Ever had a day when a bunch of small things run together to create a day you wish you had missed:

• Up and at work by 7:30, so far so good
• Noonish, news that one of my PASS projects appears to be off the tracks, again! Not making my day, stop to reply about it.
• Noonish, supposed to be done, but clearly not – ask my wife to bring some lunch by
• 2:30 head to OfficeMax to get documents printed
• 3:00 or so, stop to deposit checks for work
• 3:20 at home to pick up daughter, out for some family time
• 4:00, at Woodcraft to buy a couple things (thinking, ok this morning was rough, but life is ok)
• On to the bookstore, browse a little, go to get coffee and a treat for my daughter, she wants a krispy treat. Coffee guy says chocolate chip cookies almost ready, she decides to have that. I try something new, caramel apple latte (at least it’s not quiche). Coffee guy seems rattled, cookies aren’t quite done, I pay for the stuff and sit. He serves the next guy in line. And the next. I get up to look, cookies are still ‘almost done’. Then he has to make more decaf. Finally coffee is ready, cookie is done but so warm she eats it with a spoon. Ah…well.
• 6:00 home and out side to try my new grinding wheel, note in passing that the turkey breast for dinner doesn’t look great – cooking cover stuck to the skin. Who needs crisp skin anyway? Wife mentions that we had a minor flood in one bathroom. I’m ready for 30 minutes of hobby time.
• 6:15 cut my finger on the grinder guard, dripping blood while I finish. Minor cut, just bleeds a lot. Keeps the dirt out.
• 7:00 ish, sitting down for dinner, turkey actually is pretty good, talking about maybe having a plumber come check the lines on Mon
• 7:45, none of the bathrooms working. Three bathrooms, none working. Try snaking the line, no success. Plan B? Pay weekend rates for the plumber or head to a hotel. Decide on hotel as probably cheaper and definitely quicker. Start packing, let the dogs out for a final run
• 8:30 get to hotel, maybe 2 miles from home, one we’ve used before. Amazingly they had the online reservation, go right up to the room. Supposed to have 2 TV’s but only 1, bedside light doesn’t work, toilet doesn’t flush. They send up keys to room next door. Two tv’s, but obvious smoke smell – and being non-smokers, that’s hard to take. Next!
• 9:00 on on to our third room on different floor. Smells good, 2 TV’s, only one works. Call to complain. Maintenance guy comes up, tries the remote, checks the power, says (in heavy Russian accent) ‘dis is bull---, dis is wrong remote’, will be right back. 5 minutes later back with a different remote, explains to me that on this one you have to hit the TV button and then power. Okey dokey.
• 10:30 Finally relaxing watching a show on CSPAN about the Supreme Court. Pretty good, made a note to check the cost of the DVD
• 11:00 More or less, sorta sleeping

It’s a great example of stress. Any one of those alone is minor, a couple combined are frustrating, all together – wish I could rewind and try again!