random thoughts – Day 1,326 – (Friday) – tgif

There were the usual morning events except I switched up the Friday thing and instead of wearing a bank logo shirt so I could wear jeans, I wore regular office dress pants so I could wear a lightweight cashmere sweater. That was because I misread the weather forecast (a regular event), and thought it would be colder today. Instead of being like Wednesday’s cold, it was sunny and not as chilly, which I realized after I got downtown. 

Friday morning.

I left a little early to stop at the gas station for air in the tires. The dashboard display began glaring at me in red lighting on Wednesday when it got cold. The only remedy to this is more air.

Around the corner from home and on the way to work there is a Shell station with an air pump. The last time this station was visited for this purpose, there was a sign that the air machine was out of service. This morning the card reader wasn’t working and it was taking coins only. Another station further down the road allowed the tire mission to be completed.

A bit further down the road, I realized I had neglected to grab anything for lunch. Or breakfast. It wasn’t like I prepared it and left it on the counter, I hadn’t even thought about it. By the time I thought of it, I was closer to work than home and there would be no going back to correct the situation. There are options downtown, I’m a big girl, it would be okay.

The sun was shining and a breeze fluttered the tattered flag atop the now empty Lowell Five Bank building on John Street. The walk to the office from the garage was pleasant.

Once in the office, there was an idea to go to City Hall for the last day of early voting then grab something at Subway on the way back. Then I remembered City Hall closes at noon on Fridays and the voting plan was scrapped in favor of going to the regular voting place on Tuesday instead.

There were some leftover pastries from Wednesday in the office fridge. Strategic timing of the slightly stale small pieces of carrot cake and German chocolate cake were washed down with coffee and served as brunch.

There were some of the usual monthly screw-ups from the usual vendor that added some spice. The to-do list was chipped away. Once again, I neglected to tear myself away from the desk and get outside. Eventually it was time to leave and that was a happy moment.

The tree out back.

The drive home allowed a few minutes to contemplate the unsatisfactory lunch and the desire for a better supper, preferably with some “real” food. Within 20 minutes of arriving home, I had a plate of freshly assembled mushrooms, onion, black beans, salsa, and leftover rice topped with queso and a side of corn chips. And it was good. Best thing I’d eaten all day, but the bar was pretty low in terms of both quantity and quality. 

In the back yard, the big tree is still clinging to its leaves, with only a few on the ground. Raking isn’t needed yet, but mowing is and may need to happen this weekend. So much for the combined mow/mulch activity. Maybe I'll get lucky this year and the leaves will fall/blow into the yard of the tree owner. That would be sweet.