Not just useful for Thanksgiving Dinner

The sixth comment on this post just reminded me of this story:

Back in our Berkeley days, we used to make the 40-minute drive up to Pinole to get groceries, since they had a Food 4 Less and a Target and an In ‘n’ Out and other chain stores Berkeley lacked. Because of its being so far away, we usually took the whole family on an evening excursion and tried to stock a couple weeks’ worth of groceries. On this particular evening, though, I was alone. I think this was also either before my Grave’s Disease was diagnosed or before my thyroid levels were stabilized, so I would still get the “brain fog” or, under stress, heart palpitations.

It was dark by the time I finished my shopping, and when I returned to my car I found that I had, uncharacteristically, locked my keys in the car. We only had the one car at the time, and no cell phone nor AAA membership. I had also, even more uncharacteristically, left the front driver’s window open about 3 inches, but after several attempts I just couldn’t get my arm far enough into the car to unlock it. My next plan was to find a pay phone and call Dean to ask him to find someone in Berkeley to rescue me — but he told me just to call a locksmith.

Then I guess the brain fog lifted for a moment: I went back into Target and looked in the automotive department and then the kitchen area, and bought a few tools and utensils. I took them out to my car and tried each in turn. The meat fork I’d purchased was just long enough to reach the lock, and its angled tines reached under the edge of the lock so I could lift it. I retrieved my keys, and re-locked my car. Then I went back into Target and returned the meat fork and other items. And then I drove home.

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