Tuesday, November 27, 2007

State Trooper = Electrician?

Last night I had to work at W-S. It was a VERY long & slow night. Not without an array of idiot customers (slow night = no real need for gift wrap, so I was working on the floor.) Seriously, a woman came in and said 'I'm looking for a cookbook I saw here this summer. When I saw it, it was here' (gestures to the big wall full of cookbooks). Umm. . . . . do you remember anything about the cookbook? 'No, it was just here'. Lo and behold, by some crazy retail magic, another associate actually FOUND the cookbook. . . .. then the woman left without buying it. I really don't understand people.
I got off work, paid for my parking and headed home. No tunnel traffic, which was a bonus. Half way through the tunnel, I noticed a State Trooper. So did the guy driving next to me, who was driving about 70mph (tunnel is a 35mph). I was also speeding, but much more reasonably at 45mph. The 70mph guy SLAMS on the brakes. I'm so not one of those people. Once you notice a cop, they've seen you, so I just pretty much continue at whatever speed I was. I always figure the cop DOESN'T want you slamming on brakes and causing an accident, you know. Nevertheless, the cop gets over, I pass him, he gets back behind me and flips on the lights. I'm positively floored that he's pulling me over. So I get out of the tunnel and pull over.
"Evening ma'am, is there a reason you're driving with headlights on tonight*"
*this is what Carly thinks she hears and looks very confused at the Trooper
"Excuse me? Why do I have my lights on? Because it's night?"
"No, ma'am, I asked why you DO NOT have your lights on."
(I look at my console, which is all lit up, and also at my headlight control, which is in the 'on' position.)
"My lights ARE on. . . .see (points to headlight control in 'on' position)"
Then I turn them 'off' and notice my console lights go off but no illumination changes in front of my car. Hmmm. "Well that's weird, I just turned them off and nothing happened".
"Yes, ma'am, because your headlights were not on."
"Well, I can't imagine both lights could burn out at the same time. . . so I have absolutely no idea why they aren't lit. Maybe it's a fuse. . . . do you know how to check fuses?"
Boy. . . . bet the trooper had no idea he wasn't just pulling over a doofus who forgot to turn on their lights. He's under the hood playing with wires and the fuse box. He's in the passenger compartment playing with the fuse box in there. He's perplexed. . nothing appears to be wrong.
"Well, ma'am, you can't drive with no headlights."
"Uhhhhhhhhh, how am I supposed to get home?"
"Well, how far do you have to go?"
I am not liking how this conversation is going, given that where I pulled over is not where I'd like to leave a car.
Rest of the story short, after a good 30 minutes of him fiddling, turns out both my high beams and my fog lamps would come on, just not my regular lights, so he let me drive home with high beams. Now Jake gets to try to figure this out after work so I can actually leave the house past 5PM. I really hope he can fix it so I don't end up with a ridiculous car repair bill!
I did have knitting in the car, but somehow thought he may frown on my knitting away while he was fiddling around with my vehicle, so I restrained myself. :)
Hope you had a less eventful evening!

3 comments:

PixieRose said...

wow well I hope he is able to fix it. That sucks. But at least you were able to drive home and you didn't get a ticket. good luck on getting it fixed.

~Jessica

Shadkitty said...

That is the funniest thing I've read all night. I hope that the lights get fixed!

LotusKnits said...

Ick! I hope your light gets fixed. And good on you for making the trooper fiddle with stuff in your car! hehehe