Flat tire causes this techie to do the unthinkable
Those of you that know me know that I use technology for everything. Need to know if it's going to rain today? Check the weather app on my iPhone. Need to remember when my library books are due? Send an email to Sandy and tell her to remind me. Trying to lose some weight? Jump on the Wii Fit.
That's why I was so intrigued today that I didn't use a lick of technology when my day took a turn for the worse.
Technology falls flat
It started when I hopped back in the Noobie van after teaching Noobie's How to Shop Online with Confidence class. As I drove away in the parking lot, I heard a horrible flapping sound from the rear tire. It took only a few seconds for me to diagnose a flat tire.
I quickly surveyed all of my techie gadgets I had with me to see if they could help with the flat tire. iPhone? Nope. Nuvi 660 GPS navigation? Nada. Oh sure, I could have used my iPhone to call for help but I would have felt kind of silly given that I had a spare tire and jack in the car with me. And sure, I could have used the GPS navigation to find the nearest repair shop or tire shop but I already had a good relationship with a local tire shop and knew how to get there without help from a navigation system.
A techie does the unthinkable
What I ended up doing next was almost unthinkable to my fellow techies. I opened the glove box and pulled out the... [big dramatic musical notes]... OWNER'S MANUAL! Yes, admittedly I didn't even know where the spare tire was in my minivan. But I do now.
So I rolled up my sleeves, jacked up the rear side of the car and changed the tire. Then I threw the flat tire with the now noticeable nail sticking out of it into the back of the minivan and headed straight to the tire shop.
Thankfully, the tire shop was still on board with their technology and, after looking up my vehicle history on their computer, told me that I had purchased roadside hazard coverage on my tires and that they would repair the tire for free.
That's when I decided my technology hiatus was finished. So I texted my wife, tweeted my friends and cozied up to a table at a nearby restaurant while waiting for my tire to be repaired. And of course I caught up on my email using my iPhone while waiting for my food.
2 comments for this blog post so far...
October 17, 2008 at 4:02 pm
Michelle Hartz
I did that last week too! You got really lucky, you defied the rule of flat tires: A tire will go flat when the weather is bad or you are in an unfamiliar area. So naturally, it was raining when mine went flat.
I did well, I found my spare tire, loosened the nuts, got out the jack, and then I notice the problem: the jack has a notch in it instead of a regular top. I assumed, correctly, that meant it had to go somewhere special. So I cracked open the owner’s manual that I hadn’t looked at since I bought the car. I found the spot, and changed the tire.
And, I didn’t have to pay for mine either, because I purchased a discount card 2 years ago that gave me a few free tire repairs.
October 17, 2008 at 9:49 pm
Patric Welch
@Michelle If if makes you feel any better, I was wearing really nice pants when I had to change the tire!
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