Hoshi has gotten the royal treatment this week. And she really deserves it. Because for weeks now, C and I have kind of taken her for granted. Driving her up and down the I-95. Asking her to take us here and there and back again, sometimes without the proper attire. And so last week, I wasn't surprised when during a white-knuckle ride in a New Jersey snowstorm, she decided she'd had enough and nearly slid off an I-287 on-ramp.

But she didn't. She held on. And I'm proud of her. For making up for my lack of preparation. Because I knew better. And if I had been paying better attention to the news, I would have realized that this was about to happen and I would have either stayed in Baltimore or left for Jersey the night before.

It's already been well established that Hoshi doesn't do snow. Or ice. Or slush. It's not her fault. She just needs a set of tires that are rated for something besides "racing on hot summer pavement." So, this year I had fully intended to get her a nice set of Winter tires. In fact, just one day before the sleigh ride through New Jersey, I had actually purchased a lovely wheel/tire ensemble from this extremely helpful Quebecois at The Tire Rack. (I love the Quebecois, which is a good thing since I married into a whole family of them.) And just for the record, I'm never buying tires any other way than through Tire Rack. They are great. The guys that work there are really knowledgeable. And once you've made a decision, you can have the tires shipped to any tire store or auto shop near you for mounting and/or installation.

Anyway, after researching all the different options, I finally decided on a set of 18-in Pirelli 240 Sottozero's. The other option was to drop down a wheel size to the 17-in Blizzaks. I think the Sottozero was the right choice for us. The Blizzak is kind of the "standard" in Winter tire, but I figured I was going to be living in New Jersey, not Alaska. A tire like that might be a little overkill when C and I are mostly going to be driving on cold, dry pavement with a few days of slush, ice, and snow. The Sottozero, while not quite the Winter workhorse that is the Blizzak, had received some excellent reviews for ice and snow performance, so we would still be getting peace of mind.

The next morning I set off for New Jersey, still riding on Hoshi's "summer performance" ice-skates, one of which now had a plug in it because, coincidentally, I had wound up with a nail in my front driver's-side tire while in DC for a holiday party the night before. Ironic, yes? It rained all the way to NYC, at which point the rain became ice. Soon, it was everywhere. Snow. Ice. Whiteness. I was caught smack-dab in the middle of the one thing I had hoped to avoid this winter at all costs. Unbelievable. So I kept Hoshi at a brisk 15-30 miles per hour over in the right lane of the yet-to-be-salted-or-plowed turnpike, 24, and 287. At some point I realized that I was heading for the above-mentioned 360-degree-turn on-ramp from hell. A slight panic took hold. Cold sweating, muscle tensing, slow motioning. It's never good when you turn your wheel and your car continues straight. Which is what happened at first. But then somehow the wheels caught just enough pavement to keep us arching to the right. And luckily, the on-ramp was down-hill. I coasted/slid my way through the curve, heart-pounding, the line of cars behind me impatiently riding my ass with their happy, happy Winters and All-seasons. Their fancy all-wheel drive. Fuck them. Hoshi, you're doing fine. Don't mind them.

When we arrived at the hotel, I was mentally and physically exhausted. My muscles had that weak, post workout feeling. And poor Hoshi was cold, wet, and dirty. And kind of pissed off at me. So I vowed to take care of her this week. And I have. Tuesday, I took her for an oil change and a full-service car wash. Then yesterday I took her to get her new Winters put on. So she's happy now. And looking all sexy and shit. And she can't wait to drive up to Montréal this weekend. And neither can I.

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