Monday, October 19, 2015

The Day After

Today started off well enough.  I called the car dealers to make an appointment to have my car serviced this afternoon and worked on office work.  
 
At noon, I took daughter to the airport; she went back to Berkeley today (but she'll be back Thursday night to accompany me on Friday morning when I go for the port to be inserted).  
 
On the way home, I visited my mother's grave (since I didn't have time to go yesterday) and put gas to the car; I like to start the week with a full tank of gas. 

Came home, had the last piece of the chocolate babka from yesterday, and did more work until it was time to go for my 2:00 p.m. car service appointment.  The service consultant said it would take about 1 1/2 hours.  I said no problem, I'll be in the waiting lounge; he said he'll come and call me when the car was ready.  I sat in the lounge and waited.  And waited.  And waited, some more.  Finally, after more than 3 1/2 hours of waiting, I walked over to the service department to see what was taking so much time - to see that the car was ready!  The service guy had called and left a message on my home phone and no one had come to look for me in the waiting lounge.  Aaarrgh!  So frustrating!  

Daughter had called me when she landed at the Oakland airport; I had received her call when I was in the waiting lounge.  But, apparently, she had called again when she reached her apartment, and I didn't receive that call or her subsequent calls.  So, she had called home twice and left messages, as well.  She was worried and upset, when I finally got her call.

By the time I got home, it was past 6:00 p.m. I was hungry, thirsty, tired, and in a thoroughly bad mood.  And upset that I had caused my daughter to be worried on my behalf (she said she was going to wait until 7:00 p.m. and if she hadn't heard from me by then, she was going to call my cousin or one of our neighbors and have them go to the car dealers' in search of me!)
 
Anyway, I took the trash cans to the curb, collected the mail (received the pre-op instructions for this Friday's surgical procedure), went on video chat with daughter, and had a late lunch/early dinner.  At least there was enough leftovers, so I didn't have to cook on top of everything.  And slowly, we both relaxed and calmed down. 

I called my friend who spent the weekend helping me to check on her and thank her; called my catering friend, too, since she never told me how much I owe her for the fish curry.  Called the temple, too, to update the monks about this week's medical appointments.  My mother and I taught them English when they first came to this country and over the years, we've developed a close friendship with them. 

One of my cousins called to say she was sorry she couldn't stay behind to help me after the lunch, yesterday.  I told her it was OK, as two friends stayed and helped.   We talked for a long time about this and that and I told her I'll call her later, maybe tomorrow, to help me put away the washed dishes.  I had planned to do that this afternoon, but the whole afternoon was spent waiting for my car! 

I was feeling frustrated, this afternoon, but, nevertheless, today, I am grateful for:

- Daughter had a safe flight back to Berkeley
- The car service was completed without requiring additional repairs
- Service was covered under the warranty, so no charge
- I sat in a comfortable, air conditioned lounge while I waited for the car
- I was able to vent my frustrations over the long wait to my cousin and my friends 
- Dinner was already in the fridge, waiting for me

All in all, it really was a good day.  :)

How was your day?

16 comments:

  1. Really frustrating at the car place. Sometimes there doesn't seem to be much thought in there. At least that is another job off the list. Sybil x

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    1. Yes, it's done now and won't be needed for another 6 months or so.

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  2. Oh my! I really am surprised that nobody thought to look in the waiting area for you. That would have frustrated me also. There was a place where I would occasionally take my car for an oil change and I would sit in the nice waiting room they had. In the room were comfortable chairs, a television, books, magazines, a soda machine, coffee machine and sometimes they even had out little bags of snacks or pastries for waiting customers. I always felt a like I was on a vacation and the wait period for my car ended much too soon! When they would call me to tell me the car was ready I remember thinking, "Oh, I was just reading this really good magazine article" or "I want to see how this show ends" or "I need to finish this Danish first." :)
    That is nice that you did not have to worry about making dinner when you got home. And nice to look forward to your daughter coming home at the end of the week. :)
    I am really interested in the story about you and your mother teaching English to the monks when they first came to this country- how wonderful that you have such a close relationship with them through the years. :)
    Hugs and Prayers to you and your daughter! XOXO

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    1. Dawn, this lounge too had the TV, magazines, snacks, coffee, etc. I enjoyed waiting in the room, but I hadn't planned to wait quite that long! LOL.

      My mother was a teacher and when the monks first arrived here, they barely spoke any English. They needed to learn English so they could communicate, not only with just about everyone in the larger community, but also, the children of the ex-pat community (like my own daughter) who have grown up speaking English and don't really know our language. The monks enrolled in a community college (and later transferred to a State college to further their education) and they needed tuition help, which my mother and I provided. They would record their lectures, mother and I would transcribe and explain in our language and we'd help them with homework, etc. Whenever these monks remember my mother, they speak of her as their teacher.

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  3. I'm sorry you had a frustrating time and daughter got worried. At least you had leftovers so you didn't have to worry about cooking.

    My day was okay. Fell down the stairs while holding Little Wolf. Thankfully, he was okay aside from a scratch on his hand. I'm bruised up and hurting, but as long as my baby is okay it's all good.

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    1. Jess! Oh, no! So sorry you fell and hurt yourself! Glad that the baby was OK, but hope you heal quickly. Please take it as easy as you can for the next couple of days, and take care.

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  4. Don't you have voice mail and messaging on your phone? That would have alleviated a lot of the stress. Smartphones are wonderful and mean you don't need a landline at home. When you go through chemo and radiation, there need to be only one way to get hold of you and leave messages, or there will be these kinds of mix-ups. I have a Samsung Galaxy Note 5 that replaced my Note 2 that I would never give up. It's like carrying around a very very small computer as well as a phone and camera.
    Marylynn Caldwell

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    1. Marylynn, while I do technically have voice mail on my phone, for some reason, we can't seem to set it up. Daughter has tried and given up. But, as she reminded me, yesterday, even her smartphone sometimes doesn't have a signal in some places and she doesn't get her phone messages, either. Apparently the waiting lounge was one of those no cell phone reception areas for my old phone. Well, next time I'll know to make sure the technician writes down on the service order, "Customer waiting in lounge; go in person to let her know when car is ready"! I didn't expect him to call my home phone when I had told him that I will be in the waiting lounge.

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    2. Perhaps you need a better carrier and a newer phone. A car dealership is going to have cell phone coverage, but some of the carriers don't cover certain areas very well, although I can't imagine that's the case in L.A. I have Verizon. Years ago, I bought a phone only to find out that the carrier had very poor coverage where I lived, so I returned it and got a different phone with Verizon. When you're on chemo and radiation, getting messages via voicemail is going to be very important.

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    3. Yes, something to keep in mind, I'm sure. :)

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  5. So sorry you had a frustrating experience, Bless. Hoping you are able to relax and destress this evening.

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    1. Thanks, Carolyn. I've spent a relaxing evening doing laundry, talking with family and friends, video chatting with daughter, etc. :)

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  6. Bless, it's not good for your health to be upset when being very positive with good endomorphs is such an important factor to help your body recover. Consider taking the cell to your provider or the initial place of purchase, even Best Buy as their sales staff can likely make it fully operational in minutes. Any teenagers can likely solve your problem. If the battery is old, weak not holding a charge well, buy a new battery [cheaper from an on-line seller]

    I wondered why the dealership used your landline phone number and it's answer machine rather than your cell. Even older cell phones have a 'vibrate' mode, just slip it in your pocket, Failing that, add a lanyard to the cell and wear it around your neck in a 'wait' situation, even more helpful when undergoing treatment.

    Should you decide to buy a new cell or trade with daughter's smart phone, I strongly suggest you relinquish your landline to compel fully committing and using the new device.

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    1. I do have an old phone; I guess it's time for a new one. Might be a 60th b'day present to myself. :)

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  7. I am so sorry Bless. What a terrible day.. And so sorry for your daughter too. Know that scared her . Proud the day is over , and today [wed] was better.. [read that post first,ha].
    Have a blessed evening. Judy

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    1. Thanks for the sympathy, Judy. Last year, daughter went to a work shop in Sacramento that went on longer than I had thought and she didn't return my phone call asking if she was OK and I was worried but when she finally returned to her apartment and called me, she couldn't quite understand why I had been so worried. Well, after the delay at the car service, she told me that she now understands why I was so worried then, because she got to experience a similar worry. :) I think we will both be a little better about letting the other know what's happening.

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