Sunday, November 11, 2007

D'Jever Have Days?

Yesterday morning, I woke up around 9 am, thinking I didn't have to be at work until noon. The phone rang at a quarter past 9, with one of my coworkers on the line. She asked me if I was okay & I responded with a puzzled yes. Then she asked me if I knew what time I was supposed to work... and laughed when I answered with a noon reply. Uhm... nope! Was supposed to be there at 9 a.m! Dang it! The entire day, at work, I was just sort of "out of it" and don't know why. My register kept futzing up on me, even when I did things right! The scanner constantly kept scanning produce incorrectly, even when I entered the correct produce code # into the register. At first I thought I was actually the one screwing up, each & every time, until another gal came in, a co-worker on her day off. She told me the machines had been acting loopy the night before, when she was working, so that helped me feel a tad better about it all.

Then today, on my way to go see Spouse, I was just coming over the top of a hill and saw a highway patrol trooper heading eastbound, in the opposite lane. I immediately took my foot off the gas and let the Jeep go into slow coast mode, but since I was now headed in a downhill direction, it made little difference. I watched him turn around, in my rear view mirror, then eventually pull up behind me with his pretty lights blinking blue & red. I stopped, turned off the vehicle and rolled down my window. After he checked my license, registration & insurance papers, he told me to go sit in his car with him.

He clocked me doing 77 in a 65 mph zone & I really couldn't argue, since I was sure he must have caught me doing the 80 mph that I saw on my speedometer at the top of the hill. That Jeep just sails, compared to the old Toylet and I have often caught myself going way faster than I mean to be going, since I got it. Going to have to watch that, from now on. I was so upset, though, about getting caught, about being such an idiot and even more so, knowing that my prayers weren't going to do any good with this guy. Try as hard as I might to hold my tears back, I began crying in his car. I was doing fine, until he asked where I was going in such a hurry. When I told him I was on my way to visit my husband, who was in the Redfield nursing home in Hospice Care (wouldn't you play every card you had, to get out of a ticket?), he then said that he'd hurry for me, so I could get on my way. Nice guy. He then had the gall to inquire why my husband was in a Redfield nursing home, since we live in Clark. I mentioned the VA put him there & there being no contract with the Clark facility, so we were at the VA's mercy. Nice trooper (with a tad too much cologne, btw) then asked me to offer his thanks to my veteran husband, for his service to our country. Yeah, right.

Now I have to either go to court & hope the judge will have some mercy on me, or else mail in the check for $109 for the ticket. That's just $12 less than what I got on my first paycheck! *sigh* Spouse wants me to fight it, plead my case before the judge. I know I was speeding & feel paying the ticket is the best way to go. Did I learn anything from this? Yep - I really need to slow down on the road, pay better attention. I realize that a mere ticket is probably a helluva lot cheaper than a hospital bill might be if I'd wrecked or something. I've got a few days before I have to either pay the ticket or show up in court to plead mercy. Should I pass the hat?

In the meanwhile, Spouse has had some friends from Washington visiting him today. Another friend of his is supposed to show up tomorrow. Maybe I'm weird, but since I don't really know these folks, I haven't invited them to stay here at the house. I am just not comfortable with the idea of them having to leave my home unlocked while they go do whatever. There's that and the fact that my dogs, Chikki & Muffin would bark non-stop at them, the entire time they were here, whether I was at home or at work. Plus, the house is a mess, since it's basically just a crash pad for me, between work and the Redfield roadtrips. I don't want the extra work of playing hostess at home, so I haven't opened my doors to his friends. Am I a cad for not sharing my home with these strangers that think so highly of my husband?

It would be different, if these folks had stayed in touch over the past ten years, while Spouse & I were married, but I only met them once at my wedding! That, to me, does not constitute a friendship, as far as I'm concerned. His other pals that have come to visit, some of them, at least, have always been welcome in our home, because I know them. They have stayed in contact, come for visits, telephoned with some frequency. I know they are used to the dogs and they would use extra caution when exiting, to keep my dogs from getting loose. I think the bottome line here is that I just don't want to have to straighten up the house for anyone, until I absolutely have to. I just don't have the energy or the time.

Speaking of time, I better get to bed, so I will be somewhat rested for work tomorrow. I don't have to be there until noon... I think.