Now THAT'S How Problems Get Solved!

I had my meeting with HRChick. It lasted all of three minutes.

Me: Hi...how are you?
HRC: Good. Have a seat.
Me: Thanks. (pulls out letter from case worker at clinic) I have a letter for you here...basically, all it's saying is that the problem is pretty much resolved and there aren't any accomodations needed.
HRC: Okay, well then...(folds letter without reading it and hands it back to me) If that's the case, then I really don't even need to read this; I'll just e-mail ImmediateBoss and UberBoss and tell them you're not requesting any accommodations, the problem is solved, and we can just move on.
Me: (in total disbelief) Okay then....thanks! (Gets up and leaves.)

And that was that. "Relieved" doesn't even begin to cover it. (I have managed not to bang my head against the wall repeatedly in my total consternation on one small point: I never ASKED for any accommodations! THEY were the ones talking about "accommodations". The only thing I asked for was a little patience and understanding. But whatever...all's well that ends well.)

This makes up rather nicely for this morning, when I pulled off the expressway for the final leg of my trip to work and heard: brrrrt brrrrt brrrrt flupflupflupflupflupflupflupflup. I don't think this rule has ever been codified, so we can call it Gladys's Rule: There is no possible thing that a car can do, involving the noise brrrrt brrrrt brrrrt flupflupflupflupflupflupflupflup, which is not overwhelmingly negative. I knew pretty much right away what the problem was, so I pulled into a convenient parking lot to look, and sure enough the rear driver's-side tire was completely flat. I muttered something profane, then grabbed my cell phone and called my co-worker, who from this day on shall be called Way2GoDumbAss, or W2GDA for short, owing to this little exploit of earlier this week. She came and picked me up right away, then drove me back to get the car when I found a place which I could limp along to. It's about 3 blocks from work, but it was about a mile and a half from where I'd pulled off, and the last quarter-mile was pretty dodgy--I kept leaning out the window to make sure the tire wasn't shredding off the rims, which is what it felt like--flupflupflupflupflup gave way to kachunk-kachunk-kabonk-kabonk-kachunk.... Neither W2GDA nor I thought we were going to make it the last 50 feet, but I did. And of course, the mechanic gave me the whole "you're supposed to get 2 tires at a time" thing, and LJ had asked me before he left to get the oil changed; so by the time everything was done, it was the end of the day. That was nearly $300 I hadn't planned on spending, but at least the back tires will now last probably longer than the truck itself. And the mechanic told me I'll need new fronts before winter, which means "like, now." :::sigh::: But I can't give them what I don't have, so it'll have to wait.

And tomorrow's Friday, and LJ is still out of town (bliss, I tell you, BLISS), and there's not one but TWO new episodes of Meerkat Manor tomorrow night, so I believe I shall indulge myself in some delicious carryout from Leona's, my comfy chair, and my favorite fleece slippers.

Thinking over the past few weeks, I'm going to have to say, it sure feels like life is getting better. THESE are the kind of stressors I can handle: flat tires, challenges at work, insane housecats. It's the ones that make me feel like a failure, or make me doubt myself or the validity of everything I believe in, or make me feel ugly and unlovable--THOSE are the stresses I can't handle. Without them? I'm as happy as a clam.

Which raises a whole slew of questions, actually--for example, how happy ARE clams, really? And why CLAMS? Are they any happier than any other mollusk? If the world is your oyster, does THAT make you as happy as a clam? What about scallops? Where do they fall on the happiness scale?

Clearly I need some hobbies.