“Remoted” – Workday 53 / Day 71 (Tuesday)

Tuesday after a holiday always feels like a Monday and is almost always a confusing launch into the workweek. A Tuesday after a holiday that starts with an 8 a.m. doctor’s appointment is probably the dumbest scheduling ever.  Routine stuff is rarely a big deal, but this appointment felt stressful. It was originally scheduled for the week after being remoted, was changed for several weeks later, and then again. That’s when I realized the dreadful timing.

This being only the third trip out of the house since March 16, and after having a couple dreams about going out into society and making every physical distancing mistake possible, there were some nerves involved with this trip out. In addition to the actual society stuff, I also didn’t know if my downtown garage pass would work. The Bank’s parking lot, located spitting distance from the doctor’s office, seemed like a possibility, but when I got there, the street on one side of the bank was partially closed with a police officer posted. The street at the other end of the block had workers and equipment and more equipment moving in and out of the alley that feeds into the parking lot.

There was plenty of open parking at the metered spots on the street so I parked in one conveniently located near a parking pay station. It wouldn’t let me input the parking spot info or the $1.50 per hour payment. Following the instructions, I tried another machine which also did not accept info or payment. The signage said parking is enforced 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. so maybe that was the problem. The machine also informed that there is a payment app that can be downloaded, but my phone has been temperamental and space is limited. There are already 119 apps on my phone because a bunch come preloaded and can’t seem to be removed, and every single organization I transact with has an app. It was a calculated risk, but there was now only five minutes to get to my appointment, no time to wait until 8:00 to see if the machines would magically work, or look for a third machine, and I speedwalked to the appointment because I hate being late.

Upon arrival, there were four women standing on the sidewalk blocking the entrance and all the informational signs. I thought it might be a line, but it turned out they were just having a conversation. One of them hit the handicap button with her elbow and opened the door for me. After checking in, the appointment opened with a tech having computer login issues in one exam room, a relocation to a different room and more login issues with my practitioner. It was a day for tiny tech challenges all around. Then there was what felt like a long wait in the exam room freezing while wearing a paper top with another giant paper towel across my lap.

There was a shot, then a wait for the lab with three people ahead of me. Finally it was my turn, then I was one vial down on blood and had gained a huge headache, most likely from not having had coffee or any breakfast yet. 

Machine not working
 = expensive ticket.

Back at the car, 1.5 hours later, there was a $25 parking ticket on the windshield, issued 14 minutes earlier. This definitely didn’t help the headache. Super annoying stupid crap. 

The headache lasted all day and into the night even after coffee, food, and several large glasses of water. The shot made my arm hurt and could also cause flu-like symptoms like a fever and achiness. There is definitely no fever as the house is 81 degrees and I’m cold. Which begs the question, what the hell is the magical temperature on this earth where I am not cold? Is it hell? I really need to know.