plans... and reality

oi... what a day.

the plan:
(1) wake up early enough and call scotland during business hours to reserve a room at the same place a friend of mine is staying my last night there in june
(2) lunch with my friend rose
(3) run through city vehicle inspection quickly
(4) work for several hours at the central library (i've been hanging out there all week typing up math)

instead
(1) i got up early and called the hostel my friend cathleen got a reservation at 2 days ago, and they insisted that i was crazy and that they don't have openings then because students are still in school in the dorms... so attempt to secure lodging for 30 pounds for the night (about $60) failed... i'm to the point of not caring and just booking with the holiday inn express that's a 2 minute WALK from the glasgow airport for the one night. it may cost 70 pounds, but i won't have to worry about finding transportation at 3-4am, and they start serving breakfast at 4am too... it's a lot of money, but it may be worth it for a 6am departure on an international flight.

(2) i did have lunch with my friend rose. she's from my church in memphis, and although she's retired, you wouldn't know it with all the things she does... she truly has the gift of organization. plus, she went to high school with elvis (they were in the same graduating class), so she's full of fun stories from the past too. i like going out with her the one or two times a year i'm in town.

(3) i DID go to vehicle inspection too, but it sucks. if you live in the memphis city limits (i still am a TN resident as long as i'm a student), you have to take your car through city inspection to renew your license plate. this isn't like in most states where you go to a certified mechanic. they have a garage with city employees who (a) check that all your headlights/turnsignals/etc work properly, (b) check your emissions levels, and (c) do an emergency brake test. this test consists of putting your car in drive, pulling up the emergency brake, and then hitting the gas... and your car isn't supposed to go anywhere.

i got in line at 1pm, and made it into the garage at 1:45. they started with the emergency brake test, and the lady insisted that my car was smoking whenever i hit the gas, so she instantly failed me.

~~~that's one hour down the drain.~~~

so, irritated, i drove back to my suburb and went to my parents' mechanic... they checked the car out, adjusted the brakes as tight as can be so that there was no way they'd fail, but said that the car inspection woman was crazy because there was absolutely no signs of oil leak or anything else that could cause smoke, and they couldn't recreate the problem. luckily i had my laptop with me, so i got a little work done, but mostly gossiped with the other people in the waiting area.

~~~that's two hours down the drain.~~~

i went back home to get some water, and check how late the inspection station was open before going out again. on my way out of the driveway, i ran into my next door neighbor. he's nearly 90 years old, and i hadn't seen him around the last two times i'd been in town, so we sat at the foot of the driveway for 30 minutes and chatted. this is by no means a waste of time, but it explains how it was nearly 4pm before i got back to the inspection station for more fun...

at 4pm i got in line at the vehicle inspection station. i was 20th in line. i got into the inspection garage at 5:02, and passed the test without a problem. in the lane right next to the lady who failed me before. with absolutely nothing done about the smoke. everyone knows city inspection is a joke. i just hate that it cost me most of an afternoon that could have been profitably spent getting work done!

now?
the office and scrubs season finales are tonight... I CAN'T WAIT!... and tomorrow can't be nearly as annoying as the past 4 hours were. SO GLAD it's freakin over with.

the end.