Tuesday, January 25, 2005

Fubar Monday night

Or maybe it is only SNAFU, instead of FUBAR. It was after all, a Monday.

I left campus starving and tired and having an attack of 'must eat now or will take someone's head off' (I have Neutrograin bars stashed everywhere for that kind of emergency- but earlier I had eaten all the ones with me before I left class -plus tuna salad and crackers; the rest were in the car). I was trying to keep my mind off the fact that the Neutrograin bars weren't really working and my stomach and right side were now in serious pain, along with my mood/brain being altered- presumably from the sugar low. I tried to concentrate on driving. I thought about Johnny Carson- about how many years he was a part of my late nights and what talented man he seemed- nice fellow midwesterner too; which probably added to why I liked him so much. Jay Leno is ok and has done a good job as a replacement, but no one compared to Carson.

[Drive, pay attention to traffic, breathe in... breathe out... focus... home soon... breathe....]

Close to home I saw multiple fire trucks racing up La Tuna Canyon (opposite direction) with news helicopters trailing in the sky, of course (later I learned it was a home on fire in Tujunga Canyon). The 'copter noise and sirens were audible when I exited the freeway. When I reached home I found my parking space (and ten others) blocked with 2 large plumbing pick-up trucks, assorted equipment and 'do not cross' yellow tapes. It seems there is a leak somewhere in the water main for the complex- right outside our condo south wall. The plumbers were using jackhammers to tear up the pavement-a foundation shaking, hanging things quivering, teeth grinding, sort of operation.

The water is shut off, the car is parked crazily crooked behind other cars parked along the outer edges of the drive, and I have eaten, but without being able to clean up (thank goodness the dishwasher was full of clean dishes!). The noise was intermittent, but enough to unsettle the last of my hold on sanity tonight. When they weren't using the jackhammer they were shouting at each other outside my living room wall. They left around 11PM without apparently fixing the problem- Fun stuff for an overly long day.

Gosh, it is really hard to remember not to turn on those faucets or move handles- too many automatic activities affected for this tired brain not to stumble over. Of course- because I can't take a shower, the only thing on my mind is how good a long hot shower would feel...that and how the pain in my right side doesn't show any signs of departing. [Time to reframe, refocus.. breathe...]

Tuesday morning ought to be interesting. I don't wake with brain engaged; I wonder how many times I will forget there is no water? Oh and the weather report says more rain is on the way by Tuesday night. That seems ironic somehow.

I keep thinking breathe in... ... breathe out... ... sleep, need... shut off the noise in my head, turn off the pain... breathe in....

No comments: