Teachers get the summers off, for the most part. Yes, many of us still work over the summer. I will be working for a few days week after next. Unpaid days, mind you. You may be jealous that teachers "have the summers off," but these are unpaid weeks, so shut you pi holes. (Get it? Pi? If not, go back to school and don't you dare blame a teacher.)
So it is damn ironic that my first week of freedom comes with a forced incarceration due to my apartment complex re-paving the multiple lots at my end of the development. Those of us who reside here are forced to jockey for other spaces with people who actually deserve those spaces, all so that this three-day project can occur. One day to resurface, one day to tar, and one day to paint stripes.
Sounds reasonable in theory.
Except that this takes place over and around a weekend and also a rain delay. It ends up being a week-long project:
Thursday: Move your cars; fight the rightful owners for spots; try and park 100 extra cars around the complex.
Friday: Resurfacing; Good luck finding another space but you can park on the chunky surface later . . . if you dare.
Saturday and Sunday: Park anywhere, but remember -- come Monday morning, your car is towed if you don't have a different space! Hope for a place to park; general mayhem; possible shootings and riots.
Monday: Everybody move your cars -- oh, wait; it's raining. Sorry for the inconvenience and sorry for not telling you in advance and so sorry for all the unnecessary fist-a-cuffs over spaces last evening and this morning.
Tuesday: Move your cars, damnit! The tarring company is here. Mayday! Mayday!
Wednesday: Be very quiet. We are painting lines and everything is wet and fragile. Don't touch anything; don't look at anything; don't even breathe near the new spaces.
By Wednesday night, cars are allowed back, and it's marvelous. We have lovely new tar and lovely fresh lines and I have no further reason to park like a doofus. The only problem is the complex didn't also resurface the only road into the back lot, and that road really needs to be resurfaced. I'm not sure why they didn't do so. Does this mean . . . more mayhem later this summer?
The worst part is that the landscapers had just come in the week before to reseed areas along the roadway and now that hard work is all ruined from people pulling up over the curbs and parking in the freshly re-done grass.
It's okay, though. Having a forced semi-incarceration over the first full week of summer break actually helped me. I cleaned out two closets and rearranged my bedroom and read probably six books. Now all I have to do is get through the holiday weekend, and then hopefully my real summer vacation can get into full swing. Except I have a couple of work days coming up . . .
Never mind. Business as usual. Carry on!
