Days 162-163: Heat

So, I like to think I do a decent job of maintaining my car.  I take it for regular oil checks and major maintenance when it's time.  However, I forgot that not every place checks all the fluid levels regularly without asking.  Which became an apparent issue this week.  For about the last month, I've noticed that the heat in my car barely works.  And by that, it only worked when I was driving about 50 mph.  This meant that the majority of my commute to and from work was spent in a very cold car.  I just wrote it off as being due to the fact that I do not have a garage anymore.  However, I finally got fed up enough that LOML called the mechanic.  The mechanic was very concerned, like the level of concern I get when I'm worried a patient has cancer.  He said to check the coolant level and then get it to him to check.  So LOML checked the coolant level, which was low, took me to work, and then put a liter of antifreeze into the coolant system before taking it to the mechanic.  We spent most of the day on pins and needles.  Naturally, I began searching the internet and found horror stories of many 2004 Honda Civic's having similar problems and all ended with blown head gaskets.  I freaked out, started planning for buying a new car, and working out plans with my mom and LOML mom for transportation and bargaining for a good price on a new car.  Fortunately, the mechanic called back and said the car was fine after dumping a bunch of coolant into the system.  He did not see any leaks, and the head gasket was fine.  He said all we needed to do was check the coolant level weekly and have it checked every time the oil was changed.  Thank goodness.  Added bonus was having to turn the heat down in the car because it was too warm on the way home.  Definitely a first world problem, but when so much of my job is based on my ability to get myself independently from one place to another, it's an important problem to deal with.