whoops-a-daisy

i know many of you are likely on the edge of your seats, hoping for more pictures from thanksgiving. you need to know- who won the croquet match? how did the turkey taste? who had to sit at the kids' table this year? and i understand that. i do. i intend to get those photos and perhaps even some actual text posted soon. i intended to do it last night after class as both boyfriend and dog are in new hampshire for a day or two and i knew if i could keep myself from getting distracted by a game of online bridge, i would produce some really outstanding blog posts. you should see the great pictures i have all lined up!

and you will see the great pictures i have all lined up, but i didn't post anything last night because last night, my computer was missing. when i realized it wasn't in the car, i called a friend down in attleboro and had her drive around the parking lot at oak knoll, as i thought maybe i set it down when i opened the door to the car and then drove away without ever putting the computer in the backseat. she didn't find it. and then i started to feel convinced that my computer had been stolen due to my stupid mistake. oh, how i cursed myself and my absent-mindedness.

then i started to think, "but wait! the computer is in a black case sitting on black asphalt at night! no thief would see it there." and it would certainly be easy for donna to drive right by it. i mean, maybe if her nickname was "ole' eagle eyes" i should be worried, but it's not. admittedly, her nickname isn't "the ole' blind bat" either, but i was grasping at straws.

i got up early this morning and sped on down to oak knoll. the computer wasn't sitting in the parking lot. i then thought maybe i set it down right inside the door, as i was setting the alarm. i got a flu shot on tuesday and my arm is really quite sore (i could conceivably do an entire post on the soreness of my left arm. this flu shot better work or i will be so angry). i probably had to set the labtop down because my weakened left arm could not be lifted enough to press the buttons on the alarm keypad.

there was no computer just inside the door. i checked around the turtle tanks, where i had to shut off the lights before i left. no computer. i checked the door into the kitchen, which needs to be securely closed in order for the alarm to be set. the computer wasn't there either. i was almost in tears, realizing i might have just lost my third most valuable possession (after my car and my dog- although the dog is debatable on most days) including all those thanksgiving pictures that no one would now ever get a chance to see.

with my head hanging low but still a small flicker of hope in my heart, i walked up the stairs to my office. you must understand that i was sure, sure i tell you, that i had brought the computer out to the car. i remember packing it in its case, zipping the case shut, thinking about how heavy the thing is for a laptop, wondering if anyone has ever lost an arm to the flu shot, and bringing it downstairs, over to the turtle tanks to turn off the lights, back to the kitchen to check the door, and then over to the keypad to set the alarm, before heading out to my car.

the computer was sitting out on my desk, right where i left it last night. the computer case was on the floor. i hadn't even packed it up. brilliant. i'll post some thanksgiving photos later, as long as i can remember to bring the damn thing home with me.