It's Only Been Five Days ....

..... and yet it seems like a week.
A full week.
It's been a very full five days.

Camp Widow is 17 days away.  But then I guess you know how far off it is/is not .... if you just look to the right.
:)
As the Volunteer Coordinator it's been a busy couple of weeks, trying to get in touch with everyone and get t shirt sizes, meal choices, workshop choices, etc.
If this were a perfect world, everyone would respond to my e-mails ..... in a timely fashion.
However it is not, and the do not.  Sometimes, not at all.
Sigh.
But most of them do and it's going to be a great weekend!

Daughter #2 came home today for a short visit.  We had pedicures this afternoon.
After I went to the physical therapy and then to see my orthopedic surgeon ..... who told me that I was a free woman.
OK, that's not exactly what he said, but that's what it amounts to.
I'm done seeing him, unless I get injured again (please, God .... no).
I'm done with physical therapy, which is both good and bad.  Good, in that I won't have to go 3 days a week, bad in that I liked going, liked my PT and the workout my shoulder got, and bad that I won't be doing that kind of work out at home.  I mean, I could totally lie and say that i will, but who would I be kidding?  I'm hoping to get some PT stuff done, but it won't be at the same level as going in and doing it is.
So yay, my shoulder has been cleared to do whatever it feels like doing.  Just not all at once.
I played tennis last Monday and it felt great.  No pain whatsoever.  For the first time in over 5 years.  And no pain that night, either.
And then I played on Thursday.  And I played longer, and a bit harder, than I had played on Monday.
And it was too much.
It's still a bit sore from that day, but not too bad.

But Thursday got a bit worse after that.
After playing tennis I went out and did a lot of errands.  At this point in time (just after midnight on Tuesday) I can't remember what all I did, but I was heading home around 3:00 p.m.
Our smallish-community has been having a lot of road work done on one of its 2 major streets.  Yep, one out of two is a lot.  I was on that street Thursday afternoon.  As I pulled on to it I passed a sigh that read, "road work ahead" .... duhhhh.  Then the next sign read, "Right light closed ahead".  Well, "ahead" in this case meant in about one mile.  But I dutifully moved into the left lane as soon as I could because that's just how I run.  And I ABHOR the little people who continue to zip down the right lane and cut in at the very last moment.
ABHOR.
Many such little people were doing this on Thursday.  And if you have done this, shame on you.
After being in the left lane for about 20 minutes (20 minutes of stop and go traffic) I looked into my rearview mirror and noticed that the black truck behind me was driving down the center of the two lanes, so that no more little people could zip by.  I smiled and thought, "Good for you, Mr. Black Truck Driver!"  We continued to drive this way a bit longer and then I noticed that there was a white truck behind the black truck and Mr. White Truck Driver was being aggressive.  Way too aggressive for stop and go traffic.  I have no doubt that he was totally ticked at Mr. Black Truck Driver for not letting him zip past.  He kept speeding up and riding on the rear end of the black truck, swerving left and right and mainly driving like a huge jerk.
Then he must've decided that driving like a jerk was not nearly as fun as driving like an ass, because he suddenly swerved to his left and drove up and over the curb, past the trees and sidewalk and past the black truck.
He then drove off of the curb and back into the right lane.
Next to me.
I was a bit stunned but would soon be even more stunned.
Because Mr. No-Longer-a-Jerk-But-Now-An-Ass started heading into my lane.
Where I was.
I thought that perhaps he didn't notice me there, even though I drive a large-ish red-ish SUV.  See, even then I gave him the benefit of doubt.  But that disappeared in the next nano-second.
Because I honked to let him know that there was indeed a car in the lane into which he was swerving.  I looked at him, his window was next to my window, and he was shaking both of his fists at me and waving them towards himself, as if to say, "C'mom!  C'mon and get some of this!".
And I was about as stunned as I thought I could get.
Until he kept heading into my lane.
I could not have avoided him, unless I swerved to my left and up and over the median on my side, or sped up and slammed into the car behind me, or hit my brakes and then watched the rear part of his truck hit the front part of my car.
He pulled closer to me and then swerved in my direction, causing our side mirrors to smash into each other.  I saw paint and glass flying everywhere.
And at that point I was about as stunned as I was going to be.
And then I became P***ED.
Very, very, P***ED.
I stopped my car and saw that he had stopped his and leapt out of it.
In my p***ed off state, I forgot that I was alone in my car, that I am only 5'4" and weigh somewhere around 120 lbs.
Meaning, not big enough to beat the crap out of this guy.
Even though I felt big enough at the time.
I jumped out of my car and just looked at him .... probably with a most unkind look.  He started screaming, "Pull it over!!  PULL IT OVER!!!"
I knew at that moment that I was dealing with a madman, but still didn't conclude that I had no one there to back me up.
So I mustered up all 5'4" of me and yelled the only thing I could think of (and of which I am not proud) .... "Screw you!!!"
And then I got back in my car and thought about just driving off for about 2 seconds.  But I was still too mad.  So I picked up my cell and dialed 911 and pulled my car over into the right lane.
A very, very kind mind who had been driving in front of my got out of his car and told me that I had done nothing wrong, I was in the right and that man was crazy.  And then he stayed with me until the police came, which took quite a while, seeing as how there was only one lane of traffic and people were gawking at us.  Mr. White Truck Driver, who henceforth shall be known as The Supreme Ass (of TSA), stayed on his end of the street and I stayed on my end.  The police came, took my story, took TSA's story and then took the witness' story.  And then he talked to TSA again and came back to me with an ultimatum;  he could give both of us a citation (wait for it ...), and we could take our chance in court,  or just let us both go and take care of our own cars.
And I then learned that I could, indeed, be stunned a little bit more.
I said something like, "WHAT?!!!  Why would I get a citation???!!!  I didn't do anything wrong and you have a witness to that fact!"
To which he replied something like, "I'm not going to go into any of that.  Do you want the citation or not?"
Now I have never had a citation before.  Nor a ticket.  Ever.  Yes, I know it's hard to believe, but it's true.  I personally think one should receive some sort of plaque or something if one reaches the age of, oh .... 50, and has never had a ticket.  Evidently not everyone agrees with that.
So all I could think, and say, was, "No!  I don't want a citation.  But HE should get one!"  Mr. Policeman, henceforth known as Ass #2, just looked at me.  Finally I said, "No, I don't want a citation."  He said, "Fine.  Now I'll go talk to TSA."  The witness could not believe it when I told him what Ass #2 had said.
Then Ass #2 came back and said, "TSA wants to file a police report.  So I'm going to write one, but not give either of you a citation."  I asked what in the world that meant and he said it meant that I should take his police report to my insurance office and then follow their directions.  He then told me that I could go. I got into my car, got back into the left lane, drove about 2 feet ..... and then it hit me.  Ass #2 did NOT want to give any citations because that meant that, not only would he be out there longer, but he would also have to show up in court.  And then I was furious.  Beyond furious.  I drove straight to my insurance office and told them what had happened.  The woman asked, "You told him, Yes, I want the citation!!! Right?"  I told her that, alas, I had not.  I was new at all of this and couldn't think in time and that I later realized what had just happened.  I had been scammed.
She told me that the police department from this particular large metropolis (which shall remain nameless, but you all know where I live anyway) contains some of THE laziest people on the face of the earth.  They, as an insurance company, encounter this all of the time.  This is so wrong .... on so many levels.  But if it ever happens again I'll know better.  And I'll go to court.
On the bright side?  His mirror was hanging by a wire.  Mine is just really scratched up.
And .... when I went to the insurance office I saw our weekly farmers' market in our town center.  I'd never been to it because I never remember that it's there.  But that day I went.  And enjoyed myself immensely.
So there, TSA.

Yes, this is a hugely long post and for that I am truly sorry.  I told you it's been a week of only 5 days.
And now, as of tonight, my joints are hurting.  Not just aching, but "had to take a pain pill" hurting.
Damn.
If they're like this tomorrow then I expect I'll be seeing the rheumatologist sooner, rather than later.

So there you go.
A week of 5 days.
I'm sure there's more to share with you about those 5 days, but it's almost 1 am and I have to take Son #3 to the dr. at 8:00 a.m. tomorrow.
Guess who made the appointment at that time?
It wasn't me.
sigh .....

On that sigh ..... Happy Tuesday, Peeps.

And please, move into the correct lane in a timely fashion.
:)


P.S.  I forgot to add that my insurance agent called the next morning and had a message from TSA.  He's filing a claim against them/me for "failure to yield".  She thought that was hysterical.  Especially since there was no where, nor any way for me to yield and not get hit by him moving into my lane.  He never stopped, never slowed down, never seemed to care that our cars would collide at some point.  I was glad to have helped given her some entertainment for her day.  She laughed .... a lot.
So did the agent who called yesterday to get my "tape recorded version" .... and she works for his insurance company!  I later got a call from my company, for the same thing .... my recorded version.  The person who took that one was very confused as to why he was even wasting their time.  I just said that I thought he was a wee bit crazy.  That's all.
Aren't we all?  But hopefully we hold it in while driving .... hopefully.