My Day

8:36: Dog wakes me by walking on my face.

9:02: Go back to bed after taking dog out and feeding her.

10:34: Awoken by text message from mother, informing me she has put some money in my bank account. Balance no longer paltry $12.07.

11:22: Get out of shower. Check email. Discover to my surprise and pleasure that have gotten interview for nannying job applied to a week and a half ago.

12:07: Pour bowl of Cocoa Puffs and flip on "What Not To Wear."

12:25: Receive email informing me I did not get teaching job at private school I really, really wanted.

12:26: Cry to roommate about job.

1:52: Speak to mother on the phone, who tells me 1) to keep my chin up re: jobs, and 2) that I can take my car to get its A/C fixed on her credit card. Write down credit card information on small slip of paper.

2:23: Attempt to clean out of my car various items that have been sitting there for approximately 3 months (since I moved in).

2:47: Realize shouldn't hold small slip of paper with credit card information so close to open window. Tuck it under my leg instead.

3:03: Pull up to Sears Auto Center. Have no idea where to go. Do I need to check in at the front? Decide to park on side of building.

3:04: Get out of car and approach building. Immediately see huge sign saying "Pull in here for all services." Mutter to self about idiocy and get back in car.

3:05: Pull into building and narrowly miss hitting car that is backing up. Put car into reverse and narrowly miss hitting large van behind me.

3:06: Pull into services bay. Realize got out of the car without moving small slip of paper with credit card information on it from out from under my leg. Start rummaging through purse (even though know slip is not there).

3:07: Run out into parking lot, looking for small slip of paper. Throw self on ground to see if it blew underneath car I was parked next to. Nada.

3:08: Run back into garage. Rip car apart looking for paper. Start sweating profusely.

3:09: Run back outside, praying. Notice slip underneath car was parked next to before. There is a god!

3:10: Get back into car in waiting bay. Try to make heart stop beating erratically.

3:12: Notice bag of Panera potato chips on the floor of the passenger's side of car. Having not eaten since bowl of cereal, decide to eat them. Cannot quite reach bag. In straining arm to reach chips, something in neck crackles and starts hurting intensely.

3:27: Alex, Sears Auto Center employee, explains to me that front tires are so bald as to be in illegal red "danger zone" of baldness. Oil change and a/c recharge suddenly getting expensive.

3:32: Have to kill two hours while waiting for car. Decide to go to mall bookstore.

3:46: After walking aimlessly for fifteen minutes, finally find a mall directory. Turns out there IS no bookstore. Decide to try to walk to Barnes and Noble across the street.

3:50: On way to mall exit, receive call from Auto Center. Apparently some fluid in car is acidic, needs to be flushed or replaced or some nonsense. Will cost an extra $60. Fine.

4:21: Realize after walking back and forth across parking lot twice that there is no way to get out of mall parking lot without a car. Thus, no bookstore.

4:23: Wander around mall aimlessly for the next 42 minutes.

5:05: Go back to sit in Sears Auto Center waiting room. Watch a fascinating episode of The Dr. Oz Show about the importance of the spleen.

6:17: Have to pay for car services. Worry that Alex, Sears Auto Center employee, will not just take someone else's credit card information off of small slip of paper. Needn't have worried; he asks no questions and just runs the card. Good to know.

6:38: Drive home in luscious new air conditioning.

Fortunately, after that, was able to spend a quiet evening in with the roommates and freshly-baked cookies.