So, today I got a flat tire. In Brooklyn. And not exactly the best part of Brooklyn.
This morning I got to work 10 minutes early. (Yes, you read that right, early.) This means I drove to Brooklyn, found parking (where it would not be necessary to move my car for street cleaning) and got into the school before 10am. Not only that, but I had to make two trips into the school to carry in a large tote, a fan, and 60 calculators.
My team spent the day working on lesson plans, as students will be here in less than two weeks. We also got a good look at the classrooms, and tried to choose the ones we wanted. Though there was much drama, and by the end of the day no decisions were made.
The old science room (the building previously housed another educational institution) had a few neat rocks, corals, and fossils in it, so we snuck up there with a cardboard box to take the ones we want for our classes. Anything not taken will likely be tossed as renovations continue, and we wanted first dibs. After putting them away, we discussed our plans for the year, and spent the rest of our time lesson planning.
We were dismissed around 2pm. TM's car was right outside the school, so she drove me to my car. I was pleased to see that I wasn't boxed in, until I saw that I had another problem. A flat tire. Not so flat that the rim was on the ground, but flat enough that I wouldn't be able to drive on it.
TM had her first grad class this afternoon, so she couldn't help me change the tire. In the 97 degree weather, with no shielding from the sun, I didn't care to stand out there trying to muscle the tire off and get a new one on, so I returned to the school building to see if there were any men willing to give me a hand. Unfortunately, they were all in the middle of a meeting, but KJ had AAA and called them for me.
Long story short, AAA came, refilled my tire with air, and followed me to a nearby auto shop. The gentleman there proceeded to tell me that it wasn't worth fixing the tire, as it was so bald that it would likely explode in the near future. He suggested that I did not make the one and a half hour drive home on it, but didn't have any tires for my car in stock. I assumed he was being honest with me when he told me to find the closest tire shop and get it replaced immediately.
It took some driving around, but eventually I found a tire shop that had a used tire to fit my car. Honestly, do they not make Corolla's anymore?! It only cost me $35, and 15 minutes later I was ready to go.
Fast forward another two hours, and I finally made it home. I will say I'm not looking forward to this rush hour traffic every day once school starts. Fingers crossed for an hour and a half or less each way!
