Surreal

One advantage of my job is that I do not have to rise early to go to work. The exception--and on a Saturday, no less-- is this triple graduation day. I awaken a couple hours before I'm usually up and work almost a double shift. Fun. (No.)

So I might be forgiven for wondering if I was actually seeing what I was seeing this morning. I'm driving toward the interstate when I spot in the distance on the other side of the road what appears to be a tire bouncing quite high toward a car dealership. Did I see that right? I keep my eye on it, and sure enough, there's a tire bounding up the street with some impressive height.

Which then raises the question, where did it come from? At this point I look to my left to see a car with it's right front end scraping the road, yet the driver is still going and does not appear to be in the act of stopping.

It was such a surreal scene, first to see something that I was unsure was really there and then to see the car going by, as though driving on the wheel (I assume) was not impeding the operator's control of the vehicle. This is the sort of flourish I'd expect to come across in a David Lynch film, not at dawn in real life.

Gotta go back in time

It was an even later Friday evening--and one that was spent writing in earnest--so I forgot to post here. So why don't I hop into this car, seen near the event I'm attending, and go back in time?

See, I've posted on Friday now.

One year later

I'm not superstitious, yet I didn't have any desire to be out and about tonight, an evening that corresponds with the one capped by the car accident. Part of my choice to stay in is due to the amount of time I've spent away from home this year. Oh, I've slept at my place every night this year, but I haven't been home much. If keeping busy has been my business, business has been good. A quiet day at home from mid-afternoon on would be welcome after that.

Nevertheless, I did give some thought to whether or not I wanted to be on the road on this particular evening. If there was something I wanted to do, I would have done it. I don't believe that there's anything special (or cursed) about this particular night or the date, which will arrive on Sunday. I've driven through the accident scene several times, so it's not like there's anything I'm avoiding. Still, in its own way, observing the anniversary of the wreck by sitting at home feels fitting.

I wouldn't say that I've ever been a real aggressive driver or one prone to anger, yet within the last few years I've become more conscious about being less stressed behind the wheel. It's remarkable how much easier it is to go places if you're not in a hurry. The accident didn't dramatically change my driving habits--I probably avoided hitting the stopped car on the highway because I wasn't flying around the curve--yet I do find myself being even more defensive.

More often than not I'm content to stay in the right or middle lane, depending on which keeps me in the flow without having to change lanes regularly. I probably give a little more space to the cars in front of me than I used to. I'm certainly aware of cars behind me--maybe too much when sitting at a stop.

None of that is a guarantee of avoiding another accident. The fact is that the one I was in a year ago wasn't something I could avoid. The only thing in my control was keeping it from being worse. Remembering that may be reason enough for recognizing this day a year later.

Slip sliding away

On the first Thursday of 2010 I had all the proof I needed that I had to get new tires for my car. We received a pretty good snowfall, and I didn't feel like I had very good control of the vehicle.

Today we didn't get nearly as much snow as a year ago, yet my car exhibited practically no traction. Making a slow right turn onto a neighborhood street, I skidded toward a car sitting at the cross street traffic light. Fortunately I came to a stop in time. (I may have been luckier nobody from behind plowed into me.)

That would be enough to keep me home, but I had to head out for the evening. The roads weren't terrible, but traffic was exceptionally slow for early evening beyond rush hour. On the way back I chose to take city streets for the last leg as a police car was dealing with another driver at the on ramp to the outerbelt. Smart thinking? Maybe, maybe not.

I was being a careful driver, which is probably what saved me earlier and definitely did on this second occasion. The car in front of me slowed to a crawl and then a near stop to get around a car in the ditch being assisted by a tow truck. As I hit the breaks I fishtailed and started sliding toward the car on the road and the one half off of it. I jammed on the brakes, which didn't seem to be doing much good, and came to a stop turned around almost ninety degrees. Again, I hit no one.

When I bought this car--a replacement for the one totaled when someone hit me last March--one benefit was that the tires appeared to be new. The tread is certainly in good shape, but if today's any indication, they have no grip. I nearly slid down the small incline from my apartment complex's parking lot into oncoming cars.

I didn't expect to, nor planned on, replacing tires in perfectly fine condition, but at least after today, I feel like they may get me injured or killed otherwise. Tire Rack, here I come again?

Stalled

I wanted a second opinion from my dad about what I believed to be a leaky front rear tire on my car, but other than that I was ready to hit the road and return home this morning. Then a funny thing happened. Click click click. The car wouldn't turn over. The battery was dead. Sure, it had been chilly the previous few days, but it wasn't that cold.

The mechanic in my parents' small town is only a few blocks away, so we jumpstarted my car and took it over to be checked out. Answers: the battery was bad, and the tire I had refilled on Thanksgiving was low. So the morning hours I intended to spend on the road found the car getting an oil change, a new battery, and a patched tire. All three were needed, but before this morning I was only certain of the first.

Walking to my parents' house and back to the mechanic's, I felt a twinge of longing for the small town experience. I also felt it when briefly strolling the streets of Blackduck, Minnesota this summer or walking the main drag in Cooperstown, New York.

I grew up in a small town with its short Main Street and sense of self-containment. As a kid that was an appealing quality. I had a small, set aside place that I could wander without restriction. There was a feeling of belonging somewhere that sort of existed as an island among the fields of corn and soybeans. What was great for me as a kid probably would feel stifling as an adult.

There's a reason why movies and TV (and politicians) tend to romanticize such places. At a time when people in general feel like they have less control over what happens in their lives, wouldn't it be great to live where everyone knows one another and pulls together with a cheerful, harmonious community pride? Wouldn't it be great to be able to walk out your front door and get a bite to eat at a small, local restaurant where you are known by name and lineage and where you can pop into the single screen movie theater that's a mere stone's throw away?

Yeah, that would be great, but that's not necessarily what small towns are but what they're idealized as being. I've seen the movies and know how these places are portrayed is mostly bunk, yet there I was still wanting to believe the beautiful lie.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that small towns are terrible places. I'll likely always have some affection for these little burgs and dream of their imaginary perfection. Visiting, not residing, allows such charms to remain rooted.

Un-bat-lievable

So I'm driving down the road this morning when what do I spot in my rear view mirror but the Batmobile. WHAT?!

I slowed down in the hope that it would pass on my left and I'd get a better look at it, but unfortunately my lane had fewer cars, which allowed me to drive forward and put it out of sight. I was glad, though, to get stopped at the next light and have enough of a gap to be able to point and fortuitously shoot a picture with my iPhone while the Batmobile passed en route to the interstate.

Doing some research turned up more information and photos by the local who made his own roadworthy version. There's even a video demonstration of the retractable machine gun replicas on the car, which is modeled on the one seen in Tim Burton's 1989 Batman.

I must say that this strange sight made my day.

Passenger side

This weekend's Car Talk features a caller wondering about the safety of knitting while in the front passenger seat, specifically when the airbag deploys. (You can hear the call in segment 3 here, although this link will surely change by next weekend. I'll try to update when it has a permanent link.)

Can't say I've ever thought about this being an issue, mainly because it's not an option for me. I'm usually behind the wheel and thus, to state the obvious, not knitting.

The Car Talk guys give some good advice. Move the seat back as far as possible, whether it's all the way back or as far back without making a rear passenger uncomfortable. Don't hold your knitting at chest or face level. Perhaps most importantly, don't let fear get in the way of doing something you enjoy and that has minimal risk.

On the bright side

Don't mistake this entry as me proclaiming my happiness to have been in a car accident that totaled my car a month ago. Although I came through it mostly unscathed, I would prefer not to have had the experience. The fact remains that I did, so why not look at the good that came from it?

I only had my last car seven months, and while I had some well-documented problems with it, I was generally happy with the Ford Focus. I would have been happy to get another, but circumstances led me to buy my first Korean-made automobile. You know what? I think this may be a better car. Here's why:

-Significantly improved gas mileage over the Focus, especially for city driving. (I was stunned how bad the Focus' city mileage was.) I'm getting mileage similar to what I got with my Saturn, if not a little better than that. This is a really important quality in a car to me.

-Better cupholder placement. In the old car they were almost underneath the dash. The new car has them to my side.

-The windshield wipers have been more effective than on any car I've ever owned. (Maybe that has nothing to do with the vehicle?) I'm not crazy about needing to move the bar down to adjust the wiper rate--everything else I've driven has required pushing the bar up--but I'm coming around.

-Electronic door locks that aren't as loud. The locks on the Focus sounded like they were too powerful.

-Two power outlets (or what used to be called cigarette lighters).

-A gas tank lock. The Focus was the first car I owned without a lock on the gas tank. (My first actually required putting the key in the gas tank door to open it.)

-A sunglasses holder. No more having to stash them in the glove compartment.

There are plenty of qualities that are essentially equal between the Focus and its Asian replacement. The Focus had a few advantages--brakes weren't as touchy, it probably sat slightly higher, electric mirror controls felt sturdier--but I do think I ended up with a better car. Let's hope that bears itself out in the months and years to come.

At the scene

I've been even more careful behind the wheel since my February 20 car accident. It's never a bad idea to be a defensive driver, but if you think about it, my sensitivity to being on the road is misplaced. By being an alert driver, I avoided hitting another car, but for all of my carefulness, there was nothing in my power to keep from being struck from behind.

I've done very little night driving since the accident, mainly because it hasn't been necessary. I admit, though, that I've been a little nervous about doing it. I haven't driven through the accident scene since, although that's not been due to conscious avoidance. I just haven't had reason to be on that stretch of highway.

Tonight I went to an Academy Awards party, so I would have to engage in the most nighttime driving I've done in two weeks. If I chose, my path could take me through where the accident occurred.

Greeted by rain upon my 12:30 a.m. return home--I've backdated this entry's publishing time--I almost reconsidered taking an alternate route, but I felt like I needed to get it over with. Drive through where the accident took place and be done with any hang-ups that might be lingering.

Obviously there wasn't another major obstacle in the roadway this time. There was practically no one on the road at all. Passing through the scene made me realize that I had been an observant and careful driver that evening and that I probably gave the kid who hit me a bigger break than he deserved. Yes, it happened on a bend in the highway, but for him not to have slowed down at all means he mustn't have been paying attention. An accident still might have taken place, but it wouldn't have been such a significant collision.

The other driver is fortunate the police didn't ticket him and that I didn't insist he be charged. (They asked me if I thought he should be. I said no.) I'm not concerned with the degree of blame he should have received, though. That's over and done with.

For me, driving through the scene provided reassurance that I had done all I could do to dodge an accident, even though I ended up being in one. It may be all I need to feel a bit more at ease when driving. If I remain unhurried and watchful, I should be fine. I haven't exactly felt that way the past couple weeks. It will be good to return to that state.

Loose threads

Stuff I've collected that doesn't fit anywhere on its own but makes for a nice, eclectic entry...

-During one of my test drives, the car had stickers and such plastered all over the windshield. I wouldn't be surprised if half of the viewing area, mostly on the passenger side, was blocked by the price and whatever else was affixed to the glass. How is this legal? It's insanely dangerous, especially if you're also being distracted by the car salesperson trying to talk to you while you're behind the wheel.

-I've noticed the resurgence of '80s pop culture, whether it's in fashion, music, or the movies being made, remade, or adapted for the screen. I made a playlist alternating new music with '80s sounds and the vintage stuff and was compelled to look up some of the decade's hits. While I'll argue that one of my favorite songs when it was filling the airwaves is well-crafted pop, it's also unabashedly sincere and cornball.

-Have you come across the Trololololo meme? I find it weirdly compelling and catchy and hilarious. I'm tempted to rip the audio into my iTunes. Even better, here's the clip explained in context.

Key to a new car

The car purchase was completed, my old radio was installed, and insurance updating was handled. I have my own transportation again.

And then I went to the car to leave work and saw that someone had keyed it.

I've been told that there are ways of filling in scratches oneself, although this is on the black area next to the driver's window. Is that paint?

It's aggravating enough that this happened, doubly irritating that it's mere hours after I acquired the car, and triply annoying that it looks to be a deliberate action. Even worse, it's on the driver's side, which means I'll see it every time I get into the car.

I'm not hypersensitive about the appearance of the car I drive, but this really riles me up. I want to be better than that but ugh...

Please, please, please, let me get what I want

Buying a used car today was a different experience from last time, which was unfortunately just a mere seven or so months ago. I was armed with my information and, well, not ready to fight but prepared for the lengthy negotiating that is part and parcel of this miserable experience. I was dreading the process but steeled against it. The funny thing is that no one wanted to do much deal-making.

I had identified the kind of car I wanted and found a few that fit (or were close to) the price range, mileage, and manufacturing year I was aiming for. There weren't many available, but I had a plan of attack and plotted a course to hit three dealerships all within a reasonable drive of one another.

My dad and I went to the first place to see the car that I deeply wished was the one I wanted. It was the most expensive, but it was three model years newer than what I previously owned and looked practically the same. (It was the exact same color.) There were things I wasn't thrilled with--primarily the tinted glass--but these aspects weren't deal breakers.

Having been through the ringer of used car negotiations last July, I held certain expectations as to how much the listed price would drop. Boy was I wrong this time. The first offer was sticker price plus tax, title, and the other BS fees that car sellers tack on. This was significantly more than I was willing to pay. I had done my research and threw out a couple numbers on the low yet still (in my opinion) thoroughly reasonable side. The saleswoman went to check with the sales manager and came back with a second offer that was not even $200 less than the first. That was the end of that negotiation.

The same car with more miles and a different color was just a mile up the road at another dealership, so we checked it out. It was listed at a thousand dollars less than the previous one, so I held out hope that it might be a winner. Nope. It featured more nicks, dings, and general wear and tear than I found acceptable. It seemed kind of loud too. The tires were worn, and one had a cut in it. Here are the keys back. I'm not interested.

Next up was a car with a different make and model on my list. Since it was relatively nearby, I figured we might as well check it out. The price was right, more or less, and the mileage was close to what I bought my previous car at. It wasn't flawless in appearance but looked pretty good overall, especially the exterior. I felt comfortable driving it, so hey, let's make a deal.

As was the case at the other dealerships, this salesman wanted to know where I had seen the car. He said that I must have seen x price. In truth, I had seen y price, which was $400 more, but apparently they had reduced it that morning. Bonus!

At this point I assumed I might get a really good deal. The dealership had purchased the car at auction. Looking at the Carfax told me that it had been on their lot for about fifty days and that it hadn't had many test drives. (My guess: one other person took it for a spin in all that time as the odometer reading was shockingly close to when they took ownership of it.)

The first offer was made with tax, title, and fees added to the price I saw online. I said that I was looking for an out the door price closer to slightly less than or equal to the online price. He went to see the sales manager, who came back with him. I was told that they didn't have much room to maneuver because they already had it priced to move. They agreed to knock $200 off--hello, document fees--but insisted they couldn't go lower.

The offer was more than I thought I would have to pay, but it was at the low end of what I realistically expected to buy a car for. Still, it seemed slightly high for this make, model, and year, and I wasn't buying their line that they were losing money at this price. We parted ways, although I said I would keep it in mind.

On the way to get lunch, I talked about it with my dad and sort of convinced myself that this might be the best I could do. Yes, I might want to "win" the negotiation, of which there had been very little, but if winning equaled not buying the car, I would still be without a vehicle and a rapidly depleting supply of viable options. (It does have a transferable warranty, which upped the attractiveness of this particular car.)

After lunch I did some research and found that their final offer might not be as out of line as I suspected, although Consumer Reports would beg to differ. (Edmunds and Kelley Blue Book revealed that I was probably getting a deal...or at least that I wasn't being fed a line of bull.) More online searches produced a used car void.

I returned my rental car and dropped by four dealerships on the way home just to see what they had. Obviously they had nothing that wasn't, in my opinion, grossly overpriced. So car #3, from negotiation #2, looked better and better. A little more research reinforced that I may have stumbled upon a rarity, so I made the call to close the deal.

After getting some final questions answered, I made one last failed pitch to get a couple hundred more knocked off. The sales manager explained that the car was a price leader--in other words, it was listed low to get people on the lot--told me what they had done to the car, and said he could show me that they were losing money on it. True or not, it didn't matter. I said I wanted to buy it, gave the financial institution information for securing the pre-approved loan, and made a deposit.

I don't know if these negotiations were so brief because I didn't have a trade-in, which made beating around the bush a dangerous way of doing things. (I could get up and leave whenever I wished rather than waiting to get keys back.) Maybe it's because of the market, which clearly values used cars with low or respectable mileage from the past few years. These cars are hard for dealers to get and easy to sell. Whatever the case, I feel like I paid the going rate and should be happy with the car.

Please, please, please, let me not have to do this again for years, though.

Auto focus

Here is not how I recommend spending your Sunday: research used car prices, reliability ratings, and other pertinent information related to being prepared for negotiations with dealers. That's what I've done for the overriding portion of the day. Maybe it's good for putting in me a fighting mood heading into the car search tomorrow, but mainly it stirs up how much I loathe this process.

Two cars that I thought looked promising in their online listings have sold. Curses! There's another one similar to those with a slightly higher sticker price, which just means more battling to get it down to what I want to pay. (This is assuming the car checks out, of course.)

My dad is here to help, and we're ready to get to work first thing in the morning. Please let it go quickly and as painlessly as possible.

A crash education

Almost first thing this morning I got the news I had been expecting. My car is totaled. Granted, if you see that picture above, that seems pretty obvious, although in fairness to my dazed self on Saturday night, the left side of the bumper didn't exactly look like that after the accident. I'm sure that's some body shop inspection there.

I was pleasantly surprised that the settlement offer was a smidgen more than what I paid for the car in July, including the trade-in of my previous car. I was expecting to get lowballed, but the offer was reasonable. I pressed a couple of points--the four nearly new tires, mainly--and squeezed a little more out of the insurance company. All in all, I feel like I did all right in the process.

I was in for a bit of a shock when I stopped by the body shop to swap out the radio I bought with the factory-installed one. In the cold light of day--and probably with a clearer mind--the seriousness of what I'd been in hit me. The rear passenger door no longer opened properly, and the gas tank door would not close. There was some minor damage to the dash from the radio popping out.

The shocker, though, was seeing the driver's seat. It was twisted to the right. I remember that I couldn't adjust the seat when I got back in the car to move it to the side of the highway, but I was just chalking it up to not having all my wits about me. It turns out that the recliner in the seat was bent. The force of the impact launched me backwards and twisted the seat. And I was struck from behind. Whoa.

A worker at the body shop said there was no question that the car would be totaled. In reading the damage he also doubted that the driver who hit me slowed down at all.

Seeing my car in this state made me appreciate even more that I escaped relatively unharmed. Sure, I've had some pain and fatigue this week, and the process of settling all this is a hassle. I don't look forward to getting a car to replace this smashed one. Still, I'm feeling pretty fortunate that the car absorbed serious damage and not me.

And out come the wolves

More post-accident fun and games:

-Today yielded two calls that I answered from collision shops seeking my business and a hang-up from another. (My lack of a home voicemail message may have caused the caller not to leave a solicitation.) One personal injury lawyer left a message. They're only going to increase in the following days, aren't they?

-Thankfully I only put my home number on the police report. The officer asked if I wanted to list another but pointed out that those numbers would be on the public record. I may not have been thinking entirely clearly then, but at least I realized that I didn't want my cell phone number out there.

-An employee of the body shop where my car was towed expects it will probably be considered totaled. I spoke with an adjuster from my insurance agency who said it would likely be a close call. The other insurance company plans to evaluate the car tomorrow.

-I feel a little less aggravated if I must replace the car. I've found a couple similar versions with comparable mileage, even if it is a bit more than what mine has. The good news is that they're listed at about the price at which I bought my car, meaning that I should be able negotiate them down some. That could help "recover" the repair money I've dumped into my currently incapacitated vehicle.

-Yes, even with the freakish problems I've had with the car, I would still like to have the same make and model in a replacement if possible. I enjoyed the handling and interior headroom, and I know what to expect. (I've certainly researched it enough.) The city miles per gallon are less than I'd prefer, but there will always be some trade-offs. I'm not thrilled with the sight lines or low vantage point of the rental car I'm currently in, but that has reinforced why I picked the car I bought in July.

Picking up the pieces

Thanks to all the well wishers regarding the car accident. I've had friends and family asking questions and giving advice, so I'm kind of tired of talking about it. Nevertheless, it has occupied my time for most of the day, so here are the updates, if you care to read on:

-Knowing that I was going to spend a good deal of time dealing with this matter today, I did not go to work. (I really need to be there on Tuesday, so if ever there was a day to punt this week, this was it.)

-I now have a rental car. I am paying for part of it out of pocket, much to my chagrin. I also didn't appreciate how they tried to sell rental insurance as if I'll be serious hurt if something happens to the car while I have it, even if I'm not at fault in an accident. (My insurance should be sufficient, right?)

-Since my neck has been getting sorer over the last two days, I decided that I ought to listen to what others were telling me and have it checked out just in case. The big decision was where to have it done so that it meant (ideally) zero out of pocket for me. The urgent care facility pointed me toward the emergency room. After asking some questions at the ER about how to proceed, I settled on it.

-Sure enough, I have cervical strain and sprain, otherwise known as whiplash. I can't take the heavy duty prescriptions except once I'm home for the night since they'll wipe me out.

-I have no idea if the car can be fixed. I'm hoping it can. I'm really hoping this isn't long and drawn out.

Aftermath

I have to believe that last night's accident scene was about as low key as such things can be, especially for a situation that had the potential for much worse outcomes. (Google Maps lets me show about where the northbound crash occurred.) I was calm and matter of fact. I took care of contacting AAA for a tow truck and both insurance companies to get the claim process in motion.

I'm not quite as composed about it all today. After the adrenaline wore off I noticed that my neck is a little tender/sore. I expect it's mild whiplash, which is to be expected. My family is trying to steel me for dealing with the insurance companies, which could be quite a battle regarding what it's worth if the car is considered totaled.

There's already the potential fight about a rental car. My insurance says it covers $15 a day. The rental car company doesn't even rent anything that low. This is not going to be fun, is it?

Born under a bad sign

I haven't had anything to write about in recent days, but this isn't the way I wanted to get blog fodder.

I went downtown tonight to attend a concert only to arrive and find word spreading that the show was cancelled. Sure enough, a quick check of the artist's tweets found that issues with the sound system had forced her to call it off.

I set off for home and was on the highway when I came around a curve and (the next part isn't 100% clear) saw a car stopped in the middle of the three lanes. (I believe there may have been a car between us that swerved around the stopped vehicle and went on, but honestly I'm not sure.) I stopped my car in time and with plenty of room.

Just as I came to a stop I found myself being thrown back. The radio popped out. The GPS flew off the dash and into my lap. My hat came off. I had been slammed into from behind. It took me a few moments to realize what had just happened. I was dazed, mentally rather than physically.

I could go into more detail, but I'm starting to feel tired now and ought to wrap it as quickly as possible. The stopped car that set it all in motion had apparently flipped over due to driver error. Two witnesses who saw this happened and stopped to attest to it--I didn't see this part--suspected the driver of that car was intoxicated or high. I think that was pretty clear as he kept asking what happened. (Uh, dude, you just flipped your car completely and, amazingly, landed on all four tires.) I stopped to avoid hitting him. The kid behind me plowed into me, likely at 60-65 mph, because he was coming around the turn only to find me sitting there.

I don't think he could have stopped in time if he tried. Considering where it occurred, I think it's probably very fortunate that this didn't turn into a massive pileup. No one was injured, although we'll see if I'm sore at all in the morning. I didn't necessarily feel all that lucky right away, but the more time I've had from it, the more I'm thinking this could have been a whole lot worse.

The tow truck driver suspects my car will be written off as totaled by the insurance adjuster. I expect that he's right. I am not thrilled at the prospect of going through the car buying process again, just seven months after I did it, nor am I thrilled at the money I sunk into this car in the short time I've owned it. I replaced the instrument cluster, the trunk latch, and the front passenger door lock. I put four new tires on it about a month ago. I had a window smashed and the radio stolen. Not that I believe what I'm about to say, but clearly this car has some bad vibes.

Nevertheless, one thing I noted about this car over other versions of it was that it felt heavier. I don't doubt that the stoutness of it helped in sustaining the rear impact. For as hard as I was hit--I don't recall hearing any brakes or the collision itself--the rear bumper and trunk ably absorbed it all.

Surprisingly, or maybe not, I wasn't angry when this happened. I told the teenager who hit me not to worry about it, that I doubted there was much he could do to avoid it despite being at fault and that the insurance companies would take care of it. I imagine I seemed remarkably calm. Yes, I'm fatigued by the thought of having to deal with no car on Sunday and the insurance adjusters and the car search and potentially losing money in all this. In the end, though, for a night that left me with two minuses in the form of a cancelled concert and a wrecked car, I'm glad that the most important number is zero injuries.

Tired

Today was to be the day that I purchased new tires and had them installed so as to keep my car from barreling down the road as though I'm competing in luge. (Note: I've never been on one of those sleds, so imagine how out of control I might be.)

Only half of the day's task was accomplished, although without the abundant information at my fingertips, chances are I would have a new set of tires on my car. As you know, things are different now. Research about stuff one may know practically nothing about can be called up at a moment's notice and make you informed enough to be dangerous.

Before I decided to get a new set of tires, what did I know about them? Not much. What do I know about tires now? Slightly more than not much. In other words, I know enough to think I know what I want based on poring over reviews and user ratings. I've probably devoted four hours to determining what tires best meet my criteria and who is offering the best deal for purchase and installation.

It was more work than I wish it had been, but fine, I've saved a few bucks in the process and found tires that should be a good match for me. The only problem: the place where I went to get them didn't have any. Also, they're backordered. Perhaps for up to a month. My back-up choice--see, I was thinking--was also backordered, although they might arrive in a few days' time.

How about these tires, which are the same brand (but not ones I researched), asks the not particularly dynamic salesman. Let me check, say I. Through the power of technology I am able to find reviews that dissuade me enough from agreeing on the spot. Maybe I'll be back to get them, maybe I won't. Initial data indicates that they're probably not what I want.

Told that I'd be facing the shortage regarding these specific tires elsewhere, I elected to go home and work more on the problem. A friend recommended an online vendor to me, although I figured that after the cost of shipping I wouldn't be saving anything. I knew that they were showing the tires I wanted in stock, though. After a quick call to my mechanic, who told me what he'd charge, I decided that an online purchase was in order. And yes, I shaved a few--very few--dollars off what I would have paid today if the tires had been at the shop.

I won't have them in time for the big snow storm that's supposedly on its way. (The tires won't be delivered until Monday or Tuesday.) While I may face some hairy driving situations between now and then, I am happy with the way this worked out.

The site where I purchased the tires had provided the bulk of my research information, so I suppose it was only fair that they got a sale from it. I'd rather have a mechanic I trust install the tires, especially with the less than diligent efforts I observed where I went this morning. Still, for a decision that years ago would have been based upon going somewhere and asking for their recommendation, it has left me somewhat tired.

Getting traction

The area is receiving just enough snow for it to be an inconvenience and to make driving mildly dangerous. Unfortunately the situation does not merit business and school closures. Considering that today saw classes resume after a break since Thanksgiving, it's probably too early for me to be wishing for snow days anyway.

After my holiday adventures with snow and ice and some slipping and sliding around here the last few days, I do believe it's time to bite the bullet and get new tires. According to the handy system of measuring tire tread with coins, it would seem that I have enough tread to drive on them in normal conditions but not in the snowy and icy conditions that have arrived.

I've been pretty careful in how I've been on the roads because I've definitely felt enough moments when I feel like I don't have full control of the car. (Granted, one should be cautious when driving on slick roadways.) I thought my adventurous holiday trips may have been due solely to the conditions--at least that's what I wanted to tell myself--but the past couple days have given me enough data to reinforce what I instinctively knew was true: the tires aren't fully capable of handling the current weather. This car is heavier than my old one yet slips like it weighs nothing.

With light snow forecast for the whole week, there's no time like the present for doing the smart thing and getting new tires. I'm just hoping to get these old ones through one more day before I can find the time to get the job done.