What I did last Saturday--or the one before that

I'm finally getting some of the "old" stuff I've already written up here. It's old, like my croc in the picture. See, if I weren't doing this, I"d have to clean up the crisis that surrounds me--and I'm going to do it, really. Just not right now. Right now I have important stuff to do, like posting this blog.

Week before last, STBX took the kids to Edisto Island for vacation. EI is my most favorite of all places, but I didn't go (all that STBX stuff, ya know). Anyway, after all the leave I've taken from work this winter, my leave balance rivals my bank balance for pitifulness, so it wasn't really an option anyway.

OK. So I'm a wimp. There was never a doubt, but this experience just totally reinforced that concept. STBX drives our old Sienna LE van. Great car, still going strong, very comfy for long road trips, lots of room, mega dings and dents since STBX has been driving it exclusively, but that was to be expected. The only problem with Sienna LE (pronounced Sienna Lee, as determined by DD at about age 7) is that she's got a slight drinking problem. It's not excessive, given her size and age and all, but she does suck down some gas.

Now, I drive a Prius. Back last February when the writing was on the wall (in freakin' neon) that there was going to be a split; I accepted the inevitable and realized that Bubblz, my adored and darling VW bug ragtop, just wasn't going to be practical transportation during the upcoming transition. I mean, the DD was taking frequent cello lessons, for goodness sakes; and if the weather wasn't cooperative, she had to ride in the back seat while the cello reclined in the front--leaving no room whatsoever for the DS (whose initial desire to play the cello was immediately quashed by his mom--cellos are NOT easily transported). Anyway, Bubblz was traded in for the Prius. The Prius has no name; she's just a great car and gets me to and from wherever I want to go WITHOUT ANY DAMN PROBLEMS! (you'll forgive me for shouting, soon).

Back to the wimpdeal--I let STBX take the Prius for the week. He was taking the kids, after all; and it would save him a bunch of $$$. And it wasn't that big a deal. Even though driving Sienna Lee now makes me feel like an 8 year old driving her daddy's car, I could deal.

Transferring cars makes me anxious. STBX had loaned me the van the previous weekend for the Highland Games Houseparty adventure; and I was already on the ropes. There's just too much stuff that is required in a car these days. Chargers, sun glasses, garage door openers, GPS devices, hats, wind breakers,--stuff. But it was all in about 3 tote bags anyway, so the transition shouldn't have been that tough.

Did I mention the Smart Key? That's a relatively new feature of cars that I never thought I'd love--but I DO. I truly do. With the smart key, you just zip the little fobbie thing (no actual metal protrusions are on a Prius key--just a fob) into the interior pocket of your purse and go. When you walk up to the car, you just open the door. You then hit the big power button, and quietly (no motor at first) glide away. Oh my. This is a truly addictive and excellent advance in technology. Ever since I've been driving the Prius, keys have slid out of my universe.

Sienna Lee is an old-fashioned girl, and while she has a fob with a beeper; she doesn't have a smart key. I left the house on the way to work Saturday before last. I stopped at Sam's to get dogfood or something equally benign (oh, and pick up Tribute, Nora's latest. But the new book had absolutely no stake in the decision to stop. You believe me, don't you? Sucka). And of course I locked my keys in the car. Got my dad and Joyce to come get me and take me home, hoping I'd find an old spare key somewhere. Nope. Ended up rejoining AAA, and they unlocked the car. (oh, btw, Sienna Lee doesn't have onstar, either, OK? ). So, that kinda sucked all the available working hours out of the day, and left me feeling rather put upon. But, I'm used to that, and I had an excellent book to read.

Enjoyed my week of peace and quiet. Wish I could have gotten more done around the house, but I barely got the placed picked up. But still, it was good.

Until Bonnie called.

(Please note for the future, when problems arise in my life, they can usually be traced to calls from a family member. Don't ever underestimate the power telephone calls from family have over my wimp factor. )

And this post is entirely too long already, and I haven't even GOTTEN to the one that was supposed to be the topic of this post. The clutter calls; Flylady is whispering in my ear ("ice cream sandwich"--oh, no; I think that was my mean angel. If I concentrate really hard, I can hear Flylady whispering 'baby steps' ---"possibly to the freezer", but I think that last part would be the mean angel breaking through again. In any event, I'm going to get to work on this room and you'll just have to wait for the continuing saga of automobile hell.

Oh yeah, I also downloaded the audio version of J. R. Ward's Lover ?? to listen to while I work!
Because I ain't totally stupid.