Cars n' More

My car started when I went to pick it up from the garage. They (bless their thorough hearts) kept checking just to make sure they had covered all bases and found that one of the "rods" that connect the battery to the car was worn down so that it did not provide a good connection. They replaced it and everything seems to be running just fine (cost: $44). The lack of a good connection may have contributed to the state of the battery. My mechanic suggested that I see if the problem is fixed before I go in to get a new battery. I cannot tell you how nice it is to know that you have a good, honest mechanic!

On other fronts, the autumn weather is presenting me with office temperature maintenance issues. I have only been in this office since June, so I have not experienced cold weather until now. I am learning how to regulate the temperature. This office has a very large south-facing window which gets the afternoon sun. However, the office starts out cold in the mornings.

To somewhat complicate the temperature regulation issue, the three rooms at this end of the building share a thermostat. There is one office on the north side; a large, windowless room in the middle; and my office on the south side. So my temperature regulation efforts go something like this:
1) Office door open during the night so the morning's automatic heat will flow freely.
2) Close office door when I arrive and turn on my space heater.
3) As the sun gets warmer, turn off space heater and then remove coat. If it is cloudy, I may leave my space heater and coat on all day long.
4) The afternoon sun usually makes my office warm enough so I open my office door for brief (or longer) periods of time to allow heat to escape into the large, windowless room next to mine.

Actually, it is a nice system. Since the windowless room in the middle is generally cooler than my office, I can open the door to quickly cool my office if it becomes too hot. And I am not inflicting my personal (warm) office temperature on anyone else (or wasting heat on a room that is infrequently used).

There are "noises" around the office that we will be hiring more people next year and I may have to share my office with someone else. I hope they like it warm.

On another note, I have had an unusual craving for Tootsie Rolls during the past two days. Happily, eating candy is not frequently part of my diet, so I doubt if eating several pieces of candy two days in a row will hurt me.