Journal of a Sabbatical

January 9, 2001

and if that mockin' bird don't shine

Today's Reading: Alan Mendelsohn, the Boy from Mars by Daniel Pinkwater, Slaves of Spiegel by Daniel Pinkwater

Now if I could just get Stormy to do this with a blue tarp...

Oh to have Stormy's ability to hide under a pillowcase or Miss Newburyport's ability to sleep with one eye open or ...

I am deep in malaise and it ain't just cuz it's snowing again. Actually I have no idea what the reason is. I just know that I have a near overwhelming urge to sleep the rest of the winter and take up my to do list again in the spring. That's coupled with an urge to list the 84,000 reasons why I suck.

I was careful to park my car so it was sticking out into the main part of the parking lot last night as instructed by BusyBody who gave me a lecture on Saturday (during the last snow storm) about how I don't park right and thus cause her car to get plowed in. Not that what she said made any sense at all, but I am trying not to antagonize her any further.

So it was still snowing when I left the house this morning and I was in a real space shot frame of mind because I went to buy a cup of coffee on the way to my therapist's office and discovered I had forgotten my wallet. I never forget my wallet. Except today. It's in the pocket of the jeans I was wearing yesterday, which are in the laundry bag about to be washed. I was going to wear them this morning until I noticed how dirty they are and switched to a clean pair at the last minute. Still, one might think I would have noticed the wallet when I shoved them into the laundry bag. Oh well, at least I hadn't actually put them in the washer yet.

I think the wallet thing shook me up more because the day after Christmas I lost my credit card. Rather I thing I threw it away. I was in the process of putting it back in my wallet while coming out of College Hill Bookstore when I saw/heard the news about the Wakefield shootings, which upset me greatly and distracted me from the task of putting the card in my wallet. What I think I did was drop it into the bag with the books and some other stuff figuring I'd sort it out later. Only I completely forgot that I'd done that and threw the bag away as soon as I took the books out of it at home. One might still think I would have remembered what happened as soon as I realized the credit card was gone. However, I didn't have occasion to use the credit card for several days, hence didn't realize it was gone. By that time the trash was long gone to whatever incinerator or landfill our condo's trash removal contractor takes it to. Oops. So I called and canceled it and requested a new one all the while feeling like a total idiot.

At least I retrieved the wallet after my therapy appointment and was able to get some coffee and lunch.

I'd planned to go look for birds before the Purrfect Companions meeting but somehow fear of another lecture by the BusyBody kept me indoors until she went back into her unit. So no mockingbird not singing today. The snow eventually stopped and I successfully avoided BusyBody in the parking lot.

When I got to the cat shelter for the Purrfect Companions meeting, the parking lot was a sheet of ice and the door was locked. I rang the doorbell for Cindy to let me in, but the doorbell is broken. I tried to get her attention by throwing snowballs at the office window from the parking lot. Picture me sliding backwards after every pitch. Fortunately I didn't fall. Alas, my arm is not what it once was (on the CYO girls softball team I played for in 8th grade I was the only one who could make the throw from third to first. Hence I got to play third all the time.) After three successive snowballs hitting the siding well below the office window I gave up and slid back to my car. Just then Richard, who has a key, arrived and let me in. Apparently he's supposed to be fixing the door bell.

The clock meowed 6:00 and we had the meeting. Somebody commented that Stormy was so cute we should take her on nursing home visits. I pointed out that elders don't like being bitten. We talked about the benefits of pet therapy for patients with dementia. I didn't mention I'm feeling demented myself.