How Do I Not Have a Portable Power Station Already?
As an introvert, I was amazed at how modern technology allowed me to become more independent and powerful. When my car battery went dead on Staten Island, I took the opportunity to test my independence by ordering an on-sale DeWALT battery from Amazon to jump-start my car and power my electronics. I realized I should have had a portable power station already and was grateful for the modern world.
Grateful for Modern Technology: How I Tested My Independence on Staten Island with an On-Sale DeWALT Battery
By Michael Levin
Wednesday, October 26, 2022
My car battery went dead. I can barely get a sentence out. Isolated and alone on Staten Island although I know that I’m not either, really. I fancy myself a loner. I always have. A bit of a Batman, Wolverine complex or something. Perhaps it’s a result of protecting myself from hurt. Sensitive people feel hurt more deeply. I’m sensitive generally dislike social interaction.
So today is a test. A test of self-independence and the modern age. We need support less. Our packages are delivered. Our trash is hauled away. We don’t have to leave our homes for our jobs if our jobs are in any way information technology, because information allows spooky employment at a distance. Voila! A perfect formula for an ambitious introvert.
But my car battery went dead. I don’t really use my car much anymore, once or twice a week. I was going to drive to the Poconos to pick up more from storage. I’ve nearly emptied it out and will be able to get rid of that expense. It was raining and I felt in a bit of a funk, but it was a good time (before 6:00 AM on a Tuesday) but the car wouldn’t start. Ugh! No AAA service and no intention of calling anyone for a dead battery.
Be prepared for setbacks, large and small. Be prepared to know you might see things so fundamentally differently today with resources out the wazoo that weren’t there before. I considered making a run to a PepBoys or their modern equivalent AutoZone, but I didn’t. Ordered an on-sale DeWALT battery that not only can jump-start trucks, but can work as a general power-supply for phones, laptops and stuff.
The car-jump battery was on sale on Amazon, available the next day (later today) and I don’t even have to bother a neighbor or walk to a car supply store. It’s cheaper than calling a service, I don’t owe anybody anything and now I have something that will improve other aspects of life like always having a way to run my laptop anywhere.
Yay modern world! Oh how you make introverts more powerful and independent. So how do I not have a portable power station already? I guess my car battery has never gone dead in a situation like this. It went dead once before on the road, but the battery was actually toast after 10-years. It was the first thing to go wrong on my Jeep Wrangler in a decade.