urgencies

Urgencies have been piling up, out-urgenting previous urgencies.

Top urgency was to fix the intermittent electrical outage that's been plaguing the circuit that serves our bedroom and bathroom. Twice power went off and then came on again of its own accord several hours later, without a breaker being tripped. Chances are the breaker had gone bad, but I still wanted an electrician to examine the wiring. Amazingly, I found one that actually could make an appointment only five days after the call. (Most electricians are booked up for six months solid and aren't taking any more appointments, and are very smug about telling you so; and this is true every time I need one. He said the wiring looked OK, and he replaced the breaker. It's only been a couple days, but no more problems so far.

Next urgency was to get our internet connection back. This frequently goes out, but usually for an hour on late summer afternoons, which suggests a wiring problem. But it was out all evening and overnight a few days ago, and even when it came back I had to reboot the computers, which is rarely necessary. But this upgrades what had been a chronic nuisance into a major problem, and we're getting a technician to come today.

Third urgency was to buy a new car, to replace the one that went under by hitting a curb too hard. Despite this vulnerability, I was attracted by getting another Honda Fit. A test drive at the same dealer I'd previously used proved that the model has not gotten bulkier in the last ten years, as Honda models often had. I like having a subcompact; it's maneuverable and squeezes into small spaces.

I tried the main competitor, the Toyota Yaris, which gets better reviews than it did back then. I liked it, but not as well, and it was more expensive than the Honda for no greater desirability from my perspective. (The console display panel which sticks up from the dashboard and can't be folded down was particularly annoying.)

My rental car company had their sales department phone me, and I went over to the lot to see what they had. What they had in subcompacts mostly turned out to be the Hyundai Accent. At $3K less than a new Fit, with only 10K on the odometer, it seemed a bargain. After a quick look, I went home to think and research. Condemner Reports, as I call them (an old Mad Magazine line), grumbled at it, but only insofar as they seem to dislike subcompacts in general. I was more worried by the paucity of Hyundai dealers out there. What if I don't like the local one's service department, or need major service when I'm on the road? The phones were busy at the sales lot when I called Wednesday morning, so I got ready to just drive my rental car over there, take a closer look and a test drive, and buy the car on the spot if I liked it; but then I started thinking about how I'd feel if I bought it, and would I be sure I was making the right decision?

I didn't want that nagging at me, and I'm fortunate enough not to have to worry about the $3K. I went back inside the house, called back the Honda salesman (who'd been politely schmoozing me in the interim in typical salesman manner), and said I was in.

So now I am the owner of a bright electric blue (they call it Aegean Blue, and if that's the color of the Aegean Sea I'd be alarmed) 2019 Fit, but I don't have it, because I can't drive it home from the dealer until B. is free to take me over there.

That will free me to return to other urgencies, such as doing the monthly bills and preparing the taxes, not to mention work which is approaching the annual deadline with the usual darkness looming.