2002-07-14
I'm feeling Shitty and Frustrated, posted at 2:54 a.m.
Epiphany in Baltimore has moved to epiphanyinbaltimore.blogspot.com I just had one of the worst nights on record.First, to put it in perspective, no one died or was hurt. So, in the grand scheme of things, it could have been worse.
But it was still pretty bad.
My friend Eleanor is in DC, and we made plans to see each other this evening. I was going to go to a barbecue here in B-more that had been planned for a couple of months, then head down afterwards and get there at around 8. So far, so good.
Anyhow, I had planned on getting to the bbq at around 5, so I could leave in enough time to get to DC. However, a nap ran overtime a bit, and I didn't get there until 6:30 or so. I stayed for just under two hours; it was a good time. It was a teacher thing for the most part, and I saw a bunch of folks I hadn't seen all summer.
I left there at around 8:15, and decided to just drive straight to DC since I was already running late. I figured I could get to where I was going by 8:45 or so, since I was a little south of Baltimore already.
I had to stop for gas once. I'm trying to save money, and gas was $1.58/gallon, so I decided to put only $4 in. I usually fill it all the way up, but not tonight (do you see the foreshadowing already?). While there, I decided to call Eleanor and June to let them know I was on my way. I grabbed my cell phone, and put it on top of my car while I set up my debit card for pay-at-the-pump.
I turned around too quickly, knocked my phone with my arm, and it fell to the ground. It didn't shatter or anything, but it stopped working. Shit.
Still, though, I had directions and June's address. So I figured it was no problem.
Except I got horribly - horribly - lost. I ended up almost all the way to Annapolis on the way there - and that was just getting back on the highway from the gasstation. Then, I thought I had it figured out, and ended up looping around DC at least three times.
I've developed a bit of a hatred for the city tonight, that's for sure. Tons of stretches where there's absolutely nothing, very few opportunities for u-turns, too many one-way streets, not enough labeling. The George Washington Parkway is a beautiful road with a nice view, but its lack of signs and gas stations proved a big problem for me later on. Remember that $4? Well, I ended up running out of gas on the side of the road. I swear, I drove 40 miles without seeing a gasstation. The gas thing kept beeping at me, and I kept yelling, "I know, I know!".
Anyway, so I was stranded on the side of the road with no cell phone and no people around in the rain at 11pm. I had no idea what to do. I stayed there and listened to my book-on-tape and the rain, fully prepared to have to spend the night there if necessary. I thought about running somewhere, but I seemed to be too far from society to chance a run through an unfamiliar and possibly unsafe area.
Eventually, a guy in a pickup truck came by, and he had a gas holder in the back of his truck. He worked for a wrecker. He gave me the gallon for $5 (that's what I get for being cheap earlier, I guess), and I was on my way.
On my way to get lost some more, I mean. I never made it to my friends. I drove around and around, never finding the road I needed. In fact, I never found any of the last three roads I needed. I finally saw a sign going back to Baltimore, and took it.
I couldn't call, because I didn't know either of their numbers by heart - only in my cell phone. I arrived back at 3am, and called my friend. She told me that they were so worried that they had called the police and local hospitals. Boy, do I feel shitty.