It seems that every time I want to make the most of a weekend, my plans are thwarted. This week I had a three-day weekend, so my plan was to start on Friday by running errands, then making my own fun on Saturday and Sunday.
On Friday I went to a location for an errand which involved parking in one of those vast lots covered completely by solar panels. I wanted to get some additional exercise into my day, so I parked in one of the free lots requiring a considerable walk to my destination. When I pressed the buttons on my car’s remote, however, nothing happened. No locking, no unlocking, no trunk function. Considering the climate of the world today, I would not leave my vehicle unlocked and to chance, even in the middle of the morning. Fortunately, I was within twenty minutes of home, so I got back in the car, drove home and, before going inside for my backup remote, I attempted to use the first one again. It worked.
My best guess is that the solar panels were interfering with the ability of my remote to communicate with the car. Nobody else has ever mentioned this anomaly, but then I don’t get to talk to many people who park under solar panels when I work from home, so there has never been a need for the subject to come up. It may be a thing. It may be my particular car or remote. I’m certain the people using the lot think nothing of this problem. Anyway, I returned to perform the task, and this time I parked in one of the spots in the open. No remote issues.
On the way home, I stopped by a new business I had been meaning to visit and managed to overspend on a few luxuries. I got home in time to avoid the school and rush hour traffic.
On Saturday I slept in and, upon checking the morning email, found that a package I was expecting would arrive during a time I would normally be at another appointment, so I texted apologies and rescheduled the regular stop so I could wait for the delivery.
In the good old days, there was no such thing as porch pirating. You could order anything and expect it to be on your doorstep, even if you got home late. Today we depend on delivery photos and home cameras pointed toward the street to give some sense of security, or even accessible lockers at remote locations. Even then, sometimes things still don’t get delivered as they should.
I have a second package at this moment which has been stuck in transit at the USPS for eight consecutive days. I have had past deliveries get lost or come to me from two blocks away. I don’t know if the delivery personnel can’t read or don’t pay attention, but if it were my job to deliver things, I would check at least twice; when putting the items in the truck, and when I drop the delivery off at each location. My merchant said to give it a few extra days before they do a re-order.
The original package I waited for came about ninety minutes after my original appointment would have ended. I didn’t leave the house at all. So much for a Saturday. Delivery time windows are worse than cable television appointments: sometime between 2:00 PM and 6:00 PM. Don’t have a life or try to have one. Or don’t order anything for delivery and find it instead at a store near you (if you have one).
So much for a three-day weekend and the conveniences of present-day processes.
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