Pennsylvania

I'm in Pennsylvania this week. Again.

Pennsylvania is why you didn't hear from me last week. I'm in the mountainous northeast section of the state, and I'm in a bit of a technological black hole. My cell signal is shaky at best, and the only hope for internet access during the work day is a 5 minute shot on the client's computer.

Pennsylvania is also why I missed Debbie's big book signing last Friday night. Right now, I'm a little bitter towards Pennsylvania, and trying to decide if this bitterness is justified.

It's probably not.

It's not the state's fault that I was requested to attend a client meeting 2 hours south of (read: 2 hours further from the way I should have been driving later that night) the client site. In the interest of professionalism, I will only note a few general points of interest about the meeting.

1) I was the only female in attendance.

2) I was also the only person under the age of 45.

3) The two principals of the meeting repeatedly referred to me as "young lady", and once as "the minority".

I will leave you to draw your own conclusions.

I can see how you might think that the meeting was the highlight of the trip, but I assure you, it was only a prelude to the special fun I had on my way back from the meeting..

You see, there's this highway. A two-lane highway through the mountains, a heavy trucking route along the eastern corridor of the state, that happened to be the route I needed to take to and from this client meeting.

Being a highway through the mountains, it's the sort of roadway that doesn't have much of a shoulder - the road ends, there's a narrow shoulder, and then there's a wall of concrete/granite/rock, perhaps a steep incline rooted with tall weeds and brambles.

Being a two-lane, heavy trucking route, there are many large 18-wheelers careening though the narrow passes, without a lot of room to maneuver.

Enter me, my little Rav4 and a pothole.

I heard it happen, though I wasn't sure what I hit until later, it only took a minute for the characteristic FWAP-FWAP-FWAP to start. I pulled over and assessed the situation. My tire was flat. There were huge trucks driving 80 miles an hour about 2 feet from the driver's side of my car. There was a steep incline of the tall weeds and brambles variety on the passenger side of my car. I came close to having a bit of a cry, but fear beat out frustration and I decided that fleeing would be a better course of action than crying.

After climbing the steep incline to safety, a feat that would have been difficult in hiking gear, let alone an Ann Taylor suit and kitten heels, I began making a series of phone calls that ultimately resulted in a very nice and incredibly brave man coming to my tire. I watched from my perch on the steep weedy incline with a mixture of disbelief and terror, feeling fairly sure that at any moment the smiling tow-truck guy would become the crushed and bloody tow-truck guy. Fortunately, amazingly and with about 2 feet of working room, he changed my tire and drove off in one piece.

It was quite a day.

Now I'm back in Pennsylvania, and I probably shouldn't be resentful towards the state in its entirety for what happened last week, nor be bitter towards it because I had to come back this week. But I still am, a least a little bit. Sorry Pennsylvania.

Comments

[Carole]

We had a flat tire on our trailer in a similar setting in New York. It was summertime, though, and about 100 degrees. Poor Dale.

[Martha]

Oh, come on, it's perfectly okay to resent Pennsylvania. For anything.

[maryse]

i'm familiar with that part of the state as i went to college south of there ... probably not all that far from your client meeting.

i'm glad you found a good samaritan. see, it's not all bad in pennsylvania.

[elisa]

I'm just glad that you are safe and sound...even if you are in PA.

Which I think is total poop.

I'm sending "Get Jackie Home Soon" vibes your way.

xoxo

[Beth S.]

Oh yikes. You were on 78, weren't you? Scary stuff!

[caitlyn]

Oh my. I'm glad you're safe, Jackie!

[Kate]

I'm impressed with your ability to not cry. I got a flat on 495 and burst into hysterics. Yeah I'm not so good with stressful situations. I now have AAA :-)

Glad you survived!

[melanie]

I *so* wish I could have seen you up there in your Ann Taylor and heels.

I'm not laughing at you, I'm laughing with you. I swear.

[Kathode Ray Tube]

This is an odd question, so please forgive me if I have you mixed up with someone else. I was in Starbuck's with my son this morning Friday, Oct. 27th (in West Roxbury MA) when a nice woman asked me if I had knit my sweater. I thought she looked kinda like the pictures I've seen on your blog but seeing it real life, I'm never sure. I said no, I hadn't made the sweater. Was that you? If so, how do you do? And I enjoy reading your blog. Hope to run into you again!

kathy in roslindale