At the tire shop 06/10/21
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Missouri requires vehicle inspections any time you register a vehicle.
That means you have to have the vehicle inspected at an approved shop,
to make sure the vehicle is road-  worthy. This is somewhat new to me-
these weren't required in AZ or OR.

The shop  is only allowed to  charge a fee that  the state determines,
and is  only allowed  to fail  you for items  the state  dictates. The
whole thing is  a sham, if you  ask me, but that's the  way things are
here  in MO,  for now  (there have  been attempts  to get  rid of  the
requirement, but they've failed so far.)

I recently  bought a used  vehicle, and so I  find myself here.  I use
this shop because I  trust them not to rip me off.  The guy behind the
counter started chatting with me, after I sat reading a book for about
30min. Maybe he thought I was frustrated with the wait, but I was just
glad  to have  some  time to  read.  He  told me  all  about the  woes
of  having  to  offer  the  inspection  service,  which  was  entirely
unprofitable.  He even  complained  about taxes  a  bit. Some  citizen
bonding time, I suppose.

The inspection came  up with a loose  tie rod end. I  think the fellow
behind  the counter  thought I  might be  put out,  or that  they were
attempting to make the inspection more  profitable, so he took me back
and showed me  the issue. Of course, I understand  that these guys are
being paid by the hour, are working  a full day no matter what, etc. I
trust them, that's why I came  here. They're repairing the tie rod end
right now.

Normally,  I like  to do  my own  auto work,  but I  need to  get this
vehicle registered.  Too much drama  at the  DMV already. I  can't let
this drag out, and it's not the hill I want to die on anyway. I'll get
some balancing and aligning out of the bargain too, which can't hurt.

***

The  book I've  been  reading  is "The  Extreme  Novelist" by  Kathryn
Johnson. I purchased it for two reasons: first, because I'm interested
in learning  more about a  craft that I'm trying  to make my  own; and
second,  because she  has  the same  name as  my  first cousin  twice
removed (I  think it was), who  I've been hunting down  in a genealogy
research project. The Kathryn Johnson who  is my cousin wrote a novel,
and I'm having a tough time finding it.

But, about the  book. I read through four chapters  before the tie rod
interruption. So  far, so good. I  don't anticipate that it  will be a
silver bullet of any kind, but I'm counting on some good tips. I'm not
disappointed yet.

***

Just one last thing  to add. A mother came in  holding a small child. 
The kind  that can't  talk yet.  The little  girl is  making babbling 
sounds, which  are quite musical.  It's been  a while since  our kids 
were that small,  and I'd forgotten how musical it  is. The mom keeps 
telling her to  be quiet, which is  too bad. The kid is  the only one 
here that seems to notice that the room has a cool echo!