library role-reversal day

Patron: I need the Journal of the American Acoustical Society, volume 116, issue 4.
Dira (squinting): Is it yellow?

I could explain myself, but...

The word of the day is either motherfucker or mmmmmmm.

So I get out of work, take the very crowded bus down to the lot, way down on south campus, get into my car, start it up, run the wipers for a minute, and then get back out to scrape the ice off the windshield.

Locking my door as I do so.

Yeah.

So I stand there for a bit, saying "Fuck" a lot and scraping random bits of ice off the car, for lack of anything better to do. My cellphone isn't even locked in the car, it's at home, charging. I walk across the (large) parking lot in a semi-random direction, then realize the Department of Public Safety is right at the end of the row my car is parked in. Hike back. Discover DPS is closed. Curse a bit more. Walk along trying random buildings - Transportation Services, Administrative Services, Plant Operations - but all are closed up for the night. Catch bus back to work. Ask cute boy-coworker K whether there's a phone around that makes long-distance calls. He eyes me, my snowy shoes, and my ice scraper and lets me right into the office.

Call iuliamentis's mom to get Iulia's cell number. Iulia has the other key to my car. Call Iulia. Iulia's cell phone is off (HOR). Get boy-coworker to let me into office. Consult phonebook. Whine to byob_kenobi. Randomly choose locksmith (Howlett! Like David Hewlett! And the guy who answered? Named David.) who told me that I should call the tow truck guys instead, as they'd be cheaper and faster. Call tow truck guys. Try to explain for tow truck lady where the hell my car is in giant, giant parking lot. Am admonished to get back to my car *now*. Get back to car (nother crowded bus) just in time to see tow truck (not guaranteed to find me, due to imprecise location) driving by. Think about crying. Jump up and down and wave a lot. Watch tow truck make the turn. Stop thinking about crying and start being glad Visa card is in coat pocket.

Tow truck guy, who is very nice and whose girlfriend takes the same bus I do which is how he figured out what bus stop I was using as a landmark, jimmies my door open in under two minutes. I shut off car - which has yet to run out of gas and is quite toasty inside - and stand next to truck while he runs my credit card. Only $35! And I am off on my way home, a mere hour and a half late.

Then I stopped on my way at Farmer Jack, to buy beer, fresh bread, bagel pizzas, and Skillet Sensations (they were on sale! and it's two meals in one cooking session!). Have now had two beers and some bagel pizzas, hence the mmmmmmm. Will be on couch rest of night, being all mmmmmm.