This is Your Brain on Overload

 My first car was a little red 1985 Ford Escort. There were no bells or whistles. It was a manual, basic H stick shift without air conditioning or rear window defrost. It was a two-door, although when you're in your twenties that isn't a big deal. Plus, since it was my car I didn't have to do much climbing out of the back seat.

That little car took many a road trip- to Key West for Spring Break and all the way to New Orleans for a three-week excursion to Mardi Gras and beyond. When it didn't start the way it should I could pop the clutch and get the motor running. It served me well...until it didn't- at which point I coasted it down Superman hill in Arlington, VA to sell it to the local junk dealer.

Thirty years later, my car has a few more added attractions. I never take the rear window defrost for granted- or the cool air that blows through the vents on a warm day.

Last week, I noticed the air blowing out of the passenger's side was anything but cool. Actually, it was downright hot. I considered the problem for a second but then since I was getting all the cool air I needed I pushed it out of my mind. I knew a/c problems meant money and I didn't want to ruin my sunny Sunday.

This afternoon, I busted out of work ready to take on the problem. I had done my internet research and was ready to hand over the sizable amount of money that it could cost. Thankfully, the end of the workweek provided a moment of clarity that kept me from pulling into the local service station.

These new cars. They're so fancy.

My a/c has dual controls. Something that apparently got buried in a mind that has been so busy thinking about words like concurrent, hybrid, and pivot. I hit the temperature sync button, laughed at my own stupidity, and headed home with a smile and a cool breeze blowing through the car.