benefits arising from challenges

Yesterday I couldn't get the car started in the -30 C temps despite having had it plugged in (with a timer) for an hour before trying, and then trying again after an additional 40 minutes of the engine heater being on. So I emailed my boss and stayed home and finally got started on data processing for my second PhD research again. I haven't touched this part of the project in many months as I was focused on data collection before my LTU job ended (and I lost lab access), and since my job ended the only thing I have really accomplished was getting the data transferred to my new personal computer. So yesterday I finished setting things up so that Iolite can access the files it needs for data processing, and started processing the data for one of the samples, and set up a new spreadsheet for comparing results across samples that I think will work better than other things I have tried (I will find out once I put in a few samples).

Before I went to bed last night I set the timer so that today the engine warmer would run for several hours before I tried starting it.

The temps have warmed to -17 C, a temperature at which it has started with no problem before. Sadly, today it still didn't start, and now the battery is truly empty. So I tried getting the battery charger from the basement. Alas, I can't find a lever to release the hood so I can open it and attach the charger. I found an owner's manual on line, which shows a photo of the lever under the dash next to the diver's door, right where I had already checked and expected one to be, so I went out and looked again--there simply isn't a lever there. So I emailed my boss to let her know that today doesn't look good for getting to work either (for which I needed to look up Swedish words for things like owner's manual, lever, etc.)

So now my plan is to do more data processing, then, when it is lighter out, try again to figure out how to open the engine and see if I can get the battery charged.