My Stupidity, Revealed
A few weeks ago I went out with some girlfriends for dinner and drinks. I sat in my car finishing up a phone call before going inside to join them. I got out of my car and went inside and spent about four hours talking and drinking and eating and drinking. It was fun, as usual.
When I left* and walked into the parking lot and approached my car I realized something awful…..
my car.
it was still on.
4 hours later and my car was still on.
I stood outside that car thinking to myself that I should not go near alcohol ever again because it clearly impairs my judgement. Then I realized that the car incident happened BEFORE the drinking ensued.
Now, in my defense….
My car is keyless.
My car is a hybrid and it runs silently almost all of the time. And when I mean silently, think “car sliding down a hill in neutral” silent. You can not hear the car. At all. So silent, in fact, that there has been complaints issued by the National Federal for the Blind against hybrid manufacturers because the cars run so quietly that blind pedestrians can not hear them coming in order to gauge the safety of crossing the road. Really super quiet is what I’m getting at, here.
And becuase I had been sitting in it for a few before getting out, I guess I forgot I had not already pushed the ‘off’ button (see - no stick shift or gear shift engaged - just a single on/off button).
Am I justifying this well enough yet?!
I remember getting out and hitting the “lock” button on my door handle (again with the keyless bit) and it beeped twice, instead of once. I turned around and looked at the car funny, wondering why it beeped twice. You see, this is not the first time I have accidentally left it running. When it senses you have abandoned the vehicle, it lets you know. But *I* have not yet stored away the “multiple beep error code” in my arsenal of brain alert signals. And so I walked away.
So….it sat running for 4 hours, on empty (did I mention I should have filled up on gas before I went to the restaurant but was lazy?)! Unlocked! Keyless! I guess it is a testament to how safe my neighborhood is that it could sit at this busy intersection unattended, unlocked and running for 4 hours and not only did no one steal it but people probably didn’t even think it was an issue. Probably thought I just ran in to get some take-out.
So that’s my stupid story for the month. These are the things they don’t tell you about when they tell you that the hybrid will cost you so much less in gas! haha.
*I had stopped drinking several hours before leaving the restaurant, I promise!
February 13th, 2008 at 11:15 am
Oooh, I was totally about to give you shi*% until I read that very last *sentence. I’ve had some pretty absent-minded moments lately, but that’s a good one Nicki!! Hahaha.
February 13th, 2008 at 12:51 pm
Hi!
Found you by way of Blogher!
I can relate to what you are saying. I have a keyless start on my car as well, and I can easily see this happening to me, too.
Look on the bright side….at least nobody stole it, right?
*LOL*
February 13th, 2008 at 12:51 pm
yeah they are quiet….too funny though!
February 13th, 2008 at 1:11 pm
Oh that so sounds like something I would do! I do think it’s awfully justifiable though that the car runs so quietly and it is keyless - given those circumstances, I would think it would happen more often! I think it’s crazy though that it ran for four hours and nobody noticed!
February 13th, 2008 at 3:55 pm
I would totally do something like that. Multiple times, probably. See, that’s why I have a gas-guzzling van instead of a hybrid! Yeah, that’s the ticket! (sorry, really old 80’s SNL reference there…)
February 13th, 2008 at 4:28 pm
So the car is so silent that none of the other patrons tried to see if the *owner of the running car in the parking lot* was around?
I’ll admit it though, I’d probably do something like this too in my current state of mind. Just don’t tell my husband, kay?
February 13th, 2008 at 5:33 pm
Whoa! Don’t you live in Houston??
In high school, I once locked my keys inside of my car while it was still running because I was late for class. I felt like a total dork!
February 13th, 2008 at 6:35 pm
Well I love about an hour north of downtown houston so it probably would not have survived downtown for 4 hours! Haha.
February 13th, 2008 at 8:50 pm
*L* Wow they must be quiet. Glad it was still there when you returned!
February 13th, 2008 at 10:07 pm
LOL. So glad it was still there- that’s amazing. Totally sounds like something I would do.
(Christina, I got the 80’s SNL reference… You’re speakin’ my language, Baby. Yay for old people!)
February 13th, 2008 at 10:15 pm
Oops. That sounds like something I would do these days. Is it bad I just laughed out loud, though? I just read your other posts and I hope whatever you’re facing right now is getting a little easier for you.
February 14th, 2008 at 10:04 am
Ok I loved that story it was soooo funny! But if the car is that quiet I probably would have done the same thing! I am shocked that it was still there fine!
February 14th, 2008 at 7:37 pm
*grinning*
I love it when people do things like this. It SOOOOOO makes me feel better about myself and the ridiculous things I manage to do.
February 16th, 2008 at 10:24 pm
Now that is freakin hysterical:)
February 18th, 2008 at 12:28 pm
LOL! Oh I had a good chuckle!! I remember when my dh graduated from high school - I had JUST moved out here less than a week before that. And we were in SUCH a hurry to get to his graduation ceremony on time (he was salutorian) that we left his car running (an OLD Celica) the entire time! It was like 4.5-5 hours by the time it was all said and done. Thank God the darned thing didn’t explode during his speech!!!
So I can TOTALLY relate!!