Thanks Universe!

You know how sometimes you're at work and it gets to be about 4:30 and you realize "I don't have anywhere to be tonight" and you're emotionally overcome with the endless opportunities that await you at 5pm? (When in reality, you know darn well you're going to park yourself on the couch and watch the Olympics?) That was me yesterday, walking to my car at 5pm, and thinking about all the housework TV watching I could get done tonight.

Life has a funny way of biting you in the butt.

I thought it would be a great night to go talk to the folks at AT&T about switching my service and getting on a family plan with George. My contract with my long-standing service provider is almost up and I'm ready to ditch this BlackBerry. I went into the Verizon store in May and told them I knew I wasn't qualified for an upgrade yet, but could I please get a DOWNGRADE??? The BlackBerry was really grating my cheese. Anyway, in most cases, talking about cell phone plans would be the worst part of a person's day. Not for us!

We walked back out to my car after a great and informative meeting with the AT&T person to find that my car wouldn't start. Click click click is the most it would give me. George checked under the hood and found a badly corroded battery but I insisted it couldn't be the battery because the radio was playing and my little "Battery's working" light was still flashing.

I called AAA and asked for roadside assistance, then we walked over to Del Taco for a couple of bland tacos. The service guy showed up and jumped the car and told me I might have one more start on this battery. So, George and I drove straight to Meijer to buy a new battery. I sat in the car and kept it running while he went in the store with my debit card. (Is that a sign of love and trust, or WHAT?!?!) The engine was making some funny funny sounds and as George walked back to the car empty handed, the dials in the car all went flat and the airbag and gas lights came on (even though we had just filled the tank). Oh, and there was some dangerous lurching going on as I pulled out of the parking spot. The battery was going to die.

I start screaming that we're going to be stranded, George screams at me to "don't stop! Just keep driving!" and so instead of driving around the Meijer parking lot repeatedly to keep the battery charged, I decide to pull onto Grape Road to "just keep driving." Now I'm in traffic, screaming, running redish lights, careening through store parking lots in an effort to not stop the car. Of course by not stopping I have now driven us in the opposite direction of George's house and now need to make a series of left turns to get to his house and "safety." Luckily, the brief Dukes of Hazard South Bend drive down Grape was enough to charge the battery and get us home, all so that we could take George's car and drive BACK out to Grape, go to Wal Mart, buy the battery, drive back to George's, and install it.

I walked in the door at 10:20pm. Oh well. I can always watch TV tonight.