Not My Finest Hour

As I approach 40, there are a few things that I apparently still need to learn. Anything, or everything, about car maintenance, for example. Our minivan has an alarm (loud) that sounds when the air in the tires ges too low. It went off the other day. The car kept calling it a Flat Tire, but the air pressure only read about 29 psi. I mentioned to Jim that I was going to take it to the shop to have them filled a bit since there is also a big plastic piece hanging down underneath that needs to be tacked back up (not as bad as it sounds). Jim laughed "Are you kidding? You're going to take it to a shop for air?? Haven't you ever filled up a bike tire? It's just the same!! ha ha ha"

Fast forward...to today... as I stop by a gas station and attempt to fill the tires. It's not exactly like filling a bike tire. Every time I held the hose onto the little...thingy on the tire...I hear that hissssssing sound. After "filling" 2 tires, I did see a button that said Push For Air. So I pushed it. And tried 2 more tires. Hisssss.. I have the feeling it's not working, but still I soldier on. When I squeeze the handle to make the little gauge pop out, it doesn't look like the numbers are any bigger. I drive away, and check the screen that shows tire pressure...and one of them is now down to 21 psi... So I drive back and call Jim and curse like a sailor. I really just want him to tell me how to fill them, but he says "I'll be there in 5 minutes." Slow day at work, and I suspect he can't wait to see this in person. Turns out, that handle should have been squeezed the whole time in order to let the air out of the hose. I don't understand why they can't post simple instructions on the machines. But now Jim at least has a story to tell...every time we drive by the gas station...on the way to soccer practice, I think he is going to remind the kids, "And that spot right there is where I found your mother systematically letting all the air out of her tires. I thought maybe she would stop at the first one, but for some reason she did all four."

To set the record straight, I did all four because I was still clinging to the hope that I was doing it right. I'm sure there are other parallels here I could draw, but I am just too embarrassed by it all right now to do that.