If I'd left my iPod at home this morning, I might still be at Wal-Mart

I worked late last night so I can hopefully leave work a little early today to get a head start on my drive to Lousiana to see K. It's supposed to rain tonight, so any head start I get will help.

When I got to my car last night, I noticed my driver's side front tire was pretty low. I first noticed it Tuesday night at the gym, honestly, but it wasn't "emergency-level" low. Since I was not dressed warm, I decided I'd take care of it Wednesday night when I got home from work. Well, Wednesday I wound up working from home thanks to "Arctic Blast 2007" (yeah, right), so last night was the night to take care of it. I drove over to a gas station to check my tire. There was about 16 or 17 pounds of air in my tire. It's supposed to have 32. I aired it up, but I knew it was only a matter of time before my tire was low again.

It was already after 8 when I got home, so I called Wal-Mart during Grey's Anatomy commercials to get the hours for their tire center: 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. That worked out well, since I wouldn't have to rush out and miss Grey's to get my tire fixed. (Although missing it might not have been so bad, since I bawled my head off. Good thing our weekly girls' night fell through this week. I would've looked like a blubbering idiot! lol)

I got up early this morning and was at Wal-Mart's Tire & Lube Center at 6:50 a.m. I wanted to be the first one there so I wouldn't be late for work.

I was definitely the first one there. In fact, no one was anywhere to be seen in the Tire & Lube Center. Until 7:10.

People, why would you have a SIGN on your door announcing you open at 7 a.m. if you're not going to be open at 7 a.m.? The sign does not say:

"Staff arrives: 7:10 a.m.
Staff acknowledges you: 7:15 a.m.
Staff opens tire center door: 7:20 a.m.
Staff actually begins work: 7:30 a.m."

But that's exactly what happened. I stood outside as soon as I saw this older man head back to the registers. He kept trying to avoid eye contact with me because I was stuck outside in the cold, staring in and waiting for someone to help me. Finally, he came over and told me they were looking for the person who had the key to open the door. About five minutes later, another younger guy came up and told me the same thing.

I was getting cold, and I could see that they had no sympathy or concern for the fact that I was standing outside -- not enough, anyway, to really try harder to find whoever this person was with the magic key that would open the door to the Tire & Lube Center. I went back to my car and waited by the heater until they finally opened the door.

I went inside and explained the problem with my tire. I didn't want to go too far from the tire center so they wouldn't have to page me over the intercom. Besides, I didn't really need any groceries from Wal-Mart at 7:30 in the morning.

I walked around the camping and tire area. I remembered I needed wiper blades, so I went to go buy them. I called my dad to ask what brand he recommended. I searched for size 26 in that brand. Nothing. In fact, Wal-Mart was out of all size 26 blades, no matter what the brand. Go figure.

I stayed on the phone with my dad for a little bit. We talked about the weather in Dallas and in Oklahoma. We talked about my brother and his new job. We talked about Kevin's truck.

After we got off the phone, I sat down in the tire center to wait. I started thinking about how early I had gotten up (6 a.m.!) and how late I'd gone to bed (12:30-ish). It was going to be a long day at work (Fridays suck at my job), and I had a five-hour drive to make tonight. I was going to need some energy. I got up and walked across Wal-Mart to get some Naked fruit juice (good stuff, by the way). I bought two -- one energy, one superfood -- paid for them, and went back to the Tire & Lube Center.

I restaked my position on the bench in the tire center. I remembered I had my iPod with me, so I pulled it out. And go figure, I'd listened to it for maybe 30 seconds when they called me to tell me my tire was finished. Isn't it funny how that always happens?

You just get comfy or find a great magazine article; you just get wrapped up in a TV show, or a good song finally comes on, and they call your name in the waiting area to leave it all behind. You wait on food at a restaurant for 30 minutes, and as soon as you leave for the bathroom, it arrives. Go figure.

Maybe I should've pulled out my iPod in the parking lot when I got to Wal-Mart at 6:50.