For a long while, I've had to worry about a slow leak in one of my tires. About once per month, I'd find that an "Idiot Light" would go on, telling me that one of my tires needed inflating. Well, the first time this happened, it was the TPMS Sensor in one my wheel hubs which was replaced. Later on, I had a true slow leak that was annoying, and probably related to wheel hub damage that would only be noticeable when the car is on the lift. This was a problem that I lived with, instead of trying to get it fixed - even after replacing a set of tires at the end of their life. And then, after the wheel hub was repaired, I had another slow leak on the same wheel - this time, the tire needed repair.
Just before I went on my trip to Hawaii, I checked the air pressure in the tire to be safe, and then parked for a week and a half at the hotel. During the trip, I occasionally wondered about the tire, and whether it would still be inflated when I returned to the hotel to pick up my car. It's been a month since then, and I haven't had to inflate the tire yet,
Why am I thinking of this?
I'm living more and more of my life as Marian, and I don't want to call AAA (or another service) for help when in gender-nonconforming presentation. There are still too many people who think that people like me are freaks. And I don't want to lose a certain privilege that seemingly cisgender people have - an expectation of being treated with "respect" (but not necessarily with honesty). The one time I needed to call AAA while presenting as Marian, I was able to switch into Mario mode before the tow truck came. Since I no longer bother keeping a change of clothes in the car, I feel that I could be at greater risk if my car were to break down on the side of the road.
