just another saturday night.

it’s always an adventure in the life of the blonde photographer.

this spectacle could only happen to me.

seriously.

i was driving home from an awesome engagement shoot in baltimore one minute, stranded in the ghetto the next…

it wasn’t until i was coming into the city on new york avenue that i noticed something wasn’t right with my car. i heard a rumbling sound and immediately freaked out. as much as i love my adorable passat, i’ve had more complications with this vehicle than any of the other dozen cars i’v owned in my lifetime. slowing down at a light, i realized that the sound i was hearing was a (shockingly my first ever!) flat tire. no big deal i thought (stupidly), refusing to pull over and investigate due to my undesirable location. also, i was less than 5 miles from home, so i decided to push on. this is when the rumbling progressed to a loud flapping, and i began to feel like i was driving on a time bomb. i rolled down the passenger window to get a better listen and was overwhelmed by the stench of burning rubber. not good. dialing roadside assistance, i continued to drive, slowly, with hazards on, down ny ave. – much to the chagrin and utter aggravation of my fellow drivers. let’s just say i got the finger at least a few times, and more honking than i heard from the crazed taxi drivers in south america.

panic stricken and certain i was going to cause an accident in the midst of this insanity, i turn off onto florida avenue and briefly consider pulling into a gas station for assistance. however, it’s after 11pm and i’m still not in the best part of town – not to mention i have all my gear on me, as well as my macbook pro, etc, so i’m not feeling good about stopping the car at all. so it’s no surprise that my first reaction upon seeing another car flagging me down was to hit the gas, fearful of looking vulnerable and skeptical of anyone truly wanting to “help” me. however, one glance at the four smiling, waving faces from the windows, and i reconsidered quickly. i pulled over and two were guys already walking towards my car. i decided they truly wanted to help me, not harm me, so trusting my instinct (ever-hopeful that all people are inherently good) i got out and proclaimed the obvious: “i have a really flat tire!”

really flat doesn’t even do this macerated piece of rubber justice. i can only assume it went flat somewhere on the bw parkway and began melting along ny ave. by the time i stopped, it was punctured and rippled and bizarre looking. minutes after the guys stopped, i heard sirens and saw an ambulance approaching. apparently, upon seeing the car askew, and a man on the ground they though they were responding to a call for an unconscious victim. next, the fire truck and EMS units arrived. even though i assured them everything was OK, within moments flares blazing behind my car (now flanked by the fire truck) and half a dozen firefighters were working on the tire.

i was overwhelmed by the spectacle, amazed by everyones willingness to help, and feeling so utterly useless i did the only things i knew how to do in a situation like this: thanked everyone profusely, provided comic relief, and grabbed my camera and started shooting.