Shakespeare and the Modern Woman

Quoth Lady Macgyver: "Off, damned tire! Off, I say!"

I was already running late for work this morning when I got into my car, turned on the key, started backing out the driveway, and noticed the tire was flat. Sure enough, when I got out of the car to look at it, the entire edge of the tire was broken away from the sides in one spot, exposing the steel fibers below. I got back into my car and sat there for a moment, deciding on the best plan of action.

I made a rather conscious decision to be single a while back, and it was an informed decision. I knew from the start that being a single girl living on my own meant that occasionally, I'd have to change a flat tire. I've accepted that, and I know how to do it, but it's not a task I particularly enjoy. However, since I'm currently without a phone (temporarily, I hope), I really had no other choice.

So I took my tire-changing tools out of the trunk and began assembling the pump, only to find that the tire tool, which doubles as a pump lever, didn't want to fit into the pump for some reason. I've used the pump before without incident, but for whatever reason, it wasn't going to be possible this time. So I tried to think of other things I could use as a lever. A screwdriver would be too thin; a stick would be too brittle. I dug through my trunk again, looking for some alternative, when I found a sturdy metal coathanger. It's thicker than your standard metal wire coathanger, and it didn't form a complete triangle, so I was able to thread it into the pump and use it to jack up the car. It was a slow process but entirely doable.

I was rather proud of myself when I finally left for work this morning, dirty hands and all. I felt a bit like MacGyver.

Addendum: As I was telling Lloyd on AIM this evening, what's funny is that yesterday afternoon, I was adding power steering fluid to my car in the parking garage at work, and a couple of my male coworkers saw me. After I'd assured them that I was fine, they asked, "Can we bring our cars to you for maintenance, too?"

Like I need a car other than my sputtermobile to take care of.

Addendum 2: Incidentally, I can't go buy a new tire after work tomorrow because I'm going tiara-shopping. Lest anyone thinks I'm not a girly-girl. Ahem.