My Saturday was eventful in the way that makes you feel like things are happening.  In actuality it was a change that had to happen, a change that needed to happen, and then a change I wanted to happen.

It had to start with a change for spring.  Yeah, I know, Spring is a whole season of change … it’s the whole point of spring.  But this Change is a legal one.  Tires!!!

Winter driving in Alaska just isn’t easy.  We get snow, obviously, and the road crews do a pretty good job clearing it.  But being this far north means ground freezes faster, roads are more glare ice and packed snow.  To be safe, most drivers in Alaska use winter tires, and nearly half of us have studded tires.  The problem with studded tires is that they chew up the pavement during the warmer summer days, so they are illegal to have on your car from May 1st to September 15th.  So, check your calenders kids … my studded tires had to come off and my summers had to go on.

Think about it, though, when you have about 100,000 cars that need to have their tires changed over twice a year means that tire shops are big business, but only during those change-over periods.  The way most of them deal with it is to not take appointments for a change over, and doing the work when you arrive on a first come first serve basis.  This time of year, so many come in to do their change over that the shops max out of work and they do it pretty early in the day.

So my Saturday started with arriving at the tire shop 45 minutes before the place even opened and stood in line in the cold.  I mean it … STOOD IN LINE.  By the time I got in there, I was looking at 3 hour wait, and the line behind me was long.  If I got there when the place was opened I would have had a 6 or 7 hour wait — and if I got there 15 minute minutes after they opened, wouldn’t have happened.

So that was the change that had to happen.  While that was going on, I headed to that change that needed to happen.  My first day in a gym that I joined this week.  Since curling ended, I needed to find another way to get back in shape … this is it.  40 minutes on an elliptical and I found that energy buzz that comes from a good workout (surprising because I thought I would going to feel old and in pain all day).

That last change, that one I wanted to happen — it didn’t really happen but a plan is in place.

I need a new summer hobby.  Okay, maybe not need, but I want one.  Something Alaskan, something outdoorsy, but something new.  So I stopped by a store and asked about fly fishing.  I fully intended to walk in and say “set me up”, but this little shop owner did what good shop owners do … he said “no, there is a class in a couple weeks, take that, and then if you still like it then I will set you up.”  Okay, he wasn’t as blunt, in fact it was pretty awesome that conversation, but the idea still is there.

So yeah, the season of change is with us, and will keep going.