What a Day!!

I was scheduled for an 11:00 appointment with my plastic surgeon’s nurse practitioner to go over the surgery (in just 15 days!) and have some presurgical screening done. The hospital is only about 30 miles away, but I allowed about two hours because one never knows about Philly traffic. Also, those two hours included a stop for a venti White Chocolate Mocha for the road trip.

It was a good thing I left so early. It took FOREVER to get there. On my way I passed a sight that struck me as rather curious. Two police cars had pulled over a hearse. Is it just me or does that seem peculiar to anyone else?? I’m hoping it was an empty, off-duty hearse and the ocean of traffic wasn’t a funeral procession gone astray for lack of a leader.

I don’t mind traffic when I’m prepared for it. And thankfully, I was prepared for it today. But I can’t help but feel sorry for the people who drive into the city every single day. What a nightmare for them! Getting into Philly from the west is a challenge in itself. Freeways narrow from four to two lanes with cars merging on both sides and exits on the left instead of the right. Thank goodness for my Los Angeles driving background, is all I can say.

I got to the medical offices about 40 minutes before my appointment. Not a problem as I had a book with me. Gleefully I thought about all the reading I was going to get to do in the waiting room. Alas, it was not meant to be. It took me 25 minutes to find a blasted parking spot!! Wait. Let me rephrase. It took me 25 minutes to find a blasted parking spot ANYONE COULD PARK IN! What is with these people in little cars who take up two spots???? Come on, folks. Parking is a precious commodity and all of us space seekers driving around mindlessly like drones were there for a reason. Like a bloomin’ doctor’s appointment!! And MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

So I didn’t pass the patience test very well. Finally found a spot – of which I hate to admit I was over the line on one side. But that wasn’t my fault because the car on the right was over the line into my space and the car on the left was over the line into the space left of it. So there was enough room for me, just not nicely between the lines. If my kids had been with me they would have said I was parked like Grandma Flossie (who they never even knew – smart alecs!)

Got to the waiting room, had to fill out reams of papers that were identical to the reams of papers I’d filled out back in October, and finally got to read. I’m reading A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson. Oh. My. Gosh. It’s embarrassingly funny. I sat there with what I’m sure was a stupid grin on my face while my shoulders shook with uncontained mirth. There were a couple right out bursts of laughter.

Got called back, did my thing with the nurse practitioner and then was shuffled across the street to the hospital for blood work and an EKG. Why is it when I try to tell the medical staff who weighs me I’m wearing about 30 pounds of extra clothing they laugh? I’m not trying to be funny. *sigh*

I was glad to see that the cars on either side of me were still there because I was worried about being cussed out by someone else who thought I had inconsiderately parked in two spots. Unlike all the other rude people who did that, I had a good reason.

Traffic coming home was much better. The freeway runs right by the high school and, ironically, when I was at about that point my phone buzzed me with a message. It was the school. Apparently there had been a bomb threat and the school had been evacuated. You know that panicky, sweaty, cold/hot, shaky, I’m-going-to-burst-into-tears-‘cause-it’s-better-than-passing-out-while-I’m-driving feeling you get when you think one of your kids is in danger? Full force, baby. Thankfully the next message was Todd calling to explain the call to me so I wouldn’t burst into tears or pass out while I was driving. Taylor is in high school, but he’s in the 9th grade and they have their own 9th grade center across the street from the big high school. The big high school was evacuated to the 9th grade center, bomb squad complete with dogs were called in and a thorough sweep was done. No bomb anywhere.

I have to say that even though it was the high school and not the 9th grade center, it didn’t make me feel a ton better. Yesterday in another high school in this same county a boy walked in to school with a gun and committed suicide. I’m thankful he didn’t shoot anyone else – they don’t seem to think it was ever his intention – but it’s still so overwhelmingly sad.

And that, in a nutshell, is why I spend my Sunday nights with a bunch of wild and crazy teenagers at church. I don’t delude myself into thinking I will make a difference to any of them, but in the immortal words of Fats Waller – One never knows, do one?

READING

As I mentioned above, I’m reading A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson. This is a true (but no doubt exaggerated) account of his trek from the bottom to the top of the Appalachian Trail. The book has had me laughing, snorting, giggling, chuckling, guffawing, snickering – you get the idea. Hysterical.

And for those of you who are interested, I finished Dreaming of You by Lisa Kleypas a couple days ago. I loved the book and I very much liked the characters. So much so that I can’t decide between Derek and Sebastian so I’m calling it a draw. If I was forced to decide I might choose Derek simply for the fact that he overcame so much adversity to get where he was. But don’t hold me to that. I’m extremely fickle and likely to change my mind.

10 Comments

  1. Jen on December 13, 2006 at 5:44 pm

    Whew! I’ll say that is a day! I used to work in a school and know the terror of being threatened. I had no kids of my own at the time – but I was in the building with lots of kids that I knew not just at school but socially as well. Thank goodness, all turned out well and we had a principle who handled things very quickly. I am grateful for God Almighty that your kids and thier school mates are all safe and sound. And, keep hanging out with those kids on Sunday nights. A very large young man stopped me in the grocery store the other day. He was a former student of mine! I was floored! He is shipping out to Iraq very soon. We had a good laugh over old times 🙂 One never does know who they touch and make a difference with.Only 15 days until Dixie and Daisy! Woo Hoo! I will be praying for you!

  2. Kris on December 13, 2006 at 9:45 pm

    Sounds like you had an eventful day. I wish that it had been better. You know that Chinese proverb/(curse), “May your life never be boring” I like boring most of the time, it keeps me sane. You finally read Dreaming of you, Kristie(J) will be so excited.

  3. Bookwormom on December 13, 2006 at 10:11 pm

    ROTFLMAO re: traffic & parking. Welcome to East Coast urban life.The school/kid thing? I totally understand. The only reason I made it through 9/11 was because we were in rural GA- not on the target list. Thank the Lord. Unlike here. :(Are you gonna post before & after D&D pics?? You go girl. Congrats on the upcoming surgery~

  4. ames on December 14, 2006 at 1:04 am

    Hey Jenster-I can totally commiserate over the parking. It’s always the little cars too, as if they can get away with being bad parkers? LOL That’s scary about the bomb threat. I’m glad your son was across the street though.

  5. terrillr on December 14, 2006 at 12:14 pm

    You’re not like Grandma Flossie, until you hit a street pole that wasn’t there before. :)Glad to hear there was not bomb, and his was the “evacuated to” place instead of the “evacuated” place. Scary stuff!

  6. terrillr on December 14, 2006 at 12:16 pm

    Oh, and David totally believed that you were wearing 30 pounds of extra stuff… He said “that’s cause it’s cold there”. But you know he’s always had this soft spot for you…. he remembers when you were that cute little 6 yr old (right before Todd bought you that mirror! hahaha)

  7. Angry Woman on December 14, 2006 at 1:10 pm

    Glad to hear that D & D will still be on schedule. And you know you haven’t lived until you’ve driven around the parking lot for an eternity trying to jockey for a parking spot, lol.Aim

  8. Dylan aka Rowena on December 14, 2006 at 3:23 pm

    Oh gosh, a bomb threat? Man I would have had the same reaction you did if I got a call like that…I’m glad that there was no bomb threat but gosh, how scary! I’ll pray that it stays that way out there.And I’m a Derek fangirl, I liked Sebastian well enough but my favorite Wallflower hero was Simon Hunt or Matthew Swift, I’m in the minority there but it’s okay. lol.

  9. Jenster on December 15, 2006 at 2:03 pm

    Jen – that must have been scary for you! I’m thankful that it was just a prank.As for Sunday nights, yeah. I’ll keep doing it. I’m only 5’3″ and it’s so funny to have these big teenage boys giving me hugs and calling me “Mamma T”. lol Kris – I like boring! :o)Amanda – I can’t imagine what it was like for people in the DC/NYC area. Todd was on a plane from LR to Atlanta when all hell broke loose and I know how that was for me!Um – probably no pics. lolAmes – Yes! Why the little, tiny cars?Terri – my kids aren’t descriminating. If I do anything slightly “wrong” I get called Grandma Flossie. I have no one to blame but myself, though.And have I told you lately how much I love David???Aim – I guess I’ve lived! lolDylan – I liked Simon Hunt and Matthew Swift, too! What can I say? I’m easy to please. :o)

  10. Devonna on December 17, 2006 at 1:08 am

    Jen ~ A Walk In the Woods is HILARIOUS. A friend turned me onto it about a month ago and there I sat in the middle of B&N laughing out loud at every page I read. I definitely want to read more of his books.I completely understand not passing the patience test. I went out shopping today ~ I’d been so much better off if I’d stayed home.

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