after the 20th lap up and down the street I decided that I should probably find the address. So we stop at a shoe store and I ask for directions. The shoe repair guy just stares at me like I am about to rob him or something. I ask for the yellow pages, and he snaps out of his dazed stare. I quickly find the place I am looking for in the yellow pages, and quickly memorize the location. It is just a few blocks down the street anyway. I hop into the car, program Petuna - she is our “never get lost anymore GPS unit” that can find anything (Yes, we do name or electronics, especially if they talk to us…).
Now here is where the real fun begins. You see, when we left Florida we had an alarm system installed into our car with something called “Blackjack™”. What that is, is a device that prevents your car from getting stolen if you are carjacked. Ok, stop laughing. We figured if someone wanted to steal a minivan with a trailer, they wouldn’t get very far. Today we proved that theory. You see, when we pulled out of the shoe repair shop, and entered our, “oh so secret and mysterious” code into the key pad (it actually only has 2 buttons, but for what we paid I am calling it a keypad) nothing happened. We entered it again - nothing. Ok, we believe it is not working, but are not sure. So what should we do? That’s right, we ignore the problem. If we don’t acknowledge the problem, it really doesn’t exist, right? Wrong. Just like the manual said, about 30 seconds later the car dies, the lights flash, and it begins making sounds that would make a circus jealous. We are now in an alley with a dead car, lights flashing, and siren going off at full blast. No, this does not look suspicious at all…..
All efforts to enter the “secret” code fail and I am forced to walk to a business and call AAA. Just 2 short hours later the tow truck shows up and hooks us up. I help by putting the car in neutral, turning the wheel, turning off the alarm, and starting the car. Yep, the car knew that AAA was there, and decided to work. I thought about telling the tow truck driver not to worry about it, that we had just gotten it to work, but I had been waiting for 2 hours. Instead I had him tow the car to a car stereo shop where he dropped it off. I advised the shop of the situation, and promptly drove off.
Now I do have the alarm in “valet” mode which should keep it from going crazy, or at least not working until tomorrow. You see, tomorrow I will be having the “amazing costs too much” alarm system ripped out and turned into a pile of yesterdays trash. I am not even going to bother trying to figure out what is wrong with it, if anything. I decided this while waiting for 2 hours in 10 degree weather in a car that would not accept it’s little “secret code”.
We are going old school. Back to the days of actually having to unlock your car with a key. And if you have to unlock the other doors, you will have to press the power unlock button. I am actually thinking about getting one of those “clubs” that you lock to your steering wheel. Well, then again, probably not. The crime rate around here is nothing compared to where I came from. I actually told the guys at the audio shop that I had an “anti-car-jacking” device on my car, and they laughed. I found out that there are not many car jackings in Alaska.
I suppose that I will miss the little chirping bird that locked me out of the car and made me sit in a freezing alley for 2 hours. Then again, probably not.
posted by Glenn & Dianne | 9:45 PM
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