So yesterday was one of my worst days in awhile. Luckily, by lunchtime it went beyond a NORMAL bad day into RIDICULOUS bad day, so that takes the edge off a bit. It’s almost like if you’re having some sort of problem, and then an emergency happens and takes your mind off the original problem. You don’t WANT the emergency, but it’s almost a relief to have the scale tip completely over to the dark side that you can just relax and let it ride out. You know what I mean? No? Ok. Nevermind.
So my bad day.
It started with me various small annoyance to hard to remember/recount for you reading pleasure, but trust they were there. The sparkling high point of the morning, however, was a phone call I made to reschedule a test. I’m currently going through the whatfors in order to become a teacher in the great state of Massachusetts. I’ve taken one test, and had scheduled another one. Well, turns out I don’t need to take that test RIGHT NOW, so I wanted to reschedule it. Needed to reschedule it. I called and sat on hold for 40 MINUTES just to find out that I basically lost my $$$.$$, because the last day I could have rescheduled it was two days after I scheduled it in the first place. Niiiiiice. Just my own stupidity and poor planning (you know, whether or not the test was necessary and how many cars and babysitters are available during the test, scheduled to be taken while John takes the GRE and my Mom hosts day number 2 of the first family reunion we’ve have in recent history). So that put me in a MOOOD. Mostly because I wasted half of naptime on the phone, which is SO ANNOYING. And I gave money to the state of Massachusetts for NO REASON. But I had about an hour left of nap time, so I had to get to the post office and then to Staples to fax some transcript requests. (While my Mom listened for the Bubbs.)
Now let me just say, I’ve never been fond of faxing. EVER. It doesn’t WORK for me. I have some kind of anti-fax-functionality force field and it just NEVER. GOES. WELL. But I decided to give it a shot, anyway. So I got there, tried to fax, and sure enough the machine flashed, “ERROR!” and then “SLEEP.” And I was all, uh? What? So the guy comes over to help and asks, “Did you dial “1″ before the number?” and I say, completely seriously, “Yes, I saw your very helpful sign” (I gestured toward the sign that had actually very helpfully reminded me that yes, I did need to dial “1″ before the number) and he says…
“Ma’am. I’m just trying to help you.” Like he’s all wounded. And walks away.
And then I start to cry. Big, blubbery ridiculous embarrassing tears that may have been cute 5 years ago, but are just scary now. And I said: “IHAVEACOUGHIWASN’TBEINGSARCASTICLADKJFKADSJFKDASHFJASKJDFKDASJFDNAKSLFJKADSJFKLADSJFK.”
Which, roughly translated means:
“I have a cough that makes me sound more upset than I really am, and the sign was actually really helpful. I wasn’t being sarcastic, I actually don’t do sarcasm very well, you should ask my husband! And I’ve wasted so much time this morning on stupid stuff that I just feel frustrated and I just feel like one more life plan is crashing down around me because I CAN’T GET THE FAX MACHINE TO WORK!!!!!!!”
Well, 20 minutes later, some more tears and faxing done by Staples employees and it got faxed. I think.
I got home, cried again explaining to my Mom how I cried in Staples, and then Camper woke up. And we decided to try and go to Costco, an hour away, to do some shopping for the family reunion. We hadn’t even gotten out of TOWN about a million hours later, the AC in the car was hardly keeping us cool with the whole BURNING HOT SUN pouring down on us, when Camper said, “THE END.” And then through a fit.
And you better believe we turned that car around, and I spent the afternoon coughing, trying to keep my ice water away from my son (he had his own!) doing some cleaning, and being grateful that we were not in the traffic and the humidity. And then I took some Nyquil (thanks, husband) and went to bed.
And that, in the immortal words of my son, is THE END.
Ohhhh, Erin. HANG IN THERE! Good call on turning the car around and heading home from the Costco trek…
YOu and I are fax sisters! I’ve NEVER been able to make a fax machine work either! They are the most ridiculously outdated machines on the planet. No one needs one anymore…scanners and email…everything we need!
Good choice on turning around. My mother always says the only place to put up with an upset child is the grocery store…because you NEED food…but putting up with it in mall…silly.
Love you