My Fancy New ... Tires

It all started with an innocent steel bolt that lodged itself in my front right tire. I heard a mysterious Click and Clack noise as I went slowly, only clicking faster and louder as I sped up. I don't know much about cars, but I do know, when your car talks, listen.

I took a peek at the tire. Yes, there it was -- a nice silver bolt and washer jammed into the tread of my not-so-treadful tires -- like the tap on tap shoes. As for shoes, for want of a shoe, the horse was lost as they say ... so at the tire place (the excellent Direct Tire in Watertown) they let me in on the unhappy secret, all 4 tires really needed to be replaced. Oh hell! (At least this solved the mystery of my slippy-slidey experiences on snow, ice, rain, wet leaves and other road surfaces of late.)

It just doesn't seem fair. As if cars weren't evil and expensive enough, in this gas fiasco, I'd forgotten the necessary charges they demand every few zillion miles or so, like new tires, oil changes, alignments, you name it.

So from one noisy bolt which might have cost $15 bucks to pluck from one tire, suddenly I was in for 4 new car shoes! I ended up ponying up $550 on some good ones, in for a penny, in for a pound, I figured in this daunting Boston climate. You don't want to cheap out on your safety or that of your kids.

I couldn't help thinking about the million other things I need and could spent that much money on more happily (think food, gas, clothes for my kid, clothes for me, books, etc.). I couldn't help thinking about the million other things I don't need and would have loved to waste that money on (All Clad pots and pans, new shoes, new iPods, iPhone, new Macbook for my kid, summer vacation destinations, sunglasses, porch furniture, work-out clothes, new sneakers, expensive olive oil, new pretty summer dishes, new summer linens, writing paper, pens, ink, more books).

I will say that Direct Tire in Watertown did a great job for me. I just wish instead of my car getting fitted with beautiful new summer shoes, I sure wish I'd sashayed out of the showroom with new sexy summer sandals.