Here's some free advice: Never assume that moving will be a perfect process. Not that it ever could be to begin with; by its very nature, moving bites. What I mean is, even when you think you're moving under the best of all possible circumstances, don't let that lull you into a false sense of security. Take me, for instance. I'm so thrilled, this time around, to be moving. And all seems to be going well and, mostly, according to the plan I never really actually laid out. Then today, as I'm busily packing boxes and moving them gradually to my car, Lady Voldemort informs me that the back left tire on my car is low. I'd noticed that too, but hadn't given it much thought. There just wasn't enough room in my brain, what with it being full of things from my recent trip and now with the task of getting myself moved.

I made one trip to my new place, then on my way to lunch, I decided to forgo the trip to the gas station to use the air pump, and instead headed to Discount Tire to have them take a look. The decision was based on a combination of laziness, incompetence, and genuine concern.

The tire guy, Dimitri, took a look at my tire and, in a matter of seconds, found the nail that had punctured my little Goodyear. It was exactly what I thought it might have been, only since the nail didn't reveal itself to me automatically, and I never heard any hissing, I couldn't be sure. Twenty minutes and $20.00 later, I had a freshly fixed tire and suddenly my car wasn't tilting dangerously to one side and getting terrible gas mileage. Funny how that works.