"Am I Caught In A Hit And Run?"

I left work on Monday with a spring in my step. It was absolutely gorgeous outside and I had big plans for my evening. I just wanted to get to it. Things that were on my agenda: Go to the gym, stop at the supermarket, go to Mike's place and have dinner prepared for when he got home at 8:30pm.
Unfortunately, plans for Taco Night were ruined.
I arrived at the gym on Mineral Spring Avenue around 5:15pm. I badged in and went to the women's locker room and prepared to get my pump on. During my time at Work Out World, some gentleman stole my mat practically from underneath me and the treadmill I got on had a broken TV. Argh...
At about 6:15pm, I collected my things from my locker and made my way to my car. At first I couldn't find it in the parking lot. I couldn't exactly remember where I parked. None of the cars looked like The Grey Lady.
I soon realized that the car with the rear bumper on the ground with the huge dent in it was, indeed, mine.
I didn't see a guilty-looking driver near the car so my thought was "Oh, GREAT!" But, then, a choir of angels sang a hymn and led me to a note on the windshield. Nope, it wasn't from the driver of the car. It was even better than that! It was from someone who saw the whole thing go down and they got the kid's license plate number.
After calling Dad & Mom, I finally got enough sense to call the North Providence Police Department, which, by the way, I could see from where I was standing in the parking lot. It's diagonally across the street...which was great because the officer got there in a jiffy.
In the meantime, I received several concerned glances and "Did that just happen?"'s from the gym-goers.
The police officer came over to me, took the note & notified SWAT (not really) of the license plate number on the note. As I was standing there with the Po-Po, SWAT was at this kid's house. I say "kid" because he was born in 1994.
1994 was a big year for me. I got my braces removed, graduated from eighth grade and started high school. I did NOT receive court dates for a hit and run or for driving with a suspended license. (Just a sidenote, he thought he just grazed my car with his side mirror. Please look at the damage above and laugh to yourself.)
Anyways, Mike's Mom came to take laundry baskets out of my car so it could be towed. I waited in the parking lot until 8:30pm, stealing McDonald's WIFI. Finally, AAA came and, rather than tow the car, he slapped some duct tape on it and called it a day.
It actually made me annoyed that I didn't come up with that idea prior to waiting there for hours but whatever. It worked out.
I am still able to drive my car...although, I look pretty ghetto. Thank God I have a grey car. The duct tape, sort of, blends in. If you look real close (maybe) you don't notice.
Nah...I know better. Everyone on the road has been giving me looks and no one will park near me. I'm like a road leper. I want to make a sign and hang it in my back window that says, "It wasn't my fault. Honest."

Put Me In, Coach

While watching yesterday's Red Sox v. Tigers season opener in Detroit, I was reminded of something...something that I've thought of for many years but never actually verbalized until now.
Why is it that the only thing I can easily spot while traveling in a airplane is a baseball field?
During the broadcast, they showed aerial shots of the stadium from a blimp and I got to thinking how on every flight I've ever been on I've searched for fields. I don't know why but it makes me very happy. Is it because I'm a huge baseball fan or does everyone do this? I'd like to think everyone participates in my little game of I Spy.
I mean, I highly doubt that I would recognize the Rocky Mountains, the Mississippi River or the Grand Canyon, but a little league baseball field in Blue Springs, NE - no problem.
Maybe I enjoy it because it's a reminder that no matter where you reside in the United States of America, one thing - the love of baseball - connects us all...the excitement of the first pitch and the final out, the smell of hot dogs, the crunch of peanut shells under your shoe soles and the phrase "Play Ball".

As A Courtesy

The word "courtesy" is defined as excellence of manners or social conduct; polite behavior; a courteous, respectful, or considerate act or expression.


There are several ways one can act in a courteous and polite manner. Be gentle, not forceful or insistent; be nice; be honest; be graceful and show elegance.
This might seem like an easy enough character trait to possess, however, there are many people in this world...in Rhode Island...in the Providence Place Mall parking garage, for example...that are facing 180* in the wrong direction when it comes to being courteous to others.
On Monday, I was walking to my car after a long day in the office and, as you know from my previous blog posts, I walk in the drive-out exit. I know...I know...it's dangerous but this allows me to witness the most ridiculous behavior Providence has to offer, like people dancing, arguing and picking their nose while waiting for traffic to ease up.
Anyway, as I took a turn to walk into the garage, a family began walking along the sidewalk in front of the exit. They looked like tourists to me. They were looking at the architecture of the buildings and reading the signs to make sure they were headed in the right direction...to the Cheesecake Factory, no doubt.
Unfortunately, their sightseeing was interrupted by an impatient knucklehead trying to leave the lot. (Don't worry - he didn't run them over but he did give them something to talk about while at dinner.)
Shouting loudly out of his window for all to hear, "Jesus! I'm being courteous letting you even cross! The least you could do is move faster!"
Keep in mind, this is the same walkway that Providence's finest frequent to allow pedestrians to walk without the danger of being run over by idiots not paying attention to where they're going. Many times, a cop will stop the vehicle traffic for several minutes so a large swarm of pedestrians can cross the road without incident. For this guy to flip out about these five people, well, it's just crazy to me. Man, I'd love to see his face if a police officer was nearby...not that his words or tone were a crime but I trust the cop would've given him a stern look and, hopefully, a good talkin' to.
I just had to shake my head at him because who is in that big of a rush? Who would embarrass themselves because of something so foolish? What's an extra 30 seconds? Perhaps this "long" wait saved him from getting into a car accident on 95 South. You never know! Things happen for a reason.
As I turned my head to face forward, something caught my eye that explained why he acted in such a manner. He was from Connecticut.

Social Butterfly

Perhaps it's just the life of a vibrant 31-year-old gal, but I've become accustomed to scheduling myself into the ground. Weddings, showers, birthday parties, vacations, dinners, appointments...it just never ends.
Today is April 1, 2012. Going forward, I'm already booked for nine of the next 13 weekends, putting me into July. Doesn't just the thought of it make you tired?
People always say that they follow my adventures on Facebook. "You're always doing something!" they say.
The truth is, I don't know where to draw the line.
Do I start declining invitations to good friends' weddings? Do I make up some excuse why I can't attend a dinner party? Do I fore go holidays and special events at home with my family?
I want to attend everything and see the people that I care about but, at some point, something's gotta give. Don't get me wrong. I have a great time at all of these events but I have come to the realization that I can't do everything...and, unfortunately, I can't be in more than one place at the same time.
I need to relish and, perhaps, publicize the times when I'm in my pajamas on the couch watching a "chick flick" on a Sunday afternoon or catching up on some laundry so that I have clothes to wear to work the next week. (All of which, by the way, I'll be doing today.)
I'm going to give it a whirl.
Hopefully my next blog will be titled "Girl's Night In: The True Story of a Girl, a Mint Julep Mask and Take Out".