My Friday went off the rails a little and didn't quite ever recover. It's kind of funny when your friends and family guffaw a little because they know that not only is this the kind of thing that will happen you, but it does on a semi-frequent basis.
10:30a. Started the day a little later than normal, but nothing to write home about. Was a little disturbing to realize fall had set in fully and not only was it still 32F but the base too fog locked for incoming flights. Our patients had been deposited at a neighboring base and were being bused/ambulanced the 90 minutes to the hospital. The daily count was climbing, nearly double the recent fall numbers, but nothing I couldn't handle.
I am wearing my big girl panties and don't you forget it!
12:05p. Being the smart ass I am, I was showing off at my car while leaving the job. "Do you see this broke ass window?" I remarked to a coworker while rolling it up. "It likes to stay crooked and not close all the ..*groan/crumple/collapse." I stared in disbelief as it stopped mid-rise, fell into the door and the motor gave out. My coworker made a snickering comment about "that's what I get for showing off" and left me to my dilemma.
Did I mention it was cold as frack outside and now my driver's side window was broken? In the fully down position. I was 15 minutes away from the base our spare cars and store are (Ramstein), 20 minutes away from my personnel vehicle (Vogelweh) and 45 minutes away from the company shop that my boss likes to have cars repaired at (Baumholder). That's drive time, not by foot.
I spent the next 20 minutes haggling on the phone with the boss. The decision was made to drive the 15 freezing minutes to pick up some plastic and tape. I was to redneck the window and drive it to the shop. On the German autobahn. Where the traffic goes an average of 70-85mph. At the slower parts.
12:35p. After successfully, and somewhat frigidly making it to Ramstein, I had to take a meal break. The lunch lines at our food court were long but my stomach was trying to claw it's way into my throat and my brain didn't care. I ordered some cheesy ranch fries and a buffalo chicken sandwich. Yes, cheesy ranch fries do make the pains go away or least coast them to a less disgruntled level. I got in an argument with the short order cook when she kept on insisting I had ordered a chicken s-a-l-a-d. Sandwich wench! Sandwich! The nice 6'6' SMsgt in line behind me was very supportive of my dilemma and she eventually caved and gave me a BBQ chicken sandwich. It wasn't the same but it was on bread and hot and that's better than healthy food for my convoluted day. I'm a huge fan of foodsoothing some situations.
13:30p. After a lot of swearing, painters tape (I was trying to avoid damaging the car), plastic bits, an overly priced pair of craft scissors and packing tape an attempt was made to drive towards Baumholder.
It was a disaster. I made it 5 minutes on the autobahn and the lower half of the plastic ripped away and started smacking me in the face. The cold was rushing back in the car at an alarming rate. The car was quickly returned to the hospital parking lot while I sorted out the calling of the tow truck and a back up vehicle.
3:30p. I am still at the hospital. I'm now 4 hours behind my normal shopping/work schedule. My day was beginning to look a little shot and I had to wait on a friend to come play taxi service since my boss hadn't thought of how I should transport myself from Landstuhl back to Ramstein where the spare car was located. I wasn't walking an hour-and-a-half packing my box of work paraphenlia from our work office/car and my backpack. If I had a parka, beanie and gloves maybe, but I hadn't thought of cold weather trekking when I wore my sweater coat to work that morning. I also wasn't in the mood to pay $40 for a taxi ride.
6:45p. After a very painful checkout process that involved 30 minutes of people watching in the carnival insanity our customer service department had become, I was on a scavenger hunt across our 1/2 mile wrapped parking lot to find the vehicle my spare keys were attached too. I felt a little like Dora the explorer. Map! Map!
08:05p. I finally arrived back home. Only 3 hours behind a normal days schedule. A little tired and beaten around the shoulders. And I still had a late movie night scheduled with a fellow deployed spouse. In a nearby unvisited village through another village. In the pitch black of night. Without a working GPS. And the car was out of gas. (Which went mostly without consequence and a rare 2:15a gasoline run.)
03:30a. My eyes are crossing on the words of the book I'm devouring in my tepidly-heated room. Have to remember to dig out more blankets in the morning. Feeling thankful that although the dominoes were falling more rapidly than I could follow, there were no huge sicknesses, injuries or catastrophes within my immediate household. The cat, MIL and husband were all tucked into their beds and I successfully texted Twin that I was in fact still on the face of the planet and in the Duetschland. Only 6-8 weeks left of deployment and that boy being back to support the insanity. At least he sent a digital hug.
EDIT: THE CUSTOMER! After posting I realized I forgot one of the highlights of the day. Cause this day was chock full of rainbows, glitters and unicorns. Can't you people see that?
As some of you may know/have read/should assume being a personnel shopper in the same store, every day, lends itself to a regular pattern. Nearly every working day at least one, if not multiple, customers assume we work there. It's very normal for Mark and I too have to respond "I'm sorry I don't work here, I think the store associates are wearing the red vests", or point them in a general direction of what they need (if they are nice) or we get them help (once again NICE, the rude ones can figure it out their damn selves.)
This customer was just a little more special than most. I was weaving through the athletic wear snatching t-shirts, shorts, hoodies and pants of the racks like the pro I am. MInding my business. Doing my job. This woman, who I had noticed berated and snarking at her spouse out of the corner of my eye, gestured at me. "Excuse me ma'am (heavy dripping attitude) are you the Vendor of this!" She motions in the general direction of the Under Armour line. "Nope, I'm sorry I don't work here." I reply as I deftly turn to my cart in preparation for making a hasty exit out of the area.
I didn't turn quick enough. I catch her make The Face. The 'that little bitchy employee just turned her back on me. She's a liar and I will report her to Management!' It was written plain as day and I was about 15 minutes past any kind of tolerance for bullshit. I turn on her with both guns blazing. "Excuse me I am NOT an employee. I am shopping and do NOT work here and I did NOT lie to you." Not only does she NOT have the decency to look chagrined she actually looks a little put out. And then defends her actions with the same tired 'well you have a shopping list and were putting things in your cart' song-and-dance we hear on a regular basis. Likes that's an excuse for your RUDE BEHAVIOR. Look lady, you've got me doing CAPITALS and shitty punctuation. I should've just responded in kind. Well you have a coach bag are your an expert? You're wearing makeup do you work in the makeup department? You are busy a crazy bitch do you have a daypass from the Psych Ward?
How do you shop? Do you use a shopping cart or throw your belongings on the floor in hopes they will trail behind you to the checkout line? How would you spend $1500 that has to be evenly divided over 6 people? How would you shop for 4-8 people a day, with a $250 shopping allowance and the goal to get them a balanced traveling wardrobe? Yep, me too.
