Trapped

I have been waiting around almost all day -- I mean that literally -- waiting for the air conditioner repairman. He left here with my through-the-wall unit at about noon and here it is, 7:30, and it's still not back. I called him at 6:00 for an update and he said he'd call me back "in half an hour," but that didn't happen. And now I won't be getting the air conditioner back until Sunday. AARGH!

I'm trying not to be upset. His entire operation is just two guys -- he does this picking up and delivering while his partner is in the shop, cleaning and repairing. This record-breaking spring heatwave has folks all over town turning on our units for the first time in six months and saying, "What the fuck?" He's doing everything he can to get all of the ac's turned around same day. And there aren't a lot of repair outlets that will even bother with through-the-wall units. I don't feel like spending $500 or $600 on a new one if I can get by with spending $110 to repair the existing one.

But this is not the way I wanted to spend my Saturday! It's hot in here! And, except for about an hour running errands, I've been in here. Waiting, waiting, waiting, like Aunt Bea behind bars.

And thinking about how the temporary crown I got last Saturday popped off. Sometimes it feels like nothing goes right.

Saturday 9

Saturday 9: Forget You

1. Have you ever felt that you needed to just forget an ex-lover? I keep trying to forget my most toxic ex, but he keeps popping up in my life, not unlike Glenn Close at the end of Fatal Attraction. I'm kidding, of course, but it's not funny. I don't want him in my life any more. I don't trust him, I don't forgive him, and I wish he would just forget me.




2. Spring picnics and cookouts are here! What would you want to have on your plate as you head back to the table? A burger or a brat, baked beans, potato salad ... the usual.

3. It's St. Patrick's Day, March 17th! Do you celebrate? Drink Green Beer? Go out? I wish I was celebrating. It's freakishly warm here in Chicagoland and I discovered my air conditioner isn't working. So my Saturday will be devoted to dealing with the repairman. I fear he's going to need to take it into the shop and then I'll have to wait around to be here for its return and reinstallation.  Oh well, better now than in the dog days of August.

4. Did you remember to wear green today? I will! Thanks for the reminder.

5. What phrase or saying do you over use? "The thing of it is ..."

6. If you could (or could have) change(d) something about your relationship with your parents, what would it be? I need to be more patient with my mother as she ages. As our time together gets shorter, I must concentrate on what really matters.

7. If the NCAA Men's or Women's Final Four basketball tournament was played in your hometown arena or within easy driving distance from where you live, would you try to attend one of the games? No. My attitude toward sports is, to paraphrase Mike Meyers' Scottish father, "If it's not Cubs baseball, it's crap."

8. No matter what's going on in your life, what always makes you smile? Certain songs.

9. We've asked this before: What else is on your mind? Go ahead and rant. I'd really like to go to the movies, but post-Oscars, it's not a good time for it. I don't care about The Hunger Games or 21 Jump Street, so I'm SOL.