Nicely summed up.

I wear my watch on a neck cord becuase I hate having things on my wrists. Anyone staring at my watch gets introduced to my grumpy side. I've been known to bark "Hey, look up at here, at my face, when you are talking to me", or as "see something you like?".

I think I'm just getting mean.

True. I didn't even consider the attendants. Where I've traveled, the exit has machines that take the receipt and you just insert your card. It prints out a final receipt of payment and the gate lifts. But your analysis is seems pretty logical to me - not every place has computerized exits.

"I even get sick of people constantly asking me for the time"
My college room mate would always respond with "time to do what" or something along that when asked. Of course he also carried a round tuit in case someone said they would do something when they get a round tuit so he could hand it to them.
I don'tstop and help people out as much as I used to, used to be I would stop all the time but I also got tired of people being unprepraed and almost acting like I owed them too.

Even with braille, it is still computerized in theory. You have sets of six pins, which send a 1 if punched and a 0 if not (or the other way around). As I said, it would be a kind of mechanical computer, the binary could be a lever rather than an electical impulse.

Very cool to think about, at least if you are a geek. I see the basics of how to design it in my head, but I keep using Victorian era materials. <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

You could just say, "Yes, it's time for you to buy a watch."

I'm one of those wives, and I want to defend myself. Plus, I bet that there are other wives out there like me. If it weren't for AAA and the kindness of strangers, I probably wouldn't be here today trying to learn about being more prepared.

Yes, if I had a problem with my car, I'd call DH and possibly AAA before doing anything about it. I figure that I'm better off advising him of the situation and getting his advice before I start tackling the problem.

Yes, I've waited hours for someone from AAA to show up on a service call. I know it can take a while. That's why I would call before I start working on the problem. If I fix the problem myself, I can call again to cancel. If it turns out that I can't fix the problem myself, I don't have to wait as long as I would have to if I had delayed calling. Usually, I wait inside a nearby building.

Yes, I've once been stranded by myself on a freeway with a disabled car in the middle of the night in a bad section of town with no cell phone. I turned down help from a tow truck driver because I didn't have enough money to pay for a tow. I turned down help from another stranger because I didn't feel safe accepting it. I eventually walked to a pay phone to call for help. It wasn't fun, and I now take precautions to avoid a similar situation.

Yes, I've tried changing a flat tire, and I found that I wasn't physically strong enough to loosen the nuts by myself. I now ask the mechanic to hand tighten the nuts, but I still am not sure that I could change a flat tire in the middle of a busy freeway by myself with cranky kids in tow. I would rather entertain the kids in the car or a nearby building and wait for a tow truck.

Yes, I tried checking some fluid in my car once when I was driving myself cross country. I found that I wasn't physically able to get the cap back on, and waited hours for someone to help me. I still don't know what I did wrong. I haven't had the problem with other cars.

Yes, I don't know how to use jumper cables, although I do carry a set in my car. I haven't bothered to learn how to use them, since the cables have instructions printed on them.

Yes, I've found that when I need help from a stranger, it is more effective for me to act the part of a poor, helpless, dumb female. I figure that it's just another tool in my toolbox.

Now, before I get jumped on again, most of these incidents happened when I was a young college student, well before DH started trying to convince me to be more prepared. I learned from these experiences, although not as much as you guys might have liked. It takes more than a single incident to teach a person to be prepared, and she will never learn if you antagonize her and don't give her a chance. You catch more flies with honey ...


-Kuovonne

p.s. Thank you to all of those who help out strangers in need. The world is a much nicer place because of your effort.

RE can't losen the lug nuts..
You are right that they should hand tighten - or actually better - they SHOULD tighten with a torque wrench - which tightens them to exactly the right level per the Mfgs recommendations (My local shop actually has attachments for their air wrenches to do this - and the tire jockey is handed the right one for your car, and must hand it back at the end of the job - so he always uses the right one!)

That said - get yourself a "4 way" lug wrench - MOST people, including fairly lightly build women can loosen lug nuts with one. Also carry a can of "penetrating oil" (My favorite is Kroil) and spray the lug nuts oh, 5-10 minutes before you try - pop the hub cap, spray the lug nuts, put the jack under the car, jack until the jack JUST starts to take a bit of weight (just enough to prevent the jack from moving - 99% of car weight still on tires) - NOW try breaking the lug nuts - just 1/4 turn or so.. NOW jack the car, and then finish removing the nuts

All women need to know how to change a tire. Not all men who stop to help are nice, some are predators. I have a system that I've informed all my friends and family of. If I am stranded and can't fix the car myself I will not stay with the car and be a target for anyone that comes along. If there are woods near by I will stay just inside the tree line. I will always be within ear shot of a car horn and everyone that knows me knows what I would do. All they need to do is find my car(fairly easy to do since someone always knows where I am) and honk the horn and wait for me. A woman in distress is an easy mark for a predator.

... and if they are too hard to losen by hand, a 4-way wrench allows you to use your foot to put more pressure on those damned lug nuts !

Another option would be to get a 1/2" drive breaker bar. One 24" long should give you about double the torque as the 4-way when you put your foot on it. It also allows you to swing through 90 - 180 degrees on the first stroke. I've managed to split the wall on a couple of sockets with one of these getting the lug nuts off my truck without having to put a lot of strength into it. <img src="/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" /> If anyone goes this route, invest in an impact socket to fit your nuts