No April Fools

Unfortunately, it turns out that the men at the auto shop were nice, but couldn't do much. One even drove me back to my apartment after I'd forgotten the kit with the tools to patch the bike wheel! In the end, the verdict was what I'd feared. The bike tire had been patched and taped with duct tape before. (Probably by my stepfather when Mom and Dad had it in North Cape May.) It was too worn out to be patched again. It had to be replaced.

That news coupled with the gloomy, gray, damp skies did not improve my mood. Since I was already on the White Horse Pike, I walked to WaWa to buy milk, then went down to Doria's Deli for eggs, lemon juice, and turkey. The owners noticed I was upset, and I explained about the bike. The owners of Doria's are both avid bikers and good friends of Uncle Ken's. They understood why I was frustrated. Mr. Doria said he had to go to the bank tomorrow to get change for the deli and offered to drive me to the Wal-Mart, since it's on the way, then show me how to change the tire. Apparently, they've had tires blow on them and ended up walking, too. It was nice of them, but I still felt a little embarrassed for having to ask.

Things didn't get better at home. I tripped over the cord for the Internet and yanked the splitter for my land line phone and Internet apart. I tried to fit it back together, but it wouldn't stay. A close inspection revealed that it had cracked along one side. I didn't have the time to fix it then, so I just hurried and got my lunch, changed my shirt, and rushed to work.

Of course, it had just started raining right before I left. Of course, the mountain bike was my only option, and it was acting weird. I don't know what Michael did, but it's not riding quite right. It won't go fast...and then it goes too fast going down hills and you can't control it. (Ironically, the brakes seem to be working somewhat better.) It probably shouldn't have been on the road, but I had no choice. I hadn't seen Dad's car in the driveway when I went by his and Uncle Ken's house this morning. He must have gone with Jessa on her senior trip to Walt Disney World as a chaperone. I don't want to call Uncle Ken or Dolores - he's still not feeling well.

Work was steady-to-busy all night, not surprising given the weather and this being the beginning of the month. I had some trouble with a bagger when I tried to call her to pick up some cold items, but she didn't hear me. I complained, and she said she got in trouble. I hadn't meant to get her in trouble! I knew she was doing item returns. Another bagger finally put the items away.

It was misting when I got out, but not raining heavily. It's sure coming down now, though. I tried to fix the splitter when I got home, but it just wouldn't work. I now just have the Internet plugged in.