For the last couple of months, I've been pretty lucky. I've had access to a car with really no strings attached. The owner of the car is serving our country in the Middle East. It's usually a weekend thing that can extend to sometime midweek when I return the car to the owner's sister. I drive it cautiously, always fearful that something might happen since I'm not fully insured to drive it.
After a doctor's appointment on Friday afternoon, I thought I'd take advantage of having the car and grab dinner somewhere not easily accessible by the T. So I grabbed my phone to navigate my adventure through the GPS. All of a sudden, my phone had died. I'd been buying time with the thing ever since I'd clumsily flipped it into a cup of water about a week before. I had the routine down: take out the battery, give it a couple of seconds, place it back in and it would start up again. Just like the patient coming back to life when using a defibrillator and someone says "Clear!" At that point, I felt a little anxious about driving without a GPS in Boston at night in a car I really shouldn't be in. So I picked something up and drove my butt home. Luckily, I've been paying extra for some protection plan on the phone that covers water damage. Only problem is that when I submitted the claim online over the weekend, there was some glitch and I have to call the company. Of course!!!! From which phone, duh?!
This morning, I decided to take a mental health day from work. This afternoon, I decided to do the first thing to make myself a legal driver in Massachusetts. More for sentimental reasons, I haven't wanted to give up the one material thing that makes me a Texan - my driver's license. And I don't wanna paying the freaking $100 to switch my license. On my way to the RMV, the car felt like it was dragging something. I pulled over and, there it was, the front left tire was totally flat! I got back in the car, grabbed the iPad work and "Yelped" for a flat tire repair shop. Only three minutes away! By now the sound was more of a grinding. As I turned down the street to the shop, I noticed the RMV was on the same corner. When the gentleman greeted me he told me the tire was ruined and that the emissions sticker is expired - since JULY! Of course!!!! I told him it wasn't my car and that I was on my way to the RMV to make myself legal when I heard the grinding.
I decided to walk over and accomplish what I'd set out to do when I left my apartment. Monday afternoon at 3p is apparently the best time to come in - no waiting. I gave the clerk my passport, my TX driver's license and a letter with my current address. When she went to do my eye test, I couldn't see clearly! Of course!!!! Today's day 13 of wearing this pair - I pop in a fresh set tomorrow. Then she got me. First of all, the document proving my residency was over 60 days old! And then she discovered I have a state ID which is a big no-no! I didn't say a damn thing and happily surrendered it when she asked me for it. I left there with a reject letter that she nicely said I can present when I come back and not have to wait in line. Like it's a prize, like being voted Miss Congeniality...
I walked back to the body shop where Jim told me it'll be a little over $200 for the tire and the sticker. When the gentleman offered to give me a ride to the T station, I thought I was special. Turns out they go there all the time. Still, it was nice. I decided to head to my favorite Mexican food restaurant and have a beer with dinner. From there, I attended a meeting at the library where the MBTA presented the future capital investment projects. A couple of commuters made comments about their experiences riding the T. I was the only person that gave them kudos, prefacing my comments by stating that I'd made the choice to be car-free when I moved to the east coast four years ago.
At the end of the day, I think I'll hold on to my little piece of Texas a bit longer. And damn, my hair looked cute for the picture today. Of course!!!!
