I gave much thought to what my first blog post should be about. Gardening? My tomato plants are still toddlers. Quilting? I just finished my first quilt (pictures and instructions to follow in a future post), but that's no way to make a splash. Knitting? Christy and I just had our first lesson this week, but I don't even know how to cast on and bind off yet. Then it happened...
So, I was driving home from work one hot June day, excited about my first ever knitting class that evening. I was driving a family friend's car, as I had just taken her to the airport. It is a golden Toyota Avalon, herein referred to as The Golden Beast. The Golden Beast and I were driving down the street with a large grouping of other commuters when I all of a sudden hear a strange popping noise, followed by what very clearly sounded like the rims of the Beast scraping the road way. I quickly turned the Beast into the first available parking lot-- a very seedy asian market, complete with bars on the windows.
I quickly called a friend (thank you, Becky) to come and pick me up. I ran in and asked the clerk of the market if it was ok if I left the Beast in the parking lot for a few hours while I went to my knitting class and he said yes, but very strongly urged me not to leave the Beast parked there over night. So, Becky took me home and I rode with my neighbor to knitting class.
I explained to Christy about my latest adventure with the Golden Beast and she very calmly said, "Jaime, we totally got this! You and I will go to your car after class and get that spare put on. My dad made me learn how to put a tire on my car before he would let me drive it." After learning how to knit and purl, Christy and I ventured back to the seedy Asian market parking lot where (thankfully) the Golden Beast still sat. We got right to work on that tire. We positioned the jack, took off the lug nuts, and then went to pull off the tire. And nothing happened. So, we kicked the tire and cursed it a few times.
About then, Christy's husband Scott arrived to give us a hand (i.e. mutter under his breath how crazy we are for not following the directions that are clearly written in the owner's manual). Since none of us could get the tire off, we each phoned a friend and got no where. Christy then came up with a bright idea to take the parking brake off to see if that was keeping the tire on.
The good news was taking the brake off loosened the tire. The bad news was that the car started to roll, which made it fall off of the jack and potentially be a HUGE problem. (More muttering from Scott about why in the world we didn't have anything behind the wheels.)
Luckily, no person nor Beast was injured during our critical error. And we got the flat tire off and the spare on and lived happily ever after. But here are my Lessons Learned for Changing a Tire:
1. Always consult your owner's manual first. It contains very helpful information :)
2. Loosen all of the lug nuts on your flat tire BEFORE you use the jack to raise the car. This will ensure that your car is stable while you loosen the potentially very tight bolts.
3. ALWAYS put a rock or a brick behind your tires to keep your car from rolling while it is raised on the jack.
4. Don't tighten the lug nuts until after you lower the car back down again.
5. Don't be afraid to get in there and try something new! Mechanical projects, car repair, and home repair have always mystified me. But, when I pick up some directions and give it a college try, I surprise myself :)
6. If you have your parking brake on while your car is lifted on a jack, DON'T take off the brake unless the vehicle is secured.
Truly, Jaime PS: It officially takes three lawyers to change a tire.
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