Saturday 9

Saturday 9: Minute by Minute (1979)

Unfamiliar with this week's song? Hear it here.

1) It's easier to keep track of the minutes if your timepiece has a second hand. As you answer these questions, are you wearing a watch or can you see a clock that has a second hand? Yes. I'm in the bedroom and the alarm clocks on my nightstand each have a second hand. (Yes, I have two alarm clocks. I like to make sure I get up on time.)

2) In this song, Michael McDonald admits he knows his girl has lied to him. Do you suspect any one of your friends/family has fibbed to you recently? Nope.

3) McDonald's big break came in 1973 when he joined Steely Dan's touring band. What do you consider your first professional success? In 1981, I was plucked from the Sears Corporate secretarial pool and promoted to catalog copywriter. And my world changed.

4) In 1975 he joined The Doobie Brothers. He was originally supposed to be a temporary replacement for Tom Johnston, but he ended up working with the band uninterrupted for seven years. Tell us about something that's happened to you that turned out better than you anticipated. I went to a wedding Saturday night. I hadn't been looking forward to it, but I had a nice time, after all.

5) In 1986 he guest starred on an episode of The Young and The Restless. Have you ever been hooked on a daytime drama? I was enthralled by the high school romances of Tara Martin and Phil Brent and Chuck Tyler and, of course, Erica Kane.

6) Michael and wife Amy raised their family near Nashville, where they had their own pond and a garden they lovingly tended. Do you enjoy yard work? I have no yard.

7) In 1979, when "Minute by Minute" was popular, movie star John Wayne died. In 2004, the US Postal Service honored him with a stamp. What was in the last envelope you stamped and dropped in a mailbox? The premium for my life insurance policy. It must be paid by check; there's no online payment option.

8) In 1979, the most popular new car was the Oldsmobile Cutlass. Ads promised drivers the Cutlass could make it easy to get in and out of tight parking spots. Are you good at parallel parking? No. I suck.

9) Random question: Did you know your great-grandparents? I knew my maternal great grandmother. She was called "Bunna" because when my mom was a baby she couldn't pronounce "Grandma." We visited Bunna in the old people's home once/year. I remember she used a cane and always wore floral dresses and gym shoes. I think our visits were limited because my dad didn't like Bunna, or maybe the home freaked him out. There was a weird vibe there but nobody talked about it. Anyway, my mom talked to Bunna on the phone regularly and was very sad when she died. I was 9 or 10.

 

The TMI post

I didn't expect this to be stressful. The test required me to collect a day of urine in a big jug, then shake it up and fill a test tube. The lab provided me with a prepaid FedEx package. I was given a number to call for pick up. Easy-peasy, right? 

Well, no. Since the lab is reviewing not only the content of my output but the amount, I had to choose 24 hours when I would be certain to be home so I could add to the jug every time I went to the bathroom. So that took a little planning. Then there's the fact that I'm a woman, so my kit had a little something extra in it: a "collection device" to slip between the toilet seats. However, it didn't fit securely so I had to place it and remove it every time. My cat, Roy Hobbs, was confused and fascinated by this "collection device." I wiped it out as well as I could but I wouldn't be surprised if a cat hair made its way into the jug, too. I hope it doesn't spoil the sample. I don't want to do this again.

Then there was FedEx. I called Wednesday AM, the day I was doing the collecting, and scheduled a pick up for Thursday morning. I explained that it contained a test tube I was returning to a lab, so timing was important and I couldn't leave it downstairs in the lobby of my building; the driver would have to ring the bell. Unfortunately, the customer service rep seemed more amused by my last name -- which he'd never heard before! -- than interested in the details of my order. Because he didn't fill me with confidence, I read and reread the number he gave me back to him, to make sure everything was in order.

Since I had a bad feeling, I called at 7:30 Thursday morning, just to confirm the package would be picked up between 9 and 5. Again, timing is important. Guess what: somehow it had been cancelled. (I knew he was a dipshit.)

What the fuck! This sample is time-sensitive. The kit clearly states: "Any sample received after 96 hours from the start time will be rejected."

I worked with a super-helpful woman named Desiree who rescheduled me. For between "now and 1:00." Of course this meant I couldn't even take a shower or take that icky jug and "containment device" out to the dumpster until FedEx arrived because I had to be nearby to respond to the doorbell. Naturally, he came at 12:40. 

I admit it: I was a wreck. I tried to distract myself from worry that FedEx wouldn't come through. I worked on my GOTV postcards. I cleaned the bathtub. But mostly I worried. 

After I handed it off, I couldn't wait to get into the shower! Then I took a nap. 

In the olden days, I handled stress better than I do now. I had deadlines and art directors and producers to deal with, and it didn't exhaust me like yesterday did.

But as I reflect I realize two things:

1) In my professional life, I had more control than I did yesterday.

2) I understood everything that went on at work. Yesterday was new to me.

So now it's over. Now all I have to do is wait for the results, which will give the urologist the info he needs to give me diet tips to slow further kidney stone formation. So it's all good.

Plus, I now appreciate just going to the bathroom without all that rigmarole.