Really, it started off so well. I got up early, showered, and had some time to myself this morning. The kids woke up and were in great moods. It didn't even seem that cold in the house. Plus, it's Friday, Monday is a holiday, and I did really well on my projects for class last week.
Then I go to change S's diaper and her bottom is covered with a nasty rash - again. Poor baby - if it's 1/10 as painful as it looks I have no idea why she's not screaming all the time. So I need to make an appointment for Monday because the only thing available today or tomorrow is the extended care clinic and they are basically useless.
I get the kids fed, dressed, and herded outside to play until T's bus comes and I realize that my landlord's car is in the driveway. Umm...okay. We head out the door and I'm not sure if I hear or smell the oil truck first. Yay that we are getting more oil, phooey on the bad timing. The kids are jazzed and think the truck is the neatest thing ever. I get my cardio in chasing them around while running back up the stairs first for the vat form and then for the money, only to find out that they are going to bill us for the oil. It would have been great to know that before we had all that Euro just lying around in cash. But oh well.
About the time the oil truck leaves, our landlord tells us we have to have the heat off for a few hours to let the oil settle and he wants to change the filter. No problem, I still have a million errands to do that I didn't get done on Wednesday. We no sooner go outside then the bus comes for T. Off to school he goes and then I run around like a crazy woman trying to get everything together for the errands. When I glance at the clock and see how late I'm now running, I just leave with the intention of doing what I can for the couple hours T will be in school.
I'm driving down the road making a mental list of to do's, and I realize - I can't turn in the movies we rented because I forgot them, can't go to the post office because I forgot the stuff to mail again AND my address book - and then I see a flash of light. WTH?
About thirty seconds later I know exactly what that was - a speed trap because a Polizei officer steps out into the road and waves me over. Fabulous. He only speaks a little English, I only speak tourist German (involving food, directions, and basic info) so we have the majority of the conversation in French. I was going 13 clicks over the speed limit. Do I have 20 Euro? I do! Then all I do is give it to him. No ticket, no court, no impact on insurance, no having to report it to R's command. And I'm on my way.
Except I'm so upset about being distracted enough that I was both speeding and that I failed to notice the obvious speed trap (I've seen them a million times), that I miss my turn and end up having to go through town where I end up having to slam on brakes to avoid hitting a pedestrian who decided to dart across the street. Luckily, I was obeying the speed limit and they were jaywalking - especially since there was another Polizei right there. Geez.
I get two of my 7 errands done and head home, only to have S scream for 15 minutes because she didn't want to take her shoes off and I wouldn't let her have a cookie. Since she was screaming, I decided to change her diaper, which resulted in more screaming and my seriously contemplating taking a couple shots of rum I keep in the freezer for special occasions just like this one. But I'm the only one here with the kids and the way today is going, I'd almost certainly have to drive somewhere like the ER or Poland if I took even a tiny sip. The police here are pretty cool with speeding, but not so much with DUI which will also drastically affect your insurance. And your ability to drive over here. And probably your husbands career. No pressure....
Then I decide to open my email. I should know better. The first year we were here, I volunteered to be one of the key spouses for the squadron. It was right as the command was changing and things were just a joke. While I was pregnant with S, an email was sent out to the spouses in the squadron asking for a key spouse volunteer since we didn't have any, which was how I found out that I had been removed? replaced? not performing adequately? It was news to me and kind of a slap in the face as no one had bothered to actually tell me there was a problem or anything else.
Last July we get a new commander in and suddenly I start getting key spouse emails again. As in, 'come pick up the project care package for your deployed spouse' emails. Ummmmm, no thank you. So I email the First Sgt and ask him to direct the email to the person that is the key spouse now. He says no problem, then gives the key spouse the impression I want to help, which I most certainly do not. Ever. Again. She starts emailing me and she's so nice that I feel badly that she is doing it by herself. I also find out that the hateful women that were my co-key spouses weren't doing their part, then saying it was me not doing my part, all the while they were taking credit for what I was doing. Too. Much. Drama. So I offer to do admin stuff for her- make fliers, organize.. stuff like that. But I make it clear I am NOT interested in being key spouse again. Nice as she is, it would be me doing most the work and her stepping up to take all the credit since her nose seems so firmly planted up the commander's wife's behind. So, again, no thank you. Every now and then I get an email saying I have a project care package to pick up and I always reply nicely that I'm not the key spouse anymore and copy it to the first sgt., the lady who is the key spouse, and the lady who is sending me the emails. It's annoying but manageable.
So when I open my email today, there's an email from the key spouse to apparently everyone to whom she's ever emailed with her details of leaving in Feb. Two emails after that, I have an email from the same lady that continues to email me when current key spouse isn't doing her job saying I have many project care packages to come and pick up and that spouses are calling and asking about them.
Now, up until this point, I've handled the bad things about today pretty well. It's been a rough day, but nothing I can't manage. This, however, just sends me hurling off the cliff of reason. So what do I do? I pick up the phone and call R and say in language that would make a sailor blush - I AM NOT THE KEY SPOUSE. I WILL NOT BE THE KEY SPOUSE. I DO NOT KNOW WHY THEY KEEP SENDING ME THIS CRAP. I! WILL! NOT! NOT! NOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Poor R. He's like - wow! Okay, I will call the first sgt and the lady and tell them to leave you alone. To his credit, he never tells me to calm down. He says he'll handle it from his end. I ask him to talk to the first sgt and I'll handle the lady. However, if I get one more email about picking up packages or my duties as key spouse, I'm appearing in person and I manually override my self edit program first.
I manage to calm down enough to send a firm, yet professional email to the lady, stating once again that I am NOT the key spouse and that she needs to coordinate with the first sgt (whose wife by the way, does nothing squadron related. So I don't want to hear another word from him about volunteering or duty or helping until she leads by example).
After I post this, I'm turning off my computer and unplugging the phone. Enough already. If there's a sucker born every minute, find another one to handle this stupid squadron crap. Stick a fork in me, I'm done. DONE DONE DONE
Thanks for reading. Have a nice day.
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