#2807 Friday, April 8, 2022: About yesterday. And friendship

Post 2807

- 12 years and 97 days since I started this blog -

February 20, 2022

Daily Comment

Yesterday - Thursday, I had a 2:45pm appointment for my Global Entry interview at the Champlain US Customs office on the Canadian border near Montreal.

I left a few minutes after 10am. It was raining.

I drove four hours without stopping, then went into a McDonald's to pee and get some coffee, bought something to eat in the car that ended up being awful.

Got to the interview five minutes early, getting soaked in the hard rain looking for the entrance to the building (not where I thought, and not near to where I parked).

The interview was over in less than ten minutes. I was denied, due to a gap in my distant background I choose not to fill. By 3pm, I'm back in my car heading home, a four-and-a-half hour drive. Plus stops.

After two-and-a-half hours, I pull in to a Dunkin' for more coffee. As I enter, I take the turn too close and hit the curb. Driving out of the drive-through lane, I realize I have a flat. I pull into the next-door parking lot of a Dollar General.

The tire is toast, with a hole in the sidewall I can stick my thumb in. Which I do. Standing in the rain.

And my phone has no internet connection. I call my Roadside Assistance plan, just before 6pm. I don't want to put on the spare in the rain. I'm told someone will come in about forty-five minutes. We connect by phone.

I go to move my gear out of the trunk to access the spare. In the rain. I'm thinking, things could be worse. It could be a week ago, and freezing temps and snow.

"It could be worse" is not a good way to think about things. It turns out, my car has no spare. I'm on the phone with the road service guy, he turns around. He isn't in a tow truck, I have to call back roadside assistance.

I call my friend Al, who is actually about fifteen minutes away, and may have some insight and help to offer. He does.

Roadside assistance tells me someone will tow the car to the nearest dealer in Watertown, covered by my insurance. When I mention that that is an hour away, and also an hour from where I live. Roadside assistance has no help. Suggests I rent a car, but, after checking, tells me I only have that covered if I was in an accident.

A call in to Al, and he checks and finds no open car rental agencies in Watertown. The tow driver checks in and says he's about an hour away. Coming from Watertown, in fact.

But Al will lend me his 2003 Cadillac! I'll have to drive up to him in Canton tomorrow, then he can drive me back to Watertown to pick up my car - an hour or so away. No problem, still the best solution.

A nice woman from the Dollar General (where I bought a rain poncho and umbrella) comes out to check if I'm okay. That's very thoughtful. 

Al arrives in about 20 minutes, followed by his parents, who will drive him home. That way I can follow the tow truck to the Honda dealer in Watertown. His engineer father inspects the tire, agrees that it's toast, and suggests that the rim might be damaged. That would quadruple the expense. At least. But that's not an issue at the moment.

The tow truck finally arrives at 8:45pm. Following him down to the dealership isn't difficult, but the driving conditions, still raining hard, and unlit roads, with the tow truck's flashers blinding, makes driving difficult.

And then we're there, I'm filling out the form by the after-hours drop box, about to put in my keys, when I realize I have to put all my gear back in the trunk. In the rain

Okay, done, keys in the box, and a little over an hour later, I'm home. Exhausted. Hungry.

That was my yesterday. Chalk it up as one of the worst days in a very long time. 

The good news? That was yesterday.

I'm grateful that yesterday was the worst day I've had in years and years, and that it's over, and I'm still here.

But mostly, I'm grateful to my friend Al. Who's managed to rescue me time and again over the last few decades. I have the best friends.

Food and Diet 

Today's Weight:                    196.2 lbs.

Previous Weight (4/6/22):          197.0 lbs.

Net Loss/Gain:                     - 0.8 lbs.

Diet Comment

This loss must be from Wednesday, because I didn't eat well yesterday. But certainly a good weight to go into the weekend with.

Food Log

Breakfast
1:45pm: Veggie scramble (kale, spinach, mushrooms, peppers, onions, shaved parmesan and eggs).

Lunch
Skipped.

Dinner
11:00pm: Air-fried root vegetables (turnips, parsnips, sweet potatoes, beets, olive oil) with roasted turkey; peanut butter and a Quest bar.

Liquid Intake

   Espressos: 1;   Coffee: 20 oz.;  Water: 46+ oz.; 

 Please leave a comment when you visit my blog.
Thank you!