The new ac's arrived

The moment the big one in the living room was installed, Reynaldo claimed it as his own. The smaller one in the bedroom is sooooo much quieter than the old one had been.

I am so lucky ... that I was able to afford this when others are struggling, that there's a local appliance store I can trust when it comes to big purchases I know little about, and that I'm working from home so that I could take delivery without sacrificing time off. Yet it was an unsettling today because I did something thoughtless.

My delivery guy arrived at 11:00. I thought he'd be in a little van because neither air conditioner is very big. What I didn't realize was that my condo was just one of his stops. He came in a big truck to accommodate the two dishwashers he had to deliver/install today, as well. He asked if he could park in the building driveway and I said, "yes."

I shouldn't have.

One of my neighbors needed to get to her office for a meeting and because of the truck, she was blocked in. I heard her lean on her horn and I rushed downstairs. The look on her face, before she saw me, was killer. Pure hostility. When she saw it was me, she softened. She likes me.

I explained that I'd be right back with the delivery guy. I went back upstairs, got him, he and I went back downstairs, he got into his truck and backed it up. I apologized to her profusely.

The whole drama -- start to finish -- took less than 15 minutes. But you know how stressful running late can be and that 10-12 minutes was undoubted an added a layer of tension to my neighbor's day.

At lunchtime I went out and bought a bottle of Mondavi Bourbon Barrel Cabernet -- a wine recommended to me as an affordable good one by a wine snob friend of mine. I left it in front of her door with a note. I hope she forgives me.

I have clients. I have meetings. I understand the ramifications of what I did today and I'm so sorry.