labor lost
2004-09-07, 7:28 p.m.

last night when i was standing alone on the side of a country road in the dark looking at my car and the oil dripping out of the bottom thinking that it would be nice to own a cell phone at times like this and wondering hey, was that a coyote? and starting to freak out because i realized i wouldn't be getting much sleep before work today and i needed it because i was tired and sunburned, it occurred to me how lucky i am. how do i figure? well, lucky that i was absolutely sure my friend gregory, whom i was following, would turn around and come back for me. it was just a matter of *when* would he notice i wasn't behind him (turns out he was imagining i had careened off a part of the road we call "the roller coaster bit" and had met a fiery death so he was happy to see me just standing there looking pissy). lucky that i wasn't having to decide to walk in one direction or another hoping that would bring me closer to civilization or to "stay with the car" - and i am very glad that wasn't my only option because pretty much nobody else came by for the next few hours. also, lucky to be tired and sunburned after a weekend of summer activity because not everybody gets a weekend of summer activity, do they? and lucky that i am a paid-up member of AAA Plus and could be towed home for no immediate cost. and that i had enough cash to take a cab to work today. and... oh, you get the gist. just that it all wasn't any worse.

when gregory was asking me what went wrong and if i thought a rock had come up and hit it or whatever i was all like "uhh, i don't know, can a rock break your oil line thingie?" and i kept thinking about heather's entry where she and her friend kevin postulate about what an alternator may be.

by the way, a small tip fo' ya. a word to the wise. when waiting on an empty country road for hours you might want to refrain from discussions about things like the green river murders. and definitely you won't want to discuss famous kidnapping victims peter falconio and joanne lees.

earlier in the weekend: i rode seadoos, four-wheelers and the pontoon boat. and three rides at the benton country fair which made me very very dizzy . also at the fair: i went in the petting zoo and held a lamb, a piglet, and a bunny. i also fed a llama and got nuzzled by lots of aggressive goats.

i ate huge breakfasts every day (i usually eat none at all but these were cooked for me and waiting on the table when i stumbled downstairs every morning and featured home-made biscuits and grits which are now cooked special just for me and put in a separate bowl for me 'cause i eat 'em yankee-style with brown sugar and milk instead of southern-style with butter and salt).

gregory's little 7 year old nephew has taken to saying "for the love of christ!" and we're not quite sure where he got that. i do know where he got "kenelle" though - he heard his uncle cussing in a british stylee when we were having some trouble with the ropes on the dock and he said the british abbreviation for "fucking hell" which sounds like "k'n'ell" and then the little tyke was running around saying "kenelle!" and i hope his mother doesn't realize what he's saying.

also, gregory turned me onto a new band: the killers. not to be confused with the kills. i can't wait to have a car again so i can go buy the cd.