13. Thirteen

I hate 13. I want to say that I'm not supersticious. (I'm not even sure I spelled that correctly.) I'm Catholic and we aren't supposed to be supersticious. (Still not sure I spelled that correctly.) But, it is what it is.

This morning I was wasting some time before getting in the shower. Kind of my traditional thing to do in the mornings, as it is so cold and so dark at that time of day, and I know once I just decide to 'bite it' and start getting ready for work, I have to actually admit that I have to get ready for work. And the older I get, the less I 'do' mornings. I was raised by a night owl mother and a morning person father. It was a crap-shoot as to how I would end up. It seems I started out like my Dad, but I'm turning into my mother. Well, that's a blog post for another day.

Where was I? Oh, yes, wasting time before getting in the shower. I know that my computer clock has the right time on it, but I usually try to go by the clock on the kitchen stove, as it is set 5 minutes faster and sometimes I can trick myself into thinking I'd better stop wasting time. (Doesn't always work.)

I looked over at the clock on the stove and it said "5:18".
Then my mind jumped to "What day is it?"

Not for any reason other than I just wasn't immediately sure what the date was.

"Crap. It's the thirteenth. Well, at least I didn't look over at the clock and see that it was 5:13."

"OhHolyMotherOfGod." Now is the time that I remembered the stove is set five minutes fast.

I tried not to look at the computer to confirm the actual time, but I couldn't control myself. I hoped that I had wasted enough time (see the 'wasting time' pattern here?) that when I looked at the computer clock it would have already passed to the next minute.

No such luck.

The 'true' clock on the computer said 5:13.

That's a double '13' (date and time) and that cannot be good. I sucked it up, said a "Hail Mary" (because even though I'm supersticious - is that spelled right, already??? - I'm a Catholic, after all and a prayer can never hurt - may not help, but for sure won't hurt.)

I went to the last site I look at each day before getting in the shower. The weather site. Because I need to know how to dress, ya'll. (Or, as Libby teases me for saying "you'all).

The current temp? 13 degrees. Freaking great.

I got in the shower and began my day. As I was leaving the house, I see what appears to be smoke coming from under the siding on the house. We lost our home to fire in 11/1999 (what is it with these numbers?!?) and so I'm a little bit paranoid about fire. I investigate and find that the smoke is more like steam and not actually smoke and smells like clean clothes. Dear Son was doing his laundry, so I assumed the vent must be clogged and venting under the house, or something. (Right assumption, by the way.) I tell son to turn off the dryer until husband can check it out. I leave to drop off the kids.

Son calls and says "It's a good thing you had me turn off the dryer, because when I left the house, it smelled like something burning."

I turned around and returned to the house. Nothing burning, but I'm still a bit paranoid at this point in the day.

I call husband to tell him he'll have to check things out when he gets home from work. He tells me the truck is mechanically 'off' (can't remember what term he used) and that I need to call the repair shop and arrange for it to be looked at. "And while you are at it, see if you can find a vehicle for me to take to work tomorrow, as it is my turn to carpool. I may need to take your van."

Well, sure, I'm not doing anything this morning; let me just get right on that.

I go to work to make sure everything is ready for my sub, as I'm in meetings all day in a different building. My sub wasn't there, but it is early yet. No worries.

I get to the other building, quickly make some phone calls to have the truck looked at; arrange for dear son to loan dad his car tomorrow and carpool with me; argue with dear son that we will still make sure he gets to work even though he won't have his car, and promise that I will pick him up after work so that he will not have to spend the night there; Finish that phone call with 2 minutes to spare before my meeting begins, and I get a call from my building that they have a student there for meds, but no nurse sub. She hadn't shown up yet. Sheesh.

I explain how to navigate the various steps to find the key to open the med cabinet and dispense said med to student. The sub did eventually make it in, but not without panic on my part. I have a diabetic student and I was explaining to the sub how intricately this student must be dealt with, as she has a rather bitter teenage attitude, and you just want to make sure you don't step on her toes and sound accusing that she isn't caring for herself or her condition or you will.get.absolutely.nowhere.with.her.

The diabetic student does seldom have needs though, so I didn't really think it would be a problem. I sit and my meeting begins and 10 minutes later, my cell rings. It's the Sub. Diabetic student came in and admitted SHE HAD FORGOTTEN HER INSULIN PUMP AT HOME.

Seriously, this is not my day.

I manage the problem by phone, send the student home for the pump, hang up. Look at the clock on my cell.

9:13.

Oy.

Decided to buck tradition and screw with fate. I silently prayed 13 Hail Mary's.