Look, I have to amuse myself or else I'd be screaming and punching holes in my own walls right now.
So I mustered up the energy to go run a few errands this afternoon, because, you know, that's what you have to do and stuff. Didn't think much of it, just had to hit CVS, the gas station and the grocery store.
Well in between CVS and the gas station, my car starts clunking. Something is definitely wrong. And it feels an awful lot like that something is a flat tire.
I pull to the side of the road, get out, and see the disaster above that is (or was) my left rear tire.
I'm, of course, distraught at this sight. But for full disclosure, when I picked my car up a couple weeks ago from my mechanic after having my new clutch installed, he DID tell me that my tires were in very bad shape and needed to be replaced.
Well, here I was with an apparently blown out tire, wondering what to do now. I knew there were some tire places very nearby. I Yelped them to see if they were open. One was, just a couple blocks away. I was highly dubious about whether I could make it there on this destroyed tire, but I threw caution to the wind and whipped my car around to head that way.
I made it, by the grace of god, and managed not to fuck up my wheel. But then the guy who comes up to help me tells me he's got no used tires. Just new ones. How much, I ask him. $110. I cringe a little, but I tell myself, what am I gonna do? I'm here, might as well get a brand new tire and not have to think about it.
Then I start looking around at my other three tires, and my mechanic's voice is echoing in my head, telling me these tires have got to go. And right on cue, the tire guy pipes up about how all my tires look pretty bad.
He asks me if I want to replace any others, or take my chances and just do the one. And then he throws in this clincher: "I mean, any of these could blow if you wait."
Now under normal circumstances, I would have scoffed and told him to just give me the one, and then gone and gotten the others taken care of later and cheaper.
But in this very rare instance, I felt this guy was not bullshitting me, because my own mechanic, whom I trust, told me the same damn thing just the other week.
So I cave. "All right, do all four," I tell him.
While he's working, I call up a friend to gripe about the whole situation. He scoffs about how much I'm getting charged, telling me I could have done much better at Pep Boys. This isn't making me feel any better. As far as I'm concerned, this is a done deal at this point, and I'm just eating it. I just want this over with.
When the tire guy comes over to get me to sign the order, I throw out, "Hey, is there any kind of deal you can cut me here, since I'm getting four?"
He tells me he can "lower the price" and charge me $420 instead of $440.
What a deal. I'll try not to spend that $20 I saved in one place, but no promises.
Anyway, I now have four brand new tires.
Oh gee, and wouldn't you know today is the 13th...
My Sunday drinking is well on its way.
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