Totally FUBAR.

I got up early to take the long way in. About a mile from my house, I ran over some glass but thought I was okay. It wasn't until I was just about out of town that the tire went flat. Swapped out the tube and got the CO2 out. Psss...... Only about 30 lbs of pressure. Crap. Look in my bag for another cartridge. Nada. Okay, I'm only about a half mile from a Home Depot. So I walk over there and ask the first orange apron if they have an air compressor.

Blank look. Pause. "You mean one that works?"

Uh, yes. I have a flat and I'm out of air. I just need a little air.

Blank look again. "What? For your bike?"

Well, as it turns out, no they don't have any air compressors that are actually functioning, just floor models. What if I wanted to buy one and wanted a demonstration?

Uh, no. You'd just have to buy one and if it didn't work, you could bring it back. Okay so I'm not getting any help at Home Depot, not that I ever have before so what was I expecting?

As it turns out, there's a gas station around the corner and the dude doesn't even want to take any money for turning on the air pump. Nice guy. I don't have my presta-shrader shim but I McGuyver a good seal by wrapping the bad tube around the valve before putting the hose on. It's filling, it's fillilng! It's flatting! It's flatting. As it turns out the spare had a hole too, and the patch kit is in the other saddle bag. Sigh.

Damn. Oh, and there just went my bus.

So I call the Missus and she puts the kids in the van and drives out to get me and drops me at work. I am a very lucky, but very stupid and ill-prepared guy.