I'm now in a position to say that a flat tire on a Friday afternoon, roughly 2 hours before shabbat, is not a circumstance to be desired. But if you can manage it in the school parking lot, with a playground to entertain the (overtired, obviously underfed) boys, other adults to entertain the (cranky, mentally reciting pre-shabbat To Do list), then all might just be well.
The dad who offered to change the tire for me, on the other hand? Bonus. The other dad who came over and showed us how to stand - and then hop - on the wrench to loosen the bolts? Sheer fun. The mom who helped de-bitch any text messages sent to the loving spouse? Probably necessary.
My thanks to them all: we got the tire changed, the boys chased and inserted into the car, peeling out of the lot just in time to pass the roadside assist guy on his way in. (snark) Stopped off to get the bolts checked and tightened, and left the flat tire to be patched or junked. And yet, we still made it home in time to broil the fish, whip the pudding, maple the black beans, flip the laundry into the dryer, turn on lights/oven/dishwasher, boil the water, caramelize and bake the onion tart. Wheee!
But that tears it: somehow, I have got to learn more about my own car. I also have to make that tart again, because damn, that's good.
5 comments:
Oh no!
Maybe our next daytime get-together should involve Car 101...Oh, wait, didn't we do that once already?
But you've now jumped the car, or watched it; and changed a tire, or watched it -- and I've shown you where to check and add fluids...what else do you need to do? Changing bulbs & fuses, I guess.
Yeah... me and the car... not so great. I got AAA because I'm well aware that otherwise I'll just be left sitting on the side of the road.
Ya know, when I tried to change a tire on that car, a big guy with a sledge hammer had to come out and get it done.
Maybe a sledge hammer is a necessary tool to drive around with...
I'm not sure it's like surgery. What is it--watch one, do one, teach one?
I technically saw some aspects of the tire being changed on Friday, but do not believe that I would get our SUV jacked up, the spare out of its secret compartment (which the above-mentioned tire-changer couldn't find either--it's that secret), and get those bolts off. When I was in similar circumstances with an irreparable tire, I drove on it to the tire place (leaving my kids at the park with the tire-changing family, funnily enough). But, time was not of the essence (and our spare, again, was hidden from thieves as well as us).
I hope that no other such calamities befall your car anytime soon! :)
One warning that may NOT even be a problem with newer cars. I failed to get oil, way back when, the engine "fell out" (and needed to be rebuilt by this weird-ish old guy named Tom in West Los Angeles). Talk about ruining the car. This was an '82 Toyota (happened in 1992). So, just check the oil. Just to be sure...
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