Bad Mom

Do you think they'll notice? I thought to myself when I posted a photo of my twins when they were hours old and wished them a Happy 54th Birthday yesterday morning.

Problem is … their birthday was the day before, and I’d forgotten until something just clicked in my brain that next morning.

They’ll probably rack it up to mom’s old, doesn’t remember things so well. If they don’t, then I myself will play the age card — I’m old, don’t remember things so well.

Which isn’t entirely untrue.

At any rate, onward and upwards.

With yesterday being a free day, I was hoping for a break in the rain so I could drive to the craft store.

There was enough of a break that I headed out with the intent to stop by the drug store for that electrical tape, and then drive on from there. However, when I saw how frantically people were driving, and the drug store had no electrical tape, I decided on batteries to see if I can get an old blood pressure monitor to work, because the one I generally use just kinda got up and walked away, then headed back to the complex.

While at the drug store, a weird little man came out of nowhere, and disappeared just as quickly back into nowhere.

I was browsing the battery isle for the best bang for the buck when he — a skinny little white dude of undetermined age, was suddenly at my side.

Didn’t sound like store security profiling me, because he said "Good morning, ma’am. You can get those cheaper at Walmart".

"Maybe so", replied I. "But who wants to go to Walmart. Too many people".

Then, with him standing too close, I stepped back to look for what I needed from a distance.

He babbled on for a bit about this one was cheaper here, that one was cheaper there and, when I saw what I was looking for, I grabbed it, headed for the register, looked back and POOF he was gone.

Disappeared into thin air.

Was that some kind of hallucination?

A visitation? 

A Dr. Who Tardis thing?

Some kind of weird message and messenger from the universe?

With electrical tape nowhere near, perhaps I should have listened to what he had to say, driven to Walmart.

Hope I didn’t make a cosmic mistake to not listen, opting instead to head back to the complex, order online instead.

Back at the complex, I stopped into the office to drop off next month’s rent check.

The Lobby looked nice. Someone did a good job on the tree.

After dropping off a check in the rent slot, I headed for the mail center, passing the Assistant Manager’s Office, the Maintenance Office and the Tyrant’s Office.

Lights were on and someone was in each office EXCEPT the Tyrant’s.

Lights were off, his office was dark, no one there.

So, I guess that settles it. No Activity Calendar or word on who won the contest until after the 1st of the year.

Is his absence the reason for the hold up?

Is he out just for the day OR has he been out all along?

He’s not one of my favorite people, yet I don’t wish him serious ill but maybe the holdup is that he’s been sick/in quarantine.

If my buddy Apache were still around, he'd have the dirt on what's been going on in the office. But with Apache evicted, and everyone pretty much keeping to themselves (because there are no activities and Omicron), there's not much tea spilling out onto the grapevine.

Oh well, we'll know what we know when we know it.

When I’d initially headed out that morning, I spotted something to file under the category of one of these things is not like the other.

That's Shadow's walker in a quasi-parking stall.

I pay $15 a month for my parking space. Shadow has found a clever way to not have to carry his walker up to his unit, and park it for free.

Inasmuch as everyone around here is not honest, and meth heads, looking for stuff to steal, sometimes make it onto the property, it’s kinda risky — not to mention it's outside, at the mercy of the elements.

My only obligation today is this morning's workout. Once that's over and done with, plan for remainder of this New Year’s Eve is to — even though I don’t drink, to enjoy a glass of champagne, binge watch YOU on Netflix — a thriller about a Dexter like character who stalks women he's interested in, gets rid of the competition.

Because this year has been a different kind of crazy and is now ending with fires raging, homes burning, folks stuck in a travel nightmare, the Variant, it's not looking good for 2022. Makes me reluctant to say Happy New Year. So, I'll leave it at Be Happy, Safe, Healthy, Prosperous.