Mixed blessing

My last day of work before my three week vacation was completely insane. You know how people sometimes say, "I was so busy, I forgot to eat lunch"? Well, my reaction to that statement is always, "Not possible." However, on Friday, May 9, it happened. I was so crazy busy, I actually forgot to each lunch!

I told my last client of the day, who sometimes acts like I'm a one-woman drop-in clinic for her problems, and our regularly scheduled appointment should be postponed if she has to do laundry or her daughter's hair (which takes 2 hours to do), that I had to meet her at 4:00 because I was leaving at 5:00. For three weeks. No questions asked. I got so busy that I didn't even go to get her until 4:30 and we met until 5:30 and then I proceeded to work until 8:00 pm and even then only left because I HAD to get a bikini wax before my vacation so that I wouldn't scare anyone on the beach. So, at 9 pm, I'm all buffed and waxed polished as they are literally closing the door behind me at the salon and I decide that since I haven't started packing for my 8 am flight... in fact, haven't even done my laundry yet... that I should just splurge and take a cab home.

On the way home, I talked to my supervisor on the phone, who had been calling me all day and this was maybe the only opportunity I would have to speak to her. Once I got home, I paid $30 to the driver (the reason I never take cabs) and as I continued my conversation, made sure I had all my stuff, including a bag that held my favorite summer shoes that I wanted to bring with me to Mexico. I put a load of laundry in (up and down 5 flights of stairs), then started packing, then moved the stuff to the dryer (up and down 5 flights of stairs again), then continued packing, and then realized that I couldn't find my favorite shoes and started cursing like a sailor. I was going over it in my mind, visualizing myself grabbing my bag, holding my cell phone to my ear, acting casual while I continued to talk to my supervisor but really was freaking out because it was 10 pm and I had so much to do, putting my wallet back in my purse, closing the car door, and walking to my building. I figured I must have dropped it in the lobby, so I put my shoes on, went down (5 flights of stairs) and looked in the lobby. Didn't see it, so I came back upstairs (5 flights) and still didn't see it, so I went back downstairs (how many flights?) and went to the street and still didn't see it. Then I thought I must have just left it in the cab and I was again cursing myself for not only paying $30 on a cab, but also because now I'd have to buy a new pair of shoes to replace the ones I lost. I came back upstairs (do I need to say how many flights?) and continued packing.

But then... I smelled something... so horrible. I started sniffing around my room, which led me to my closet, which led me to the shoes I had just taken off... and I found the smell. I stepped in dog crap on the sidewalk!! After cleaning off my shoes, I put all the stuff I used to clean them in a bag, went, once again, down all those freaking stairs to the basement, opened the garbage cans... and there on the top was my bag and my favorite shoes!! I pulled my shoes out, put the dog crap in, and went back up to finish packing! I must have dropped the bag in the lobby and in the time it took me to realize that I had lost them, my super must have found them and thrown them away. No one has ever been so happy to step in dog crap!!

And that's the long story of events that started out a lovely week in Mexico. (I still had to go downstairs to pick my laundry up out of the dryer, though.) Now I'm back and have another short trip planned to New England at the end of the week, and another week of vacation that is still unplanned. And I don't care what you say about me taking three weeks off together. I work really hard!