Sunday, October 01, 2006

Glassy Assy

Yesterday I went to a Young Adult Literature Conference (as a librarian, not as an author). It was in Naperville, which, with no traffic, is an hour away from my house. About 3/4 of the way there, nearing a toll area, a rock flew from the back of a truck into my sunroof (which was closed). I looked up, and the sunroof was completely shattered. I closed the cover and crossed about 80 lanes to get to an oasis that was approaching (For those who don't know, an oasis is a roadside place with fast food, bathroom, gas station, etc. Very handy). I pulled in and looked at my sunroof, way frazzled. I was hoping someone would come over and ask if everything was OK, but no one did. There were some guys filling their truck with gas, so I went over and asked if they could look at the sunroof. I wanted to know if they thought it was still OK to drive. I don't know where they were from- they spoke to each other in another language, possibly Russian or French (I know, they sound nothing alike)- and one of the guys came over and said I would have to smash all of the glass in or else it would fall on my head. He wanted me to do this myself. When I made a face like I was afraid, he said he'd help me. So there we were, in my car smashing the sunroof out, shards of glass falling all over. When we finished the guy left, and he didn't even want any money. SOOOOO nice. I spent the next half hour vacuuming my car out. Then I cried. I was happy to have so much luck (for not getting hurt) and help, and it was really scary to think about all of the things that could have happened. So I went to the conference. But I wasn't in the mood. So I didn't really talk to anyone authorly people who I could have kibitzed with because my editor has worked with them, plus Matt just finished illustrating a book for one of the authors. When the reader's theater started, I decided I wasn't in the mood to hear a story and I drove home. And then it rained. All of the way home. Into my broken sunroof. It didn't get in the car, but it soaked the fabric. What a day.
Did you know there is caffeine in Jelly Bellys? I don't know if it's every bean or just the cappuccino. Crap. I better stop eating them in the evening.
Tomorrow is Yom Kippur, and I will spend the day revising the ending to my novel. I thought the process was over, but, alas, it goes on. I hope I do an OK job. I also hope I finish. I suppose it's a form of atoning?

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Wow. That sucks. At least the glass didn't shatter.

Anonymous said...

Who's Scardey-Cat Stalker? Where did you take the picture with the crazy Pop Tarts box? Please tell you car to feel better soon.