Updating

I need to get a new book on tape from the library. It is not sane to listen to the same book on tape three or four times in a row, just to avoid crappy radio stations. It's just not.

My brother's bike is very uncomfortable. I think I'm going to resort to buying a new bike, however wasteful it is. I think my free money should be here soon, and surprisingly I haven't spent it all yet. I've wanted a bike for a few years, so that's on the list. I've also got a bridesmaid's dress to pay for, and I've got my eye on a camera. It is brown and came recommended.

Tuesdays suck for me because therapy at my first house is over before noon and my second house starts after five. That leaves a lot of free time in the middle wherein I can't seem to get anything done. Unless you count surfing the Internet and playing Lego Star Wars. Today was especially terrible because when I drove the forty-five minutes to get to house number two, I was told they were cancelling therapy. Thanks, dude. You just wasted my evening. Not to mention my money. I will get paid for the travel time, but it doesn't exactly even out. He owes me two dollars.

I sent off a surprise present last week and it was received today. I like sending people stuff.

I almost forgot! On the drive to the house-that-wasn't, I got a call from T's mom (see yesterday's post) about Mr. Farmer. Apparently Mr. Farmer has had a talking to by more than a few people about the proper way to treat strangers, which warms my heart a little. I hope this is the end of it. Mom asked if I was too traumatized to go with them on their Chicago trip. I told her I would probably be fine, just as long as she was sure Mr. Farmer wasn't invited.

Yesterday was my third anniversary. The day started with an early morning truck backing into the driver's side of my parked car (both doors are damaged) and ended with my getting reamed by Mr. Farmer. (And not in the sexy way.) Even if there had been a canoe involved, I'm not sure it could have gotten worse.

Payback

Can you imagine for a second how defeated I feel after blowing the third tire in four months?

Last time, I bemoaned the fact that apparently I looked like someone who is perfectly capable of changing her own tire. Only one person stopped, and it was a lady to offer me her cell phone. (Thank you again, lady!) This time, I think I was more irritated.

When this happened in February, my phone was out of area, and I think that was my main problem. I texted my brother (two and a half hours away) and asked him to call my dad (at work) just to see if it would be possible to get some help. I didn't get an answer (see above, re: phone not working) and decided I'd have to take it upon myself to change the tire. And I did, and I felt pretty damn good about it for the rest of the week. My dad was proud of me, it was nice.

Earlier today, I had barely pulled off to the side of the road and gotten the spare out of the trunk (again, my phone is not working) before an older couple in a truck pulled over and the man (I'm going to call him Walter) took the what-do-you-call-it out of my hands and knelt down to take over. Of course I appreciate their help. What I don't appreciate is their assumption that I needed their help. Now, I'm plenty lazy. I'm sure I would have let anybody who offered take over while I stood back and watched. It was Bessie's (I'm going to call her Bessie) constant comments on how, "You really need a big strong man for this kind of job!" and "It's good to have a man around to do this kind of hard work!" really chafed me. Just because I have a vagina and a set of bosoms does not mean that I am incompetent.

Of COURSE I thanked the couple many times for stopping. And I probably smiled in her direction as she made belittling comments, because they were helping me, taking time out of their day to help and do the right thing. And Bessie kept going on and on about how someone (Oh, excuse me. Some MAN.) had helped her one time and she'd tried to pay him (at this point, I believe I was hoping they weren't expecting me to offer them money) but he told her that someone helped his wife once and he was just paying it back. (If it sounds like a country song, well, it is.)

She laughed as they were headed to their truck, telling me not to forget to pay it back someday. I wonder what's funny about that?

90% Car

Drove to Milwaukee today.

Drove back today.

Oh, and I did the same thing on Friday.

Weekend? What weekend?

I jest. Despite the driving (partly because of it), I had a fantastic time.

Day in the Life of: Me

S:ok, so last night i realized i'd have to get up early and do stuff to get out of the driveway, right?
scrape my car off (10 inches is a lot, yo) etc
so i set my alarm for 6:30, 1/2 hour early
you with me so far?


L: on the edge of my seat


S: ok, so I sleep, etc
mom comes up the steps to wake me up, warn me that im going to have to get up early, to "prepare me"
i ask her what time it is, she says 20 after six.
so i automatically wake up pissed that i missed 10 minutes of perfectly good sleep for her to tell me something i already knew


L: i hate that


S: i really really hate it
so i get up, shovel my car off (yeah, i know i shouldn't, but it worked really well)
take a shower, start the car, let it run for 20 minutes like a granny
and i go to work.
i have to baja out of the driveway, but i make it to the street
I go to first house, all is well.
i go to second house
i pass the county line sign on 55 heading to Seymour and all of a sudden the ice and shit gets really loud and i think "uh oh"
so i pull over.
sure enough, my tire blew


L: no way


S: way
so i pull out my phone to call the house i'm going to and let him know i'll be late
guess what?


L: ?


S: my phone won't dial out, because i'm in the "Extended" area
so i sit there for a few minutes freaking out
and text message my brother
no responce.


L: good thinking though


S: so i get out of the car and look in the trunk, sure enough the spare is in there. Man, can i change a tire? I know the basics but ive never done it and it seems hard
lots of steps and nobody needs an improperly changed tire falling off on the highway
so i decide i have no choice and get to it
i actually figure out how to do it
amazing
and like 30 cars pass me as i'm sitting there with my hazzards on and wrenching lugnuts off etc and NOBODY STOPS
What is WRONG with people?
do I look like an old changin-tire fool?
apparently i'm such a natural that nobody thinks i could need assistance.
finally this lady stops and asks if i need to use her phone
and i'm like YES
and i call the house i'm on the way to and he asks if i need help and at this point i don't really, but i'm still afraid i'm not going to do it right so i say OK
and then it takes him forever so i've got the tire off and in the trunk and the spare on and i'm eventually just waiting for him when i get a call from Robby
he's called home for me and Dad's on his way, so i tell him to call back and tell him i don't need him I did it all by myself and he does
and Dad is apparently so proud he could bust and i'm pretty happy with that, you know


L: yeah


S: but what is wrong with people?


L: that's what i'm wondering
they'll stop for any other reason
...like to whistle at you and ask if you need a ride when you're just trying to get some excercise


S: anyway, i changed a tire all by myself in the freezing cold and with no instructions!
yay me!


L: good for you


S: so then i get to the guys house and he leaves right away and then comes back like an hour later with a tire for me, haha, and puts it on for me

This Post Will Suck

Just to warn you. I've got lots going on but not much to talk about. In a strange way.

The fair is this week, and I'm super-excited to go. I can't wait to find someone to go with! Will someone go with me? Please? Pretty please? Nobody has the time, money, or inclination. Or rather, no one has the magical combination of all three. Damnit.

My brakes are bad, and they're being fixed. It seems there might be more to the problem than the lines themselves, which is a pooper. It might actually be that little box do-ma-jig sort of to the side? But kind of underneath? Them. Let's all keep our fingers crossed that it's not the box. From what I understand, the box is more work.

There's also the matter of the car-before, the matter being that it's still doomed to live out it's last days in the garage. That is, unless someone can fix it. Which they might be able to do. And hey, free car repairs? Are awesome. It helps to have buddies with spare time.

I've got the cutest picture of Stinky with Bruce. You'll just die when you see it.



There. Did you die? I thought you would.