The Ups & Downs of a Week: Call Me Tired.

Saturday was a productive day. I cleaned, did some laundry, and unclogged our bathroom sink. Damn hair and grime have a habit of clogging that small drain line. And I mean small — it isn’t the average 1” P-trap you expect to find. Real bummer for me. It’s filthy what you find when cleaning out a clogged pipe.

We also had a playdate that afternoon. My best childhood friend — really my brother from another mother — Samuel, his wife Crystal, and their baby Alex joined us. I was really afraid they would back out for some made-up reason, but when 3:00 approached, they were still down to meet us at 3:30 at the park.

It was a damn good time. The wind wanted us to cry like bitches, but we persevered. I have no idea how many times Alaya went up and down the slide, but I was happy to see her so entertained. Lord knows we needed her to burn up some of that energy because she was on full batteries that entire weekend.

It was also really good catching up with my best friend. Sadly, we don’t see as much of each other as we should. We say it’s life that keeps us apart, but in actuality, it’s just laziness. I mean, we grew up in daycare together. Roomed together in the college dorms. Experienced much of life together over the interwoven years. We should be able to pick up a phone and meet up every once in a while. I was glad that we now have babies roughly the same age — only three months apart.

Sunday was the epitome of a lazy day. I made breakfast but didn’t leave the house until after three, just making a quick run to the store. I played my video games and finished reading my book — a book that took me much longer than it should have because I kind of became a slacker about it.

That night Teegan and I finished our latest show, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. It’s a story set within the same world as Game of Thrones. Almost everyone knows that show, even if they’ve never actually watched an episode. I was hooked on it, so naturally I’d be interested in a side tale. What I wasn’t expecting was to be so fully absorbed back into that world.

This tale was set during a relatively peaceful time in Westeros, and the tone was much lighter — at times almost straight comedy, as opposed to the heavy drama of GoT. Teegan and I were both sad that the sixth and final episode aired Sunday night. It was a perfect season finale, and I know we’re both excited about season two a year from now. Really, they nailed it with this show. The last time a spinoff hooked me this hard was Better Call Saul.

Monday was a damn Monday.

First, our system was down. What this means is that I really couldn’t do my job. Well, I could — but I wasn’t able to do the electronic part of it, so everything was piling up on my desk for later. Fucking IT. They really need to get their shit together, and if it truly is a “vendor issue” like they claim, then hold the damn vendors accountable. There’s no reason for the entire campus to be shut out of the system on a Monday morning.

That afternoon, I had a Staff Senate meeting to attend. More bullshit. Funny thing — Yvette was called upon to join the Senate as an alternate because someone dropped out, so she was also at this gathering. We had to listen to the same shit about the potential employee daycare. I think we were all tired of hearing about it, but it kept coming up. It’s been coming up for fucking years as something “in the works” but unrealized.

Well, maybe this time. Hopefully, it will be the last.

The vice president basically squashed it. Squashed. I was hopeful. I dislike her, but at least she must have felt the same as I did on the issue. I don’t know why others didn’t understand this wasn’t going to be possible for many fucking reasons. Common sense.

That night, Teegan had a little award ceremony that we attended at Central High School. I am beyond proud of this kid. He just keeps knocking it out of the ballpark. I don’t think there’s anything he can’t do if he sets his mind to it.

The awards themselves were pretty unorganized. Like, bad. You would think they would have this kind of shit down to near perfection considering how many years they’ve been doing it. Oh well. Teegan was up for “Outstanding Leader.” He did not win, but what an honor just to be nominated.

The most interesting moment of the night came when they announced that the Sarah Bernhardt Theater would likely not be used much after that evening because they were going to demolish it and build another. Wow. I hated the place twenty-six years ago and thought at the time of my graduation that it needed to be blown the fuck up. Good riddance — but all the same, I was a little sad.

Tuesday, I had way too much free time on my hands at work, so I decided to use that time to reapply to college. Why the hell not? The application process has changed vastly in the twenty-five years since I first enrolled. ApplyTexas, which I’ve heard my children mention, seems like a straightforward pain in the ass. It took a little time, and I really think some of the information they’re asking for is a bit excessive for readmission to the college where I obtained my degree, but what can you do?

It was kind of fun. I don’t know how serious I am or how far I’ll take it, but for now I might as well take advantage of the employee tuition exemption and enroll in a few classes — if not just for fun, then to better enrich myself. It would be good for me.

Wednesday was nothing to even write about. Work was dull. I spent a good amount of time on the phone with my internet provider. In November, I spoke with them about my bill being too high and about finding service elsewhere. They worked with me… for two whole months. I received my bill, and it was right back where it had been.

I called and flat-out told them I wanted to cancel my service. Miraculously, they were able to work with me and give me a thirty-dollar credit on my recent bill, two months free, and a three-year rate at forty dollars.

I guess opening with “cancel my service” is the way to get results.

On Thursday, Yvette and I woke up to both of our phones going off, alerting us that my blood sugar was low. Lovely start to the day around 4:00 a.m.

Lucky for us, the campus was giving away free coffee and donuts at the Alumni Center. It was good coffee from a vendor called Travelin’ Tom’s Coffee Truck — not that battery acid they give out in the University Center, which I still stomach, mind you, even if it isn’t so great. The coffee was great. They were also offering donuts, but I passed.

Turns out my fucking blood glucose sensor was haywire all day long. It was reading that I was consistently low and had long gaps between said readings. Pricking my fingers told me otherwise. This meant I was unwillingly raising my sugars thinking that I was low. Bummer.

That afternoon, I had to visit the local water department. I went as prepared as I possibly could be. I had three invoices from plumbers and irrigation specialists, with pictures included. I walked in and took a number. I waited for my turn to be called. The place was silent like a tomb, void of all life and happiness. I waited.

Finally, my number was called. I was escorted to a desk and asked what I was there for. A leak adjustment for the three water leaks I’ve had over the last two months. I presented all my paperwork and the time frames with the bills that had been extraordinarily high. The lady accepted what I had and scanned it into the system. She then told me to continue paying the high bills and that in ninety days they would evaluate my data against the high bills to determine what sort of adjustments would be made to future bills — four months down the line. I felt like I was at a parole hearing. I was at their mercy.

This week has also been loaded with humor.

First, let’s talk about the campus fox population. They are everywhere. They don’t really cause any trouble, but we still have grounds guys who set live traps and relocate them periodically. That doesn’t really put a dent in the population, which is estimated to be 70+. At this point I think the foxes have seniority and possibly campus ID cards. I rather enjoy seeing them here and there. Hell, I live so close to campus I see them in my own yard. They are just part of the campus experience.

So, one campus employee has very good reason to dislike the fox population. While out on his golf cart, he decided to check the pool shed for chemicals — to see if they needed chlorine. He parked, hopped off, and left his lunch sitting proudly in the back of the cart like a buffet invitation. While his back was turned, a sneaky little fox executed what I can only assume was a perfectly calculated heist. Jumped in. Grabbed the sandwich. Gone.

When he turned around, the fox was trotting off with that sandwich firmly clamped in its jaws like it had just won Employee of the Month. No hesitation. No shame. Just confidence. The man was devastated. His lunch was fox food. Somewhere on campus, that fox was probably telling his buddies about the idiot who catered the meal. We laughed our asses off. “How was your day, Patrick?” “Oh, you know. A fox stole my lunch. Typical Monday.”

The second thing that made me laugh. We are having a custodial switch. One crew’s last day was Thursday and another started Friday. Well, as the outgoing crew was leaving, they apparently decided it was “Take a Campus Souvenir Day.” They started loading up materials and items that very clearly did not belong to them — but rather belonged to the campus. One guy — a manager for the crew — tried to intervene and told them they could not take that material. You know. Because stealing is generally frowned upon. His higher-ups decided to fire him on the last day. He was fired for not stealing. Let that marinate for a second.

In a week where a fox committed petty theft and got away clean, a man lost his job for refusing to participate in actual theft. You really can’t make this shit up. Oh, the humor.

Just when I thought the week was over, boy, was I wrong. Alaya fell off a chair during lunch. I didn’t see it happen because I was carrying in groceries. She immediately vomited up her lunch. That’s scary. After cleaning her up, her mommy and daddy took her to the emergency room. Yvette and I returned to work.

Just after 3:30, Mommy called and said she had a small fracture of the skull. Oh my God, I was suddenly sick. I ran across campus and barged into Yvette’s office only to find she had already left. I must have looked sick to her boss. I kind of just let myself in because I was freaked out. I went back to the office, quickly left for the day, and headed to the hospital.

They were still in the ER, and I met Yvette in the waiting room of the pediatric unit. It was supposed to take thirty minutes for them to release her, but it ended up taking more like three hours. What kind of shit is that, I ask?

Her pediatrician met them in the ER and went over the results. Thank God — no concussion or brain bleed. I was so relieved. I had the awful worry that something like what happened to me would happen to her.

When she finally made it to the room, so did a detective and CPS. Good of them, but also unnecessary. Kind of bullshit. They interviewed them separately to make sure the stories aligned. Yvette had resurfaced memories of her past, and I could see the hurt in her eyes. It was bullshit because the ER filed the case as neglect. It wasn’t. She was watched, but she is fast, and things happen quickly.

Assured the case would close quickly, I left the hospital to go make dinner for Tee and me. He had already eaten. Of course. What a damn evening.