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Direcciones
Growing up in the early ’90s, I would have to say I was blessed. I mean, sure, my biggest enemies in middle school and high school were Jonathan Taylor Thomas and Justin Timberlake. But I was fortunate enough to live in a number of different social environments. Not only that, I was fortunate enough to grow up before texting (that started in high school, mostly) and before Google really took off.
If you wanted to get to know someone, you would actually have to walk up to them and introduce yourself. Not only that, but all information you wanted had to be gained through verbal interaction. Similarly, if there was something you needed or wanted that was sold, you first needed to find out where to get it, then had to physically go…
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%20and%20before%20Google%20really%20took%20off.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EIf%20you%20wanted%20to%20get%20to%20know%20someone,%20you%20would%20actually%20have%20to%20walk%20up%20to%20them%20and%20introduce%20yourself.%20Not%20only%20that,%20but%20all%20information%20you%20wanted%20had%20to%20be%20gained%20through%20verbal%20interaction.%20Similarly,%20if%20there%20was%20something%20you%20needed%20or%20wanted%20that%20was%20sold,%20you%20first%20needed%20to%20find%20out%20where%20to%20get%20it,%20then%20had%20to%20physically%20go%20pick%20it%20up.%20And%20this%20is%20another%20place%20where%20the%20skills%20of%20interaction%20were%20put%20to%20use.%20I%20found%20that%20I%20have%20the%20amazing%20ability%20to%20either%20talk%20a%20salesman%20down%20in%20price%20or%20get%20other%20stuff%20thrown%20in.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EI%20know%20what%20you%E2%80%99re%20thinking.%20%E2%80%9CIt%E2%80%99s%20just%20because%20you%E2%80%99re%20really%20good%20looking,%20Nate.%20Duh!%E2%80%9D%20Well,%20no.%20It%E2%80%99s%20mostly%20due%20to%20my%20willingness%20to%20step%20up%20and%20actually%20speak%20to%20someone.%20Sadly,%20that%E2%80%99s%20a%20skill%20lost%20among%20a%20great%20deal%20of%20today%E2%80%99s%20up%20and%20coming%20generation.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EAnother%20sad%20casualty%20of%20this%20new%20day%20and%20age%20of%20%E2%80%9CDouble%20Click,%20Get%20it%20Now,%20Two%20Day%20Free%20Shipping%E2%80%9D%20is%20customer%20service.%20Who%20even%20cares%20anymore?%20There%E2%80%99s%20barely%20a%20face-to-face.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EUnless,%20of%20course,%20what%20you%20have%20to%20speak%20to%20someone%20about%20is%20somewhere%20between%204000%20and%207500%20pounds.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EOne%20day,%20while%20driving%20Chelsea%E2%80%99s%20college%20Ford%20Taurus%20through%20Northern%20California%20for%20a%20get%20away,%20we%20could%20no%20longer%20ignore%20the%20quickly%20deflating%20tire%20on%20the%20driver%E2%80%99s%20side.%20So,%20I%20warily%20pulled%20into%20an%20America%E2%80%99s%20Tire%20and%20asked%20them%20if%20they%20could%20fix%20the%20flat.%20The%20sign%20looked%20similar%20to%20Discount%20Tire%20(the%20store%20my%20family%20used%20since%20moving%20back%20to%20the%20San%20Diego%20area)%20so%20I%20felt%20it%20was%20worth%20a%20shot.%20The%20tall%20bald%20man%20behind%20the%20counter%20said,%20%E2%80%9CSure,%E2%80%9D%20and%20away%20with%20my%20car%20he%20went.%20I%20wasn%E2%80%99t%20particularly%20worried%20about%20how%20much%20the%20repair%20was%20going%20to%20cost%20because%20there%20was%20no%20way%20in%20my%20mind%20it%20would%20have%20been%20more%20than%20a%20whole%20new%20tire.%20Eighty%20bucks%20last%20time%20I%20got%20a%20set.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EThen%20the%20fateful%20time%20came%20when%20I%20was%20called%20back%20to%20the%20register%20by%20the%20tall%20bald%20man%20with%20a%20slight%20cheery%20ring%20in%20his%20voice.%20%E2%80%9CNate,%20your%20car%E2%80%99s%20done!%E2%80%9D%20he%20said%20as%20he%20held%20out%20the%20keys.%20I%20walked%20up%20to%20him,%20retrieved%20my%20keys%20and%20waited.%20%E2%80%9CWhat%E2%80%99s%20the%20damage?%E2%80%9D%20I%20braced.%20%E2%80%9CYou%E2%80%99re%20all%20set,%E2%80%9D%20he%20launched%20back%20in%20a%20satisfied%20tone.%20After%20an%20uninteresting%20back%20and%20forth%20he%20let%20me%20know%20that%20they%20didn%E2%80%99t%20charge%20for%20fixing%20flats.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EHe%20led%20Chelsea%20and%20I%20to%20our%20car,%20where%20we%20quickly%20hopped%20in%20and%20drove%20away%20before%20this%20rookie%20realized%20his%20mistake.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3ELong%20story%20short,%20the%20tall%20bald%20man%20was%20the%20manager.%20He%20knew%20what%20he%20was%20doing%20and%20this%20was%20normal%20practice%20for%20America%E2%80%99s%20Tire%20and%20Discount%20Tire%20(which,%20it%20turns%20out,%20are%20actually%20the%20same%20company).%20Thus%20started%20the%20relationship%20with%20MY%20tire%20company.%20It%E2%80%99s%20where%20I%20point%20friends%20when%20they%20ask%20me%20where%20to%20go.%20I%20like%20the%20fact%20that%20they%20care%20about%20their%20customers%20and%20treat%20them%20all%20with%20care.%20I%20remember%20being%20pleasantly%20surprised%20when%20I%20went%20with%20my%20mom%20to%20get%20her%20car%20new%20tires.%20I%20stood%20off%20to%20the%20side%20like%20some%20other%20customer%20and%20enjoyed%20watching%20them%20treat%20her%20the%20same%20as%20my%206%E2%80%995%E2%80%B3%20mountain%20of%20a%20father%20who%20normally%20does%20the%20wheel-shopping.%20They%20didn%E2%80%99t%20pull%20any%20mechanic%20sleazeball%20tricks%20to%20make%20a%20buck%20just%20because%20she%20was%20a%20woman.%20They%20treated%20her%20well%20and%20honestly.%20That%E2%80%99s%20why%20I%20ALWAYS%20go%20to%20Discount%20Tire.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EI%E2%80%99ve%20shared%20the%20fact%20that%20Chelsea%20and%20I%20have%20upgraded%20our%20POVs%20(personally%20owned%20vehicles)%20and%20they%E2%80%99ve%20become%20much%20more%20critical%20in%20our%20adventures%20and%20general%20travels.%20Most%20important%20(at%20least%20in%20my%20opinion)%20is%20my%20truck.%20I%E2%80%99ve%20slowly%20been%20bui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