Off

I'm not working overtime tonight. This wasn't a huge surprise, as I was at the very bottom of a long list of people scheduled. Still, I am the only one not working, and the message for tonight mentions me specifically. (Normally it would list the people who are working overtime, but this way is more practical.)

So, today I will:
- get an oil change
- mow my lawn
- pay some bills
- sleep

Saturday night is another story. I'm not at the very bottom of that list, and tomorrow is the first Penn State football game of the season, so I wouldn't be surprised if there are call-offs. The extra money will be good, but the extra time today is also good.


UPDATE:

I was able to rouse myself enough to get the car to the service station just after 10:00. I dropped off the key, confirmed that they had my number, and then walked across the street to my house, carrying the handle from a broken reel mower to replace the broken handle of the mower I have there. (It didn't fit, I later discovered. So the duct tape will have to hold a little longer.)

I went into the house, set down the handle, made my way to the bedroom, opened the windows to let the breeze blow through, crawled into bed, and fell asleep.

I woke up at 3:30 when my mom called. After I got off the phone I realized that the service station would be closing soon, and I'd better hurry over to settle my bill.

As I descended the steps from the front porch, I mused that I didn't recall parking my car in front of my house. But there it was.

The door to the service station was locked. The bays were all closed. It wasn't quite 4:00.

I ran into the owner coming out the back, dressed in street clothes. He had closed up early and parked my car in front of my house. (I slept through the phone call at 12:30 telling me it was ready.) He had already shut down the credit card machine, and I didn't have enough cash on me to cover the bill. He said not to worry about it, that I could pay on Tuesday, which is the next day that they're open.

I spent the next two hours mowing my lawn, which normally takes just an hour when it isn't massively overgrown. Plus I chewed the fat for a while with my neighbor, who told me stories about dealing with mosquitoes while fishing and the problems of quality control in Studebakers and Fords in the 1960's.

This evening I paid my bills, everything that's due through the end of the month, except for the ones that haven't arrived yet.

Life in a small town is sometimes very nice.