Sunday, October 31, 2010

adventures in man-world...

i am a country girl...a country girl that relocated to the city.  a country girl who isn't afraid of dirt or work, who rides tractors with her daddy, and shoots a rifle and a pistol with the best of them...yet, i've chosen to live in a densely populated, wealthy area of a super cool city, with a schnuck's, whole foods and a target one block down the street.  i am single.  i am independent.  and i'm a girl.

last night, my aforementioned tractor riding daddy, mentioned that he noticed i had a tail light out on my car.

a sense of dread permeated my being.

i HATE dealing with anything car related.  it seems like every time some car issue pops up, i always get stuck dealing with some chauvinistic guy who thinks i'm a brainless idiot.

i admit, i don't know a whole lot about cars.  and i don't claim to.  but, i don't know anything about rocket science or brain surgery and i don't find that many scientists or surgeons treat me with contempt.  now that i think about it, i don't know many rocket scientists or brain surgeons...but i digress...haha.

back to my tail light...dad says to go to autozone to get a new bulb...and that they are pretty nice about putting things in for you if you ask. 

so this morning, off to autozone i go.

when i got there, a super nice guy looked up the bulb i needed (not all car guys are bad.  i will admit it.).  unfortunately, the one i needed wasn't in stock.  again, super nice guy was super nice and called another store to check availability.  success!  and off i drove.  all the while hoping i wouldn't get pulled over for having a tail light out.

when i reached the next store, there was a line...so i patiently waited while the man in front of me discussed the oil pan troubles on his chevy with the guy at the register.  register guy animatedly discussed options with the guy and laughed it up for a bit when the poor guy realized what an involved project he would have to undertake.

i thought to myself "cool.  maybe another nice guy to help me out."

i thought too soon.

i stepped up to the register and said "the _____ store just called about a tail light for a jetta.  he said you were holding it for me"
blank stare.
"okay, i guess he didn't talk to you.  i need a tail light for an '02 vw jetta."
"what's the number?"  car guy gruffly asks.
"i'm not sure, the other store said you were holding it"
"what's the year of the car?"
"'02 vw jetta"
"over here" and he walks away.  not sure if i should follow or not, i walked over to the aisle where he stood.
"here's what you need"
"thanks!  that's great." while i was paying, i casually asked "would you happen to be able to put this in for me?"
"i've never touched a jetta before." he abruptly replied. 

really??  really???  you work at autozone.  i've already watched you chat it up with chevy guy.  and you can't put in a tail light?  i'm sure that you learned that in auto shop kindergarten!

is what i thought--instead of saying that out loud, i just smiled and said "don't you worry.  i'll do it myself." and i walked out the door.

when i got home, i searched my car manual for instructions and they went something like this:
it is becoming increasingly more difficult to change light bulbs in cars as you must sometimes remove other parts in order to reach them, so we recommend letting the dealer change any bulb.

oh thanks.

well...it really shouldn't be that hard.  i mean come on.  it's a light bulb.  i climbed in the trunk and within just a few minutes, had the cover pulled and the bulb changed.

a feeling of extreme macho-ness came over me.  I JUST FIXED MY CAR!!!  I CAN CONQUER THE WORLD!!!!!!!!  :)

take that you, car guy!

3 comments:

Rachel said...

UGH! I'm guessing maybe he honestly got nervous about knowing for sure how to do it, and didn't want to look dumb in front of a very competent appearing woman??? hee hee!

Glad you got it figured out. I married a heavy equipment mechanic, so if he can figure out a bulldozer... (right??)

Have a great Sunday!

Unknown said...

You rock. I love the feeling of doing something that someone tells you that you can't do. :-)

Unknown said...

Best part... you easily fit in your trunk. :) FYI: I had the dealer change mine after failing to succeed and breaking part of my trunk lining so you bettered me on this one.