Vehicle: 2, Me:0

My car and I had another battle yesterday. I'm starting to think she really doesn't like me. Or maybe she just doesn't like Iowa. Or I don't like her & my dislike is starting to manifest itself through physical harm to myself (armchair psychologists: ready, set, go!)

If you recall, a few months ago I nailed my forehead on the corner of my trunk hatch. It left a long-lasting lump, but was mostly healed in a week or so.

Yesterday I loaded the kids in, and as I opened the driver's side door to hop in myself, something happened. I'm not exactly sure how it all went down, but I think I started to drop my diaper bag as I opened the door. I dove for it and nailed my forehead on the very pointy top corner of the door. It was really weird. It didn't hurt, but I knew I had just done something that would hurt soon. And A LOT. I stood there for a minute, feeling dizzy and a little confused. I finally sat down and flipped down the mirror to take a look.

I had an inch long gash in the center of my forehead. It was beginning to bleed, and I could clearly see the split in the skin. I haven't had stitches since I was 3, and I really didn't know if I needed them now. I texted Big Daddy, but didn't hear back from him right away. I decided to go to Urgent Care and see if 1. They take insurance (they do) and 2. I needed stitches (I did not).

Although I feel a little silly for thinking I might need stitches, we're talking about my face here. I'm no beauty queen, but who wants their face to be messed up? I came home and cleaned it up, slapped on a bandaid and took some Motrin. As I suspected, it's much better this morning (it pretty much closed up on its own), but my head HURTS. I imagine that this is a little like Botox. My forehead feels swollen and a little frozen. It's not bruised yet (at least not on the outside). I am so glad that I have bangs & I can hide behind them.

A full recovery will be made - eventually. Now I just need to decide what to do about that dang car.

My car blew up today

OK, maybe that's a bit of an exaggeration. But it did crap out on me on the way to a meeting this morning. Thank goodness Aaron was with me and could use his AAA coverage even as a passenger. We had it towed, and $500 later it should be good for another 50,000 miles! Yay? In a way it validated my suspicion that this was only a matter of time coming. She's got 219,000 miles on her. And Matt hasn't been interested in doing any maintenance work on her. Serves me right.

I was getting a little excited about buying a newer car - until I thought about the payments. Then I just felt sick. She'll last us until we can get settled somewhere this summer, and we get things figured out with work and money. I am grateful for that. Now I can go back to focusing my anxiety on whether or not I'll have a job after August.

Horrible Day & A New Beginning

Yesterday was just not my day. I woke up feeling negative, and made poor choices all day. I was unmotivated at work, and slogged through my day - with twice as many surfing breaks as I usually take. Not sure what was wrong. My pants were tight - that never makes for a fantastic day. I feel like I've gained 5 pounds this week, and really haven't been eating much differently than I usually do. I blame the birth control pills. I haven't taken them in years, and now that I'm back on to force my period, I feel topsy-turvy.

I was super-emotional, too. Like I wanted to burst into tears all day. It wasn't much better by the time I got home, either. I've been looking for a new car (since my current one has oil in the sparkplugs - not a good sign of aging), and I was disappointed when the person told me they were "holding" it for someone in Seattle. I guess they didn't want to sell it all that badly. It really bummed me out. I want a Subaru Forester, but now's really not the ideal time. Until we sell the house & figure out if I'll be able to keep my job, I shouldn't be making any large purchases. I'm nervous about the Civic, though. Every weird smell or sound makes me think that an engine fire is just a few short miles away. I don't think I can handle that much anxiety when I drive 80 miles each day. I probably like the idea of a new car more than actually getting one. I've had the Civic for 9 years & am attached to her. She's been awesome - still gets 35+ MPG!

I did drag my butt to the gym at 9pm. Amazing how 45 minutes of sweat can make it all seem a little better. And when I got home, I applied for a job at UVM. We may not know if we're going there yet, but I may as well hedge my bets on moving there, and on keeping my job. Wish me luck.

Today I'm focused on finishing the bathroom. I've dragged my butt for 6 weeks, so it's about time. I'm stripping the last bits of wallpaper, then going to prime & paint the tub alcove, and caulk the tile edges. After that, I'll probably paint the ceiling tomorrow! I'm stoked to get it done. I've gotta ride the wave of motivation while I'm still feeling it.