Worst Day Ever!

Was sick all weekend, didn't leave the house. Had to go to a class in downtown DC this morning. This is third in a series that has already gone pretty bad. Got up an hour early, but ended up leaving the house fifteen minutes late. Started the car and:

Just more than an 1/8 tank of gas

Yeah... I can make it... Twenty miles to the Metro station. I'll get gas on the way home.

Got to the Metro station okay.

But I'd forgotten my Smartrip automated train ticket!

Can't very well drive thirty minutes home and thirty minute back to get it, I'll have to buy another. All the Smartrip kiosks are down. Only paper tickets available.

No big deal. I can buy a paper ticket. One problem... You can't pay for parking with a paper ticket, only with the automated Smartrip debit card. No cash... Only the single purpose debit card. And, no, I don't know why you can't pay for parking with a paper ticket.

Okay. I buy a day pass for $9.00 and will get a Smartrip card when I get to downtown. Turnstile won't accept my paper ticket. Everybody else is getting through? I walk toward one of the attendants, but don't even get a chance to open my mouth. She says:

9:30

Oh yeah, that's right... Day passes are only good 9:30AM to midnight. So I buy a $10 round trip ticket. And get on the train. And ride to downtown. And get off the train. And look for a kiosk to buy the Smartrip card. And it's down.

No time to worry, got to walk to class. What was the address? It's in my smart phone, in my case...

Crap, left my phone at home.

I've been to the building before, just look for landmarks. There it is. Made it on time.

But the vendor doesn't have custom curriculum for this particular class. I did bring my copy of the manual from the British Office of Government and Commerce, but the material they are using is from the Netherlands. It was translated from the Queen's English, to Dutch, then back to English. And the instructor is Indian. So much for all that time I spent learning German. And Italian.

So at lunch, I use the day pass to ride to Metro Center and buy a Smartrip preloaded with $5 to pay my parking fee of $4.75. And I didn't run out of gas.

So I guess the day wasn't that bad.

And sorry for the plagiarism, Jeff.