You may recall all the trouble I had with changing flats when we first moved here. It took me 6 months to get everything I needed for my 4Runner.
The lug nut wrench didn't fit, the jack wan't big enough, the rod to wind down the spare tire didn't fit, no allen wrench to remove the hubcap.
Now mind you, when I bought the car, I checked to see if I had the wrench, jack, rod and all, and it was all there. It just was not the right stuff. This is a very Panamanian trick...make it look good but nothing works.
After many visits to the hardware store, the machine shop and a struggle to find a place to repair flat...I finally had it down after 6 months.
So fast forward to present day.
Yella called me yesterday and said she had a flat.
So, freshly showered, I head out for the incredible dirty job of changing a flat. There goes a perfectly good shower.
I had all the right tools and the spare had air in it.
Wonderful! After a short 30 minutes of dirt and grime, the tire was changed.
On the first try. Will wonders never cease!
This morning I get a call from Yella saying she has another flat.
Damn! How does this happen?
Well, the spare went flat.
Now I was 30 minutes away, at an office for an all day, work session on my new business.
Back to the house, pick up the flat tire, take it into town to be repaired, back to the house, change the repaired tire, back to the office to work.
3 and half hours. Grrr!!!!
This country has a built in bias to not get things done.
Got home at 4:00 and practiced guitar for 90 minutes. Then get ready to go out.
This evening, we had dinner with some friends we haven't seen for a year. Great company, many laughs, wonderful dinner.
But I was beat.
I started at 7:30 this morning and went all day, through lunch, changing tires, working on drafting a report, practicing guitar, then immediately out to dinner with friends.
I'm beat.
This has become the norm. I have put in similar long days for the last month. And I am exhausted at the end of the day.
Kind of feels normal...to my pre-retirement days.
I don't know if this is a good thing or not.
Hmm???
I had been successful on going native...I'm starting to loose it.
2 comments:
Hi Tom, Loved your blogs (ALWAYS Appreciated), it has just been a while since I could fully read AND respond (been travelling a fair amount lately, and more next week). Man, the no right tools for the flat tire made me CRAZY just to hear it!! I HATE that! Good for You for getting what's needed. had the same deal with no wrench to fit the 'spare tire hoist', once, and it turned me into just another needy wimp on the side of the road... lately I have been working on getting my own skype re-set up after they ATE my credit for lack of use! (my Skype address is Darshan.1) Man the experience of the guitar lessons smokes of Realization - which does not even necessarily have to involve mastery of the performance end (though it may there, too). This kind of 'Union' Reminds me of the translator, Maurice Frydman, translating Nisargadatta - he may not have been the 'vocal' speaker, but he sure as heck was not apart from anything Being Said... Love You, Tom. Darshan
Thanks, Darshan. I enjoy reading your comments and, I have to confess, I think of you frequently when writing the blog.
This music thing is amazing. Maybe dedication is a powerful process in life. Or maybe the definition of dedication is "anything worth doing is worth over doing." Either way, my skills on the guitar are improving at a rate that impresses ME. What a joy, playing music!
Thanks for reading the blog, my friend...Tom
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