Priorities

With working the Renaissance Festival for seven weekends, time can be pretty hard to come by. I had been trying to find time to commemmorate International Talk Like a Pirate Day on one of my sites for quite a while. Finally, the day before Pirate Day (which is September 19 this year), I thought I'd have time.

I only had a chapter meeting after work, then I was on my own. Well, there were some complications at the meeting, mostly around a missing key to the church door, and instead of getting home around 9:30, I got home closer to 10:45. Still time to achieve my piratical dreams though. I sat down at the keyboard and commenced coding¹. At 11:00 pm, I heard my car alarm go off.

I got up to check and found Kristie coming in the back door. I asked about the alarm and she told me it had happened when she let the wiper snap back into place after replacing the blade. Ignoring the whole 11:00 pm thing, I thanked her. She went on to explain that she might have gotten the wrong size blade.

She had bought 2 of the same size for my truck and 2 of different sizes for her car². I wondered about that and she told me that the chart said she needed two different sizes. I asked about the possibility of having switched one of my blades for one of hers³.

She decided that might have happened and I should come out and help her. I was reluctant but finally agreed⁴ after some whining on her part⁵.

We checked and sure enough that's what had happened. Unfortunately when the wrong-size blade was installled on my driver's side, the release had been broken. I tried to release it, but my fingers wouldn't fit. Kristie decided to try it. She couldn't do it either and decided she needed a tool to fix it.

So as we stand there in front of our garage needing a tool, what does Kristie decide would be good for prying? My keys. Not just any key though, my car key - the one I don't have a duplicate for⁶

After some debate she opts for a different key⁷ and eventually manages to pop the release. We switch blades and everybody goes back into the house having spent only half an hour trying to fix the problem which took 15 minutes to create.

Kristie turns to me and says "You don't seem that grateful".
"Well, I was until we had to go fix it when I wanted to work on the pirate thing."
"You really need to get your priorities straight."

Yep. She decides to change the wiper blades on both our cars at 11:00 at night and I have screwed up priorities. Got it.

1. Basically, I was writing something to add an Arrr! or two and change a few words so everyone would sound more piratical.
2. No, it's true. Her car really does take one size for the driver's side and a different size for the passenger side.
3. After all, it was dark out.
4. Hey, I still had some pirate lingo to code.
5. I'd say a lot of whining, but then she'd whine about that.
6. No, it's not her fault I don't have a duplicate, but I don't. I really should get one soon.
7. Baby steps.

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