Whoops! My green is showing.

As I said in the last post, my E-brake tends to jam in the cold. That of course begs the question: Then why don't you just stop using your E-brake?

To be concise: It's a reflex. I'm an idiot.

When I got the Kia! (yes, the exclamation point needs to be there, at times) The most out-of-place component of it was the emergency brake lever. Sitting at the driver's right hip, it could be engaged with a quick jerk upward, which gave it a rally car/chase sequence type of cool that had no place in an $11K sedan.

The thing rattles like an Apollo capsule re-entry when it surpasses 85 mph and has a horn that could make a Miata blush. If I'm ever in a chase with it, I'll use it to swerve in front of a better car so I can steal it. There's no reason I'll need that brake to swing around a street corner at a 270-degree angle.

But the absurdity of it was what caused me to use the brake in the first place.

I was 18 and deperate to do everything differently from anyone else: music, writing, walking, dressing, you name it. Now, I could park unlike anyone in my graduating class, so I did. By the time that phase of staunch individualism passed, it was second nature. In fact, when I stopped trying to do it earlier this winter, my heart would skip a beat every time the car would roll a quarter-inch when I let off the brake after shifting into park.

So I honestly didn't notice three days when I subconsciously pulled the lever at 2 a.m. outside of Safeway. I don't remember doing it. I don't rememeber hearing the clicking. All I remember is putting down my bran flakes and saying, "Aw (choice expression)" upon return.

After a few attempts of reversing quickly and pulling the lever (it's worked before). I realized it was no use at -47 degrees and scooted slowly home. The next day, I was keeping a close eye on the temperatures. When it hit -23, I gave it another shot; this time, it suceeded.

But oh, oh, no. It couldn't just end there. I am, after all, Josh.

Last night, as I turned on my car to warm it up, the E-brake light flipped on. What? How? I'd been adamant not to touch that thing. Did I slip up again? Is it a malfunction?

I was consumed with the idea of having to scoot in short, 15 mph bursts again, waiting for another jump in temperature.

Luckily, the car seemd fine, there was a faint scratching noise, but that was probably just the studded tires on gravel. When I got home, I reached to the passenger seat for my exension cord ... my ext .... aw, (choicer expression).

Yup, It was dragging below my car, attached to the front plug, scratching on the ground. I too it inside and gave it a quick inspection: no apparent chafing to the wire, male socket is still in the same shape and isn't warm. Diagnosis: There was only one way to see if it still worked.

I was expecting a failure to result in me trying to start a frozen engine in the morning, but my results were immediate. The faint pop and spark that flew from the cord when I plugged it in was proof enough. Looks like I'll need a new extension cord and a few minutes to ask the landlord to flip the circuit breaker. Sorry Kia, you're gonna be frozen.

But first things first, I had to see the start of the Yukon Quest. Pics and a post of that tomorrow.