Weekend Gone Awry

This weekend has been less than restful. Firstly, Friday kicked off a hub bub of problems. After a hectic day at work I arrived home to have my doorbell rung before I had time to change clothes. It was a new neighbor I hardly know wanting some help. Seems she too had a bad day. She ran out of gas in the parking lot when she got to work. She had scrounged up change from her car and a few dollars to pay the gas station to use their gas can and walk back to her car with it. Now she was home and broke and the deliverymen were there setting up her new bed. She needed money to tip them. I also go the feeling she didn't want to be alone in the house with them so I walked back with her and stayed until they left. I lent her money for the tip. When Rob got home I told him that I was just exhausted and needed to go somewhere and distract myself. We went to our local Applebees. I actually had the feeling I was at an eigth grade dance. The place was swarming with teens in groups (girls on one side and boys on the other). Waiting time was said to be twenty minutes. The reality was that it was over forty-five minutes. We were seated and I ordered a Cosmo. It was one of the strongest ones I have ever had. My head was spinning which was good because when the bill came and I saw that they charged me @8.50 PLUS TAX & TIP I needed some comfort. We had a large appetizer that we shared and Rob had a rib platter also. The food was really good. We picked up headphones that Rob had ordered at Circuit City for his Ipod, my prescription and came home. By 10 p.m. I was snoring.
Saturday I woke up with a very swollen knee. It had been swollen all week. Now it was so stiff I could barely walk on it. I called the internist and asked if I might be seen before I went to work. I called work and told them I would be a little late but would be there as soon as I could. The usual doctor was not there and I saw another. She told me it looked terrible and read me the MRI report of it that was done several months ago. My regular internist had told me that it did not have a miniscus tear which he feared. What he neglected to tell me was that the report said I have a degenerative knee. She referred me to an orthopedic surgeon. (I doubt they will be able to do much but I will go see them.) She then expressed concern that my entire body was full of fluid. Yes, I noticed that as well. I take a daily diuretic but she wanted me on lasix which is VERY strong. I have been taking it for two days and have dropped nearly ten pounds of fluid in that time. ..........I hurried off to work where there were many problems that needed attending. I normally don't enjoy working on Saturdays but our Saturday girl is a reception who can't handle a lot of things that I was happy to be there to help her out with. She's very sweet and appreciative and that goes a long way with job satisfaction. I came home with a real feeling of accomplishment. When I arrived home Rob informed me that our oven was no more. It ceased to work, so did the broiler. The stove top burners were fine. My father came and tried to take a "look see" but honestly the position of the "GLOWBAR" made it impossible for him. We discussed how expensive it would be to repair and thought we would do better purchasing a new one. That is until we spoke to others who told us that by the time you included the delivery fee, removal of old appliance fee and hook up fee, you had to add another $200 to the price. I remembered that a very nice man I work with used to repair appliances. I called his cel and he said he would come out, take a look and fix it for me. He told me I would only have to pay for the part and give him some money to cover his gas. Honestly, this man has a heart of gold. He had just bought me lunch last week. We have tried to help each other and when I found he didn't have a winter coat someone gave me a brand new one to give him. The hat and gloves that I bought my son were too small for him but fit this man perfectly, as well as matched his coat. Sometimes when life just seems to be giving us a lot to process, you meet someone who offers you a helping hand and you believe again in the goodness of your fellow man. I am waiting for him to call me and come out today. I use my oven at least four times a week, sometimes more. I love to bake and in the winter I love to have a nice homecooked meal warming the kitchen and sending an inviting aroma throughout the house. I find the older I get the more the comforts of home mean to me.
Earlier today I was reading a friend's journal. The entry was about how her ex had so many of her things. That really hit me. Things are just things, but they are so comforting when they are tied with memories and heart strings. Although I feel I got cheated financially in my divorce, I am glad that I gave me ex all the things that were his, and retained all the things that were mine. I did ask for OUR vinyl record collection, many were gifts he had given me and he agreed to let me have them. However since I walked away without a dime from his pension or IRAs, he still made out like a bandit. I still feel that it was a pyric victory for him. Above all, I feel that I retained my self respect. That was worth more than anything to me.