We were so blessed now

I suggested to Doug we go up to see his mom since our trip to Williamsburg was called off. My suggestion went in one ear, and out the other. Doug didn't respond. Thousand Yard Stare out to the Middle Distance. 

This morning, she called  to ask him questions about her computer. 

Geoff and I left for the post office and Target (side note: All the cookies have been shipped! WOOOOOOOOOOO!) and when we came back, he was socked out on the couch. 

I played on my phone quietly in the bedroom, and started to snooze a little bit myself when his phone rang. Mom again. 

Two hours later, they are finally logged into her Gmail, he sent her a test email. She said she's never used the laptop we helped her buy, and has only logged into Gmail on her phone. But she can't read the messages if there are attachments. So now, she can. Huzzah. 

So we probably really should have gone to see her this weekend. There was a lot of  Doug saying "okay, on the screen right now, do you see the Google Logo? Do you see.... this thing, that thing, the other thing? A place to put in your password? Click 'forgot my password' and let's get you a new password. No, it'll come as a text to your phone because you can't log in and that's your rescue method. A text. Text. A message..."

She got really frustrated, and he was very patient with her. She said she was going to give up and just forget about it and all that. He said "you're frustrated because you've never done this, and I don't expect you to know how but you'll learn."

Saint that he is. I sat here sighing because honest to God we should have just driven up there and he could help her. Also, where's his sister? why isn't she there helping with this when she lives 5 minutes away?

Doug finished with her, and it was cocktail time. He earned it. 

I also did some kindness today at the post office. While my boxes were being labeled (all about 7 dollars more than I needed to spend, cause I got those damn flat rate boxes! doh) a man came to the counter at the window beside me with three Christmas gifts to ship, which should have been in shipping boxes. He just had them in his hands, like. That's not how this works. 

The woman at the window was really rude to him (it's the post office. Color me shocked) and he didn't understand what he was supposed to do.  

"Get a box to put them in!" she yelled at him and pointed at the boxes for sale. 

I was just about done, so I paid, and as he stood there looking at the boxes, holding his three presents in his hands, I touched him by the shoulder and said "here, let me help you get this figured out. You need a box to put those in to ship them. Let's go over here..." made sure not to take him to the FREE flat rate boxes, but to the boxes that cost a buck or two. 

"We should pick the right size for these," I said. He told me they were going to two different places, to his grandchildren. "Awesome. Then we need two boxes. You have to buy them. Is that okay?" he said yes. 

We went into the lobby because they don't let you lean at the thing that looks like a counter in the middle of the room to write on things. They yelled about five times at people filling out forms and leaning on that "divider" counter that isn't a counter so don't you use it for resting anything on or writing anything.

Out in the lobby, there were no forms, no pens, no tape. It was a wasteland. 

But oh! There's a roll of tape! Just sitting there! 

He starts taping his box, and he didn't have the flaps right so it wasn't working, so I helped him close the flaps right and we taped the bottoms shut on both boxes. A young man, teenager with his mom, comes over and says "Oh that's our tape. I left it here on the counter." 

The man hands it to him and I said "ya know, I could use a roll of that little shipping tape myself, so I'll buy one and you can be the first to use it." 

I smiled and started to turn inside to the bubble wrap, boxes, and tape display, and the mom said in kind of English "oh no no, you can use, you can use." She gestured to her son to give him the tape. The boy handed it to him, slightly confused, and I walked back and said "thank you so much! When he's done I'll bring it inside to you, you'll be on the line, right?" They both nodded and I smiled. They went to stand in line.

We taped the boxes closed. Put the presents in the right ones. I asked if he had a pen, and he said he dropped it somewhere. I got the sticker he needed to put on the boxes, and I said "Well, maybe there is one inside there that they'll let you use." 

Another woman was filling out a form to ship something to France. She came over to me and said "excuse me, what is mean 'Sender?'"

"Oh ma'am, you are the sender. You are mailing this package, yes? You're the sender!"  

I showed her how to fill out the customs form, declare what is in it without giving away all the details if it is a gift, the approximate value, then over here, this is the destination... by the way, can he use your pen?" 

She smiled and said "oh yes!" and handed him the pen. 

Gosh. They were both so cute. I went to head out, he thanked me profusely.

"Sir, I hope that's the hardest thing you have to do all year. ALL YEAR! ya hear me!" He laughed and the lady said "oh we were so blessed now." The man smiled and nodded. 

Part of me wanted to go in and get on line with him, just in case the counter employee was mean again. Listen, lady. He's doing his best. Just help him an ounce with no yelling.

The post office needs a human in the lobby to just be like "oh okay! let's address that. I will show you how." 

"Oh that box isn't the right size. Let's hook you up with a new one." 

"Oh don't take the flat rate box, unless you have something super heavy to ship! Otherwise your cookies will cost 17 dollars to send and 2 dollars to make!"  (I wish that helper person was there when I got all the wrong boxes...)

I had sent Geoff out to the car because I only put one quarter into the meter, and I don't know if the town actually busts on people with parking tickets. 

But wouldn't that just be something, me there helping an old man box up gifts for his grandkids and some lady who doesn't speak good English to get her customs form all set, getting ticket for being in the post office an extra couple minutes. 

So while we're not in Billyburgh right this minute at a tavern having cocktails with my Bobby, we're doing what we're supposed to do. 

No picture today, made bad food choices today like mac & cheese, and cookies. But. tomorrow's another day, eh? digits down below. 

digits

exercise: 12/12 for 250. Long walk around inside Target but I wouldn't call that my "walk" for the day. Still, lots of steps on the fitbit.

Blood glucose:
9am: 186
5pm: 191
9pm: 180

food: 
coffee, water

9am: protein shake
11am: a couple wee pieces of chicken thighs left over from the other night
12:45pm: slider burger roll w/ pb (about 16 carbs); metformin
2:30pm: 2 chocolate chip cookies

4:30pm: about 10sourdough pretzel bites w/pimento bacon cheese spread
5:30pm: bowl of velveeta mac & cheese with habanero salsa; metformin+jardiance
vodka tonics 🍸🍸🍸
9:30pm: celery+peanut butter