...In which things take a turn for the sinister

Yes the title's a pun, because I've recovered from being lost almost a half dozen times today by making timely left turns. It's so very annoying when people I trust give me directions I trust...but the roads end up not being like they described them at all! I have decided that the consensual reality created by the sharing and accepting of directions is the actual truth, and what is falsification and lies is, in fact, the road system I perceive. Roads in central North Carolina, stop making no sense!

Now that that's aside, here's a rundown of my day

- I didn't have to work today, which was good.
- My father and I got a late breakfast and had a very enjoyable visit, which was good.
- Because of extinuating circumstances, I almost didn't get to finish my homework for class tonight and also it was sheer lucky chance that I checked my school email a second time, because the location for my class was changed at the last minute! That would have been bad.
- I found out the price of an on-campus parking ticket. It cost more than any of my textbooks. That was bad.
- Since I now knew I'd be parking several blocks away from campus, I decided to leave early so that I could not only find a suitable parking spot, but go to the campus bookstore and buy a textbook or two. That was...well, maybe not good, but it was at least responsible!
- Nothing went as quickly as I was expecting. I didn't leave town until close to an hour after I'd wanted to. That was bad
- Fortunately, the commute was easy! That was good.
- When I found my parking spot, I had to walk to the student union in one million degree heat and 10 trillion percent humidity. By the time I got to the center of campus I was literally dripping, and I'm not normally a heavy sweat-er! That was bad.
- Fortunately, I had the foresight to pack a change of clothes, just in case! That was good.
- At the bookstore, not only did they not have a copy of a textbook I needed, but had forgotten to order books for that class until the day before, so the books won't arrive until next week (Weds or Thurs, the bookstore manager predicted)...and I have an assignment due THIS Friday! That was bad.
- I found a nickel on the ground. That was good!
- First day of class = syllabus day. That was bad.
- First day of class = short class. That was good!
- After class, I got to see Michael+Rachel, Tess, AND Jerry! That was good.
- When I got to the train station to pick up Jerry, my car died. Prevailing theory is that the alternator went bad. That was bad.

We had to call a tow truck and everything. We managed to get the car started for a little bit and drive a short distance, but then the engine died, the power steering locked up, and the brakes nearly did as well...right in the middle of an intersection! Oh, no! Fortunately, a police officer was in a parking lot net even 50 yards from the intersection (I decided it was "none of my business" as to why a cop was chilling out in an empty parking lot near a college campus). He helped us push the car off the road, and then we had a grand old wait for the tow truck to arrive. It actually got there fairly soon, and the driver was extremely nice! He was helpful and professional, and friendly as well. He towed the car to our regular service station, and we left it there with a note explaining the situation for the next morning.

I was supposed to help my lil sis move into her dorm tomorrow, and I have to work in the afternoon. Now I don't have a car to do either. I'm sure we can improvise for the former, but I'll be stuck begging for rides until the proper repairs can be made...and hopefully they're not very expensive! The nickel I found earlier today was heads-up, so I hope that means I'll have 5x more good luck than if I'd found a penny!

I have to say that even though a lot of bad stuff happened today, the timing and circumstances of it all were amazingly fortuitous. I was able to take care of all my school errands within the parking time allotment so that I didn't get a ticket, and was able to move my car to a more convenient location before class started. I think I'm going to like my Organization of Information class (the one I'm taking on-campus); it's small (only about 12 people), and it sounds like we're going to be doing some hands-on projects instead of merely a theory-heavy course! And as for the car situations...every time I thought I was lost, I was able to find my way back onto the route I wanted (or an alternative route that ended up being just as good!) by making a timely left turn. I don't know why it worked, but it did! And when the car died (the first time), I had just pulled into a parking space, so I wasn't in a dangerous position! And the second time, there was no other traffic on a normally-busy road that could have caused our situation to be even worse! It's quarter past 3 now, and I've only just recently gotten home after having left over 12 hours ago. It's almost as though, even though bad stuff happens, it happens in the best way possible.

Now THAT is a semi-charmed life!