3/17/2008

DC

Well, we thought the Girl had the chicken pox, but they are not scabbing over. The pox now look like little warts and she has developed a rash on her face that is your typical viral bumpy, red rash. Who knows what is going on. I am going to try to take her to the doctor for it (again!). What a nightmare. Apparently she gave it to me because I have been getting pox in various places. Not bad though. Just sort of weird.

The Professor is sick AGAIN with something else---possibly the flu. Not flu as in throwing up (which is not the flu) but the one where you ache and have a sort of cold. He literally just got over a sickness and now he has this. I feel bad for him. He is stoic though, compared to when we were first married. Now I am the one that whines whenever I am sick. I complain the whole time, look miserable, and don't even try to get the best of it. I think when you are a mother taking care of others all the time you take full advantage of any sort of downtime. I was sort of hoping I would get sick so I could have this, but he does look miserable, so I am hoping I don't get it, even though he has kissed me.

Last night it took us two hours to get home from our church in DC because the road that leads to our on ramp for the freeway was closed off by light flashing cops. They prompted us to drive the opposite direction with mean faces. If I were driving I would have stopped right there and told the cop I needed to get to the freeway----could he direct me a different route, but no, the man was driving and he just did what he was told without question and said, "I think there is another way by the memorial."

Well, we ended up at the flipping zoo---right near the National Cathedral. The roads are so dumb in DC. They make no sense. There is no way to turn. You can only turn from 3-5 pm or park during light hours or some madness. I am just making stuff up. Well, I am not, but I can't remember what the signs do indeed say. All I know is that it is confusing. You read the sign, and by the time you comprehend what time of day it is in order to obey the law and make your turn in the right time allotted on the sign---it turns red on you and you have wasted a light, or the taxis behind you are blaring in anger, or people start to walk right in front of your car because that is what they do in DC. People just walk. They don't care if the traffic is oncoming, they just keep going. And they take their time, believe me. Cars stop in the middle of the road constantly, trucks unload right in front of you, it is common to get your tire trapped in an enormous pot hole. People walk around with the strangest things too. Just use your imagination. Yes, it has happened.

So---we drove the opposite direction from our home for a good spell, trying to get home. Really, trying to TURN in DC, which is not authorized. And heaven help you if you go one mile over the speed limit. Yes, cameras are everywhere taking your car's photo. And YES, you will get a bill in the mail with your car's picture on it. And YES, it has happened to us.

I would think that the most important area of our nation, where the president lives and all that, would have the safest, cleanest, and most pot-hole less roads.

We did eventually get home. Well, obviously. And all because I can't parallel park. I am sure since the Prof is sick he would have stayed home, but I sort of begged him to take me since I can't parallel park. I had to sing last night and it would have been too last minute to bow out.
Can you imagine if I had to find my way home because the road was blocked?

You saved my life, Prof.

3 comments:

Gen said...

Well, like you said, you would have asked so I imagine you would have made it home sooner. :-)

Anonymous said...

Aww....

I hate driving in cities. :( Good thing you made it home alive.

Mrs. Sinta said...

I am sorry for your awful trip. I can't parallel park either. Our experience with doctors and rashes has not been good. They seldom know what they are looking at, and then they ask many, many questions. I think that this is just to shift the pressure from them to you because they are going to charge you whether they can help you or not. Having said that, one of our kids needed to have less or unscented laundry detergent and did better without dryer sheets. Another needed to not sit on the lawn because the lawn chemicals made her break out. Also, sometimes the chicken pox virus does not act like it is supposed to act, and I don't drink green tea because I seem to be allergic to it. Once one of us had hand, foot and mouth disease which is characterized by a rash in those three places. Who would have guessed?