Tune-up time

You know how in the old days you had to tell by feel (and sound) whether or not you had a flat tire (tyre)? But nowadays a little signal lights up on your dashboard (and if you're super-lucky it tells you not just that a tire is flat but which one it is)? Well, a couple of weeks ago that sucker started blinking (which it had never done before) and then stayed on permanently, even though I've checked, and all the tires are fully inflated. Well, it was time for the regular service (which I absolutely need to keep up with, since my Prius is now over 200,000 miles) so I asked them to check which one. Well, they did, and they said "all four" and that it would cost (deep breath) NINE HUNDRED AND SIXTY ONE DOLLARS to fix them. So, long story short, I'm now living in the old days where you have to tell by feel and/or ear whether you have a flat tire. But I did get a new headlight bulb.

Then it was off to the Hogbacks in bracing 10 degree weather. It seems about the same as yesterday, but several of my high-schoolers tried to get out of class this morning because their high schools were closed "because of the cold". I didn't want to miss any MORE classes (not out of diligence, but because they were getting out of sync with my Tuesday/Thursday class) so I reassured them that it was nice and cozy on the university campus, so they should be glad to be there.