Angry Furnace

We turned on the heat yesterday because it was getting really cold but mostly because we were having some friends over last night and didn't want everybody to be chattering their teeth. In Minnesota people generally go as long as they possibly can in the fall without turning their heat on and we're typically no exception to that rule. When we turned on our heat yesterday our furnace got angry and sent out as much heat as it possibly could full-blast until we called our landlord to come turn it off again. It turns out some valve was catching on something so it was constantly in the 'open' position. Anyway our apt got up to 90 degrees and wouldn't go below 85 even with all the windows wide open. Our friends were very toasty warm last night.

Today I made use of my wide-open afternoon and took four towels over to my car to towel-dry the carpet. I folded the towels, set them on the floor in the front or back seat, then hopped in and stomped on top of them as they soaked up all the water. Then I came home and threw the towels straight into the laundry. It seemed to be a very effective method because the carpet was starting to finally just feel damp at the end instead of sopping wet, and the towels also seem to be ok (I was afraid they would stain but they didn't). The only part that I can't do this to is the patch of carpet under the seat, and I may have to use creative and excessive measures to get that part dry but the rest of it has been surprisingly easy to deal with.

I also got some specific instructions on how to pop open the distributor to let it dry and excitedly went back to my car, popped open the hood, then stared under it with increasing disappointment as I realized I know nothing about where anything is under there and even if I did I am not strong enough to pry off a distributor that hasn't been touched in 17 years without killing myself in the process. I called up the tow company, found out it'll cost $100 to tow my car the 3 miles to the mechanic, and tried to convince my Studly Hubby that it's worth pushing it over there instead. Then my Studly Hubby decided maybe he's like to help me with the distributor and we settled on a date for tomorrow afternoon, at my car, dressed for success. Wish us luck.