Indianapolis in the winter is interesting. People actually make it to work on days when it snows (as opposed to North Carolina where things are cancelled in anticipation of the smallest amount of forecast snow). Streets are actually plowed (but side streets and residential areas are frequently left unplowed). Evidently the city has laws requiring people to shovel their walks, but the Mayor indicated that people should report sidewalks not shoveled (sounds like Singaporeans being asked to report on people burning coal or using too much water).
We spent the last several weeks avoiding the streets in our car, by walking almost everywhere. Every ten days we ventured out of the garage to perform some errands. While sitting in an auto repair shop (getting my Passat’s CV joint replaced) I overheard conversations about people hitting potholes, getting axles broken, springs broken and the like. I didn’t pay much attention.
Last weekend we went out on our “date night” to the Indianapolis Museum of Art to see the final installment in the Film Noir series (Memento). A slightly weird movie about a man with short term memory loss who recorded things he discovered as tattoos.
After the movie off we went driving down Michigan Road (Indianapolis has both a Michigan Road and a Michigan Street). I was in the right lane and suddenly we felt a big bump and heard the sound of a flat tire.
I pulled off the road onto the on ramp to the interstate. A number of cars were similarly parked about 100 feet in front of me. I got out, and sure enough, a flat tire. Liz wanted me to call AAA, so I did. I called the number on my AAA card and got Carolina’s AAA. They eventually connected me with Hoosier Auto Club (the local AAA affiliate) who promised a service vehicle in 2 hours.
Meanwhile some people from the cluster of cars in front of me wandered back. I got out and greeted them. The reported there was a covey of cars (4) with similar problems. One had a spare tire, but no jack, or no lug wrench, etc. I had all the above tools. We managed to get the spare out, consult the owner’s manual to find out how the jack worked (in 10 years I had never changed a tire on this car so it was all new to me). The car only fell off the jack once. We got the tire off. The next problem was getting the spare on the car. The lugs (bolt or nuts) on a Volkswagen are more than the nuts. They are the bolts which screw into a face plate and the brake rotor. They would not line up.
Another car pulled up behind me….same problem flat front tire. The father of the two assisting me went back to assist the young lady. That tire was changed while his son patiently shined the solar flashlight on my attempts to mount the tire. Liz announced that Hoosier AAA would be there in 15 minutes. I got the first lug bolt in, then the second. Soon all were in, the car lowered (yes there was air in the tire). I found some money and tipped the 14 year old who assisted me. We called AAA and cancelled the repair truck. Then another car pulled up. Yup, a flat tire, no spare, no jack….he called AAA. I left.
We got home with no further problems. I called the Indianapolis Police Department to inform them of the problem with their street. Yes, I did not call 911 (I tried that on my cell phone and received the message that it was not an allowed number). The police department referred me to the Department of Public works. I called……no one was home.
The next morning I pulled the car out of the garage and went across the street to fill the tire with air (it looked a little low). The air pump was working, but the nozzle was missing. Off I went to find another gas station. When I checked the tire pressure (12lb is what happens when you never check the air pressure in the spare during the 10 years you own the car). I filled it up.
We went out to visit the site of the street that ate my car. I got pictures and saw the remains of hub caps, pieces of truck tires, and other car parts.
But my hub cap was not there. However, the Department of Public Works had placed two warning road barrels both before and after the pot hole.
The damage:
replacement wheel ($52 plus shipping), replacement hub cap ($42 plus shipping), replacement tire $62 plus shipping, tire installation, replacement valve, balancing, shop fees, and alignment. The good news, I may be able to get reimbursement from the City of Indianapolis.
After visiting Fountain Square (acquainting ourselves with Indianapolis), I hit a bump in the road. I saw my hub cap passing before me as I stopped for the traffic light. I pulled off, and went to retrieve the hub cap. I came back to see Liz outside of the car taking a picture of me with the retrieved booty.
Other miscellaneous signs
Years ago when visiting Malaysia (outside of Kuching when returning from an expedition to see a Raffasalia (the largest flower which smells like a rotting corpse) we passed a cemetery. Posted on the lawn was a large sign indicating that the facility was ISO (Not Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra) 2001 certified. Unfortunately I have no picture. For those of you unfamiliar with the ISO certifications, they merely indicate that you have a reliably repeatable process for your business. In this case I interpret it as meaning….if we bury you, you stay buried. Now this is germane because of a sign near the IMA (Indianapolis Museum of Art) the Crown Hill Cemetery which advertised they will be on Facebook in 2011.
Will Facebook replace mediums? Will the dead communicate with us from the beyond? It brings a whole new meaning to the idea of social networks. Finally, nearer to home was a sign above a casket manufacturer advertising “Green Burials”.
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