It has been a long week, and I had to do several things today, but tonight I was looking forward to driving up to Williamson County for Allen Bond’s 40th birthday party. Alllen and Marijo are two of my long-time Mountain T.O.P. friends, and I enjoy going to their annual hayride, which will come up later in the fall. I planned to take my Flip Video camera and make Allen a nice video of the party.

I had gotten my oil changed earlier in the day, and when I walked out of the door after my shift at the newspaper I saw that my right rear tire was flat. This is not the first time I’ve had a flat tire soon after an oil change; I think I may call the oil change place Monday and complain.

Anyway, it was nearly 5 p.m. on a Saturday. I got the flat tire off (splitting the crotch of my pants in the process) and put on the replacement — but it’s one of those infernal small-sized temporary spares, and I didn’t want to make the drive all the way to Williamson County and back on it. So I just called and gave Allen my regrets.

Monday morning, I’m going to have to see if my normal tire place can take me right at 7 a.m., because I have to be in Murfreesboro at 9 a.m.