The Cold and the Cold

When I finally got back to my hotel (post-drinks and having walked for a mile in deep snow - which was actually pretty funny given there were 4 of us stupid enough to be out after all the cabs were pulled from the roads), I made my sleepy time tea, had a hot shower, and fell into the bed wishing to GAWD I had more cold medicine.

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Staring at the ceiling until after midnight and vaguely listening to whatever was on the Food Network, I contemplated why I wasn’t sleeping, had 2 imaginary conversations with my soon-to-be ex-boss (neither of them nice!), ran a few mental calculations surrounding how long I could go without a job (should probably do those on paper prior to acting on total), started an outline for my book – got bored – then dozed off during an imaginary conversation with my new boss (much nicer!).

4:42AM Are ya kiddin’ me?

I got out of the bed to investigate the clamor coming from 5 floors below in the hotel drive. I pushed back the sheers and was astounded to discover that in a city where, after 2 solid days of snow they had yet to send out a single plow, there was a funny little man with a snow blower clearing the sidewalk. AT 4:42AM!!!

For the next 2 hours and 33 minutes I lay in the bed – having decided last night to arrive late to the office today – angry. Very, very angry. Oh sure. I could call downstairs and complain. But the “overnight girls” who deeply resent those of us who live in the hotel and our special privileges, would only be amused and most likely delighted at my misery. We don’t like the “overnight girls.” They place our wake up calls late and don’t have our dry cleaning delivered.

It’s now coming up on lunchtime and I’ve decided to leave work early – immediately following the end of my last conference call at 5:30 tonight. I’m determined to get to the gym for a run, pack my case, and hit the feathers at a reasonable hour. Most likely I’ll meet the others for drinks, realize the time, skip dinner, race upstairs for a shampoo and blow out, then leave packing for the morning in order to catch up on some rest in hopes of kicking this cold during week 8.

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