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Yesterday was not horrible, it was mostly just embarassing.
I thought I was in time, according to my watch, but my bus was apparently a bit early. I'd have caught it if I hadn't stopped to buy a cup of coffee on my way, but as it happened I was just in time to see it sail past the bottom of the hill as I was picking my way down the steep, icy sidewalk. I realized that it was possible that it was not my bus at all, but the out of service bus which often comes by a few minute earlier, but as it had dropped someone off I assumed it was mine. But as it was a beautiful day, and I thought I had about enough time, I thought I'd walk. I stopped at a payphone and called ahead, just in case I didn't have enough time.
All went well until I got to the hill going down to Stroudwater Crossing. This is always the worst place, I may have mentioned it before. For a long stretch before Stroudwater the traffic is two lanes in each direction, moving fast, and there's seldom a plowed sidewalk. When they plow the sidewalk they seem to trade sides back and forth as to which side they will plow. I was on the right hand side and it seemed there was no more sidewalk, so I crossed to the left where there was, and walked in the road or up on the bank when it ran out. Then I could see there was sidewalk again on the other side of the road, but the traffic was too heavy to cross, so I kept on.
At the intersection with Frost St., where there's a little medical office place, the road curves down left, and the banking was high enough yesterday morning so that it was really difficult for drivers to see me before they were right on top of me. I began to walk in the road, anyway, but then I saw the bus barreling up the hill and realized that the driver could probably not see me, and that there was little chance she could switch lanes quickly enough to miss me when she did, so I hoofed it back to the parking lot of the medical office (the bank being too high and icy to climb up from the road). From the entrance to the parking lot I could climb the bank, and I had been walking along the top of a banking, earlier, and not had any trouble, so it seemed like that would work. I went barely ten steps before my left leg sank up to my knee. I pulled myself out and got a few more steps before my right leg sank and I sprawled forward on the bank - keeping my coffee cup upright, like a true Mainer, although a little splashed on my shirt. I was not wearing my uniform shirt, though; I was at least that foresightful and had packed it in my knapsack. And just as I sprawled, a police car came up around the curve, and stopped. I was mortified. It turned out to be the female officer who handles one of the bomb-sniffing dogs at the airport, and she recognized me and offered me a ride, and was just really super-nice.
So, I got to work on time. :)
It would be nice to leave this story on a positive note and say the rest of my day got better after that, but it didn't, exactly. I later had to deal with an angry young woman in a wheelchair, and spent the rest of the day annoyed with myself that I had let her fluster me.
However, today I nearly finished that Pslash which I've been working on, and have sent it off to![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
tootsiemuppet, so that makes me feel better.:)
The only spectre hanging over me now is the fact that I'm going to be in charge on Lane Two today. Lane One takes Selectees, so Lane Two has an easier time of it, but still. Someone asked me, yesterday, if I was going to go for the Lead job which should be opened, soon. I said I didn't think so. It would be a big pay increase, and if they're going to keep using me like this I feel like I deserve it, but then being in charge would be my job. I just hope they hurry up and fill the Lead job so I can go back to being a full-time screener. I mean, of course there's that Leo part of me that likes being in charge, occasionally, but I really should fight it because being under the spotlight all the time is so tiring.
I thought I was in time, according to my watch, but my bus was apparently a bit early. I'd have caught it if I hadn't stopped to buy a cup of coffee on my way, but as it happened I was just in time to see it sail past the bottom of the hill as I was picking my way down the steep, icy sidewalk. I realized that it was possible that it was not my bus at all, but the out of service bus which often comes by a few minute earlier, but as it had dropped someone off I assumed it was mine. But as it was a beautiful day, and I thought I had about enough time, I thought I'd walk. I stopped at a payphone and called ahead, just in case I didn't have enough time.
All went well until I got to the hill going down to Stroudwater Crossing. This is always the worst place, I may have mentioned it before. For a long stretch before Stroudwater the traffic is two lanes in each direction, moving fast, and there's seldom a plowed sidewalk. When they plow the sidewalk they seem to trade sides back and forth as to which side they will plow. I was on the right hand side and it seemed there was no more sidewalk, so I crossed to the left where there was, and walked in the road or up on the bank when it ran out. Then I could see there was sidewalk again on the other side of the road, but the traffic was too heavy to cross, so I kept on.
At the intersection with Frost St., where there's a little medical office place, the road curves down left, and the banking was high enough yesterday morning so that it was really difficult for drivers to see me before they were right on top of me. I began to walk in the road, anyway, but then I saw the bus barreling up the hill and realized that the driver could probably not see me, and that there was little chance she could switch lanes quickly enough to miss me when she did, so I hoofed it back to the parking lot of the medical office (the bank being too high and icy to climb up from the road). From the entrance to the parking lot I could climb the bank, and I had been walking along the top of a banking, earlier, and not had any trouble, so it seemed like that would work. I went barely ten steps before my left leg sank up to my knee. I pulled myself out and got a few more steps before my right leg sank and I sprawled forward on the bank - keeping my coffee cup upright, like a true Mainer, although a little splashed on my shirt. I was not wearing my uniform shirt, though; I was at least that foresightful and had packed it in my knapsack. And just as I sprawled, a police car came up around the curve, and stopped. I was mortified. It turned out to be the female officer who handles one of the bomb-sniffing dogs at the airport, and she recognized me and offered me a ride, and was just really super-nice.
So, I got to work on time. :)
It would be nice to leave this story on a positive note and say the rest of my day got better after that, but it didn't, exactly. I later had to deal with an angry young woman in a wheelchair, and spent the rest of the day annoyed with myself that I had let her fluster me.
However, today I nearly finished that Pslash which I've been working on, and have sent it off to
tootsiemuppet, so that makes me feel better.:) The only spectre hanging over me now is the fact that I'm going to be in charge on Lane Two today. Lane One takes Selectees, so Lane Two has an easier time of it, but still. Someone asked me, yesterday, if I was going to go for the Lead job which should be opened, soon. I said I didn't think so. It would be a big pay increase, and if they're going to keep using me like this I feel like I deserve it, but then being in charge would be my job. I just hope they hurry up and fill the Lead job so I can go back to being a full-time screener. I mean, of course there's that Leo part of me that likes being in charge, occasionally, but I really should fight it because being under the spotlight all the time is so tiring.