I think the title and this picture of Gregory passing out on our living room floor say it all. It’s been a hard week! Allow me to count the ways for a minute.
1. Ebola was discovered, not 5 miles from where we live. It’s easy to say, “Don’t panic, it’s all gonna be fine!” when you don’t live at Ground Zero, right?
2. My computer spazzed out all week before sending sparks and smoke from where it connects to the charger. I’m taking it in to the Mac Store tonight, but a part of me is worried they are going to give me a bill for hundreds of dollars, making it more cost effective to buy a new one. Cost effective or not, I don’t have hundreds of dollars lying around to spend on a computer at this point.
Losing my laptop wouldn’t be such a bad thing if I didn’t depend on it everyday for my online teaching job. But I do! I’ve already had so many tech issues in the last couple of weeks, it’s been infuriating. The software for the class doesn’t like my 6 year old Mac, so I’ve been having to use my husband’s 7 year old Dell, which, although it still runs, crashes often and since the WiFi doesn’t work, I have to plug in an ethernet cord like it’s 1999. The ethernet cord is also nowhere near my desk, so I have to sit on the couch and hunch over to get near the laptop’s mic to teach my students (giving me a giant neck-ache by the end of the class). On one of the days, the outlets in the living room decided to stop working suddenly (stupid old apartment!), so, with 5 minutes to spare, I was yanking out the internet modem and sprinting for our second ethernet hub in the back bedroom, logging in right as my class started! Talk about stressful!
3. I just found out that my brother, who finished his ROTC training at Gonzaga in May, is getting deployed sometime within the year (even though they originally told him he’d be stationed permanently in the US since he’s military intelligence). I have mixed emotions about this. I’m glad that he gets to serve our country, and he won’t be on the field fighting, just stuck behind a computer somewhere, but it means he will be gone for close to a year, if not more. I already have one other brother who has been in the Navy for 5+ years and is getting out in September. Instead of having the whole family together again at holidays, it’s going to be trading one sibling for the other. I also kind of feel like our family has served ENOUGH time for one decade? Can’t I just have my brothers back already?
4. A personal matter back home presented itself, making me very sad and stressed out. I can’t get into details because of the people involved, but let’s just say, my Momma Bear syndrome is on high alert and it’s draining.
5. I got into a car accident last night! On my way to yoga (where I was desperate to go and de-stress myself), one of the street lights at a MAJOR intersection was out. It took me 15 minutes just to EXIT the freeway, and another 20 to get through the light. And then, once it finally was my turn and I went to turn right, a group of pedestrians went to cross the street, so I stopped to avoid hitting them. Which meant that someone impatient hit ME from behind. Luckily there was really no damage to my car, but I have his insurance info just in case.
6. Someone bought an item from me on eBay and then decided to turn into the B*&@& from Hell. Even though I have offered her a refund plus shipping, I told her I didn’t agree with her assessment of the item. Apparently, that sent her over the edge, and she wants me kicked off of eBay. Ha. Ha. Hahaha. Luckily, the customer service team has been super supportive, acknowledging that every once in a while they get a crazy person like this, and that the best thing to do is ignore their emails until the case is closed. 7 more days and counting. Can’t wait until it’s behind me!
7. Last night wasn’t the only night I missed yoga due to unforseen circumstances. On Wednesday, I bought some gluten-free cookies from Aldi, and it turns out they are chalk full of potato starch. I ate two, and two hours later, I was doubled over in pain. I couldn’t even stand up– just had to lay down and let it pass. So, apparently, I really AM that sensitive to nightshades, and I should just never eat anything processed ever again. I’m already off of ALL gluten, dairy, chocolate, and beans. But now I have to crack down on the potato stuff a little bit more to make sure I don’t accidentally poison myself again. This is actually pretty difficult, as most gluten-free stuff uses potato starch or flour in some shape or form. I just wanted a cookie to help deal with my bad week. Is that too much to ask?
Looking back over all of these, they are the epitome of first world problems. I have a computer to myself, which is why I am mad that it broke. I have an online job where I don’t even have to COMMUTE, which is why I rely on the internet. I am scared about ONE case of Ebola, when there are entire families being wiped out by this thing. We don’t depend on our car for anything more than grocery shopping and convenience, so the car accident wasn’t life changing in the least. My brothers get paid lots of money to serve our country.
All of these tough things are a result of first world blessings that I enjoy, so even while I know they are all tough, I acknowledge that I am very fortunate. We have a few friends coming into town for the weekend, and it looks like fun times ahead for the next few days. Then, next Tuesday I get to fly home and see family in CA.
Have a happy and restful weekend, everyone! We need it!
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