Spent the morning busily paperworking…which is an excellent thing to keep your brain occupied…not as free to go gallivanting across the countryside looking for more things to worry about.
…A ream of paper, and 33 contracts later, (after two Corporate Reports, and booking calls, and schedule updates, and reminders sent out), I am ready to face the world again for about ten or fifteen minutes before launching into the next thing.
So here we are: at posting time.
First thing that immediately grabs my attention is that I still have a residual life-hangover left over from yesterday. Which frankly surprises me. This is different from an “actual” hangover only in the way that your entire body aches and you have to firmly fight the sensation to burst into tears all of a sudden…though you managed to never once have even the slightest inclination to yesterday, while in the midst of all the shit-storm.
…Which I suppose means I “won” somehow.
I dunno.
But either way, I feel the hits those punches made. All over m’damn body, today.
Leaning back in my swivel chair, hands rubbing at the rock mountains that are my neck and shoulders, I can’t help but think how amazing it is…the amount of physical exhaustion, that ‘emotional havoc’ can be on a body.
Intense.
And “tense.”
…It ain’t over yet. It’s only begun. But it isn’t my fault, nor am I one of the starring players involved. That means that, even in the thick of it, I can still sorta retreat a bit.
As Marty says, “only two more sleeps” till we all getta meet up and play again…taking the prime opportunity to air and redirect some of this life-shit into a more positive, creative outlet.
…Meanwhile…I’m regretting all those days in childhood where nap times were cavalierly thrown about, without the realization of how awesome they were, and how much I would one day wish for almost nothing more in my whole life than four quiet hours with my head on a pillow by 1:30 p.m..
Kids…
…What do they know?
A little over two hours left to go.
Harriet will be done by four tonight…I made sure of it.
…Part of yesterday’s grand eventness was bringing down the law on the Manager of the shop where she currently resides…mid-week THREE of her stay, when she was promised to be done two weeks ago. As I’d been too busy opening and running shows here and there since, Ma had been the only mode of contact he’d had in that time…until yesterday.
…He outweighed me by two bodies, and looked like something out of a prison movie with all those tats, and a monster Harley Biker beard, so I could see he was rather surprised at my stance and the words immediately coming out of my face toward him, the second he walked in the door.
Me: “You Joe?”
Joe: “Yeah.”
Me: “That’s my PT. Cruiser on the block right there.”
Joe: “Okay.”
Me: “You have $3000 of my money. It was supposed to be done two weeks ago. Both cars in the family are sitting here in your shop, with their guts out, and we are on our second contract for another rental cuz you promised twice that the jobs would be done. I’ll be here after work tomorrow at 4 p.m. My car will be fixed, off that block, and with an extended Warranty — not some two-month nonsense like the last time you DIDN’T fix it — for my trouble.”
Joe: “For parts or–”
Me: “–Top-to-toe, Joe. That means it hiccups in the cold or shutters at a stoplight and YOU fix it. Free. Got it. I’m done now. Have it ready by tomorrow. That’s all.”
…I was already halfway through my day-of-shit by that point, so there was very little in the way of womanly grace remaining by that point. And he could see that, and wisely kept his damn mouth shut.
…So much could not be said for all the assholes I had to deal with yesterday…but I suppose when you are put into multiple fight scenarios — like those good ol’ Mortal Kombat days — you can’t expect to combo-K.O. it out every damn time. Pert near did though. And I never once lost my cool while doing it. Which is so much more aggravating in an opponent, I find.
I shall not be dissuaded.
…Yesterday was apparently the one where you pay five times over the price for a “vacation day.”
…Where by the half-way point, you realize you should have just sucked it up, gone into work, and dealt with the exhaustion and incessant phone rings and paperwork mess.
But you didn’t.
…And nothing comes for “free.”
…Silly me and my assumptions.
~D