A DAY IN THE LIFE

TUESDAY MORNING

There are days where no matter how enthusiastic you approach the day the day is going to do all it can to beat you down.  Or to challenge you and make you prove that you are, indeed, that one heck of a guy (or gal if you are one) that you say you are.  That is what Tuesday was about for me.

Woke up at 0430 and was out the house fifteen minutes later to go to the gym.  About ¾ of a mile down I hit a pothole that took out both of my tires.  So that crossed-out the workout for the day, which I was really looking forward to.  I had a mid-term in my Accelerated Algebra class and a nice crisp workout would have got the juices flowing.  Accepting that I would not get a workout in, I allowed the extra walking I would do to be that ‘thing’ and let it do the waking up.  Ten minutes later I was back in my apartment, letting my bath water cool down so I could start my day.

Sitting at the bus stop in front of my building an couple of hours later, I started thinking about my bike.  The Trek store offers a 30-day tune up of new bikes, as well as a year check-up for free.  The low gear on my ride was a big indifferent and I had wanted to take “Maddie” (for Madison, my bike!) for that after class.  I decided that I would and dashed upstairs to get my bike, figuring that I can put it on the bike rack and take it with me to school.  That was not a problem but that doesn’t mean a problem was not to be had.  For some reason, I had removed my bike lock and I had no way of locking my bike outside.  So I did the only thing that I could do, and that was to take Maddie to class with me.

Going into my Human Relations class, it was not a problem.  But because I am allowed to take as much time as necessary for my testing, I take my tests for Accelerated Algebra in the testing center on campus, not the classroom.  It has help A LOT, but I knew that the folks in the Testing Center weren’t (and didn't) going to allow me to bring my bike in the Center as I took my test.  But the Campus security office did let me store my bike in there, so that is what I did.

I was ready for the mid-term and was breezing through the questions.  I had enough time to double check my answers, and that was what I did.  But there were two equations that were worth 10 points each, essentially a letter grade that I did struggle with.  Not because they were difficult but because I did not ‘like’ the answers I kept getting.  So I kept working the problems, and it took me two hours to finally settle on the answers that I kept getting for those problems alone!  Taking a napkin that I happen to have in my pocket, I copied down the problems, so I could take them to the Math Lab and have them solved.

I started to go through the Connector building and there was yet another program going on, this one with different organizations providing assistance and community help, including volunteer organizations.  There was a table for the Kroc Center, and I stopped by.  The woman that I met with last Friday was not available at the time, but I did speak with the representative who was there and asked that she tell her co-worker that she had met the wonderfully pleasant young man that she spoke with on Friday, and that he is eager to hear back from her!!

Leaving the set-up, I would retrieve my bike and catch the bus to the Trek store.  Dropped Maddie off, and on the way out, the bus headed back through to school was approaching.  The south campus is located in the part of town that resembles southwest back in the Motor.  I have done a full tour just yet, so I don’t know where the best Mexican food is being served, but there is a vibrant, colorful row of shops in South Omaha.  And one dinky pawn shop!  One day, recently, I happened past it and spied a bike on sale for a super reasonable price.  Since I don’t want to ride Maddie into the ground, I thought that I would pick up the “spare”, for days when it is wet and grimy out.

Went to the pawn shop and not only did I get the bike, but I got it on sale!  From there I rode home, and my attention was to walk north for about a mile so I could take the #2 bus back to the Trek store, and to take my cable box back in (haven’t had cable for a month and don’t plan on starting again until KT arrives).  But as I started from my apartment building, the #32 heading south was coming down the block.  And in a “you have to ‘get it to get it’,” I jumped the bus and it took me back to the transfer point where I caught the #13 to the Trek store, and I rode out, caught the #13, and was back at the Trek store to collect Maddie!   From the Trek store it was a short ride to the Cox Cable store and finally, I was homeward bound!

I THOUGHT THIS WOULD HAVE CAME OUT DIFFERENTLY

Because yesterday was an unexpectedly and seemingly unremittingly challenging day, I thought I would be writing about how difficult the day was, how the strange pains and aches that come whenever I find myself trying to juggle a lot of different activities at the same time, and how hard it actually was to get things together, myself back safe and sound, and without losing or forgetting anything along the way. 

Maybe one day, I will have a truly difficult day and I will be able to express how frustrating that it is to be living on my own with brain injury.  But it wasn’t yesterday and it definitely isn’t today!