Upcoming Surgery & A Flat! 05.07.12
This time I wait for 3 weeks before getting around to talking on the interweb again. What's up with that?
I've actually had a couple of personal things happen over the last few weeks, but I think most of it comes across as complaining. I'll share, but keep in mind this isn't supposed to be complaining.
3 weeks ago I finally went to the doctor about a pilonidal cyst. I'll leave out any direct links as this is something you definitely don't want to look at while you're eating. This is a problem that I've had since 1995, and most of the time it will flare up for maybe a week, then lie back dormant for 3-6 months. After Christmas 2010, it has never really gone back to being dormant. My regular doctor told me I'm beyond anything he can do in the office. As such, I eventually ended up talking to a surgeon who's going to cut that puppy out. My surgery is scheduled for May 30 (after the young'uns wedding so that Gina can properly take care of me). I'll leave the rest of this little story for after the procedure is wrapped up.
I've also had my fun with car maintenance. 2 weeks ago I had to replace the left rear blinker. Thanks to YouTube this an easy procedure, the hardest part being buying the replacement bulb ($14 for 2 at NAPA). This past Friday I had a follow up maintenance, as when I left the office I was greeted by a flat left rear tire. Maybe that's what the glass-crashing sound I heard on the way in to work was?
I just noticed both of these things happened to the left rear. What the hell's going on back there?
My flat tire caused me a little of a panic, as I was on Redstone Arsenal on a Friday at 3:00. Normally I would just call a tow truck and get towed to a place of fix it, but I wasn't sure if tow trucks could come on the Arsenal.
Staring at the tire and muttering f-bombs, another lady leaving passed by and said "I think I have a can of Fix A Flat, hold on". She had parked 4 cars over, and she did have a can! I thanked her, attached the can to the flat tire and squeezed as the tire slowly rose. She gave a thumbs up and went back to her car as I kept squeezing.
For some reason I was squeezing as hard as I could, subconsciously thinking I could squeeze more out of the can. In vehicular emergency situations, I become stupid.
The can managed to fill the tire about ⅓, and I didn't think I would get far on it. I opened up the back and started to read the directions for how to put on the spare. I never got past step 1 - removing the jack. For 20 minutes I tried to twist an end on the jack so it would loosen enough to remove from the clamp holding it into the car. I'm Mr Big & Strong, but this time I was Mr Pissed and Fed-Up.
⅓ filled tire be damned, I was getting off the Arsenal. I got in the car, turned on the emergency blinkers, and proceeded to go 30MPH to my normal exit gate. I had my driver side mirror turned down to look at the rear tire, and I was nervous the whole way, but I made it out of the gate and to the Mapco just beyond. My first order of business was a refreshing Coke Zero and a brownie (I had managed a Pop Tart for breakfast and skipped lunch, so I was starving by 3:30). I called the Athens Big 10 Tires/Pep Boys, as that was where I bought my tires 2 months ago. I couldn't remember if I had bought a warranty with them, but regardless I was going to go through them. The guy that answered the phone told me to call 1-800-PEP-BOYS and they would send a wrecker that would take me to the nearest Pep Boys. I called, and an hour later I was being towed to the Madison Big 10 Tires. After 15 minutes, they had plugged the hole in the tire (nothing sticking in it, just a hole). The best part, at least in looking for a silver lining, is that the invoice that totaled up ~$80 only had a $23 charge. It looks like I did get the warranty!
Now I wonder what's going to happen over the next 3 weeks to give me something to talk about?
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