Alas, poor Schedule...I knew it well
My schedule lies ruined...tattered by the brutal delays inherent to reality. Alas…it was a beautiful schedule.
My plan had been to knock out six stores today, the three in Tucson and the three in Phoenix. I had visions of driving a few hours even after that to bed down in Flagstaff so I could get a jump on the road tomorrow and be waiting in Albuquerque when they opened at 10am. Instead, I walked into the very first store this morning and discovered that my one-hour per store theory had been wildly optimistic. Especially so if the rest of the stores continue, as did the first one, to pile unimaginable pounds of junk atop the boxes I’ve come for. I spent three hours digging through their boxes, trying to sort out ours from theirs. The next two stores went better, but the damage had been done. I rolled into Phoenix exactly as the stores were closing…and no one was willing to wait around for me to tackle a few extra stores. And so, I’m sitting in a hotel in Phoenix, having finished only three stores. Tomorrow, I’ll rush through the three locations here and then make the drive to New Mexico, but I won’t make it before they close there. In short, the three hours I fell behind has cost me a full day. And since I had planned to finish on Saturday, that pushes me over into Sunday. And since they aren’t open on Sunday, that pushes me over to Monday. So I correct myself…that three hour delay cost me two full days.
However, I am inexplicably in high spirits. The desert scenery agrees with me apparently. I miss my wife and daughter fiercely, but will treasure that first hug upon my return all the more.
And now, I plan to curl up in bed and spend some time with Fiddler’s Ghost. It’s a wonderful book written by a local Missourian who beautifully captures the speech patterns of 1950s Ozarkian without being condescending. As a writer who has trouble with dialogue, I’m inspired by his authenticity.
Anyway. Good night, I hope to talk to you from New Mexico tomorrow night.Moksha Tracker
- Miles Driven: 133
- Miles to Go: 1,863
-
Tucson, AZ: 3 Stores
Phoenix, AZ: 3 Stores
6 comments:
You're killing me with the graphic on the tracker map. I'm LOL over here. LOL, I say.
Sorry to hear you fell so far behind, but at least you got to put a checkmark on your tracker. Whoo-hoo!
Love the pics. I feel like I'd enjoy a trip out of the region these days (I love the new baby, but I guess I'm feeling a little chained-to-the-house nowadays - Orly doesn't like shopping), so there's a pinch of envy over here. Of course, it doesn't help that you're posting beautiful scenery pics - I know there's complaining attached, but the mind tends to keep the images to the forefront.
But oh, that's really not a request to stop posting scenery pics. In fact, if you don't mind I'll pretend I'm on a trip myself, just to boost my morale. :D
Hey I like the cactus shots! Looking forward to the next installment!
Your little stick man is frikken hilarious!!! Good luck on your travels. If it makes you feel better I have a hankerin for a long road trip so even though you are two days behind schedule I am kind of jealous. I wish I were in the desert.
You know I'm going to say it now, and you should be aware that I'll probably say it again (at least until you pass the place), but:
"Don't take a wrong turn at Albuquerque."
Sucks that you're already two days behind schedule, but I guess it makes a sort of sense that if your Prez was going to delay so long in saying that you needed the paperwork, the new owners of the stores wouldn't be going out of their way to keep it accessible all this time, eh?
Regardless, sucks.
The expression on the face of your stick-man says it all, my friend.
Thanks, everyone, for riding along with me on this one.
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