"Don't turn today's loss into tomorrow's loss. Take all those negative thoughts, wrap them around a rock and throw them into Lake Michigan."
I'm trying, Skipper. Tuesday was a bad day, little of it was within my control, and so I want to just watch it disappear into The Lake.
First, the heat. We're at the beginning of an unusual September heatwave. Today the mercury reached 97º with a real feel of 102º. I thought these days were behind us for 2026. This heat exhausts me and makes everything worse.
Then, my health. I woke up Tuesday morning with a stuffy nose, a stuffy head, and a scratchy throat. Oh, goody! I have a busy 10 days or so ahead of me and I don't need this right now. To make it worse, I had diarrhea. Oh, joy! Oh, rapture!
Finally, the crazy lady. This was the most disturbing. She's homeless and has mental issues. She talks to herself. She drags a grocery store cart of her belongings behind her (instead of pushing it in front of her). She parks herself on a ledge near one of the entrances to the grocery store. I've seen her kick her flip flops at people and pull her shorts down her thighs to cool off, and she's always arguing with herself or maybe with passersby. Anyway, today as I entered* she grumbled at me. Or did she? I mean, maybe she was mad at the voices in her head. After I paid, I considered going out the other door to avoid her – Snarkypants would tell me this was my spidey sense sending me a warning – but that would force me to walk an extra block outside. Did I mention it was nearly 100º? She saw me, stood up, and threw a cup of liquid in my face.
I have no idea why. I was shocked but wordlessly kept walking. Most of the liquid went on my right forearm and my glasses (not my eyes, my glasses). A young couple walking their dog stopped me to ask if I was OK. I'm glad they did because – I know this will sound weird – I was almost not sure it had actually happened. They asked if I felt alright, if the liquid smelled or burned. No, and as I spoke to them I was sure it was just water.
After the crazy lady loaded up her cart and moved on, I went back into the store and let them know what happened. I was angry at the store because really, there was nothing they could do about her. But I wanted them to know because the staff enters/exits that door after closing and they need to be careful. Then when I got home, after I scrubbed my face, I called the police. I wouldn't give my name because I didn't want to waste time/money on paperwork. I just wanted to make sure the beat cop (whom I've met through the card shop) is aware that the crazy lady is escalating.
Oh, yeah, the Cubs lost to the Brewers! You can see why I just want to toss today away.
*I needed toilet cleaner. It was that kind of day.
