I spent my first entire day as a 28 year old learning a lot of valuable things....
1.) Having a tire blow-out doing 80 mph is as
unpleasant as imagined
(no worries...car and I are both okay. Just scared the hell out of me and whacked a few weeds).
2.) Getting the tire jack out of the storage bin in the trunk of 2004 Honda Civic requires extensive mechanical aptitude (FYI-you must push all the way to the right until it clicks, push forward till clicks, then pull up. That only took me 10
mins to figure out in a freaking rain storm. Am I nuts for thinking that this should be written somewhere? Its not....I checked! All it said was "remove jack"! GEE, That's helpful!! )
3.) Changing tire by myself is a skill that I already possessed thanks to the many lessons from my Dad and Buzz. Its getting the lug nuts loose that's a BITCH.
4.) Jumping up and down on tire iron (while attached to lug-nuts) and holding onto car will loosen lug nuts.
5.) Utah is blessed to have many highway patrol and state troopers, but they do not view flat tire as cause for alarm. None of those who passed stopped to help me change tire despite me jumping up and down on tire iron attached to car like a freaking monkey. (I'm sure it looked like I had the situation under control)
6.) The few
mins I left hazard lights on with the ignition off while I sat on side of road pulling myself together before I got out of the car was
enough to kill 6 year old battery. This renders tire changing skills very unnecessary. (Ya. I know! Good to know my years of advanced systems training really paid off on this one.)
7.) I have the greatest husband in the world. He very quickly left work, picked up a new car battery, and drove an hour to rescue me. (I already new I had the greatest husband ever...But the fact that he did this without laughing at the stupidity of stranding myself on the side of road due to a dead battery makes me eternally grateful)
I think I've gained enough wisdom for ahwile! Let's hope the remainder of my 28th year is a little less eventful.