Malled

It was an early wake-up this morning. Since I needed to get some new rubber on the old 850, I hit the road before 6 so I could sneak in a little 20 mile ride before taking The Wife to work and myself to my friendly neighborhood Sears Automotive establishment. I was (still am) feeling really lousy this morning - stuffy head, unsettled stomach, mile headache - and I guess I'm trying to fight off something. After getting the car in the queue for a couple of new front Goodyears, I wandered aimlessly through the little shopping mall. Shopping malls always tend to render me semi-comatose, and today was certainly no exception. If you need to know what's on sale at Target, Bed, Bath & Beyond, or Sears, just drop me a line. The guy at the counter said it'd take about two hours since I had them do a front end alignment too, so I walked back over there after about 1:45 and saw the car parked out on the other side of the drive-through garage. Figuring it was done, I headed for the counter, only to find that the little matter of the alignment has slipped their minds. Another half-hour of waiting in their luxurious waiting room - "Days of Our Lives" blaring from the TV - and I was finally outta there, albiet $287 poorer. On the plus side, they had the Goodyears in stock that were on sale in the right size and for the advertised price! I must admit that I fondly miss the days when I would settle for nothing less than the high-quality Michelins, but hey, sometimes life's a compromise. For those of you who have noticed my somewhat distressed rear tires, I should add that they're on the list for next month. Really, it's just the rubber that's slashed. The casing is fine. Really!

The morning ride felt a lot worse that it should have and now I think I know why. I'm obviously a little bit under the weather, and showing no signs of improvement. Hopefully I can make it through the Gene Therapy Research Consortium's Board Meeting that starts in a few minutes.

Now where's that Advil I had . . .