Yesterday morning, I was talking to my Dad. After the usual catching up, chatting about the weather, and pondering all of the world's problems, Dad asked, "So did you ever get that tire looked at like I told you?" Now, given my recent track record with cars, I'm a little paranoid about ANYTHING going wrong with the car. This being a tire issue, I probably should have checked it about a million times over by now, but I had no recollection of him EVER talking to me about the tire. We both chuckled and laughed, both stating that since it hadn't been a problem yet, it probably wouldn't be anytime soon.
Twenty-four hours later as I set out for the morning, I heard an unmistakable "flapping" sound coming from my left front tire, the one I was supposed to have been monitoring. Oops. After trying to use my emergency air compressor (probably didn't wait long enough for it to be effective) and trying to find my AAA card, my neighbor came out and kindly changed my tire for me. Not wanting to waste any time, I drove off to Walmart to get my tire fixed.
If you've never been to Walmart for any type of car service, after checking you in, they give you a little ticket so that you can use the little price scanners to see if your car's ready and then send you off on your merry way, most likely to peruse all the wares in Walmart. So there I was, nothing better to than be a mall walker. Not one to sit and be bored, I set off to find anything and everything interesting. I was not disappointed.
First stop was the paint section. I've recently come to the conclusion that I'll probably be renewing my lease at my current apartment. Originally, I had decided to not put any money into painting the place, but now that the white walls in my apartment are starting to drive me crazy, I'm reconsidering that stance. So as I stood there deciding if I wanted blue, yellow, or green for my living and dining rooms, I got to hear a three year-old try to convince her mom to buy her the "pretty purple paint" I don't think I've ever seen such an awful shade of purple, but this little girl was adamant. Unfortunately for her, three year-old logic doesn't always persuade people to buy Barney colors for the wall.
I've been wanting to get Cooper a nice dog bed for his crate, but being a total cheapskate when it comes to stuff like that, I've been putting off that decision. Today, since I had nothing better to do, I wandered into the pet section to see if I could find anything. I didn't find anything I liked, but I did find a rare gem in that department. TWO on-duty Walmart employees. I didn't need their help with anything, which was probably good, seeing as how they were very busy...turning all the Betta fish towards each other in their little cups to make them puff up and "fight" each other. They had names picked out for the fish and a running commentary as to how the imaginary battle was going. Just in case you wondered, a blue crowntail Betta named "Jaws" won the competition.
Back-to-school items are now the "big thing" in stores, so being the school supply dork that I am, I went to see if there was anything neat to buy. Inwardly I groaned as I saw all kinds of Justin Bieber and Lady Gaga notebooks and pencils. "Really?," I thought to myself, "Why would a parent pay almost triple for a notebook just because it has a weird lady sitting in an egg on it?" My question was answered about a minute later when a mom and her two daughters came over and started oohing and ahhing over the selection. It may not have been so bad had it not been the mom who let out a squeal when she found the THIRD Justin Bieber design at the back of the box. "Oh my gosh!! Now you girls can have one for spelling, one for math, AND one for science, AND THEY'RE ALL DIFFERENT!!!!! I had to get out of there fast, before I started laughing.
After awhile, I got really bored of looking at all kinds of junky throw-away garbage and went to the little waiting room by the tire center. I picked up a year-old issue of RedBook and started reading all about Katherine Heigl's kitchen. Halfway through the story, a super obnoxious lady came in talking on her cellphone. I really don't like to eavesdrop on other people's conversation, but when you're talking very loudly two feet from me, I reserve the right to do whatever the heck I want, and I decided that I didn't care if I overheard her conversation. Again, I was not disappointed by my decision. Note to all brides-to-be: You'd better make sure there is an adequate selection of single men at your reception. Amanda was very disappointed that she spent $40 dollars on a dress, $40 on shoes (why do your shoes cost more than your dress?), and drove all the way to Isle of Palms (half an hour away) where she had to pay for her own alcohol, only to discover that the only two single guys at the party lived in Wisconsin. Tina (and me, mostly by accident) were reassured that Amanda was in fact not looking for a one-night stand, but was trying to find an available local guy to date, and was very angry that Chelsea didn't invite more single guys to her reception. I was sad for myself when Amanda's car was taken care of before I could hear her talk about her plans for the upcoming week.
Just when I think I'm accustomed to some new regionalism and am proud of myself for not having a confused look on my face when I hear a new word, something happens to make me look like a dork. As I was waiting in line to pay for the tire that had been fixed, a woman nearby said, "Look at that buggy!" Immediately, I turned in the complete opposite direction of everyone else and stretched to look out the window. Honestly, I expected to see a horse, a box on wheels, and several Amish people inside that box on wheels. I could not have been more wrong. In fact, what I was supposed to be viewing was a shopping cart that had lost it's front wheel and was beginning to tip over on a customer with a full cart. Like a cat that just had a disgraceful fall, I tried to act cool and pretend that I didn't just forget that fairly familiar term. Thankfully for me, only the cashier noticed, and just as she started to make a comment about being from out-of-town to me, the dramatic sight of three glass applesauce jars about to careen from the cart to the floor directed her attention away from me. Also good- the jars were saved by a Good Samaritan with quick hands. And a bag of rice that cushioned the third jar's landing.
Well, the good news is, my tire was fixed and I was able to drive my car for another day. The bad news is, now my eye's are playing tricks on me, and I think my tire's going flat again. So when it finally stops raining, I'm going to check the pressure again. And then come inside and prepare for work and get to bed early so I can call AAA at 7:00 a.m. tomorrow morning so they can come and change my tire for me before I go to work. Yay! At least I'm prepared for the worst now. Have a good week!
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