Mental Cobwebs

Last night Michigan got hit with the worst blizzard it has seen since 1978. Right before that storm hit, my car crapped out in the middle of my paper route. It limped it's way all the way to my parent's house, and I took my mother's car off to finish papers.

We barely finished in time to rush back to town and make the city council meeting where my dad was getting a lifetime achievement award for his coaching. Of course, the winds had already started, and the sudden whiteouts on the way home were nothing to trifle with. After the meeting, we celebrated Emmy's birthday as the snow fell outside.

I woke up to more than a foot of snow, and the shoveling began. Before we could even finish the driveway I had to go do papers. My mom's car could never handle all that snow, so they picked me up in my dad's truck. We fought through barely plowed roads, I trudged across parking lots that hadn't been touched and down roads that we were worried we wouldn't make it back up, and some six hours late we had about 75% of my papers delivered.

We called it quits since it was already past the normal delivery time, and people would most likely just assume the paper wasn't coming at that point. I turned my focus to figuring out what was wrong with my car, but I couldn't even get it out of the spot in the driveway where I'd left it last night. So I plopped down $150 deposit on one of AutoZone's little code-reader doodads and took it back. According to the codes, it is likely some sort of sensor that will cost $15. Tomorrow morning I'm gonna pick one up and meet my future brother-in-law at my car to get it replaced. Hopefully it fixes everything.

I found it funny that a little computer thingamajig can cripple your entire car when it malfunctions. Seems like when cars were more simple they didn't nickel and dime us to death. Aah, the good old days.

A lot of the other carriers hadn't even picked up their papers when I got to the depot to grab my second route, so I assume they weren't even trying. The mail certainly didn't come, and the paper I deliver gave out a free online version to all customers in case they couldn't get their papers, so I guess they had every right to just give up. Somehow, I never learned to function that way.

I've driven through some pretty awful weather. One night a few years ago we had an really bad storm that melted all the snow and caused flooding. On top of that, trees were being blown down everywhere. I drove through water that came halfway up my car door, and helped other drivers move full-sized trees out of the road so both of us could keep going.

Another time we had an icestorm and even the slightest hill proved impossible for my car to manage, so I got out and walked down every hill and got everybody their papers on time. I never really even questioned it. Usually if the weather is going to be bad, Zoe tells me I shouldn't go, and should tell them it's too bad out and my car got stuck or something. I just can't do that. I have to do the job the best I possibly can, no matter what the situation.

I don't have a degree. I don't have any experience in anything that an employer might be looking for. The only thing I have is my determination, and hopefully in the eight years of working my ass off to do my job as best I can, I've impressed a few people that can vouch for me. Otherwise, I don't have much else to offer up when trying to impress a potential employer. I just hope they'll listen long enough for me to get that across.