My 24-hour Labour Day Weekend

Yeah, it was a short weekend. One friggin' day. Had a major project that we just finished about 11 Sunday night, so my long weekend was today and now that I look at the clock I realize that I'm finally relaxing on my long weekend at 12:15 on the Tuesday morning.

8:45am: I'm woken up from my 5 hours' and reminded that I need to mow the lawn today. After over 9 weeks with less than a centimetre of rain, it's been raining off and on since mid-August and the grass has sprung back to life and about 5 inches in height. It's finally dry enough to cut. So, I'm into shorts and a t-shirt before a shower (why shower and then work up a sweat?).

9:00am: Circumstances saw me rushing to fax some info about the project to various places in the U.S. Had to get it done on a deadline and didn't have time last night. I tried installing a 'fax' program on my computer that's offered from my ISP "free of charge." Free of charge to me doesn't include a $12.95 set-up fee and $7.95 confirmation, plus 10 cents per page. What's "free" again? So, off to the convenience store I got and spend $5.40 (I had $6.50 in my pocket...) on the faxes. Yeesh.

9:30am: When I came home I saw that my wife's car had a flat tire. Naturally, she didn't think much of it, but I knew she wasn't going anywhere (especially to her first ay of her new job) with a tire this flat. I decided I'd put the donut on right after I mowed the lawn. The lawn is bad and a little choked in the lawnmower. It takes over a tank of gas to finish the yard. My father-in-law drops by with some wooden palettes that will be chopped up later in September to keep the house warm in the winter. Our wood situation isn't too bad this year, but it could be 'good' for a change.

10:15am: Screw the shower. It's time to get the donut on my wife's car. What's a donut, you ask? It's the piss-ant spare tires that come cars these days. Donuts are slightly bigger, so I'm actually being unfair to donuts. I know this work and heavy concentration always turns into perspiration for me. Problem is, I can't get the frickin' hubcap off. It's got a special tab hidden alongside the valve that just springs the thing off the tire. I can't get it to budge and feel if I exert any more strength I'll break the plastic (is there any metal on this vehicle????).

10:50am: Fine. I'll take it to the closest gas station and fill the tire with air before I go to Canadian Tire. As I'm backing out of the carport, my wife bangs on the window --scaring the ever-lovin' crap out me-- and says her dad can help (has an air compressor) and he's closer than the gas station. So, off I go to his place. Second time today I've seen him and it wouldn't be the last time.

11:15am: Well, if it wasn't for me, my father-in-law would've discovered at an inopportune time that his air compressor doesn't actually work. He bought it on sale at Canadian Tire and he's not impressed now. We put the spare tire on eventually.

11:50am: I head down to Canadian Tire to get the tire fixed. There's a nail in it and had probably been there for months, but of course it makes it's statement on Labour Day. I tell the guy that I need to get the tire patched and put back on the car AND if they have the time to replace the crappy valves they put on this model of car. "Sure," he says, "It'll be an hour to an hour and a half." Whatever. "Just bring it right in here," he says. I drive into the shop and he gives me a dirty look. "I thought you were just dropping off the tire." "No, that's why I asked you to put it back on the car." I should've known then, right?

12 Noon: So, I have about 90 minutes to kill and my cell phone battery is dead. I have $1.10 in my pocket , but I need to call home and let her know what's going on. She's annoyed because she figured she could take care of it later (never mentioned that before...) and I'm asking for her to come pick me up. It's that or I'll go see a movie. She's going to be 15 minutes or so, so I go for a stroll through the mall. I have a little cash on my debit card and I'd promised my daughter earlier in the week if she was a good girl I'd get her a present. She was (to the point of getting my wife water when she sat down to relax) and now I need to get her something. She started ballet last year, so I opt for a children's book about ballet. Score.

12:40pm: I sit and wait outside the mall for my wife to arrive. She doesn't but my father in law does. He's confused as to why I'd brought the car down to get the tire fixed (seems he and my wife had discussed the best scenario and neither shared it with me). Finally get home in time gather my stuff and head to the office for an hour to clean up a few things from the weekend.

1:00pm: I'm finally heading out the door and still haven't showered, eaten breakfast or had a coffee. Naturally, an hour at the office doesn't include 30 minutes to get there and another 30 back home.

2:40pm: I call my wife before I leave the office to see if Canadian Tire has called or not. "They don't call" I'm told and to just come home as my wife has enough money to pay for the costs. I was planning on putting it on my credit card, but if she's got enough cash... I'll head for home and grab the cash.

3:30pm: Finally home (Labour Day Weekend traffic...) only to find out my wife has her purse hidden under the front seat... of her car.

3:45pm: I'm at Canadian Tire, paying for the tire seal. The forgot about the valve replacement and had trouble putting the hubcap back on.

Okay, gripe time.... No valve replacement and they're confused by the hubcap and put it on wrong. You'd think a place called Canadian TIRE might know something about, oh say, TIRES????? Nope. An old high school friend owns a tire shop near work, so she gets my business from now on.

So, the car stays while I go home. I'll bring my wife down later to pick it up.

4:00pm: Finally have my breakfast coffee and hop in the shower. You'd think I'd be hungry and my headache is telling me that I am. No matter. Dinner will be soon, so I'll never hear the end of it if I have something to eat now.

4:30pm: Finally make it downstairs to get some work done on the computer. It last for nearly 30 minutes.

4:55pm: Apparently, we're having dinner at my wife's parents' place. If I'm lucky, we'll be home by 9pm.

8:10pm: Leave the In-Law's and head for Canadian Tire. There's a note on the window stating they couldn't get the hubcap on again (and they still forgot the valve replacement. The note actually says that the keys are under the seat beside her purse. I'm surprised the windows aren't smashed in.

8:20pm: We drive home and I'm following her car. I'm waiting for the hubcap to come flying off and as it is, it looks like the tire is wobbling. It's not --it's just the uneven hubcap. Idiots.

So, it's 12:15am before I get my opportunity to relax....

My holidays, ladies and gentlemen, gotta love the relaxation.