"But this isn't next week!"

In a skit on the old Bugs Bunny/Road Runner show, Daffy Duck complains to Bugs, "Wait a minute!  Last week you said that I was going to entertain next week!"

Bugs' reply:  "But this isn't next week."

I had good reason to remember that skit today.

This morning I got two proofing requests from the court reporting firm I work for.  One was to proof a rush job due by 5 p.m. today.  The other was a longer one due tomorrow.

I had an appointment with the chiropractor today, so I figured I could do them both when I got back.

I live in Gwinnett County, which is northeast of the city of Atlanta.  To get to the chiropractor's, I needed to take I-285 over to Cobb County, which is northwest of the city of Atlanta.  It's usually a little over a half hour to get there.  Well, remember that, since I-85 is still being repaired, we are driving under abnormal conditions.  So it took me about an hour, and that was with my Waze app giving me alternate routes around traffic backups.

My chiro's office is very efficient, and I was in and out within about a half hour.  

It took me over an hour to get home, not only because of abnormal traffic on 285, but because of an accident which put 285 in gridlock.  Waze once again performed admirably and gave me a route around that accident.

Along with several hundred other drivers.

After negotiating 285, I-85 north of the Perimeter, picking up a library book and a prescription, I got home, had lunch, and then turned on my computer.

Mayhem ensued.

I could not get to my email box.  My email servers have been having consistent problems for several weeks. After several frustrating minutes, I finally decided to restart my computer.

Which gave me the screen with the dreaded words, "Getting Windows ready.  Do not turn off your computer."

I waited, waited, waited, then decided to throw a load of wash in the washer.  Came back to my computer, it's still telling me not to turn it off.

And finally, I said, the heck with it, disobeyed the command of the almighty Windows, and turned off the computer.

Fortunately, when I turned it back on, lightning did not strike.

While waiting for the computer to reconnect to the Internet, I tried getting the files I needed through my iPad.  I can play an mp3 file on my iPad, and I can also read Word files on my iPad.  When I proof, I listen to an audio recording to see if the transcript matches up with the audio recording.  (I proof legal depositions.)  I have yet to figure out if I can listen to a recording and edit on the iPad at the same time, and what was even worse, I couldn't figure out how to turn off the recording in the iPad.  

Finally, I was able to download the files I needed from the people I work for.  But while trying to open up the audio files, I accidentally turned on iTunes instead of the transcription program I use.  And no matter how many times I clicked, iTunes would not turn off.  And, the dreaded blue spinning circle that Windows users are familiar with just kept spinning around and around and around.

So, I turned the computer back off.  

Then back on.

After nearly an hour, I finally got files downloaded and the rush file proofed and sent off to my boss.

Between finishing the rush file and beginning the non-rush file, I sent off an email to my BFF, detailing my tale of woe so far that day.  In addition to having another file to proof, I:

• still had dinner to make
• had church tonight
• had praise team practice after church (praise team is the small singing group that performs each Sunday; the same people do not sing every week, different people are placed on the schedule each month)
• a retreat this weekend with my son's youth group
• an appointment tomorrow
• Weight Watchers on Friday
• Laundry to do
• Senior Honors Night this coming Sunday, where our youth group's graduating seniors are honored (and my son is included this year)
• And I had to sing on the praise team this Sunday.

So what does all of this have to do with it not being next week?

When my husband came home from work, I told him everything that I'd done that day.  

And then, I looked at the calendar on the wall in the kitchen.  

Twice.

Then got my iPad and compared my Google calendar with the wall calendar.

You know the praise team practice I put down?

That practice I had to attend because I was going to sing on Sunday?

That practice wasn't this week.

That practice was NEXT week.

Which also means I don't sing this Sunday.

We sing NEXT Sunday.

On my husband's recommendation, I skipped church tonight and finished proofing my pages (which were due tomorrow morning.)  My pages were emailed just a few minutes ago.

The moral of this story?  

If there is one?

Always check your schedule before you complain about everything you have to do.

Because it could very easily be that the stuff you have to do this week . . . you don't have to do until next week!

Just my .04, adjusted for inflation.