Yep, this weekend included the exciting changing of oil and transmission fluid for Hedwig (the 2000 Acura, which just turned 39K miles). I was planning on washing and waxing both cars, but it was just too durn hot. In case you’re wondering, Hedwig is named after the owl in Harry Potter, not the cross-dressing glam-rock star in Hedwig and the Angry Inch. This ambiguity is the main reason this car doesn’t get a personalized license plate.
In other news, the “totin’ car”, aka Mitsi (the more prosaically-named Mitsubishi Expo) needs new tires. I’m looking at a few different ones on tirerack.com for replacements. The Yokohama Avid Touring tires look to be a good bet. Gotta see what Duty Tire wants for them.
By the way: avoid Just Tires. They are scumbags.
A friend of Michelle’s, who happens to be a teacher, told us that Just Tires was running a special where they offered a 50% discount for teachers. I called up the Crabtree location, and spoke to a guy named Dave. I asked about the deal:
Me: “A friend of mine told me there was a deal for teachers. Do you know about that?”
Dave: “Uh… (pause) sure!”
Me: “A 50% discount deal?”
Dave: “50%? (pause) Sure, why not? What are you looking for?”
Me: "205 70R14s, something with good tread life, say… a treadwear rating of 400 or better and “A” rated temp/traction."
Dave: “You want all the bells and whistles. Ok. Well, I have (pauses) some <a href=”http://www.tirerack.com/tires/dunlop/du_sp40.jsp" target="_blank">Dunlop SP40s. They’re regularly a 90 dollar tire, but for you? $45 a piece. That makes a total of $248 for four tires and installation.
Me: (sensing something’s not quite right) “Well, I’ll get back to you. Thanks.”
Of course, Tirerack has these “90 dollar tires” for $49 a piece. Plus, the reviews on that tire are mediocre compared to the similarly-priced aforementioned Yokohamas. Finally, the Yokohamas have an 6 year/80,000 mile warranty, which beats the Dunlops by 15,000 miles.
I suppose Dave thought I was making this deal up. Instead of trying to call me on it, he just lied and covered, trying to sell me on a “deal” which was hardly one at all. Jerk.
Oh well, it’s almost time to start another day at work. Note to self: I must stop eating out for lunch so much, especially when I have such awesome left-overs, such as the totally kick-ass london broil that Michelle and I made tonight. (Kudos to my dad for teaching me how to grill. ROCK!)
Well-marinated flank steak is one major reason I will never concede to vegetarianism.