Well, I'm here! For a few days a week anyway. I struck a deal with my boss, and arranged to work 3 12-hr-shifts a week for the remainder of December, so I'll be going back and forth every week. This is quite useful since I've left my son behind to finish out the semester at his old school. Try as I might, I'm not sure how to otherwise make his move less traumatic. When I was just a year or 2 older than he, I moved to Dallas and remember all too well how much of a change it was and how much I hated it. This way allows him a little more time to get used to the idea of moving, say goodbye to friends, and visit relatives. I do miss him though, and wish he were more in favor of the move. My having to go back weekly to work gives me a chance to visit him and keep up with his life while I try to transform to a new life in a new place.
Speaking of which, yesterday's transition exercise didn't go well. My mission was simple - go get hubby a money order and buy a stamp with which to mail it. Sounds simple....but let me assure you it was no simple task. The money order was simple enough - there was a bank just across from the off-ramp on Central Avenue/Hwy. 270. So I ask the teller where the closest place to buy a stamp was as I was new in town and had no idea where the post office was. She told me the Walgreens just across the street was the place for me. Except, Central is a 6-lane main drag and I was attempting to cross the street at the point and time where all cars in Hot Springs simultaneously line up, forcing me to get out in the wrong lane for me to turn, which meant I had to go on down and turn around to get on the right side of the road. So a did a little necessary shopping - soft bleach cleaner (necessary because my countertops in the kitchen have stains I didn't see when I moved in), pads, and a small package of Nutter Butter cookies (I didn't know these were necessary until I attempted to cross the street from the bank. When I broke into tears, I realized that my period must be near.) I then stood in line for 20 minutes waiting to checkout, and was then told "yes, we sell stamps, but we're out of them." From the surprised look on her face, I figure she must be telepathic. So I asked where I could find a stamp. She directed me to 'that traffic light over there' as she pointed out the window at 3 traffic lights. "Just turn right at that one and the post office is about a mile down the road." Apparently she meant one of the other lights, because 'that' light was connected to a one-way street going the wrong way. So I continued on...and on, and on. Then the gas light dings at me, so I stop to fill up after turning around because my on and on went on too far when I realized I was about to cross Lake Hamilton.
Gas pumped, and 2 hours into my journey, I return to my mission - find a stamp - and finally I spy an Office Depot sign. I whip in to find the most beautiful sight, a pack-ship-mail type of operation going on in the corner of the store. AT LONG LAST! They gotta have a stamp over there. So I walk up to the clerk, a bouncy blonde fresh out of high school, and say "can I buy a stamp?" and she says "we only sell them in books of 20." I reply, "I don't give a shit if I have to buy 100, I'LL TAKE IT."
So, to recap: On my first full day living in Hot Springs, I spent $26 on a two-hour trek to buy a stamp, probably offended a few folks, and learned that all who drive in Hot Springs do so like road-raged maniacs.
I shall not leave the house again until it's time to leave for work on Friday.
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