It begins and ends with the dog

Woke up at about 10:00 am. Exceptionally early for a weekend. Dog trying to climb on the bed and pull me begging me to get up and let her out of the room. I try to sleep more, but it is useless.

I work on college applications, essays, online forms, trying to figure out what forms I need to bring in tomorrow. I only wish I had a clue what goes where and how as far as school transcripts, grade reports, and score reports go.

I remember I have to be somewhere at 2:00. Mom tells me i have to drive the little sister there as to. I remember I have a lot of homework, mostly reading about Stalin's Russia and economics, left to do. If not too much, almost too much to think about. Mom tries to show me a gas station that still has gas on Google Maps. Browser doesn't seem to respond... too much left to do. I force the laptop to shut off...

I try to turn it on...
Just white.
I try to turn it on...
Just white.

Hard drive gone. The headshots I worked so hard on, gone, not backed up yet, just gone. My laptop is my life, there is so much more to do, college essay drafts that I didn't back up (why do I use time machine only once a week? Cause otherwise is backs up every hour and I only get a day's worth of back ups.) Panic. Mom still trying to give me instructions... I try to go outside for a breather, the door is bad, stubborn handle which I later found out I tore off somehow.

Mom didn't let me drive but I drove anyways, all the way to Apple store. Hitting hard on the gas, on very little gas. In a city that has no gas and no one knows why. I get to the apple store. It's barely noon. I forget all about genius appointments, store is surprisingly full for an early morning on a day of no gas (disclosure: Family owns AAPL). Appointment scheduled for four. I am tempted to just wait, but I realize I am sweating wearing what I wore to bed.

I take a long and slow route home, realizing I have no gas left. Too little left to go to my original appointment, sorry. I stop at three gas stations that look promising but fail me, I pass a few others that are taped off. I spot one with a line which reminds me of historical clips from the 70s. This is sad. I drive more and find one with a shorter line. I empty out the first pump I go to (apparently pumps have different tanks) but the 2nd one does the trick. As I finish up, someone asks me if I registered to vote. I notice the Obama pin and I happily answer "yes, thanks though". Smart campaign strategy is I may say so. Makes me proud to be for Obama. Day gets a bit better, but still way too much to get done.

I go back home, take a shower, force myself to read, memorize vocabulary (didactic poetry or Horatian Ode anyone?), time is running out already, I drive back. I drive a bit too fast again, think about how others are driving, wondering if they just filled up, about to fill up, or just don't care anymore. I realize my flaw, how I am not helping, and begin to kill the motor at every red light.

I get to the Apple Store. I wait 30 minutes after the schedules appointment. If I wasn't irritated before, I am now, but people come to check up on me. Sometimes I refused to answer and walked away once I realized it would be longer, but I appreciated their effort.

Finally, my genius is free. I tell him my situation. I tell him I know of the policy (as I have been googling the problem for the past 30 minutes). I tell him I have deadlines, I need this urgently. I hope he can read between the lines and see how stressed I am, how hopeless I feel. He makes my options clear, I hesitate before making a choice but choose to wait 10 days or so and receive the offered brand new macbook rather than just getting a new hard drive he would try now but things were busy, even more than in the morning.

He asks me if I'm okay with the decision. I don't answer directly. I can't answer either way. So he tells me to wait, and goes to speak to a manager. Props to him, props to the Apple manager. That day could have ruined my Apple loyalty, same problem of dead hard drive within the same school year. Letting me down when I need it most. But he tells me he is going to break normal policy for me. A women behind me listening in would later tell me I lucked out. I won't go into specifics but let's just say I'm using the same laptop now, my old hard drive is replaced with a much larger newer hard drive unlike last time, and there is a slim chance a 3rd party will be able to retrieve the head shots.

Smoothie and hot soup for dinner. I don't bother with the Emmies. I work instead on finishing installing off of my Time Machine and school work but Entourage was okay, still not as strong of a season as last year. And to end the day, a run with the dog, late at night with no one to bother, nothing to think.

Wow it felt good to let that all out.
I wonder if this will ever get read. I am not sure if I want it to be read.
For once, I think I'm ready for school. At least there things are too busy for me to stress.