~Thursday~ I woke up at about 8:45 to day goodbye to av8rdude, who was meeting a friend for breakfast and then heading on to DC to visit another friend on his “2010 East Coast Christmas Tour.” I went back to sleep and got up at about 10:30. Glorious vacation.
I waffled about going to the gym today, but by the time I’d gotten my ass in gear to face the day, I had errands that I wanted to get done that taking an hour-and-a-half for a workout was really going to make me rushed for, so I blew it off. My rationalization? I both worked out yesterday and danced last night, and I generally don’t do both on Wednesdays. That’s my story and it’s sticking to me.
My first errand was to use a Groupon that I bought back in the summer—or it might even have been spring—that was expiring tomorrow. It was for this place way the hell out in North Raleigh, and I made the big mistake of taking US 1 (a.k.a. Capital Boulevard) up to Durant Road instead of going up Falls of Neuse Road. Huge mistake.
I stopped at almost every single traffic light on that road, and there are a lot of them. I can’t tell you how many years the timing of those lights has been complained about and talked about, and it’s just beyond me why it has yet to be addressed. As Archie Bunker said in his day, “Somebody needs to circumcise those lights!”
I was hoping to have a same-day transaction at the place of business, only because it’s so far out to have to go back there again to pick it up when it’s ready. But that’s what I’m going to have to do, as he was backed up from the holidays and couldn’t possibly get to my order until next week. You can bet I’ll be returning via Falls of Neuse Road when I go back next week.
My next stop was at the Just Tires in Cary, where it took way longer to rotate my tires than it should have. While waiting, I watched some of Oprah, which was all about her upcoming debut of OWN. As teasers, she showed some scenes of some episodes of some of the shows that are going to be on that network, and I have to say that I’d be inclined to watch a few of them if I had a TV and got that network, particularly Master Class.
Also while there, I saw on the news that someone had robbed the Wachovia Bank on Western Boulevard, which was more notable than usual since it’s so close to my house and the robber was a woman.
And speaking of women, also while I was waiting for my tire rotation, an outdoorsy girl came up to the counter and presented the sales guy with a piece of paper.
“How’d you manage to get a flat in all four tires?” he asked.
“Uhm, someone was a little upset with us and slashed all four of them,” she replied.
“Is that car with the state?” he asked looking out the front windows trying to see it.
“No we’re a private security company,” she responded.
On the way home I stopped at the Kmart on Western Boulevard, whose entrance passes right by that Wachovia that was robbed earlier in the day. A TV news crew was set up to give an update, presumably on the 5:00 or 6:00 news, with the reporter standing with the bank behind him. It was dark out and the bank was closed.
I ran in to Kmart and bought (’cause I know you’re dying to know):
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Evidently, soap’s not good enough any more; we now need an odor defense bar. 3D: Destroys. Deep cleans. Defends. Wow. Not!
By the time I came out of Kmart, the news crew was gone, and I wondered how much money was spent setting that scene up in front of a closed bank, when I’m sure the viewers would have been just as well informed, in terms of the update given, with a picture of the bank in the background on the TV.
I think this is even a little more frustrating than my stamp drama of Christmas Eve; at least I wanted stamps! Click to read story: ATM User Tries to Withdraw Money, Gets Stamps.
The part that gets me, I guess, is that the bank couldn’t/wouldn’t do anything about it. The peeps had to deal with the company that issued their debit card. I mean doesn’t the bank load the ATM? It can’t be that every credit company that has a card that works in an ATM machine has responsibility for that ATM’s malfunction. And I’m sure the credit company is paying some small fee to the bank whenever their card is used in its machine. So many questions.
I met Alex, Glenn, and Bob out at Trailer Park Prize Night on Thursday for the For Colored Girls show. It was Glenn’s birthday, so the drinks were flowing and a fun time was had by all.
At one point, Alex came back from the rest room with a piece ripped off a poster from the bathroom wall, to show me a portion of this ad in the inimitable “Flex style,” to which I have of course taken a red pen:
