Thursday, April 27, 2006

Stupid Stupid CARS!!! I Hate Them.

What don't you want to see after you have been at work for over 12 hours and it's after midnight? As you are wearily making your way to your vehicle, what don't you want to see happening to your rear tire? That's right, a flat.

Jason and I got to Fermi Lab around 12 pm and after an 8 hour shift from 4-midnight we make our way to our car to make our way home to Chicago. Here is the conversation that ensued (I'm not kidding!):

Leah : That's a flat tire.
Jason : No it's just the shadows.
Leah : No, I really think it's just a flat.
Jason : Maybe it's just kinda flat.
Leah : If by kinda flat you mean all the way flat.
Jason : I think we can make it to the gas station and we can just put some air into it and drive home.
Leah : Maybe. Ok, you drive the car and I'll watch the tire and see how it does.
Jason : Alright.
At this point Jason gets into the car and creeps along while Leah stands in an empty parking lot trying to figure out what to look for.
Jason : What's happening?
Leah : I don't think anything good. Ok, I'll drive now and you watch the tire.
Jason : Fine.
More driving and more looking at a flat tire going around. We decide that its fine, and could make it to the gas station. Ok, but we'll just listen to the tire as we drive slowly in the parking lot.
Jason : What does it sounds like?
Leah : A flat tire.
Alright, so we decide to change the completely fucking flat tire. Get out all the tools and start jacking up the car. Ok, now we have to get the flat off. We spent like 10 minutes trying to pry the hubcap off because it was covering the lugnuts and so the tool thing (yes it's late i don't know the name of it) wouldn't fit onto the nuts. Fine, get it all taken care of....by the way Jason, RIGHTY TIGHTY LEFTY LOOSY......GET IT STRAIGHT ALREADY! (I heard a lot of, "Am I turning this the right way?")


editor's note (the editor, in this case, being Jason): I actually know the saying about righty and tighty and what not, I just can't tell my right from left when a circle is involved. I'm mentally defective but my memory is just fine


Alright, so now we don't leave the lab until about 12:45 am and because we have the crappy donut tire on the car we have to drive a bit slower and so it takes FOREVER to get home.

Wait and what is this about 10 miles from the city? Construction? The 2 right (out of 3) lanes closed? Everyone coming to a complete stop? Perfect!

We get through that and now we are almost home and I kid you not, we make the turn onto Addison (which is just a couple blocks from our apartment) and the entire street is blocked off with fire trucks and police cars. Seriously.

When I grow up I want any job where I can walk or bike or public transit my way to work. I would scoop fucking dog shit at this point.

Grumble Grumble Grumble.

Alright, it's off to bed and then up for a 45 minute tempo run and then back out to the lab around noon because my advisor is going to be there tomorrow and wants to have a "longer talk" about my analysis. Should be fun!

6 comments:

Kendra said...

Yikes, sorry about the tire dilemna. At least you guys were able to change it. Sadly, I wouldn't have the faintest clue what to do if I got a flat. I should probably work on that, huh?

Brooke said...

I am so sorry. I hate cars too. Your dialoge sounds just like one my husband and I would have though.

jcerunner said...

I have laughed so much reading your conversation, but I understand that being there with the flat tire wasn't funny at all!!

LeahC said...

I think at the time even given how tired we were we realized how ridiculous this was being. After hitting all the traffic on the way home, jason said, "isn't it nice with the posts write themselves" :-)

LeahC said...

yeah we were laughin' pretty hard when we got home...probably from more from tiredness :-)

Theoutofshapeguy said...

And i thought things like that only happened to Barb and I. Good to hear you got back safely.