Un-f#%&ing-believable

Wed. night: My flight landed an hour late - not horrible considering the lightning storm in Denver that grounded flights and kept planes circling for a good hour. My friend Jen picked me up at 11:15 pm - we head to my apartment and I mention the whole "dead battery after a long trip" deal from June. Ha ha. We get to my apartment... I'm anxious to pop in my car really quickly and start 'er up... there is only one small problem: no car. My car. Was. Gone.

Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu*******%%^%$$$^&&^^$^%^%k!!!!!!!!!

I didn't believe my eyes. I didn't know what to do. We drove around the parking loop - no sign of it. I knew where I had parked it. No car. It is a miracle I did not burst into tears on the spot. Before I called the police (I was damn close) I called the apartment emergency maintenance # and left a message with the service and told them - ahem! - my car was missing.

Still in disbelief, we decided to take my stuff to my apartment and strategize. There on my door was the explanation: paving was done in the parking lot that day. Cars not moved by 8 am were towed at the owner's expense - to another area of the property. OK - many feelings: relief! It's not stolen. Indignance! They TOWED my car, and I LIVE here, and what if they hurt it? :( Urgency: we must drive the entire property now and FIND MY CAR. And we found it, about 3 minutes later, and she started up just fine.

The next morning, I had the typical I've-been-gone-for-nine-days-and-I-also-just-moved crap to deal with, like my new phone line not working, my cell phone bill being ASTRONOMICAL because I went over my minutes when I was without ground line for so long... but you know, I've got my health. Mostly. Because I...um...yeah, started smoking again when I got back out of PURE habitual reliance for stress relief. By the way, they didn't charge me for the tow - my plane ticket was like my note from my mom getting me out of school.

And speaking of... today... I started back to school. Help me, Lord.
At least I get a three-day weekend - I go back on Tuesday "for good." (Sniff, sniff!)

Whew. It's exhausting being alive, isn't it?