I�ve decided to just float for a little while and see where the current takes me. I think I�ve been wasting too much precious energy trying to fight the current and I�m not even sure what I�m fighting for is worth it. If I relax and let the current take me, I�m thinking it might even lead me to something good. I have some good feelings about this, some hints that something good is ahead of me, but I am not ready to talk to much about it � perhaps I just don�t want to jinx it.
So yesterday, I�m at lunch. My office is near a naval air station (actually a joint forces air station but they mostly refer to it as a naval air station) here in Orange County. I mean, right by it, like the planes look like they�re going to fly into the building when they come in for a landing and it�s a regular thing to hear the loud noises of a jet. So I�m driving back to work after picking up my lunch, and there in the sky, just having taken off, I see a big plane, not a regular transport plane as they are that beautiful army green, but a white plane. This is so unusual that I take a closer look (and I had a pretty close look as it was, the plane practically flew over me). Then I see the seal of the president of the United States. Folks, it was Air Force One. Okay, it actually might have been the decoy plane, but still. I don�t care if you love Bush or hate Bush, and regardless of the president it was carrying, how many people get to see that plane in their lifetime? So, that was my exciting piece of trivia for the day.
I actually live in a sprawling town on the eastern edge of the county � graced with the catch phrase �The Land of Gracious Living�. It�s where the home of the Nixon Presidential Library. When the library opened, several presidents were in attendance, including George Bush Sr., Ronald Reagan, and Gerald Ford and of course, Nixon himself, (I know, heavily republican, but this I do live behind the �Orange Curtain�. I was a block away getting my tires replaced, watching it on TV knowing I was merely a block away from a gaggle of powerful men. Again, like the presidents or not, it was pretty amazing. My uncle, who is a reserve police officer for our fine upscale community, actually worked the event and got to meet said presidents.
The library is actually really nice. After opening ceremonies, the families of those officers who worked security got to come for a private tour. The library addressed the inadequacies of the Nixon era, as well as tackled the scandal of Watergate head on. They also discussed the good things that came out of his presidency. I felt that it was an honest portrayal of his presidency, the good and the bad.
When Nixon died, they had his funeral there at the library. Again, all the living presidents were in attendance. I was driving home from school that day and was stopped at a traffic light close to the library. I was the first car at the light. Just then, a motorcade came into the intersection and blocked it, the motorcade was followed by a hearse. So right there, in front of my eyes, mere feet from me, was the body of a US president, while several other US presidents were yards away. It was a pretty awesome moment.
Now that you know about my brushes with fame, I�m sure you want to touch the corner of my jacket or gather some of my saliva in a vial. I�ll be selling some of the saliva, along with pubic hair, on eBay, so go take a look.
Today is a much better day than yesterday. Yesterday I was rather grouchy, though quite verbally feisty and witty, throwing zings at my boss all day. I think she was ready to throw something at me by the end of the day. Part of my job is to audit medical groups. I have a few of my groups going very, very sour, so this takes up quite a bit of my time. My job yesterday was to conduct a provider satisfaction survey by calling random providers. It is generally a frustrating task, with little result. Half the time you wait on hold only to reach an answering machine or some person who doesn�t know what you�re talking about, is the wrong person to answer the questions, or simply isn�t allowed to participate. Out of 23 providers, I was able to fill out 9 surveys. Total waste of time. But I had to do it, it was being required by our legal and regulatory department. Bleh.
My day started off poorly. First of all, it was Monday. Second of all, it was Monday. Third of all, it was Monday (repetition intentional). Anyway, departing from the Monday theme, I decided to treat myself to breakfast at Del Taco. For those of you who don�t have Del Taco�s, I�m very sorry. I order a breakfast quesadilla. The guy was horribly slow and it took forever to get my order. The woman in front of me even took to yelling in at the guy several times, �Hey, can I get my order?�. So, I finally get my order, get to the office, only to discover 2 breakfast burritos, soaking in red slime and filled with onions. I have many food allergies, including onions, so the breakfast was inedible to me. In the trash it went. I was very disappointed as I don�t allow myself to buy breakfast very often and I was really looking forward to it.
So, the day just got off to a bad start and then it was compounded by the horrible task I needed to complete, and also by the pain I am still experiencing. But the current did bring a few nice surprises into my day, and for that I am grateful. Today is another day, another dollar. I got my quesadilla so I�m a happy camper with a full stomach.
