so, how did our anniversary go this year? not the way we expected, but certainly memorable.

yesterday, Beth and i celebrated six years of marriage and 13 years of togetherness. we were making our way down to Williamsburg, Brooklyn on Saturday for this rooftop party. we were on the Grand Central Parkway en route to the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway when we hit a pothole and the left front tire blew out. Beth describes the GCP as the "Autobahn of New York" and rightly so: people fly like bats outta hell on that road. Beth pulled over to the few places where there actually was a shoulder on the side of the road and took a look at the tire. we were basically riding on the rim: we hit the pothole with such force that the valve popped right out of the tire. she tried to get us to the next exit but to no avail - the tire started smoking.

so we stopped (in the right lane, no shoulder), put the hazards on and start flagging people away from the car. it was the only dancing we were meant to do that day. (that and flinching when cars came too close to us). i can't tell you what it does to your morale to motion oncoming cars over to the next lane, only to have them honk at you and flip you the bird because you're in their way...AS IF YOU'RE DOING THIS TO THEM ON PURPOSE. i've gotta get out of this country, even if only for a two-week vacation. at any rate, this went on for the better portion of an hour. Beth called the cops, but they never came. (had she informed them that five black guys were assaulting a white woman, i guarantee you they would've fallen out of the sky and set up roadblocks.) she called her folks, she called Geico roadside assistance. two good Samaritans offered a push, but we couldn't go anywhere on that tire. we needed a tow.

somebody finally came and got us out of there, but they had no towing truck. their partner ended up driving our car to a service spot anyway. i don't even want to get into the money spent for a new tire and service and all that...just depressing. but if it were a choice between the money or our lives, i'll give up the cash. nobody hit us, nobody hit our car, and we lived to talk about it over pricey Thai food back home.

after our harrowing experience, we decided to exchange gifts a day early. perhaps better than that was hearing my brother-in-law, sister-in-law, and nine year-old niece sing "happy anniversary" to us over the phone...TO THE TUNE OF "THE WILLIAM TELL OVERTURE." i wish someone had a video camera recording that - supposedly, my niece was dancing frenetically the whole time.

we got out of the city on Saturday about 45 minutes before ominous clouds came through and a thunderstorm started. so as bad as things were that day, they could've been a whole lot worse. now, there's a story to tell our future children...