What a weird night

Everything went south and north and south again when I left work.

First I nearly get smashed by some moron who cut me off from the turning lane at the 114/125 N. Andover intersection, on the way to a 5:45 chiropractic appt in Haverhill. I want to get to the library there by 5:00 because it closes early on Wednesdays so I had called ahead for a few books (The Book Thief and a book of stories by Flannery O'Connor) that they were kindly holding for me. I get there at 2 minutes to 5 but with all the librarians getting into their cars. Dang! Oh well. To the chiro! Maybe she can take me early.

I get there only to find it's locked up. I call the office and it turns out she is out for a month for family stuff but I don't want a different doc to straighten me so I cancel. This means I can get to the meetup in Salem, NH earlier! YAY! (I had thought I wouldn't be there until 7:30, after the appointment and travel time.)

I stop at the market there for the frozen corn I need and some bread only to find that the only fresh Parisian loaf left is borderline squished. I buy it anyway because I really want it. Looking forward to making my special salsa and a cheese sandwich I drive home and pick up the mail to find a letter from my doc explaining the situation and a newsletter stating that I have a condo association meeting tonight! At 7:00. BOO. But I should really go, right, since I own it now... I tell myself. It is now 6:00.

Quick! I make the salsa, shove a piece of cheese down my gullet, doublecheck the meeting address (at the office) and hurry off back to Lawrence, getting cut off by yet another jerk on the highway (and I was going plenty fast, thankyyouverymuch). I arrive at the building and am met by the security guard who knows nothing about it. So we knock and NO ONE ANSWERS. Fuck! I hang around in the lot for ten minutes and the only other person who drives up is a woman who I ask if she is there for the condo meeting. No? Ok. Thank you.

By now I am really hungry but I can still get to the meetup, right? And why not? I can get something at the Dunkin' Donuts next to the shop. But I try to salvage the trip to Lawrence by stopping into a few (ghetto) stores (Rainbow Shops, AJ Wright) at the shopping center there and find nothing to make myself giggle. I do find an unusually soft organic cotton pair of lounge pants (Hanes brand) for four bucks so I try to buy it but as I approach the desk to purchase am cut off a THIRD time. Screw it. I lay the pants gently down atop the polyester things in front of me and exit. It is 8:00.

On the way home I am not cut off and I spy an absolutely gorgeous sliver moon with a ring around the full moon circle as I approach my exit. OMG! I have to have a picture. "Moon!" I ask. "Please give me five minutes to get home and I will take a picture of you. I must have you!" I pull into the garage and grab my camera to search the sky for the gorgeous girl. I see stars, but no slivers. Great. Just great. Now someone stole the moon!

Despite losing the moon I am in a much better mood so I triple-check the meeting address. Yup, I was in the right place. It's 8:25. I dump some salsa in a bowl and open my laptop, write all this, and realize. Shit. I meant to go to the meetup. It's 8:43. Not gonna happen. Sorry, folks. Breathe, CC. Just breathe.

The only good things tonight: the moon, the homemade salsa and my tax refund.

Good freakin' night, y'all. I'm officially wiped.