Saved by My Own Stupidity

While the majority of the time I enjoy the great perk of working from home with my job at jetBlue, occasionally it is required to go into the office for team meetings, etc.

TODAY was one of those days. 

The same strict attendance/tardy policy applies for these meetings, too.  (And as a side note, I'm just one tardy away from being in SERIOUS trouble!)  It's a 30 minute drive to the office.  The meeting was at 12:30 p.m., so I planned to leave at 11:45 a.m. (just to be safe) but actually left at 11:55 a.m.  (Oooooo, cuttin' it close from the get-go).

THEN, I noticed (re-noticed actually because I'd seen it the night before, too) that the gas light was on.  Because I'm not the only driver of that car these days, thanks to a teenager, I had NO IDEA how much it had been driven, and how close the gas tank was to bone dry.

I knew if I ran out of gas on the freeway, it would be NOT be good for my "on-time performance" so I decided to take the first exit and find a gas station fast.  EXCEPT when I exited, there was no gas station to be found.  I first went down one main road, then turned around and went down another main road, and there wasn't a single gas pump in sight!  It wasn't a place I was familiar with, so I didn't know there wouldn't be one.  The only thing I knew about this neighborhood was that it was rumored to be kinda shoddy....so, I FOR SURE didn't want to run out of gas there!

So, I got back on the freeway (5 minutes lost).  This time, I figured I'd call Matt to tell me where the gas stations were in the Salt Lake area, so I wouldn't waste anymore time.  Well, by the time he looked anything up on the internet, I had already passed a few more major exits, and I was nervous about missing gas stations, so I got off on the next one.  And I found myself right in the middle of a
tear-up-the-road construction zone where ALL 256 cars were being diverted to one lane of traffic in each direction. 

THE CLOCK IS TICKING!

I finally make it up the street (it wasn't right by the exit) to a gas station.  I pull up to the pump - WHEW!  I'm not going to run out of gas! - open my purse, and NO WALLET.  I have a flashback of me taking my wallet up to my bedroom last night.  It must still be there!  I can't buy gas without money!  But, I have a check book - I know, one of the last people on earth.  I run inside and ask the guy if they accept checks for gas.  NOPE!

I get back in the car and drive down to another main road.  AND the railroad crossing barricades start coming down in front of me.  No, No, No!  My first instinct was literally to speed up and beat them!  You see these train/car accidents on the news sometimes, and we're all like, What idiots!  What were they doing on the train tracks?  Well, now I know!  ;)  But, I DID stop and waited.  Aware that more time was working itself off the clock.  I found another gas station and went inside and asked about if they were "check friendly."  NO GO!

You've GOT to be kiddin' me!  The clock now read 12:27 p.m.  I was about in tears!  Three minutes until my meeting started.  I was about 20 minutes away IF I drove straight there and didn't run out of gas.  BUT, we had been warned that if we were more than 15 min. late to the meeting, that we would not be admitted, and it couldn't be made up.  Maybe if I sped....?  I started to drive there, but I had a bad feeling I would run out of gas, though. 

Well, whatever I did, I figured I better call into the office and try to get a message to my supervisor BEFORE I was officially tardy (the one that might give me the AX!)  I spoke to the Supervisor on Duty and explained to her that I'd had a Series of Unfortunate Events and now I was going to be late for my team meeting. 
She asked who my supervisor was.  I told her.  She told me that the meeting was at 1:30 p.m.!!!!!  No, I told her it was at 12:30 p.m.
She said she hoped not because she was suppose to attend, and that would mean she was late, as well!  I said I hoped not because that would give me some time to get everything straightened out!
She looked at the master meeting schedule while she had me on the phone and verified that, in fact, my team meeting did not start until 1:30 p.m.  

OH!  I was SOOO relieved!!
It almost seemed like a dream - that I would wake up from, and still be late, in reality.

But, I swear, I had been told it started at 12:30, so I called home and had the girls look at our calendar for the time I had written down.....sure enough it said 1:30 p.m.  I HAVE NO IDEA HOW I GOT 12:30 IN MY MIND!

BUT, I was glad.  It turned out to be a blessing!

I then called Matt at work, asked him to leave and meet me at a 3rd gas station WITH A CREDIT CARD so we could fill the tank up with gas.  And he did (after he rescheduled a conference call that was about to begin).  I told him he was My prince to the rescue!  ;)

And then after that, my cell phone went dead.  Whew!  Another blessing - just in the nick of time.

Between the time I had to wait for Matt to drive over to meet me, and the time it took me to drive the rest of the way to the office, find a parking spot in a fuller-than-normal parking terrace, and walk in and sit down, I only had 5 minutes to spare.

BUT, I made it.  IN TIME.  Only because I [unknowingly] left my home an hour and 35 minutes before the meeting started), but I made it!  And that's what counts!  For ONCE, my mistake actually SAVED me!  Haha.  :)