75

Why have I been driving my son's balance bike (pictured above) around in the minivan for the past week? (OK, yeah this sentence is strange to me for a couple of reasons. 1. I admit to driving a minivan and 2. I refer to something called a balance bike-- what's next a recumbent)
anyway
Well, the reason I have been driving the bike around is because people in Marin Co (Maco from here on out) are crazy!!
I have a theory that people in Maco are so rich and yet so mindless that they willingly pay (the more they pay-the better) for anything and everything-including air.
Here I go-
So I realize that my son is riding a little low on his balance bike and pull out our 2 bike pumps. (why anyone needs 2 bike pumps is something only my husband can answer-oh right, a bike DOES have 2 wheels,right) The balance bike has a wooden wheel with a little space cut out for the valve. Unfortunately, this little space is too small for our pump head to fit, so I cannot inflate the tire.
So, I stick the bike in the minivan to take to our local filling station to inflate the tires. When I get to the station I go to the airhose and try to inflate the tire, but nothing comes out. So, I think that the airhose is broken. No, probably not broken, better READ the INSTRUCTIONS, maybe then you can figure it out. So, I read on and discover that this machine requires 75 cents to turn it on!! Yeah, 75 damn cents for friggin' air!!
OK, so maybe I'm like totally cheap but for f@#$%'s sake--75 cents.
Why not a dollar?! Why not TEN dollars?!!!!
I mean, it is AIR!
Crud, it practically ruined my day.
I'll even admit that a portion of my annoyance was because the entire time that I an internally cursing and squawking about the 75 cents, there was a chorus of, "Momma, what you doing? Momma why isn't the tire full of air? Miiinnneeee!!...Momma are you fixing it? Why isn't it fixed?...Stop no touch carseat!!!...Mine!!!...Momma?...Momma?....Momma?..."

Breathe...

I mean, if you are at a filling station, pulling up to the air hose, you are probably having some sort of bad day. Your tires are low and you are late for an appointment or you have been pushing your bike for 7 blocks in the heat with a puncture and just need some air to get you home. Then you pull up and damn, the friggin' machine wants 75 damn cent to give you some damn air.
Did I mention that the machine doesn't make change and only takes quarters?
That's just wrong
Yeah, I could have gone inside and get some change, but I just have to draw the line somewhere.
So that's why I am driving my son's balance bike around in the minivan.


Hopefully neutral support will drive by soon and give me a wheel.