#mansfied

I am an effeminate nonbinary trans person. Until Dec 14, I have an unoccupied bed and storage space in Mansfield, CT, which can be reached by commuter bus. I can try to help people as much as I can but I cannot provide a long term stay.

There are two-stall bathrooms with single showers. they are gendered. A single occupancy bathroom without a shower is on the ground floor.

There is free washing machines and dryers.

There is a kitchen space on the ground floor

The room is on the 3rd floor and there is no elevator. Not wheelchair accessible.

There are plenty of food shops and some convenient stores in the area.

Free bus service around local area

Library in area

I can provide access to guests

12:50am — I leave the Mansfield Radiohead concert. It's this late because there are something like 15,000 people trying to leave the venue as well. In single file.

1:50am — About 8 miles from home, I get a flat tire for the first time in 23 years on anyone's car ever. At first I didn't know what was happening — the only things I noticed were a faint hissing sound, and the car listing slightly to the left. After about 10 seconds, the listing became severe and the sound grating, so I started switching lanes fast.

2:00am — It's a creepy foggy night, and I'm parked in the breakdown lane. The highway is surrounded by forest on both sides. I think I hear rustling close by.

I'm exhausted. I sigh and crack open the car manual.

2:05am — The flat tire is on the driver's side. Getting splashed by giant trucks barreling down the highway.

2:10am — A policeman pulls over behind me. I'm sure he's just stopping to see what's going on, but those flashing blue lights always make me a bit nervous.

The policeman is a nice guy. He checks to see if I've got the right stuff to replace the flat, asks if I have AAA. After that, he leaves, saying he can stop by later to make sure I'm alright. 

2:30am — The instructions depict this guy in a diagram extending his hands to both sides of the tire.

The instructions are simple. Step 6: Remove the tire. Sounds good.

I'm pulling on this thing as hard as I can, and it's not moving in the slightest. I look back at the diagram to make sure I'm not missing anything.

Step 6: Remove the tire. I look at the guy in the diagram, and it doesn't seem like he has bulging Hulk-like arm muscles. So at this point I'm a bit stuck, so I instinctively google it.

I'm drawn to the Yahoo Answers result. A few people are advising to try kicking the tire. I give the wheel some tentative kicks, and then try to pull it off again. Still doesn't budge.

I re-read the Yahoo Answers post. "sometimes they are a bit stubborn in which case boot it a bit harder", says roger. I was a bit worried about the car slipping from the jack, but roger has given me the confidence I need.

I start absolutely wailing on the tire with my foot. After two or three strikes, the wheel just keels over and falls off.

2:45am — I've finished putting on the spare and am just about done removing the jack, when I see the flashing blue lights again.

The policeman has returned as promised. He gives the spare a glance and cheerfully says something like, "Yup, that looks like it'll do the trick." It was nice of him to check back on me. He drives away, and I internally hope I didn't fuck up.

2:55am — I'm driving back home at a steady 50mph, which is the recommended limit for the spare tire. 50mph feels so incredibly slow compared to 60. I can feel the hate and confusion of the few drivers that pass me. 

To my relief, I get back home without incident.

Things I Learned

1. If the nuts on the wheel aren't turning, try giving the wrench a forceful kick. 

2. If the tire isn't coming off after removing the wheel nuts, kicking the shit out of the tire may help. Source: Yahoo Answers, now corroborated by my experience. 

3. TL;DR — kick things, possibly hard.

4. Leave a flashlight on your car. I was using my camera's LCD as a light source. It sucked.