Ahhh Fridays!!

All day long I was thinking about having a martini. It helped me get through the day just imagining that cool gin sliding down my throat. Fridays are a good night for them, and Bill is very good at making them. He makes them icy cold.

However, the best laid plans etc.

On the way home I hit an enormous pot hole on Delaware, and my high tech car promptly told me that my tire pressure was dangerously low. Being the rule-follower that I am, I obediently turned left off Tupper (on my way to get on the 33) and onto that little part of Main Street that no one thinks you can drive on; the one block between Edward and Tupper. I got out and examined all the tires. Sure enough, my front passenger tire was truly screwed.

The really ironic part of this is that I was on my way to Dunn Tire to pick up Bill because he was having his front tire fixed. That's why I was getting on the 33 in the first place.

I called AAA, and they said it would be 2 hours before someone could get to me. The lady did confirm with me that I was safe and warm first. Nice. Two hours! Why bother having this service...? The weather tonight was fierce: cold, windy, wet and just plain miserable. An excellent night to have a problem with your car. And, apparently a lot of people were having troubles. Hence the long waiting period.

So, I called Bill and told him he was on his own regarding getting home from Dunn Tire. He told me he would figure it out, and that he might even come downtown to fix my tire himself ...if he could get sorted out at Dunn (like THAT was going to happen!).

To my great delight I realized I had pulled into a parking space right in front of a chocolate shop. And, it was open! I spent the next 2 hours drinking hot chocolate with hot pepper (yes, hot pepper -  and it was freaky) and trying handmade artisan chocolates. One of them was filled with Jameson's Irish whiskey. (I highly recommend this.) I made myself at home in an enormous comfy chair. The sweet young lady who was running the joint was very pleasant and didn't bug me; I was free to sit and sip and munch and play scrabble on my iPhone. Do you know, I didn't even mind the wait.

The AAA flashers under the
 shadow of St. Louis

AAA finally came and changed my tire. I need a new one. The AAA guy, like almost every AAA guy I've ever met, was kind and courteous and told me to stay warm. And, in true Buffalo fashion, a crazy lady approached him and asked if he needed help. The car was jacked up on one side, and she yelled at him  : "HEY ! Do you know there is  a woman in the car?  You should help her".  "Lady, stand back or you might get hurt" he replied. She stood there until he completed the procedure then walked away muttering "Well, if you don't want my help...." 

I love Buffalo. By the way, this was all in the shadow of St. Louis Church. Sadly,  I didn't hear any bells tonight.

So, I continued home, on my usual route up Main Street. Bill had already finished with Dunn Tire and was cooking dinner.
Sure, it was a bit of wrinkle in my plans, but it truly didn't bother me. I was safe and warm, didn't have to change the tire myself, was eating chocolate and having dinner made for me. I was also thinking that I wasn't running to higher ground or watching my home get washed away. That news item helped me to put a perspective on things. I think a lot of people in this corner of the world were realigning their perspectives, too.

And, when I turned the handle on the back door, a familiar sight greeted me: Bill was cooking dinner. And he met me at the door with a kiss and a nice glass of Chianti.
Ahhh... Fridays.