Crazy White Powder leads to a LONG weekend!

So, Char and I were out riding our bikes Saturday, hangin out at the park, readin books - in short doing what you do when the weather's beautiful in October and you know the snow is just around the corner. Anyway, we come home and there are TWO messages on our voice mail! I say this with such surprise because, other than the occasional wrong number or call from a family member NO ONE CALLS US. I can't remember the last time we came home to find TWO messages on our voice mail. I was certain that we'd either won the lottery or the world was coming to an end.

Well, it was neither but, also kind of both. The first message was from my friend and co-worker Karen Leaphart, wife of Mike Leaphart of Bald Rhetoric fame, explaining in very excited tones that there had been a discovery of a mysterious white powder in our building and they were shutting the building down at least through Monday!! So, it's only Saturday afternoon and I already know I'm not going to work Monday, AT LEAST!

So, having a surprise day off in the fall with lots of things to do around the yard to get the place ready for winter I did what any sensible husband would do: I spent the morning playing Tiger Woods Gold on my Playstation II and spent the afternoon at the track, bettin on the ponies. I had a great day at the track as well, which is a little silly to say since I've never really had a bad day at the track. Sure I've had plenty of days that I've lost every bet but still, how bad is it to be at the track? There's plenty of horses around and plenty of degenerate gamblers to watch - what's not to like? Winning money is very much just a bonus. A bonus which, thanks to a thirteen to one winner in the last race, I got to enjoy yesterday.

Oh, I almost forgot, the OTHER phone message from Saturday was from my boss explaining that the building was closed Monday and we were to call in after 2 pm on Monday to find out when it would re-open. I dutifully called on my way home from the track, fully expecting to find out that I would indeed be working Tuesday. The message said (I'm paraphrasing) "still closed until further notice call back after seven." So, I called back after seven and the message was (again with the paraphrasing) "STILL closed until further notice, call back after ten pm - but don't start drinkin hard just yet, you may still have to work tomorrow." FINALLY, after ten I got an answer, sort of, "the building is closed until AT LEAST noon Tuesday so you can sleep in tomorrow after all, go ahead, have another cold one. Please call back after one pm Tuesday to find out if you need to report to work Tuesday or if you'll indeed be able to go the track again," (you guessed it, paraphrasing again).

So, as I write this, it's 12:12 pm and I have just over forty five minutes to find out my fate. Being a VERY dedicated employee, I am of course hoping against hope that I don't have to work again today! I feel like I'm ten years old, it's snowin like hell outside and my ear is glued to the radio, waitin for that school cancellation.

One other thing...what's up with the building being closed until at least noon but not having us call in until after one pm? Do you think the authorities will have to go to lunch before letting us know our fate? Are they just f-cking with us?

Anyway, keep your fingers crossed, I'm going to get in a little more Tiger Woods golf.