Adventures...

Admirable brevity, Geoff. I, however, have something to say. Thank you everyone who is praying for my dad. He called me yesterday to say that he got to Kuwait safely and, though suffering from jet lag, is hard at work. After driving through heavy rain and close traffic, I too arrived safely at my destination. Last night after work was when I had my requisite (and hopefully only such) adventure of the trip. I got a flat tire. I got a flat tire in the most ignominious of ways--by taking a turn too sharply and quickly and going over the curb. This is why you need to keep praying for me--I am a horrible driver and a menace to the roadways of Houston. Thanks be to God I didn't have a worse accident. In any case, I panicked after smashing into the curb and drove for a few blocks on the flat. When I finally couldn't take the pull of the car to the right (it was the right front tire), I pulled into a pharmacy parking lot, where I called my mom and AAA (who refused their help to me, since I wasn't technically covered). Finally, I asked a young man for help. He was very nice, if a bit, well, strung out. He and another man tried to change the tire for me, but because my dad had had the tires replaced, they needed a special key. I could not think straight, but in the end I drove to the gas station that was catty-corner to the pharmacy. I found the key (in the glove box, of course) and the gas station attendant changed it for me for $6. I then tried to drive to the hotel, took a wrong turn and got a bit turned around. I almost panicked again; however, through the help of choral music, I calmed down and found my way to the hotel. I slept well last night.