|
navigation
current
archives
links page
profile
|
|
not in the moody
October 10, 2008
I'm in kind of a "not in the mood" mood lately. There isn't much going on in my life or in the world that is positive, so I'm pulling in on myself. I get like that sometimes.
Did the Indiana trip last week, and it was okay. The retirement ceremony was very touching and personal (not what I expected from a military retirement), and the party was very smoky and boozy and raucous. Not a lot of fun for me, since Souse Spouse was having a whale of a time puffing cigars and binge drinking with his old Air Force buddies, and I was left to be the sober one. Well, HE had fun. That's why we were there, right?
The hotel was...unique. An old Bachelor Officer's Quarters (circa early 1950s), converted to a motel. One double (NOT queen, as advertised) bed, a shower stall roughly the size of my pinky finger, hot water that took so long to come I think it was piped in from a neighboring state, and bible quotes all over the lobby. Both the snack machine and the soda machine were completely empty. No ice machine in evidence.
And you know what else was not in evidence?
Employees.
This was my first experience with a self-service hotel. We got there around 2:00 pm, , and the office behind the desk was shuttered and abandoned. On the desk lay several envelopes, one with my name on it. Inside the envelope, I found a key (actual metal key, on the old, lozenge-shaped motel key tag)and a registration card, with instructions to fill out and drop in a slot, along with a note saying the management would return at 8:00 the following morning.
When we checked out at 8:45 on Sunday, the place was as abandoned as ever. Spouse was ticked, since he wanted to pay cash and not leave it on my card. Put what can you do? Dropped the key in the slot and that was that.
I got a chuckle out of the sign by the exit--Phillipians 4:13. Everything except show up for work, apparently.
Oh, well. The room was clean, quiet, and conveniently located. And that's probably more than I have a right to expect for forty-five bucks these days.
I took three days of vacation this week; a birthday gift to myself. And I didn't do much of anything. Just vegged out around the house in my jammies, watched movies, and read. Hardly even spent any time on the PC.
On Monday night, I stayed up and made Spouse's birthday dinner, so he could actually have it ON his birthday--when he got home from work at 12:45 am. This year's order was a blue-plate special: My homemade Salisbury steaks, mashed potatoes & gravy, and "mushy peas" (From a can. What can I say? He loves them!), followed by the Chocolate Ganache Tart specified as his chosen dessert.
He seemed very pleased with it all.
It rained heavily all day on Tuesday, and I was pooped from staying up all night making dinner. A blah day. Not much of a birthday. I did a short birthday post, got a voicemail from P, and visit from W--very small recognition of my 45th. I got a card from my brother's family on Wednesday. Nothing from the 'rents, though. If I know my mom, there is yet another unmailed birthday card on the dusty stack next to her front door. She's kind of famous for that.
SInce T stayed home, W sort of seized the rare opportunity to bitch about her partner, so that was kind of a weird thing on what I kind of thought was my day. But we so rarely get to talk when T isn't around that I know it felt good for her to blow a bit. I love her too much to not let her vent when she needs to. And she brought me a Barnes and Noble gift cert, so I actually got a gift on my birthday. That was worth a whole lot on shoulder wetting, in my book.
The weather was better on Wednesday. I putzed around all morning, doing laundry and chilling. I got cleaned up and went out around noon--hit the library for an hour or so, and brought Burger King home for lunch. Spent the afternoon and evening reading a novel cover-to-cover, then got my shit together for work in the morning, and hit the rack.
Even though my work week consists of a day and a half this week, I was really looking forward to the weekend.
Then Spouse announced he was taking the night off. Damn! I thought he was out of PTO, and couldn't do that anymore! Well, he is out of PTO, but he can still take a night off. He just won't get paid for it. Fuck--why should he worry? He's got a tame slave to pay the freight for him, right? I can't afford a fucking haircut, but he's got money to burn, I guess.
Anyway. I don't know what he's got planned for tonight, but I know my Sunday is already spoken for--a festive brunch with P&E, in general celebration. Between us two couples, we have three birthdays and a wedding anniversary in October, and it was something of a tradition that Papa would take us all out sometime during the month to celebrate. I'm more than happy to keep up the tradition, even though he's gone. It gives us a chance to celebrate him, too.
Reading: "The Thirteen Problems", by Agatha Christie.
Surfing: Oh yeah, this is reassuring.
Listening: Not much, really. Just not in a musical mood.
At Random: click here
|
|
|