– Time For A Tiara: Column by Ginna Young – - Just ONE of those days is more than enough

– Time For A Tiara: Column by Ginna Young –

You ever had one of those days? You know, the kind of day when everything goes wrong? I usually have quite a few of them, but there comes a time, every now and then, when it just seems like it’s magnified.

Yesterday was one of those days.

It began when I did – or rather, didn’t – get out of bed. I fell behind (thank you, millions of Christmas concerts) and still needed to get a story done for our sister paper, so I was going to get up super early and finish it before my 7 a.m. meeting. Well, I slept horribly and finally fell asleep only a couple hours before the alarm went off.

I was so tired, I reset the alarm and fell back asleep. When the alarm went off, it gave me just enough time to get ready and head out. I went squeaking into the meeting, precisely on time, but it was delayed starting for another seven minutes. OK, well, I figured on it being about 15 minutes long, but it could still work, so I could get to the office and write.

Yeah. It went all the way to 8 a.m. I then had to pick up my co-worker, who is without a car for a few days, because her daughter’s is in the shop and borrowed hers. We got in and I got right to it (write..right...get it?), but I was two paragraphs shy of finishing my story and still needed to write a photo caption before I sent it, when my “get going” alarm went off.

Time to head off for my haircut! Without a choice, I left my story up on the computer, threw my coat on and dashed off. I get my hair cut in Sheldon, so it’s like a 20 to 25-minute drive, depending on slow-moving traffic. Whenever I’m in a hurry, I always seem to get behind a vehicle going 35 in a 55 mph speed limit and too much oncoming traffic to pass.

However, this time, I had no trouble, but did slow down slightly when I got almost to Sheldon, as it was snowing and sticking on the road. I whipped into the beauty salon parking lot, raced in and sat right down.

With only one slight interruption (Her one year old stuck his sucker upside down in the potted plant and then was devastated to find it was now dirty. A minor meltdown ensued. Yes, I did laugh.), I was out of there quickly and back on the road, after giving my hairdresser Christmas money for each of her kids.

It would have been a lot better if I had remembered the special money holder boxes I had ready, sitting on the dining room table at home. But, hey, money is money, I guess, with or without a sparkly box and a bow.

I had forgotten to get a sympathy card for a co-worker in a sister office and the paper delivery guy was coming that morning; I really wanted to send it back with him. On a side note, in all seriousness, if you think of it, please say a prayer for that co-worker and her family, they could sure use peace and comfort right now.

Anyway, I stopped at Dollar General in Holcombe, found just the card I wanted and a birthday one I need, while a themed balloon caught my eye on the rack. Deciding to get it, I pulled it off the shelf, along with an extra one. I put that back, then promptly dropped the one I intended to buy.

I got out of there without any further incidents and barely beat our delivery man back. We hurriedly signed the card and I even had time to finish my story, hit send and relax for about half a second, before he came in and dropped a bombshell.

It started out so innocent. He raided the candy dish on the counter, we wished him safe travels (he’s a sweetheart and we worry over him) and then he said, “See you Monday, when I bring the papers.”

Uh, Monday? Hahaha, you mean Tuesday? We have an early deadline, because of the Christmas holiday, so maybe he just got the day confused. Easy to do, when we switch up routines. Nope, Monday is what he said, and Monday is what he meant!

Unbeknownst to us, we had an early, early deadline, as set by the printer, but nobody told us. Not only that, it would be that way for the next issue, too. You can imagine, that caused some flurried rearranging of schedules and a great deal of stress.

Wait, Mom has a doctor’s appointment I have to accompany her to! But I still won’t have my car! Um, I’ll be in Alabama!

Each of spoke at once, realizing this was going to be difficult to pull this off in just a day’s notice. See, our paper layout days are Monday and Tuesday, when we have an early deadline, it becomes Friday and Monday. Well, an early, early deadline means Thursday and Friday. It just really throws everything off.

We had already advertised a different deadline than that and we panicked about what would go in, as meetings and sports games now would be too late to include in the issues, leaving some blank areas to fill. Around the end of/ beginning of the year, news always slows down, so it makes for an interesting scramble, but now...yikes.

Despite all that, we figured it out and made a plan. I thought maybe things would straighten back out then, but no. A lady came in for papers and wanted a week’s issue that was past the dates on the shelf, so we had to dig into the file cabinet and find it. Of course, when one has a handful of newspapers in their hand, what would you do, besides drop them all in a muddled heap, so you have to frantically sort through them?

To add to that, I mention this on behalf of my co-workers, who were sad that one got called Karen (total different end of the alphabet) and the other’s name wasn’t remembered at all, by someone who came in that they see on a regular basis. Sorry, girls, if it helps, I got called Wendy once and I’ve been called Amy another.

Anyway, so the day finally drew to a close and I had to leave for a team photo/helping at a movie night fundraiser. I again gave my one co-worker a ride home, but it was a fight with the seat belt and in the whole process, I spent a bit of time trying to open a door in, instead of out, even though I know full well which way it opens.

I thought, perhaps, that was it, but I had one last chance to add to the long list of “those days” occurrences. I got back in my car that I had left running and shut it off, so I could start it and drive away. Yep, that sums up my day perfectly.

Most people have “one of those days” on Friday the 13th or some other unlucky date, but for me, I call it Wednesday.