My boring life<\/p>\n
The fact is, I find my life mostly unexciting. I do rather ordinary things and I am not very interesting. So, I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t necessarily talk about what I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m doing, because even I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t find it interesting.<\/p>\n
This is a problem for me. Really it is. Because when it comes time to say something, to give an account of myself when someone poses the questions \u00e2\u20ac\u0153How are you?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d or even \u00e2\u20ac\u0153What\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s new?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d\u00e2\u20ac\u201dI am at a loss.<\/p>\n
How am I? About the way I was yesterday, the previous day in my unexciting life. Nothing of any significance is new.<\/p>\n
So, I end up saying something inane and leaving the question-poser disappointed. Yes, I know they only ask because their life is also without excitement. They are asking in the hope that I would have something to bring to the table, some appetizer of excitement to share.<\/p>\n
Nope. I hate to disappoint, but I got nothin\u00e2\u20ac\u2122.<\/p>\n
Yesterday was a particularly uneventful day. I came home with very boring ambitions. I wanted to eat dinner, exercise and deposit some checks in the bank. Maybe putter into a little housecleaning. I wanted to be sure to charge up my Ipod since I had neglected to do so the day before.<\/p>\n
The mind boggles at such humdrummery.<\/p>\n
I wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t hungry right away, so I got a jump-start on the puttering. I put the Ipod to charge and began righting the housekeeping wrongs of the weekend.<\/p>\n
Order and cleanliness emerged shyly in places they usually were not invited to. Good news! Even better, the Ipod was charging faster than I had hoped, so I got to putter wearing the \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcpod.<\/p>\n
I was listening to podcasts. Podcasters are enviable to me\u00e2\u20ac\u201dpeople with cleverness and gumption, with something to say, something worth capturing and distributing. I listened and envied and puttered.<\/p>\n
Then mom called. No more podcasts, but I got to tell her about the cool stuff I had been hearing. I told her about my despair of being dull as dirt.<\/p>\n
Mom had called, because she herself was doing something uninteresting. She had lots of copying to do at school, and just wanted someone to entertain her. I guess I got to be her live podcast.<\/p>\n
Well, she had a lot of copying to do with an uncooperative machine, and I had a lot of things to tell her about my boring life, and the artistic poverty of my blog.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Oh honey! You are an excellent writer! I love reading what you say on your website!\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
This is very nice to hear, and adds considerably to my enjoyment of this phone call. But to be realistic, she is my mother. She has to say that. The compliment has a short half-life.<\/p>\n
Nevertheless, I spent too long on the phone to my mother. When I hung up I was very hungry. And I still had to get to the ATM! Not to mention working out.<\/p>\n
I was rushing now. Grab the checks. Find my shoes. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m hungry! I am not in the mood for this!<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153The library books are overdue. Can you return them?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Chris asks politely.<\/p>\n
I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m in a hurry. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m hungry and I have things I need to finish. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153No.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s right next to the bank. You can do it.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d The needle had moved from polite request into the indignant\/whine zone.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Fine!\u00e2\u20ac\u009d I snagged the books, hopped into my shoes, crabbier than ever. I shouldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t have talked on the phone so long! Did I have a pen? I would need it for the deposit slip.<\/p>\n
I get into my car. Well, at least the radio is playing something I like. But it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s dark and I can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t remember exactly where the bank is. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s somewhere on this street. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll find it eventually.<\/p>\n
Just past the railroad tracks, the car shrieks.<\/p>\n
FWEEE! A picture that looks like an inkwell sprung a leak\u00e2\u20ac\u201da gusher of newfound Texas Tea\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6Oh crap. Something is wrong with my oil.<\/p>\n
I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t want to deal with this! I am not stopping. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m going to the bank. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m going to deposit all this stuff and go home and eat.<\/p>\n
Where is that bank anyway? It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s got to be here somewhere. I will figure this out, look up this German symbol of an inkwell with a geyser, but only after I reach the bank.<\/p>\n
But then I have to yell at myself. Oh great, so now you are going to ruin your car just because you are pissy and don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t want to return library books. Is a seized engine worth this?<\/p>\n
FWEEEEE!!!<\/p>\n
I answer myself, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll do whatever I please and I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t feel like talking. Where is that stupid bank? I thought it was here.<\/p>\n
There was a bank there, but the wrong one. I pulled in anyway and turned off the car and the radio. At that point, the inkwell geyser blinked off.<\/p>\n
WHAT?! The car light had been screaming at me, telling me something is wrong, and then just goes silent, like “never mind, you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re busy, I didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t mean it…\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
Don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t toy with me! Either there is an inkwell oil geyser happening or not. Them\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s fighting words round here. I pulled over for you, car, and now you want nothing to do with it? I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 think so!<\/p>\n
I turned on the radio again. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m not losing my good tunes for this passive aggressive car. I got the manual out of the glove compartment.<\/p>\n
I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve been through this before. The alarm documentation is not intuitive. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not even in the index under \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcalarm\u00e2\u20ac\u2122. After flipping back and forth for a while, enough time for the tunes to segue into commercials, I discover that my windshield wiper fluid is low.<\/p>\n
I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m certainly glad I stopped.<\/p>\n
I drove around and finally found the right bank. There is a line at the ATM. But maybe that’s just as well, because I need to add up the total of the checks. No calculator. Well, I should know how to add and carry.<\/p>\n
I wonder what they would do if you got it wrong? I mean, is it no big deal, or do you only get so many chances from your bank? You could get some kind of notice.
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Dear Bank member:
\nAfter received your third addition failure we are rescinding your ATM deposit privileges.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
That would be very humiliating.<\/p>\n
Or worse, maybe they would think you did it on purpose! I know of a girl who was dating this guy. He would deposit empty envelopes to withdraw money out of his account that wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t there. He needed the money because he was a crack head. They broke up, thank god. I should call her.<\/p>\n
I triple checked the math on this deposit\u00e2\u20ac\u201dI\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m pretty sure I got it right. And at least that is done. Now to the library.<\/p>\n
It is so dark out; I can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t see any signs. Geez, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve lived here almost a year. When will I figure out where I am?<\/p>\n
I fall back on my strategy of starting one direction and going somewhere until you are there. It worked, and I found the library. I know the distance from the bank to the library was shorter than the drive I took, but I got there, so who cares and leave me alone.<\/p>\n
I found a parking space quick. I jumped out, leaving my door open and my purse inside. I grabbed the library books and my keys in my hand. There\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the drop box. Pull it down; in they go. Be careful not to drop the keys in the drop box!<\/p>\n
I wonder what would happen if I had dropped the keys in? I wonder what I would do? Good thing I had left the car door open. I could get to my purse and cell phone to call Chris to come help me.<\/p>\n
Would the library people come and open the library to get me my keys? Claremont is small and very Mayberry, but I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t think they are that Mayberry. I would have to wait for them to open in the morning. Well, afternoon. They open at 1.<\/p>\n
But I would be okay, because Chris would come get me and there is a spare key to the car and to my house. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d be okay. The only key I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t have spares for are the work keys.<\/p>\n
Oh man! That would be terrible. I couldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t get into work. I would have to call there and say I would not be in because I had dropped my keys in the library drop box. That would be beyond embarrassing.<\/p>\n
I could just say I was sick. I would have to lie. Call in with a cough or something. There has been a cold going around. I could make it convincing.<\/p>\n
I have never called in sick when I wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t sick, but I know people that do. Why do we have to do that? Why are we forced to lie? Why must we come up with some story? Why can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t we just be given respect? I mean, we should just be allowed to say, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I will not be able to come in today\u00e2\u20ac\u009d and leave it at that. That would have some dignity.<\/p>\n
But my keys were in my hand, so I drove home. I knew my way home from the library.<\/p>\n
I made some soup and sat down to talk to Chris. I told him about my boring unexciting life, and about all the enviable podcasters and bloggers who are so far above me in importance and relevance.<\/p>\n
He was kind and acted interested.<\/p>\n
Dammit. I didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t get to workout.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
My boring life The fact is, I find my life mostly unexciting. I do rather ordinary things and I am not very interesting. So, I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t necessarily talk about what I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m doing, because even I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t find it interesting. This … Continue reading