I was sitting at a light on my way to the service center, and I
saw the tach drop to 0, and a few random trouble lights come on.
Then everything came back.  I was wondering if it would just drop
dead in the middle of the road, which would have been so
embarrassing.  But then everything came back up again, and I made
it to the Audi place.

I left the car running when I went in.  I told the Audi guy, "My
car is still running, because I'm afraid that if I turn it off,
it won't start again."

He looked at me, his face expressing compassion.  It was as if he
was saying, "Don't worry, anxious Audi owner.  You are now in the
presence of Trained Audi Professionals.  We know what to do.  It
will be fine.  Don't worry."

He drove my car into the safety of the Audi Service Center Womb,
and placed it into the hands of a Trained Professional.  The
Trained Professional showed me how to make the seat go up and
down (something I had not been able to figure out from the
owner's manual), pointed out that I was missing a bracket (it's
on order), and diagnosed the sick battery.  And then he replaced
it under warrantee.

They then told me that the 35000 mile service had in fact been
done (it's a big one involving changing the transmission fluid
and filter), that the computer was not throwing any error codes,
that they had reset my radio from the dead battery drama, and
that I would not have to mess with my car for ANOTHER TEN
THOUSAND MILES!!  INCLUDING OIL CHANGES!!

I did something last evening that I haven't done for years.  I
went for a joyride.  Gas is four something (at 11.25:1
compression, I need premium) and I used twelve bucks of it to
drive around just because I love driving this car.  I was nailing
eighty on a back country road without even pushing it.

I love my car.