January 16, 2011

Me: ' This problem is wrong.'
Him:  'It's not wrong'
Me:  'It IS  wrong, thank you very much.  Why are you so sure it's not wrong?'
Him:  'Because I did it with my calculator.'
Me : (Out loud)  'Do you mean the calculator that I, quite specifically,  told you not to use?'(To myself)  'Lord, please, just  get me through this day.'

And that was not even the most annoying thing.  At 3:15, I read an e-mail from my boss about a report that is due Tuesday at 8:30 a.m.    Finishing it after school would have taken me an extra hour. Right before a three day weekend?  Was  she kidding?  My head felt as though it was going to pop right off my head.   I left the report  on my desk, decided to set the alarm on Tuesday  for an hour earlier than usual and walked out.

Stopped by the house, picked up my camera bag and took off. Turning onto the main road, I loaded up my Dixie Chicks's CD, and soon they were singing, 'I Shouldn't Be Wearing White, and You Can't Afford No Ring.'   Loudly.    Yeah, I know, the kids say I should   download, but that just seems to be  one more thing I would need to learn how to do.  I headed  in the direction of  Monument Valley, got a few nice pictures of more big red rocks, and when the light was gone, I headed home.

Driving back, I knew I was hungry, but having just read an  article in the Huffington Post on what is actually IN fast foods(chicken nuggets are loaded with petroleum products, in case you were wondering), I didn't feel like spending my money at any of the four or five places I passed.  I rounded a corner and saw a tiny little place named  'CAFE' .   It was  smaller than Claybrook's in Turley,(I wonder if  Claybrook's is still there), maybe  about the same size as the old Goodwill that used to sit where my Dad's garage was, later,  built.  This cafe  was so small that it looked like it had more cars out front than it could, possibly,   have had tables inside.  On the one hand, there might be no place to sit, but on the other, lots of cars out front is a good sign. Right?

I walked in, and, while this cafe  may not have been much bigger than the old Goodwill, it was a lot nicer than I remember the Goodwill being.  A little pellet stove was sitting in the corner giving off  good heat, and on the wall hung a working pay  phone with a rotary dial.   There were a  bunch of  antique Navajo photographs decorating the walls.  The floor was wood, and I do not mean like the ones you see on decorating shows.  I mean someone nailed some boards onto a sub floor and called it a job.

As it happened,  the place was full, so I took a seat at the counter and ordered a chef salad  with a side order of  fry bread. The salad was nice and fresh,   and the fry bread was hot. Hot fry bread is ok, but cold  it tastes like day old pancakes.   All in all, a heck of a lot better than a happy meal. Had a lovely conversation with the waiter regarding places I might want to visit on Monday.  Then, I asked him to put my coffee refil into my  travel mug, and I  left.

On the way back, I realized my headache had gone.   I gave thanks that that I have, apparently, matured enough that although strongly ticked off, I  had gotten through the entire day without calling one single person an 'illiterate troll'.    The second thing that I realized has to do with the fact that I, sad to say, actually  know what day old pancakes taste like.  The thing is, although I was stressed and headachy, I had resisted the urge to retire to my bed  with a bag of chips, some onion dip  and a bowl of ice cream. OK, it took me sixty two years to learn these lessons, but I think that I have learned them.

I don't know if the world is ready for a 'kinder, gentler' Sally.