I feel like a housewife right now, only I'm not so much cooking or cleaning. In fact, I am eating and making even more of a mess. I hope that deters any of you that are contemplating trying to whisk me away to elope. Brian Goldstein is off at work. So far my day has consisted of eating waffles, playing Tony Hawk 4, and taking a short nap. Curse this prison!

I have had plenty of time to think. And thanks to the wife of the mechanic, I will have even more time to think since she went into labor this morning. I really don't know who to be angry at. The wife? The husband? The baby? All three? I've never hated an entire family before...wait, yes, The Osmonds.

I've been lying on the floor staring up at the ceiling trying not to think about the beer in the fridge. Instead I've been analyzing the group dynamic of the five of us that originally went on this trip. I've observed the following:

The Great Divide; Male/Female Herd Mentality:
We are all friends, but during our running around our group would almost split into two, like an amoeba going too fast for itself. Alan, Andrew, and I would usually be running off ahead with Lauren and Kate a bit behind us. It could be because of our longer legs, or maybe we smelled badly. Maybe both were factors.

The Big Tease, aka The Christ Figure:

Time after time I have seen this happen. At the very beginning of the trip, one member of the party will do or say something whiny, stupid, embarrassing, or all three. If this is noticed by the majority of the group, that member of the party is done for. They have unwittingly designated themselves as the Crap Receiver. Yes, they will get hassled for anything they say, do, suggest, or complain about. It varies from person to person to person and group to group, but there is often someone who is the butt of of most of the jokes. For example, when I went camping with Chuck, DC, Nunemacher, and some of the other boys, it was Tim who was getting all the crap. When I went to San Francisco with Brian Young and Nick Gordenski, it was Joey Moore who fell prey to our constant criticism. And this trip (the one I am still on thanks to Ford and a zygote) it was Andrew Nunemacher. It wasn't too terrible, but he was pretty consistently made fun of. I assume it was because he was the only non-2000 there. And the youngest. And he doesn't really drink. And he just kept asking where and when we were going to eat next. But the role he played was a crucial one, particularly as events became more stressful.

Save Us Cheebus!

When the car broke down, we rose to the occasion. There was no bickering that I can recall. We all understood the problem and it's implications. We were all a little worried, but mostly just glad we had made it out of traffic alive. We worked very well together in crisis. I was very impressed with the girls' car-pushing abilities. I lift my mug to all present.

The Ex-Connection:

Of course, it is difficult to observe myself without bias. So I'll just try to forget what I was thinking (which is seldom a problem) and focus on what I was doing. I was examining my interaction with the others and I found anomaly, and not in an unexpected place. Kate and I are pretty wild (as individuals) and are often up to something...zany. Anyway, we began synchronizing our antics. She would get all crazy and run around and do stuff like try to pull Andrew's towel off (we were washing our clothes) and I would just be chillin'. And when she was chillin' I would usually be hopping around. When we were both together we were pretty chill. I am not reading anything into it, but I just noticed it so I thought I would mention it.

* * *
I am feeling oddly stressed. I know that this really isn't that big of a deal. I'm missing work, but they know and seem to be cool about it. I am using my parent's car, but they have mine to use until I get back. It isn't as roomy, but hey, life's rough. There are the impending costs of repairs, but that is what emergency savings are for, right?
Thus far, all my bases are covered.

I am starting to think that I am just being worn down a bit by the constant crushing of my hopes. The rollercoasters at Six Flags have nothing on the emotional one this auto shop has had me on:

Friday Morning: "It's going to be done Friday afternoon."
Friday Afternoon: "It's going to be done Monday morning."
Monday Morning: "My wife is in labor, it'll have to wait until Tuesday."
Tuesday Morning: ???

I have to keep my cool. Always look on the bright side of life, I say.

And one thought does make me feel better.

I just realized that I may be the first person in history to ever go to a mechanic and pay less because of labor.