Month: May 2007

As If That Wasn’t Enough

As if the high gas prices weren’t bad enough, there’s more for Bay Area residents to worry about: the spectre of water shortages to come:

Frank Gehrke and Dave Hart of the state Department of Water Resources didn’t even bother to take their measuring devices out of their vehicle before they hiked out into a barren field near Highway 50 at Phillips Station, a roadside stop established in 1859 at the 6,800-foot level.

Patches of white lingered on the hills around them, and the Sierra peaks were snowcapped in the distance. But all the surveyors spotted on the ground at Phillips Station were lodgepole pine cones and a few scattered dog droppings.

The meadow was under 67.4 inches of snow on the same date last year, double the historic average.

“This is definitely a dry year, no doubt about that,” Hart said.

[snip]

[Nearly all] reservoirs in the system will be filled to start the dry season, PUC spokesman Tony Winnicker said, because of the excess water in previous years. But there won’t be enough runoff to refill the reservoirs as the year progresses. That sets up a potential water shortage in 2008, unless next winter turns out to be wetter than average and recharges the system.

Officials will assess usage and storage trends in July. Contingency plans for mandatory cutbacks already are being drafted just in case. The system serves customers in San Francisco, San Mateo, Alameda and Santa Clara counties.

I’m Sensing a Theme For This Week

[really flat tire]

A right rear tire blowout on Highway 280 while on one’s way to work does not generally bode well for the rest of the day. I’m Ok, but as you can see, the tire is complete toast. Great.

Being a gal who doesn’t know much about cars, I call the “car guy” brother-in-law while I wait for AAA to show up, and check with him what I should expect to pay for a new tire. He tells me. So far so good.

I get nervous when the AAA tow truck driver tells me, “I know just the place where you can get that fixed.” I’m thinking to myself, “Yeah right. How much does this place pay you to steer business their way?”

In short, I’m expecting to be massively ripped off. Instead, I get taken to a little home in the wall place on a side street off Stevens Creek in Cupertino.

Imperial Automotive isn’t much to look at. Two bays, two mechanics, lots of stuff lying around, the owner up front, and a bunch of old imports waiting to be worked on. But looks are not everything. The guys there rotated the best of the remaining tires onto my back wheels and set me up with a new set of front tires with no wait time, and for $40 less than the brother-in-law said I’d probably have to pay for the work. They also, and for no charge, reattached a plastic guard thingie on the underside of my car that had gotten knocked loose by the tow truck guy.

While they were at it, they checked my brake pads and suggested that the next time I get an oil change I might want to have the pads replaced. I was so surprised that they weren’t trying to push me into having the work done right then and there, I almost forgot to thank them.

I got to work a few hours late, and a little worn out from the stress, but all in all it turned out to be an OK morning.