Like planes trains and automobiles....

the old volvo and I took one on the nose yesterday. The day kind of went like Steve Martin's character...

got up at 6, went to Rochester, was heading back to my job and blew a front tire coming down the hilll by Wabasha. (I've planed to drive into work with a 30 minute cushion to go into HyVee and grab some lunch and dinner before my shift starts at 3pm)

Rolled into a driveway...

No cell coverage...

in the trunk, find a "mini" spare tire, a jack, some reflective devices, NO TIRE IRON. nice... walk to the farm house, find a tire iron laying next to the garage on a pile of junk, IT FITS amazing, have the car up, all lugs loose, need to the raise the car a little more to get the wheel off, the car starts to roll forward and tries to fall off the jack... I let her back down quick, walk back to the farm hose get some wood to block the wheels... install the 1994 mini spare tire (in the sun) and let the car down - how much air do you think is in that tire... answer=not much. Do they have a air compressor at the farm, of course not...

limp down the hill, up the four-lane for about two miles, flashers on... get air at quick trip... nearing Wabasha, call Alison, ask her to meet me in Durand and we'll stop at the Bauer tire place... I swing in, they're booked all day... so I roll on to work, limping along with that skinny little tire holding weight of the front end of a Volvo 850... (Alison liked my being economical and not driving my truck... NOT )

Arrived at work 30 seconds late... tired...

Drove home at 11:30, back roads to avoid the interstate, 45 MPH to avoid another rescue call to my wife. The tire held up, total of about 75 miles.

The new job is going ok. The training is fairly difficult, lots of acronyms and a solid eight hours of learning each day. Will be interesting to see how health care reform efforts in Washington impacts the company.

glad to be home resting this morning...