"I wish it would get hot."
I keep thinking of my father's quip this week as we endure ridiculous warm temperatures in Frankfurt. Sure, it is still awfully hot in Texas, hotter than in Germany, but still, it is simply unpleasant.
Another banner statement Dad likes to use is "It's all in your head."
The way I try to use that quote is by trying to convince myself that a situation does not suck nearly as much as I think it does. Sometimes this can be more successful than other times.
The week itself did not get off to a particularly good start. The weather forecast was pretty grim, but I took a short break during the workday to get out of the stifling flat (even with the balcony door open) and walk to the grocery store. At the check out counter, I carefully counted out exactly 52,46 euro, precisely 10 euros more than the actual bill. The check out lady took my money, put it in the drawer, then handed me my receipt without giving the 10 euro note back as change.
"Um, could I get the 10 euro back, please?" I asked politely.
"I did already," she responded, pointing to my left hand.
Showing her the shopping list (on the post it note) in my left hand, I said, "No, you didn't."
She then responded, "Really?"
Really.
She reluctantly went on to give me the 10 euro, then had me sign the store copy of the receipt, putting my telephone number on there as well. When they would count the drawers out later at shift end, they would check for any mismatch.
On the way home from the store, I realized that I probably could have put ANY telephone number down, but that never would have occurred to me. Probably people do this regularly, but I have never deliberately done something like that. Furthermore, I did check my cash once I got back home. I was already going to have to make a trip to the cash point as part of my weekly routine, but I was absolutely sure that I had not "duped" the woman.
It's all in your head....and sometimes your head can play tricks, right?
All things considered, the incident was not really a big deal, and I dismissed it quickly from my mind. The following morning I had plenty of other things to deal with.
Fruit Flies.
Over the past months I have really gotten on a banana kick, and am always keeping a bunch on the counter for me to snack on. This has been working really well until Tuesday morning, when I discovered that a couple of the bananas in the bunch had gotten a bit too ripe and actually split open. This attracted a rather large swarm of fruit flies who merrily invaded my kitchen before I really could grasp what was happening.
This was not "in my head."
I quickly discarded the bananas, then did a bit of research on how best to clear the flies from my kitchen fastest way possible. The whole process took the majority of the day, and I was only slightly satisfied that evening when I escaped to the pub for a few outdoor beers, getting away from the annoying flies and the stillness of the flat.
Actually, being outside this week is not much better than being inside. There is hardly any wind, so it is just still and hot.
Suck.
Before going to bed Tuesday evening, I laid another little fruit fly trap on my kitchen counter.
Wednesday morning, I got kind of grossed out when I entered my kitchen to find a bunch of dead flies in the trap. I cleaned things up before I started coffee preparations. That went OK, but then the heat really started getting to me, and I found myself really struggling to concentrate on work. I was waiting on a package to be delivered from something I had ordered online, and was glad when the doorbell rang around noon. Sure enough, I got my package, and then went on to sign for three other packages. This is not unusual, but I failed to realize that the three packages were actually supposed to be delivered to other people who live on my street, but not in my house.
This suggests that the delivery guy was a lazy jerk who didn't want to take time trying to deliver the packages. Instead, he put that monkey on me.
A few minutes later, the doorbell rang; it was one of the package recipients, so I was glad to get one less thing off my list of things to have to deal with. I proceeded to open the package I had received, then proceeded to assemble it. I had ordered some dumbbells last month, which I am really pleased with. However, I needed a little stand for them, and there was a bit of assembly required.
Once that task was completed, I decided to take a little time to lie down on the floor to rest my back, which was acting up a bit due to the heat. I then took a look at what was new on netflix, and discovered that a few of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid movies were suddenly available.
In an effort to encourage my nephew to get excited about reading, my mother got him started on the series of books that came out about ten years ago. It turns out that my nephew really liked them, and once he was current, he started receiving any new book (there are about 10 in the series, now) that came out as a birthday or Christmas gift.
Once when I was visiting Daniel, I was looking for something to read, and I ended up getting started on the series, then proceeded to catch up with him on the later releases. I really enjoyed them, too, so started looking forward to each new book in the series.
Well, I never really picked up on the fact that they had put out a few films, but I spent the rest of Wednesday watching the light comedies, and just tried to relax and stay cool. It made for a rather pleasant evening, although it never really got much cooler.
That night, I kind of dreamed about being a wimp; the week had been sort of tough so far, although the issues were all sort of insignificant. Still, I was not in the greatest of moods (I never am, when it is hot as shit), so dreamy restful sleep was appreciated.
Of course, when the baby that lives next door started crying in the middle of the night, I was not too thrilled. Most of me was relatively OK with it. After all, a crying child is a very natural thing. I might argue that the timing was not so great, but as Chris always says, "With kids, all plans are subject to change."
Yes, indeedy.
Thursday, I woke up in slightly better humor, and told myself to get excited about making it a good day. My back was feeling better, and I thought things were gonna be pretty good. Then, as I was getting out of the shower, the telephone rang. The executive director of my partner in Slovenia was calling. And he was not calling to just say hello I hope you are having a good day.
I will not bore you with the details about our call, but it was a decent enough call. Sure, the guy's message was very clear. I assured him I was doing everything (and would be finding a way to do even more) to help get his burning issues resolved quickest way possible.
The conversation took a bit out of me, particularly as his valid points were also my own irritations, and ones that I had already been struggling through with with my internal colleagues, unfortunately with very little support or success. That did not put me the best "hippty hoorah" moods, but I told myself, "Hey, it's all in your head."
Recently I have spent a lot more time working on my mental approach to how I deal with things that piss me off. I am grateful that I am no longer as angry as I might have been (in my 20s, 30s, and early 40s). A lot of that is me just maturing, but I really have helped teach myself how to not get so worked up about things that are absolutely not worth worrying about. But, rather than dismiss something with a sarcastic remark, I try to put a more positive twist on things. It is helping.
With that, I finished up my workday, ran and got a needed haircut (for those hairs that still remain), then headed to the pub to enjoy a few beers outside in the heat.
Chatting with friends was fun, the liquid refreshment was tasty, and things were going along just fine until a wasp came up and stung me on the leg.
Dang, that hurt.
Hey, it's all in your head.
Rather than complain, I just sort of said, "well, that could have been worse," and about five seconds later, it did get worse. For my friend, who also got stung by another wasp. He is allergic, so had to take immediate action and take the medication. Fortunately, everything sorted itself out quickly, and we continued taking our refreshments, until I figured it was time for a little takeout pizza and home to the couch.
That was a good decision. The pizza was tasty, and I enjoyed half a film before falling asleep on the couch, starting to dream about being a penguin. A blue one, which is what I am on my netflix login.
Sure, I felt cooler during the night as I slept, and when the baby started crying, this time for quite a bit longer than the nights before, I did wake up.
But hey, it's all in my head, and I am a penguin!
Today is not too bad, even though the heat continues with a real purpose. So, I will go see if a couple of beers will help take the edge off. Time for the weekend.
see you out there
bryan
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