The best laid plans

My plan for my lunch hour was deceptively easy. I was going to go to the Sam’s Club gas station and put gas in the car then I was going to the actual Sam’s and pick up some vitamins and eat whatever pizza they had available at their canteen. I was going to read my book and go back to work, probably early. I thought this was a modest plan for the lunch hour. Nothing there that should prove outside the scope of the reasonable – I mean how badly can you mess up: Fill up tank, buy vitamins, eat lunch, and go back to work? I should also mention that all of this happens one exit down from where I work. Traffic permitting I can be there and back in 15 minutes.

That is the detail I failed to think about, the traffic I would encounter. And really, it wasn’t the traffics fault per say. It was the city of Raleigh’s fault for starting road work on Fayetteville and then leaving it there during the lunch hour.

But I didn’t know that when I set off. I was chugging along, minding my own business and I got into my lane and, and… Sat there. Just sat there. It was too late to get out and there was nowhere to go once I was there. I couldn’t look around the car in front of me and I couldn’t see if the traffic lights were out at the intersection. I looked at the clock- 11:31. I was a real rebel and left for lunch at11:26. Yeah, I’m all hardcore like that. So I waited. Gas is $2.50 a gallon, waiting in traffic has suddenly taken on an unpleasant, very expensive air to it and this sitting in traffic was not making me happy.

So when I got back, I wrote an email.

Dear So and So,

Today at lunch I waited in traffic for thirty minutes and did not know why. I chalked it up to an accident but as I got closer to the front of the line, I didn’t see any flashing lights. I and dozens of others sat there and wasted $2.50 a gallon gas because we were not held up by an accident or other defensible reason, but as it turned out, for a huge number of pylons and an abandoned road project. Where were the workers? Why was traffic stalled for nothing? Why was the street prepped for work during the lunch hour? And then left like that!? This was absolutely ridiculous. I have only an hour for lunch and having to waste half of it not to mention the gas I wasted sitting there, was infuriating to say the least.

Signed,

So. Instead of my neat and tidy lunch agenda I sat in traffic. I finally got to the Sam’s where I spent $2.49 per gallon to gas up. When I got into the store I was able to find what I needed and thought there was still a chance I was going to get some lunch. They had three lines open and I got into line behind a woman doing to monthly shopping for her cult - No one family needs that much toilet paper.

I ended up having to get a to go order from Subway – which added to my general displeasure. My goal had been to boycott them because of their sponsorship of the Department of Defenses Up With War concert in September to mark the 9/11/01 attacks.

SIGH. I ended up eating at my desk and getting bothered the whole time.

edited for wishful thinking