Remember when you were a child and your parent, if you weren't behaving on a road trip, would threaten to stop the car and turn around?

Yeah. My bus driver did that this morning. He stopped the bus to go to the back of the bus to lecture a young woman for being loud on her cell phone. I almost feel grateful that I had hung up from my cell phone at that point.

Oh, dear deity. Power just went out again for a good five minutes. I'm going out to find a flame thrower (what I call the thingies that you use to light candles), batteries for the flashlight, and food for dinner. And to be in the car for a while so my cell phone can charge so I've got it for an alarm clock tonight.

Well, that was bunches of fun. Lost power for nine hours and just got it back at 5:20 a.m. Scared the cat when it went back on, because I had forgotten that the TV was on and it suddenly turned on when the power came back.

According to the PG, 130,000 were without power thanks to the Ike remnants. Now I get to grab a bus to go to my 8 a.m. appointment in Oakland. Fun!

While watching Top Design

Am I the only person who, when walking around in places that I frequent, still looks for the fallout shelter signs on nearby buildings?

Working on the 57th floor of Pittsburgh's tallest building, I figure that I'm gonna die anyway if a bomb hits, but at least I know where to go if I'm waiting for the bus.

Except, according to a city website I just read, the placards no longer are accurate as the buildings are being used for other things. Screw it. I'm still heading to the church across the street from Steel.

I Don't Like Mondays

So, after the lovely experiences of the afternoon, I was very eager to get to my car -- after stayiing somewhat late to make up for taking time during the day for said appointment -- and go home.

I pull out of the parking lot, and notice that the car's handling kind of funny. I don't think anything of it, and just figure that it's some sort of alignment issue that can surely wait until the weekend to fix.

Except then I pull onto PA 885 and notice that I have no control of the car.

So I pull back off PA 885 and park outside UPMC Mercy.

Dead front tire. A snow tire. Easily a $125 tire to replace.

And I can't pull the damn lugnuts off so I can change the damn tire. So I call AAA.

"Your account is suspended."

What? Apparently, when I sent in my renewal information, the New York club neglected to forward that information to the Pennsylvania club, and my account was suspended. So I pay $47.50 to reinstate my membership. And get someone out to change the dead tire.

The guy comes and changes my tire. Says I'm his third one of the night.

Turns out I ran over a screw, and the tire's not completely dead. A patch kit will fix it, he says, and I should be able to get someone to do it cheaply. More importantly, I don't need a new tire.

And then I come home and discover that I have another bill for Verizon. For services they're not providing.

This bill says it is a final bill, and that it will be forwarded to a collection agency if not paid in full. But then states that they actually owe me $77.75, and I will have a check in five days.

I guess that's my bright side for today. And Abby didn't destroy the apartment, so that's also OK. And I have a beer, so that's OK, too.