Oh, right. I've been too busy whining about my laptop dying to remember to mention that my beetle is running (and stopping). Finally!
I've driven it around town twice now. I put air in the tires, including the spare, hooked the washer system back up (to the spare tire). The pressure in the spare tire pressurizes the washer system, and apparently the supply hose wasn't on the valve under the steering wheel well enough to stand up to a 40 psi, and so while I was on my second test drive, the hose came loose and dropped half a gallon of washer fluid on my shoes and the floor of the car. I can drive the car fine without it, it just doesn't have a washer system.
I spent some time today with laptop but without internet, so I made big advances toward the next few pages about beetle repairs. I plan to be uploading them in half-finished form soon.
Summary: car driving. Web pages soon.