on being handy

i got a flat tire the other night. it was right before i was going to see jazz show, so i decided to deal with the mess once the show was over. (sidenote: surprisingly, some high school jazz bands and funk bands are actually quite amazing and fun) i called roadside assistance and they responded rather quickly; i was duly impressed. i was also impressed that the tire guy changed the tire in about 15 minutes all while giving me a rundown on the '06 san francisco earthquake and how alameda/oakland were relatively unaffected - and that alameda was the third city in the states to have electric street lights. san francisco still had gas lamps and that was why most of the city burned after the earthquake. the things you learn from tire guys at midnight on a tuesday night while you are standing on a street in the middle of oakland.

i drove home on my spare tire, which must also work really well as a wheel for a moped. yesterday was a minor wild goose chase of discovering that i would have to get a new tire - said tire not being at big o tires nor on the internet, and going to the honda dealer only to find at the honda factory was closed by the time the parts guy called to inquire. this whole time i thought, "man, i wish i knew a trade. or at least was somewhat mechanically/automotively/technically inclined." no matter the economic climate, mechanics, plumbers, elevator repairmen will always be needed. for now i am one of the many degreed (even doubly so!) schlubs who is scraping around for a job and would be living at home with her parents if it weren't for generous great people from church.

i'm a little grouchy. i remain hopeful. but i am a complex person, full of complex emotions! so when something like this flat tire happens, this is where my thoughts go. simply because i wish i could do all that stuff for myself, instead of shelling out the cash for labor in addition to the parts.