How to Change a Flat Tire

It was also the last activity of the night yesterday; I noticed that Diane’s car’s right rear tire was quite flat while I was dealing with getting the garbage ready for pickup. So I dug out the spare and the jack and changed the tire; this morning, instead of going to the office to set up the BlueLogs server, I went to the tire dealer, who immediately found the problem — a nail had been driven right into the tread. He said they could fix it; rather than wait at the dealer, I walked over to a nearby coffeehouse (not one with folk music, unfortunately, but at least one which serves coffee in real cups), carrying my trusty computer and cellphone.

When I got settled in at the coffeehouse, I realized that I should have given the tire people my number so I wouldn’t have to leave until the car was ready. This particular dealer is part of a chain, and they have an interesting system: you dial 1-800-33WORKS and your call is automatically routed to the store nearest you. So that’s what I did, and the person at the other end promised to let me know when the car was done.

Time passed. In fact, enough time passed that the car was supposed to have been finished. But my phone didn’t ring. And I decided I’d had enough coffee (besides, the lunch crowd was arriving and the place was getting noisy), so I called the tire store again. And they didn’t know what I was talking about. So I asked the question I should have asked in the first place: “Which store am I talking to?” And I discovered that I wasn’t talking to the store near me, I was talking to the store near the switching center which handles my cellphone. And they didn’t have my car. But they did have the phone number of the store which did, and sure enough, my car had been ready for a while, as promised.

Technology is wonderful, but sometimes it helps to know what’s going on behind the scenes.

Wine of the Day

I couldn’t find the 1998 Taltarni Sauvignon Blanc that I’d had at The Blue Room on Tuesday, but I did pick up a bottle of the 1999 ($10.99 at Beverages and More), and we had it with dinner tonight. I didn’t think it was quite as fruity as the 1998, but it was still very pleasant and is likely to take up a regular spot in the rotation.

Now, it’s off to Shir Hadash to help set up the Oneg Shabbat. Shabbat Shalom!