Stress, Stress and more stress. It’s coming and going. Yesterday, I went to the library to use the internet. The lady’s computer next to mine froze, so she started complaining how the service downtown was better than the service uptown….Duh!!! Then, she continued on with how she has had this problem before….And she continued talking about how it is important to not let these kinds of problems get a person distressed. And….then….she continued talking about how the library system were pretty sophisticated, but the machines were not.

While the woman continued talking I tried to get a free credit report. Here in New York, everyone is entitled to receive one free credit report per year. A couple of newspapers mentioned a web site that a person could visit to make a request for a copy on-line. I assumed that since a couple (two) newspapers mentioned this web site, then this web site should be okay. Unfortunately, I typed in my personal information then received a message saying “sorry, a credit report can’t be sent”. The message said that I would have to mail a request by post office. Now I am stressed about having typed in my personal information (Name, Address, Social Security Number, phone number etc…). Was it one of those fake identity theft web sites? While I tried to exit the web site…….the computer I was using froze. Now I am stressed about the identity information. And, while the librarian is dealing with me…the lady is still talking. The librarian, trying to solve the problem, shuts down the computer. When I tried to make a reservation for the next day on the registration computer, the program would not let me register; it kept saying that I was still active in the system. The librarian said that the program won’t let me register while I am “still active in the system”. Stress!

When I returned home, there was no food out, which meant that my father’s lady friend was not in the mood to cook. So, I went out to buy some chicken and Spanish rice. My father has a thing about freezing all of the meat until it is time to cook it. Personally, I don’t like that system. I don’t know what I have a taste for until I start cooking. With the meats all frozen, he has to take out the meat that he wants to cook hours before so that it can defrost. When I cook, I don’t bother with the defrosting/waiting game. I just go shopping.

After returning from the store, and cleaning the chicken, I discover that there is no butter, so I have to return to the store to buy butter. Stress! While the food is cooking, I wash the dishes that were left (by somebody). As soon as I finish cooking (but still washing dishes), my nephew is ready to eat.

Once again, cooking dinner seems to put everyone in a relatively good mood. The evening goes by fairly well, no arguing or shouting – not between my father and his lady friend, nor between my father and his grandson. I was expecting this to be one evening where I was not a referee or a spectator. Usually, the evening routine is for my father to find something to yell about to his grandson. I think it is very unfair for someone his age (71)to be taking care of a 17 year old. Anyway, everything seemed to be going nice…that is…until the phone rang.

It turns out that the nephew has been cutting (not attending) his PE classes since school started. This set the yell-a-thon into full swing. Oh, who was on the phone? The child’s father. I assumed that he called with the hope (and expectation) that his child’s grandfather would go to the school. Remember, the child is here only because there was no space for him at his mother’s apartment, and no space at his father’s apartment. How is it that kids can have kids, but can’t raise the kids they create. Rhetorical question.

This morning, my father and his lady friend had an argument about something so incredible trivial “a you said……., no I didn’t” argument, you would not believe it. About an hour after the argument, my brother (the one who arrived at 4 in the morning knocking on the door like a maniac, the one who put a hot pot on a plastic dish rack – Oh, I think you get the picture). He called to ask his father to pick him up from his sister’s house. He wants to stay here….here for a (he’s not sure how many) few days! Stress!!!

And the day isn’t half over!!!!