6:10am - Alarm goes off. Strangely, I'm awake enough to turn it off and get up and not hit the snooze button. Usually, I'm snoozing from 5:30 until 6:30am.
6:45am - Showered, dressed and out the door.
6:57am - Flat tire on I-465 Loop.
6:58am - Get out jack and necessary tools. My spare tire is underneath my truck bed and I have to lower it with a special tool.
6:59:30am - Remember about the 1st time I changed a flat on my truck and how it took me over an hour to get the spare tire down. Of course, that was at 4am in the morning and I was completely hammered then.
7:01am - Got the spare down
7:02am - Jack the car up.
7:03am - Remembered the easiest technique to getting the lug nuts off. Loosen them while the tire is down on the ground, then jack the car up. Use the nut-thingy (I'm blanking on the tool's name, it's the crowbar thingy with the nut-thingy on one end) on the lug nut and spin the tire instead of turning the tool. Let the tire do the work.
7:03:30am - Lower the car.
7:04am - Attempt to loosen the first lug nut. Not even budging. I think, "Righty Tighty - Lefty Loosey" and confirm I'm pushing the right way.
7:08am - No lug nut even budges.
7:08:15am - Curse.
7:15am - Position the tool-thingy on a lug nut and step on tool. Massive gerth allows for successful loosening of lug nuts.
7:17am - Lug nugs off.
7:20am - Flat tire off and in truck bed.
7:21am - Spare tire on.
7:22am - Lug nuts tightened.
7:24am - All tools back in car.
7:24:30am - Start to pull away and hear chain clanging noise.
7:24:45am - Realize I need to raise the chain that holds the spare tire up.
7:25am - Raising the chain.
7:26am - Realize I'm a dirty, sweaty mess as I pull off.
7:30am - Stop at McDonalds to clean up.
7:31am - McDonald's soap sucks and the faucet is automatic.
7:37am - Give up cleaning hands. They were as clean as they could get.
7:39am - Stop at gas station to give extra air to space
7:39:30am - Notice Out of Order Sign on Air Machine
7:41am - Ask store clerk if they know of another air machine nearby since there's isn't worked. They said it was and they'd turn it on if I took the Out of Order sign off.
7:43am - Hey! It does work. Oh, the connecting piece broke off when I touched it.
7:43:30am - Fuck it! Plow through.
7:46am - Tire inflated.
7:47am - Decide to stop at the Target behind gas station for a change of clothes.
7:48am - Target opens at 8am.
7:49am - Call home to tell Wife about flat.
7:58am - Call work to say I'll be late.
8:00:02am - Enter Target.
8:10am - Procure 2 undershirts, a new polo shirt and pair of jeans.
8:11am - Check out and head to bathroom to clean up.
8:12am - Enter stall and change into new clothes.
8:20am - Exit stall and wash up. Target's bathrooms at least had manual faucets.
8:22am - Leave Target and head to work.
8:30am - Arrive at work where there's not a lot to do.
So that was my morning so far. I've got stuff to install on our Avids. At least the day ends with seeing "High School Musical" on stage with some good friends. That should wash away my morning... until I get the bill for a new tire...
2 comments:
First of all: tire iron.
Secondly: gawd, that was one thing that I HATED about driving a truck. I remember on mine, the bracket on the end of the cable that goes in the tire, that snapped off; THAT was annoying. Not as bad as your morning, though, to be sure.
Yes! TIRE IRON! Duh!
Post a Comment