Monday, December 15, 2008

Trust Costco for Tires, not Sears

Tomorrow I'll blog about the fabulous Eco Gift Festival I attended in Santa Monica this weekend, but first I must rant Sears vs. Costco when it comes to tires.  Costco builds installation and warranty into their price while Sears nickels and dimes you.  What kind of business quotes a price on a tire -- not including the tire valve stems?

I got a flat Sat. nt on the way home. AAA put the donut tire on my car on Sun. am. After internet research it looked like Sears' prices might be close to Costco, so I drove down the street to Sears -- taking my Macbook along to show which tires I was considering. I had picked out a Michelin tire with ICE in its name (costing about $80) which is for colder, icy climates and not even carried in Santa Monica. Sears quoted me $331 for 2 tires w/road hazard and about $662 (before $56 rebate) for 4 tires - and had me convinced I'd be a fool to only replace two tires.

I didn't like the price and drove to Costco. The Costco tire man also inspected my tires and said I had plenty of tread on two of the tires - especially since I frequently ride the bus or walk rather than drive to keep my carbon footprint low. He actually heard me when I said I drive less than 7000 miles a year whereas the Sears man must have had commission dollars dancing in his head. Costco sold me two BF Goodrich tires (after telling me BF Goodrich is owned by Michelin). Instead of paying $331, Costco charged me approximately $184 including tax - and my car performance tires rather than the Michelin passenger tires Sears wanted to sell me for $109 each.

Where Sears picks your pocket is on road hazard, tire valve stems and a couple of other items whereas Costco builds installation and tire valve stems into its price.

There is a big drawback about Costco -- you do have to wait unless you time your arrival perfectly. I killed 4 hours waiting for them to get to my car and install the tires. When I called, the wait was 2 1/2 to 3 hours. By the time I arrived - about 30 minutes later, the wait was 4 hours.

Maui Report - ANZ, SHAVE MY HEAD PLEASE

The big news from Maui was that I met many men AND WOMEN who would happily present their craniums to Air New Zealand for  a chance to fly from Hawaii to New Zealand.

Andy, who often captains the boat for Mike Severns' Diving said: "Hey, people look at the back of my head every day.  I'd be a great billboard."  Andy's head is actually bigger than mine, so he could actually carry more copy for Air New Zealand than my little ol' head.  Plus, as a scuba diver and great videographer Andy needs to go diving in the Bay of Islands.

Of course, if Air New Zealand would prefer a billboard who plays the ukelele, I met an Hawaiian on my connecting flight from Honolulu to Maui who would also love a chance to visit New Zealand.  His wife (or girlfriend) put a quick stop to his ukelele playing when she emerged from the ladies' room at Kahalui Airport.  I don't think she objected to him being a billboard as much as his serenading me, the lady from the plane with the buzz haircut.

Coolest thing about my current short, short (less than a half inch) hair is that now people think I got this look from a stylist rather than an airline!

Monday, December 1, 2008

THE GOBBLE GOBBLE REPORT

Well, this shaved head survived Thanksgiving and even left the table before becoming a stuffed turkey myself.

For the most part, all the relatives were very kind.  Some even said I had very nice features to have so bare a head.  

The most painful moment happened at my ex-sister-in-law's house.  My brother and I went over to pick up my niece and nephew and I had the choice of sitting in his car like a coward (my first choice) or being brave and facing a woman who always that I was wacky when I had hair.  I knew she had read this blog, so I figured I might be mocked or called a chicken if I dared not face her.  Actually what I experienced as disapproval was probably more disinterest.  When she opened the door I said "Hi, I figured I should face you since you heard about this shaved head thing."  She just said "Hullo," and perhaps my name and then seemed to look away.  Instead of my appearance her focus was on keeping my brother and me from entering her home since it apparently wasn't presentable.  

Of course, my apartment is more often unpresentable than presentable while my ex-sister-in-law usually has a pretty immaculate place.  

If I had it to do over again, however, I would have stayed in the car -- my hair's too short to even hide behind bangs.  The irony was that all I could think based on her silence was "SHE THINKS I'M A FREAK" when all she was probably thinking was: "Must not let the weirdo see my house is not in perfect order."

My cousin who lost her hair several years ago when undergoing chemo was pretty kind to me. I felt a little guilty since I voluntarily gave up my hair, and she had no choice.  She was kind enough to lend me a mylar wig to try on family game night, and I discovered a wig can get pretty hot.  

The best thing about my family was that I was embraced and accepted regardless of the length of my hair.  A couple of the kids really liked petting my peach fuzz as if I was the new family dog.  My nephew pulled away as if short, short hair might be contagious.  

And as I shared some of my New Zealand itinerary with friends and family, several said they thought it might be worth it. . . not that they would do it. . . .

I met at least two people in Dallas, however, that think Air New Zealand needs to come to Big D and shave some heads.  They thought a shaved head was a small price to pay for so much adventure!