February 18, 2005 - 1:54 PM

Tired of All This Rain

You know what happened on Tuesday, the day after I got those new tires? I drove in to work, frittered about for a few hours, and then I had to go pick up something at payroll around noon. In the parking lot, I saw the other P.A., Jon, standing by his car. We talked a little, and as we conversed, I looked at the tires. And, funny, the front-left tire looked a little smooshed. I thought it might be because the wheel was turned and the rubber had splayed out, kinda like when you're resting your arm on the desk, and you move it back and forth, but the flabby underarm skin stays in place on the surface. But a few kicks confirmed that the rubber rondelle was bereft of air.

Jon, whose father is a mechanic, diagnosed that the technicians had installed that wheel incorrectly, and that the valve-something-or-other was twisted or something and slowly leaking air. He helped me put the spare on before I cautiously drove back to Costco to have the mechanics check out their handiwork. Sure enough, after a one and a half hour wait, they confirmed Jon's analysis and corrected it. I wonder if that happens often...people needing to get tires repaired the day after they are purchased. Thank god for the Costco warranty, which says they will fix or replace tires for free or at a prorated price if they are punctured or damaged. Of course, I have to make sure that the alignment and the suspension and the shocks don't cause uneven wear or that might void the warranty. I need to learn more about cars.

Still, it's a great thing that I got the tires switched on Monday. Whenever it rained, my car had been all "Remember back when we used to watch He-Man and GI Joe and Transformers, and there were those commercials for that super-long yellow rubber mat that you wetted with the garden hose and you could run up to it and slide down the length of it? That slip and slide thingy? Man, I always wanted to try that, but my parents never got me one, which I guess I'm kinda bitter about (although they did get that cool Mr. T. sprinkler doohickey that worked like a conventional sprinkler, only the head was this big plastic disc with Mr. T.s face on it and sidepanels that you hit with sponges to get it to turn or to stop and wasn't B.A. Baracus awesome?), and no one I knew who had it ever pulled it out during the summer when i went over to their houses for parties. Anyways, let's try it out now! Look, the road is slick from the water and the oil and my tires are nearly bald, so it's perfect. Look at me go, wheeeeee!" Yeah, my car tends to ramble on.

So we'd go slippin' and slidin' across the roads of Los Angeles, with nary a provocation from the gas pedal. Until yesterday when the rains came again. Is this El Nino again that's dumping tankers of water on L.A.? Oh wow, there was, like, 20 feet of rain over the past 24 hours, including up to 30 minutes ago, and now there are patches of blue sky and the sun is out in full force. This weather is so messed up. I see cars outside my office driving through gulfs of water...here's hoping they fight the urge to roll down their windows while they bask in the sun, because that can only lead to tragedy. Vroom vrooom, wind in the hair, singing along to the radio and suddenly, WHOOOMP, a wall of water pours in through the window from the wake of a passing SUV.

Uhh...oh yeah, my new tires. I have not slipped once on the roads in the past day. The treads are holding onto the ground with a firm grip, challenging me to try to make them let go. Not that I'm, you know, squealing away at stoplights or sluicing through traffic. It's just that there's a confidence from the car that seeps into me as well when I take a curve or accelerate from a standstill. The wheels won't let me down.

Now Listening To : Josh Rouse- Dressed Up Like Nebraska
Random Thought : How was Valentine's Day for you?

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