Kandahar comes to the Bay Area (well, not really)

So, I buy a new car. I bid a sad farewell to the Explorer, that has served me well for these past 16 years and 318,000 miles, and downsize to a Ford Escape. OK, maybe it was time for a new car. Have to have something reliable to get us to Yellowstone and maybe a little more fuel effiicent. But this is San Francisco, so the passenger window was broken out and stuff was stolen. All can be replaced. It had its cherry popped. Got the broken window out of the way, time to move on with life in the big City. I called the insurance comopany and they set up an appointment for the following Tuesday. So the car goes in the garage and E's car goes on the street, causing me sleepless nights thinking that her window was next. I asked for a Monday appointment but was told that they have to order the part because the car was new. The part will be there on Tuesday. OK, public transit and borrowing of cars until Tuesday. Tuesday comes. I have to drive to South San Francisco because the Fourth Street place has closed. Window down, heater blazing and I am off. I arrive early and take a seat in the office. Finally someone come and signs me in. I sign the work order and the guy asks if I am going to wait, or should he call me or am I going to "wander around?" I chose wander around. He takes my cell number and says that he will call in an hour to an hour and a half when the job is done. No worries. I begin my wandering. I stop at a tile shop and check out bathroom tile for the remodeel that will happen post Yellowstone and then make my way to downtown South City. I find their very nice old library and take a seat to read the Chronicle. Half way through Doonesbery my phone vibrates and I notice it's Safelite glass. Hmmmmm. My hour isn't up yet. I whisper "Hello" in the phone, the voice on the other end informs me that they can't find the glass in the shop. They have to order it. It will be here tomorrow. This is Tuesday, glass will be there Wednesday. The appointment was scheduled for Tuesday so that the glass would be here. On, say it with me,  Tuesday!!! Do I want the car or leave it? Leave it, it'll be safer in your shop. I see a bus and ask the driver about getting to CALTRAIN. He says I have to walk four blocks and get a ride to the San Mateo Station, which is South. I then realize that at the end of the block is the overpass that will take me to the South City station. I hike down there and wait. There are a bunch of Giants fans waiting for a train to take the North to AT&T Park. I call CALTRAIN and ask for the next North bound train that will stop at 22nd street, my stop. "AT 5:05," the lady says. That's 40 minutes from now. I ask her if that's the only train, she confirms that yes, it is. Five minutes later a North bound train stops. I figure that I'll get on and get off at the end of the line  at King street and take a bus home. The conducter announces the next two stops. The second stop is 22nd street. "Seriously, are you fucking kiding me?!" I say out loud. Luckily this train is going to San Francisco, so they are used to crazy people cursing to themselves.Two stops later, I am at my stop. 10 minutes later, another train stops. It is not quite 5:05 yet. I am temted to call teh CALTRAIN lady back and offer to get her a copy of the schedule that I took from the train. Or offer her a job in Afghanistan. She'd fit right in...

one last story (maybe)

During the last three days in country, I started backing off my involvement in the morning meetings. JP was there and it was becoming his clinic. However I have to tell you this: I came in and sat down and noticed three new older gentlemen in the meeting. People come and go and I rarely know who's new, they just show up or they are fire medics going on R and R and I have no idea who they are. But here where these three guys siting in our meeting. The meeting starts and Karki announces that we are going to  have a safety talk. I prefer the safety dance, but that's another story. Anyway I'm all for safety so bring it on. So one of the guys stands up and starts talking about crane safety. The big cranes that drive around the base. I'm thinking,OK, how to be careful around these things, so shit don;'t get dropped on you." Nope, it's how to drive them safely. More specifically, it's how to get in and out of them. Three point contact at all times (take home point). Avoid falling out of them. Gravity is a bitch. All I could think was,"do these guys know that we are the medical clinic and rarely drive a billion ton crane?"  The sad part was that we all just listened politely, nodded our heads occasionally and thanked them for coming. No one said a  thing about the fact that we really don't need this lecture. We are just trained to do what they tell us. The medical sheep. Sheep who drive cranes.
But, if I ever get in and out of one, I am ready...