At the tire shop 06/10/21 ------------------------------------------------------------ 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!