Okay, so I had several things to do today. But one of them was not the gastrointestinal issues that I woke up with. I mean, like I said - I had several things to do. Making sure a bathroom was nearby was not on the list.
I'm not sure what the issue was. I didn't feel like throwing up - well, maybe once. I just needed to be near a potty for immediate use (I sure hope you are getting the picture - I cannot delve into the details any further). Anyhow, as I said yesterday, I am on Everley bus duty in the mornings, and I managed to hold things together to get to her house. Luckily she was still asleep and stayed asleep long enough for me to handle things until it was time to get her to school (without any unfortunate incidents, I might add).
Once that was accomplished, I returned to my house for a little time in the reading room until my next mission, a Home Depot trip with Lynnette. She needed a big piece of plywood for a headboard project she is about to undertake. Actually, she needed a bigger standard piece of plywood cut into the exact dimensions for her headboard. I met her in the lumber section and we decided on what kind/size/width/depth/whatever plywood she would choose for her project. We then sought someone who would operate the big Home Depot saw to cut the plywood. Were there any Home Depot Cast Members walking about? Of course not. They were hiding behind the insulation rolls, waiting for the time when we don't need their help and ask us about remodeling our kitchen. But I digress ...
We finally see someone with orange (or maybe a nametag on) and ask about getting someone to use the big saw. And Dude tells us that he's just with the trades (or something - basically he don't really work there) but he would get somebody to help us. We waited awhile and then decide to just get the mammoth piece of plywood and haul it to the big saw. And if my toilet two-step started up, I would be using the big saw myself.
But as we were trying to haul the plywood to the saw, some genuine Home Depot Dude came up and took the plywood to the saw. He then consulted with two of his co-horts and apparently got voted to use the big saw. Lynnette was supervising this, as I was going after saw horses (not requested, but I insisted they were needed for the project). Eventually the wood was cut and put on the cart. Lynnette headed to paint and I headed to check out, where I dropped one of her cans of paint and bent the top. But since paint did not spill out, I deemed it okay and proceeded to check out.
I had Steve's big tank-car (hence the reason for the Home Depot run) and headed out to load the supplies. Luckily some dude offered to help load the car, possibly because I looked ridiculous trying to do it myself. He also asked what I was going to do with the plywood. While I could have said many things, I said I was making a headboard. He said he was sure it would be lovely and we parted ways. Meanwhile, Lynnette had made her paint purchases and got in her car. We headed to her house where we unloaded all the supplies and I left.
Because I had to take Steve's tank-car to the dealership to get a checkup. Because it has 210,000 miles on it and Steve's out of town and he asked me to take it in and I said yes. So I pull into the Smoyota fix-it place where all the bays are empty. I get out of the car and Crochety Old Dude asked who is supposed to be helping me. I told him I guess Internet Man because that's how I made the appointment (actually I didn't say that - I said Corky or Curtis or whoever was first on the list). Crochety started yelling across the way to some other dude who refused to answer until about the fifth time his name was called (did I mention NOBODY had a car pulled in needing help?). Anyhow, Deaf Dude decided to help me. We then got into a deep discussion about why I was there with the car. Because usually Steve takes the car to a different Smoyota dealer, and according to their records, the car hadn't been in since 100000 miles. And apparently Smoyota doesn't keep all records on the same VIN number together. When I told Deaf Dude about the other place, he said he could look at that place's records, all the while muttering, "I just don't know what he wants us to do." At that point, I didn't care if he took the bleepin' car in the back and washed the windshield and brought it back out - just take the stupid car before I have to start screaming, "WHERE'S THE BATHROOM??"
Anyhow, he asks if I'm going to wait for the car. I say, "An oil change and tire rotation shouldn't take long, should it? I'll wait." Deafy says it shouldn't and so I go wait in the waiting area. Which was not a smart move, because the car has 210,000 miles on it - certainly something is wrong. I wait in the stupid waiting area (are you sensing my mood yet) with other people who are probably wondering why I couldn't have at least put on clean clothes to come to the fancy dealership. I check my email, facebook, watch the stupid news channel on the stupid television and play about 900 games of solitaire on my phone. Eventually Young Dude comes out and says the water was all out of the water pump (or something like it) and it may be the end of the world, because water pumps on Sequoia Tank-Cars are super expensive. He says he can do a $60 mammogram or some such diagnostic on it and will be able to tell me. I ask how long will that take, and he says a couple of hours and I say I want to go home and he says he will tell the shuttle people.
Sooooo, 30 minutes later, I go to the "Please Pay Here" desk and ask where the $$%^^@ is the @@#%^# shuttle? Some old fancy retired dude had just walked in behind the desk and they ask him if he can take me home, which he does, where I go back to the reading room and then to my bed. For the rest of the afternoon. Until Young Dude calls and says, "Uh, it twern't the water pump but some clamps that twern't clamped on good. Come get yo car." Which I did.
And then I returned to the safety of my hearth and home. And toilet. Because that's what today was sorta about ...
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Thankful today for: quality time with Everley, Lynnette, Toyota people, and toilets
