Saturday, January 16, 2010

Filler Stuff

I'm in the middle of writing up reviews as I'm reading faster than I can write them - so until I get them done and posted I thought I'd share a few emails I sent to the group of school chums I have. One thing I'm quite good at is laughing at myself so here goes Kristie's life.

Now even though it's been over 10 years since we went to school, we still get together - in theory at least four times a year, though in reality it doesn't always work out that way. The most recent get together was supposed to be tonight, but the friend who was going to host this time has a house full of sick people so we are putting it off for a bit. This is the email I sent regarding what we should do

If we wait - that will give Lori and Janice opportunity to make it But I'll go with the majority.

Of course if you all had done what I did - it would have been over by now. Because I don't always live quite on planet earth, last Saturday I got up early, got rid of the gray in my hair, went out and about to pick up stuff including a gift, some chocolate flavoured mud shakes, some pina colada coolers, stopped at M&M as I couldn't find any whole water chestnuts and didn't have any toothpicks. I got home, had a shower, admired my now gray-less hair, and styled it. I heated up the hours d'orves (or however you spell that), got ready to make my apologies to Sue. {she really likes the bacon wrapped water chestnuts}

I wrapped the gift and then at the last moment, checked Ann's address. Alas though - I didn't have my reading glasses on and by the time I got over to her place, couldn't remember the address - the ravages of old age - terrible short term memory loss. I drove up and down the street looking for Lori's white car or Deb's big car but didn't seem them anywhere. I was going to walk up to the door of the house I thought was Ann's, but then since I don't live to far away, instead drove home and looked up her address again. And on the way remembered Lori was on vacation with Kevin so it was no wonder I didn't see her car.

By this time it was after 7:00 pm (took too long admiring my now grayless hair I did). I figured I'd better call Ann and let her know that I hadn't forgot - I would be there in just a couple of minutes........

Only to have her tell me it was this Saturday coming up - not last Saturday.

A total d'oh moment.

Though my hair did look pretty good if I do say so myself.

This is another one I sent soon after

My - shall we call them "senior" moment are getting worse too!! Just the day before at work, I was plugging in data. The case manager I work for had given me the (what we call) last visit date - as we have to have to put one in the system even though they are constantly changing - there has to be one. I tried entering one and when I entered it, couldn't tab to the next field. I thought it was my keyboard so I took the little tab of the tab key, blew out the dust, blew on the keyboard with my nose practically touching the keyboard and put the plastic tab back on.

Still didn't work. Thinking it was the computer, I shut down and rebooted. It still didn't work. I called IT to see if I could get a new keyboard as my tab key didn't work. Was kept on hold. Filled out a service ticket to get a new keyboard.

Then I got busy doing other work stuff. I went back to it about an hour later - same problem!!! I handed the work to the girl next to me and asked her if she could do it for me since my keyboard didn't work and IT hadn't brought me a new one. She started doing it - then gave me a funny look.


"What??" I asked her.

"Then end date here is Feb. 31." she replied

"And???" I answered confused. "That's the date Sally (my case manager) gave me to use".

"February only has 28 days." came her response. "That's why it wouldn't work."

"Oh....... you're right! Guess I better get in touch with IT and tell them I don't need a new keyboard after all then."

After I stopped laughing - I went over to Sally and told her about my mornings frustration.

And then last night this one:

If any of you care to read on - I had another Kristie-ism tonight. One thing I neglected to mention earlier is my car is ill - very, very ill. I noticed the other day that the tail pipe thingy is hanging real low - much lower then other cars. I compared them in a parking lot and mine was drooping like the balls on a ninety year old guy (not that I've ever seen any of course - I just heard they drop with age). And it wasn't running right before then but I was at a bit of a loss as to what to do. I don't have a "mechanic" guy and I don't trust Crappy Tire - there is a reason they are called that!!! I didn't want to take it to the dealer as my warranty has long since expired and they charge probably twice again what it normally costs.

But in the past day or two, my car is almost on it's death bed and I've been crossing my fingers hoping I can make it to work and home until Friday (today) when I will have been forced to do something about it. So while at work I looked up mechanics and saw there was one right near where Ryan lives. I called and made an appointment to bring it in after work and then called Ryan to see if he could pick me up there and drive me home. He lives on Langarth, right near Wharncliffe {Wharncliffe for those who don't know is one of the busier roads in the city} and the auto repair place was on Wharncliffe near Emery. So after work, I drive down Wharncliffe, looking for the place. Only I forgot what it was called. I figured I'd remember if I saw it. But I didn't see it - so I didn't remember. It was getting darker, I'm driving slower - both for the sake of the car soon to die and to see if I could find this place, all the time thinking Ryan is there waiting for me. Back and forth down Wharncliffe I go - with cars whizzing by me honking. I could not find the damn place - at all.

So I thought I'd go to Ryan's house and hope he gave up waiting for me at the car auto place I can't find and goes home. I drive down Langarth.......and can't remember which house is his!!! He has a large porch so I thought I'd remember it that way as - not unlike Ann's house - I don't remember the address. And didn't four houses in a row have large porches. And since his car wasn't in the driveway - as he was at the auto car place I couldn't find, waiting for me - it wasn't in his driveway. And then I realized I probably couldn't pick out his car anyway. It's white and a beemer but that's all I know - and I don't know what beemers look like.


Now a good mother at this point would pull over and call her son. But because I don't bother to learn things - I have no idea what his phone number is. And he doesn't have a land line so he's not in the phone book. I do have his number programmed into my cell phone - which was at home - plugged in because it needed recharging.

So there I am - travelling up and down Wharncliffe at rush hour - driving very slowly - so the tail pipe thingy doesn't fall off, looking for a garage I can't remember the name of - taking detours down Langarth (or is it Langmuir - I can't remember that even - Ron's parents live on one - the one off Highbury - and Ryan lives on the one off Wharncliffe) looking for a house with an address I don't remember, hoping a car I don't remember shows up in a driveway, unable to call a number I don't remember.

I decided to go home.

When I did, I called Ryan. He had just pulled into the driveway of a house I don't remember in a car I don't remember and boy was he pissed at me!!!! He'd waited at the garage he had no trouble finding, for over an hour waiting for me to show up. I didn't dare tell him I didn't wait at his place because I couldn't remember his address or his car.

During one of my driveby's down Wharncliffe, I stopped at another garage - thinking it probably wasn't - as the the name wasn't familiar - but hoping it was - the right car repair place to see if someone (me) had called earlier that day to make an appointment. I hadn't, but the guy seemed very nice and said if I brought my car in early tomorrow, he would fix it for me.

I didn't DARE ask Ryan during the conversation, if he could pick me up there and give me a ride home because boy - was he pissed at me!!!!

So now I've no idea what to do!! I think it will take quite some time for them to repair it - and *sigh* that will mean getting up real early - on a Saturday to take it in. I don't really want to hang out at a car repair place for hours. I can't call Brent as he's working overtime tomorrow. I can't ask Ryan because boy, is he pissed at me!!!!! I can't not take the car in because the tail pipe thingy is sure to fall off anytime now. I still don't want to take it to Crappy Tire - even though Ryan, in his sarcastic way told me I should because I should be able to find it!! Boy is he pissed at me!!!!! He waited an hour - on a Friday night - after a very long week at work - for a mother who didn't show up (and one who couldn't admit she didn't know his house, his car or his phone number).

Whatever happens - tomorrow should be a very fun day (and take note of the sarcasm I just added in that sentence)

And as a postscript, I did go back to the auto place this morning and get the car fixed. I considered walking over to Rye's for a coffee while I waited, but figured he'd still be too mad at me to answer the door - and I might have got the wrong house anyway. But I had a book - it didn't take that long and now my car runs like a dream.

4 comments:

Lorraine said...

Laughing hysterically at your auto repair debacle. I'd love to hear your son's response if you ever tell him that you don't know "his house, his car or his phone number." Lucky for you he's not a daughter or you'd never hear the end of it.

You must have a lot on your mind these days to have three such things happen in such close proximity to each other.

Thanks for the laugh.

Kristie (J) said...

Lorraine: It was a scary time!! Thinking all those things I couldn't remember - knowing I was totally screwed - traveling down a busy street at a snails pace - yet at the same time laughing at the ridiculousness of it.

Janice said...

Hi Kristie:
I just read your e-mail and now your blog........sorry, but I have tears rolling down my face. *huge grin Girl you need to write a book!!

Kristie (J) said...

Janice!!! Someone who can relate to driving down Wharncliffe at rush hour - slowly. It was an experience!! The good news - I now have mechanic guy. It cost me about $300 hundred less than I figured it would - and they did a lot of stuff to it. Now Car purrs like a pussycat. And I took Car for a nice bath today - inside and outside. With the new QUIET sound, no grinding noise at every turn, not having to worry when I hit the slightest bump, and nice and clean - it's almost like having a new car!!!
And now I think I'll always remember that February is the day with 28 days. And I will keep a little notebook with me with phone numbers and addresses - and my cell phone charged. *big grin*