May 23, 2007

Taking a map along

Rand McNally, you are for me the Platonic Form of maps. I am most familiar with your style, your notations, the colors and symbols you choose. You are my Map King. (And who knew? Rand has his own website!)

The graduation dinner was at 6pm in Gainesville, GA, at the Chattahoochee Country Club. That's about a 3-hour drive for me from home, so I had to leave no later than 3...and if I wanted some cushion-time, I could have cushion-time. So I ended up leaving at about 2:20. I used the last 20 minutes to check online map sites, none of which were my friend Rand's site. (I seriously did not know Rand had expanded to the internet till 3 minutes ago when I typed 'Who knew?') I even checked CCC's Directions. I wrote them out on my little notepad.

But I did not have a map with me.

The first problem came when I was driving south. I failed to note that my first turn, onto Highway 41, was deceptive. Highway 41 parallels Interstate 75 for a while. I noticed a sign for Highway 41 at my very first exit, and got mildly concerned. I pulled over and made some calls and finally decided to take Highway 52 to Dahlonega, then 60 to Gainesville.

Crisis averted! I made it and everything was ok. Until I got in the car to leave and drive home. It was 10:30 till I got on the road, and I was tired. The radio told me that there was heavy rain predicted for the area, but not until early morning. With my amazing knowledge of local weather patterns (storms tend to travel from the west to the east), I surmised that I'd drive through the big storm at some point on my trek west and north.

I was right. It hit at about 11:30, right about when I was slated to turn onto Highway 76. (Brilliantly, I decided to take a different route to I-75. At night. In the rain. Without a map. When I'm tired. Brilliant, right?)

Nope. I got lost and, being so tired, my irrational imagination came to the fore, and while I was on the phone with the Dude, lost it. Crying, panic, the whole bit. Meanwhile, he's tired too, and I didn't realize it till I heard him saying, "Honey, my eyes are crossing and I can't tell what road you are on." Makes sense now, but in the mist at the time (literal and figurative), I lost it even more. (There's something about dark and rain and strange roads that make me go "Creepy!" to myself, assuming that ghosts or aliens or ghost aliense will come out of the trees and get me.)

Sigh. Fast-forward forty-five minutes (which are all filled with tension, tears, anger, frustration, and helplessness...I do not need to elaborate any more), when I've taken my 3rd detour (all guided by my tired, so-exhausted-my-eyes-are-crossing hubby), when I finally see a "TO INTERSTATE 75" sign.

Why oh why didn't I save myself some trouble and just bring my own darn map? Silly me. I'll bring a map for sure next time.

(In fact, when I got home at about 1:30 that night, The Dude had packed a lot of my overnight case for the next day. He had my Rand McNally right there, on the top of the pile.)

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April 18, 2007

Imagine that!

Here in the library, the library computers don't allow CD-roms to be used. (That part makes sense. Here comes the Imagine-that part...)

The librarian didn't know what a CD-drive is on a computer. A librarian. Didn't know. Sheesh.

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February 26, 2007

Help wih a capital Aitch

After taking The Dude to school this morning, I had juuuuust enough gas to get to the RaceTrac in Ft. O. I got out of the car, opened my tank, and was just about to swipe my card when I heard a voice behind me.

"Good morning!" she chirped. "You look like you just got out of bed!"

What? I thought. "No," I said. And just stood there. I let the awkwardness fall back on her. ( If you come up to me at the gas station and tell me I look like I just rolled out of bed, you've already broken social rules. I refuse to try to play conversation tennis anymore. Nope.)

Finally, she said, "My friend and I" and she gestures to her crummy conversion van parked at the next pump over, "are handing out these magazines."

I look at the cover. The title is Alive! or something like that, and I see a little side-title that says something about homeschooling. "We want to share about Jesus" she continues, but I say

"No thanks, I don't need one." And turn away. And pump my gas.

When I looked back, she was gone. So was the van. They weren't even gassing up. They just followed my car into the RaceTrac and decided That's the one! She is the one that needs Jesus!

I told the Dude about this incident this evening, and we got to laughing. Does "You look like you just got out of bed!" translate to "You look like a pathetic slob!" or "You look like you're really down on your luck...can't you afford shampoo?"

If I'd had my wits about me (and it was before my coffee, grr!), I'd have explained that I already know Jesus, and that I appreciate the offer. But I'd also have asked her what it was about me that made her think I needed help with a capital H.

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February 20, 2007

Full Time Adjustment

I have only a few moments before I have to go to work. Yes, work! Hooray, I have a job, and thanks to all of you for your prayers and concerns. I work as a cashier (again) this time at a small business. So my tasks are more varied--but I still deal with the crushing boredom.

I am full time, though, so I am thankful for that.

I've spent the last month or so stuck in a rut of selfishness and self-pity. More on that later...I really do have to jet out of here.

My family is working on summer plans already. It's hard to imagine heat and sunshine, isn't it? Growing up in Colorado, I miss the sunshine here in the South. Even on days that aren't overcast, it's still not the same. My body craves sunshine! My eyes never wake up, and I'd rather have a cold morning if the sun is bright than an overcast warm morning. It's just not the same.

Well...I'm off. The only problem so far with my new job is that the full-time-ness makes me have to plan for wifey chores. When will I cook dinner? When will I grocery shop? When will I do laundry (esp. since we still haven't bought a washer)? When will I iron? When will I clean? Ick. But God's provided, all I have to do now is adjust.

TTFN

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January 29, 2007

Unknown?

I am working on an online job application at Large Local Insurance Company. They are apparently a federal contractor and have to keep track of employee genders and races, so one of the questions (strictly voluntary) was the following:

Gender (choose one):

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July 10, 2006

Jiggity Jog and Off I Go

So the Dude and I are home from the Lake House. Much fun was had by all. Some of us burned, but not badly. I did not, thanks to 50 spf--which also kept the Dude from tanning at all. Mr. Salt got sore muscles but got back out on the Wake Board and loosened them up again. I learned that Mrs. Salt is afraid of standing in water where she can't see the bottom.

We had our One Year Celebration.

And now we are up laaaate packing for our Journey West. Leaving at 4 am. About 4 hours from now. So I sign off. Stay tuned. I'll update eventually. I know you're all salivating for more.

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May 31, 2006

And...

WHERE DID MAY GO? HOW CAN IT BE june TOMORROW????????

?

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February 09, 2006

Ok, this is obviously a cross-cultural moment

Ok, Bobbo is blogging a lot about cross-cultural stuff over there where he is. But I'll tell you what, I get it over here too.

Having grown up in Colorado (yes, I know I mention that a lot, but the differences between here and there hit me pretty often), I'm just not used to this cultural Christianity thing. People there generally mean it when they go to church, and those who don't go to church know why they don't go to church. It's a much clearer divide between the Christians and the non-Christians, and people don't just go to church because they always have. Generally. So there are really subtle things here in the South that just get me...

For example, The Dude and I celebrate our Seven Month-versary today and decided to celebrate by eating out...at Burger King. I've been craving a greasy burger and good fries, so of course it was BK. I made a scene once at the BK near the Yum-Yum Good Food (anyone know what that street name is?), so we went to the Ringgold Road BK after going through that tunnel...

Anyway, we get to the BK and see a lot of cars there, and a lot of people in the BK at 7:35. What is going on? I think to myself. We walk in, and there seems to be a concert going on. (Yes, with an AV setup, monitors, speakers, the whole deal. In the BK.) Some church group has a music thing-y at that BK every Thursday. They were talking about God and about good memories ("Someday you all are going to look back on this and remember all the good times we had singing at the Burger King!"), and singing songs. It was really something. It was something, but I don't know what.

You know, I'd be ok with the "It's ok, it's just different in the South" thing, but The Dude and I asked the register kid about them, if they were nice, if they were polite, and after pausing (a pregnant pause) he said, "Some of them are nice." That made me mad and sad because the Concert Leaders were talking so freely about Christ and God and then some of the people were apparently rude to the Person Behind the Counter. (We behind-the-counter people can tell, you know, when you're rude to us.) That's not faithful to the ministry of the gospel. But who was I to interrupt the Concert and chide the church people for their rudeness to the kid? I did my best to politely explain and not make a scene, but I'm afraid I wasn't able to. Oh well.

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