The upside of screwing up…

Ok… so you have a 6am flight, and its midnight… you’ve just packed nearly 2 chord of wood, after installing a garage door opener and a programmable furnace thermostate (aka, large day) and your too wound tight to go to bed just yet…. Do you try to get a few hours sleep, risk sleeping in? or just stay awake…and sleep all day Sunday…. I mean, afterall, you’ll get in around 9 and you’ve nothing to do all day….. Plus, you’ve about 7 hours of programming to catch up with on the DVR….. What would you do?

Well, I made it through CSI, Two and a Half Men and I think ¾’s of CSI NY before I lost it…… and woke up shortly after 8… Odd thing is, I remember dreaming beware aware of some semi-conscious struggle “Get up / NO, Stay asleep, its soooo comfy/ You’ll regret it if you don’t get up / ahhh, but its an uphill battle, th woodstove, the back pills, the nyquill, I mean really? Yeah… ok… sleep… but then another little invoice kicks in… you know, the one that says “get up NOW or you’ll piss yourself” and that one gets me up….. but its funny how your priorities shift once reality comes crashing in…

I had a run of bad luck with the whole car accident thingy, back in 05, which led me to seek out my new job… and while I don’t think I’ve ever told the full version of that story here, suffice to say that I got REALLY lucky with this new job as it truly is the best possible fit out there for a guy with my qualifications and background, goals, objectives, and modified (when compared to pre-sept/05) approach to work…. What makes me feel even more fortunate, is that they’ve been supper great to me all summer in that I havn’t logged a real days work yet… I’ve just been taking courses.. which are important, and stressfull in itself, but… well.. it’s a privilege I don’t take for granted… So in the midst of writing my two final exams… my child becomes ill, really scary actually… and that costs me a few days out of the office, and lost study time at those crucial day before and day of exam points….. then.. on my first work paid trip away… I get Really Ill myself… I don’t miss anything.. but its obvious the new guy didn’t bring his A-Game to Montreal… But whatayado? So I get off the plan last Thursday nite, and my ear didn’t pop… all my other symptoms seemed better.. cept that…. So I go to work early Friday… bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, as they say…. “How you feeling Rob?” im asked…. I lie…. “Great!” but I still feel like I been dragged through a bag of hammers and can’t hear…. But I so don’t want to be “that guy” I’ve never been “that guy” I’ve always been the reliable one.. the work-horse…. Not “that guy” anyway… back to my story…

It’s 8:16 am.. the TV’s still on, the fires out, and reality kicks in… I f—king fell asleep and missed my flight…. NO F—king way!!!! So with that little “gotta pee” voice SCREAMING in my subconscious, I ignore that, and get on the phone immediately with Amex travel… Im on hold for what seems like forever, compounded by the required pee-pee dance, but theres hope… theres a flight at 11, its sold out… but I can go see at least…
My father in law is up… we get along real good, without us speaking, he knows what’s happened, but he can tell Im a little tooo upset to take a joke about it at this stage… (that will have to wait) ……..for now, I just got to get my shit together and out the door..

It doesn’t take long, but I have to turn around as I realize I’d fortgoten my back pills… and CANT do that again…

So I make it to the airport, and Im shit out of luck… I beg, I plead, but theres no getting there today… best hope, a direct flight 6:30 am, arriving 7:11 Monday am… My first meetings not till 8:30… ok.. that could work… it has to work….

So I pay my 150 fee, and I’m headed back for home… but I think… ok… I got a full day in NS I haddn’t planned on… I need to have this ear checked out…. And while not worthy of quoting the Cheryl Crow tune “greatest mistake” Im pretty glad at least… Turns out I have a pretty serious infection in both ears… and it’s a good thing I caught it… Some Antibiotics, Anti-inflamatories, and some Gum… and it should be ok… Whew… ok.. .that was luck, maybe…

Anyway.. the Pharmacy was giving away free 10 dollar chapters gift cards.. I’ve already missed out on the family day trip to the Fall Fare, so I’ll go get a book for Sarah…. And that’s where there real joy of the day comes..

My 3 year old loves the book… and wants me to read it to here again….Where in the family room, in front of the Big Screen, and she’s snuggled up and wants me to read to her again…. Yeah… this was soooooo worth it… On any other day, I really enjoy my TV.. but today… I feel as if I’ve won some little victory against it… and it was reall cool! 5 times later its suppertime…. I try out the new leaf blower, partially to appease that part of me that still feels like a lazy p.o.s. for oversleeping and needs to accomplish something of measure, but mostly cause it seems like a cool things to play with… It was… Well, the vacuum part was pretty lame… it works, and it does mulch the stuff down to about ¼ of the cubic volume, but its slow and tedious.. but the blower feature… Now that’s fun… Leafs just flying everywhere… I can’t wait to try it again with the dog and little one out here to play in the leaves before we bag them….

So its now 5:56… My flights almost ready to board… but iM hear… I still Can’t hear, but at least I know what the real issue is, and I’m medicated…. I had an extra day with the family.. had some well needed R&R, some quality time.. and some TV time, and barring a strong headwind, I’ll still make it to the start of my first meeting this morning and no one other then me, will ever really need to know… I’ll eat the 150 myself… and Im not bitter anymore… all it all, it was worth it.. I really wanted this day anyway.. and it was a good one.. Think I’ll look for another gruffalo book while I’m away….