You all have great suggestions! For this particular new tire, I'm going to find help though. My hands are just destroyed today. I have gashes, swollen knuckles, and my fingertips are so sore! I was trying to use my tire levers our of desperation and they kept slipping...fingers and knuckles hit the rims, the spokes, etc. over and over again. I have very tiny hands and fingers (my ring finger is a size 4-1/2!) and I just don't think there's enough strength there for tight new tires

Great info on pinch flats. I didn't pay any attention to how the tire was inflating. Considering the fact the the tube exploded and sounded like gunfire, I bet you it was bulging when I was inflating it.

I give a lot of credit to anyone who can get a silly new tire on their silly old wheel all by themselves!