Exiting a Car: Harder than it Looks

I’d been thinking about writing about how complicated getting out of the car to go inside somewhere has gotten so complicated these days, with a mask involved. Every morning when I arrive at work I have to wear a mask to go inside, where I have to get my temperature taken by an iPad like machine. I usually take my glasses off and put them in my pocket, since they usually fog up so early in the morning.

Gettng out of the car takes a series of small tasks: (1) put on the mask, (2) grab the keys, (3) phone, and (4) water bottle. (5) Get out of the car, which is a chore with my sore back, (6) locking the front door, (7) putting the keys and (8) phone and (9) glasses in my pockets, (10) opening the back door, (11) putting my water bottle in my backpack side pocket, (12) donning my backpack, (13) grabbing my lunch, (14) locking and (15) closing the back door, and (16) heading inside.

 

One day this week I got inside and couldn’t find my glasses. Retraced my steps and found them on the ground, face down, next to my car. Not good.

 

After work today I was driving straight to our picnic at an East Cobb park. My route took me past a new store I’d been wanting to visit, so I pulled in. There was a gas station in the same parking lot, so I stopped for a purchase. Wanted to use change, so I counted out the quarters, nickels, pennies, and dimes. While doing so I placed my keys on the seat. Grabbed my mask, phone, and wallet. Got out of the car, locked the door, and started inside. Then it hit me.

 

I locked my keys in my car. My car can only be locked manually. No remote key or automatic locks. Checked my pockets to make sure, then looked back inside. Keys right there on the seat. To be sure I walked around the car, checking each door in case one might be unlocked. No dice.

 

Several months ago I had locked my keys in my car. The younger fab guys took it as a challenge, and figured out how to get it unlocked, and quickly did so.

 

So I set about doing what they did, employing various instruments to get the job done. In real life the method is a little harder than the instructions, but eventually, with a decent amount of sweat on my nice Firefly spaceship shirt, I was able to get the car unlocked. Made it to the picnic about 30 minutes late, and eventually shared my story with the guys. Had a socially-distanced picnic with a missionary family about to return to the field. Five couples, two babies, three teenagers, and three young kids.

  

GT and UGA schedules:

 

9.12 GT@FSU 330 

9.19 UCF@GT 330 

9.26 GT@Syracuse 

10.09 Louisville@GT 

10.17 Clemson@GT 

10.24 GT@BC 

10.31 Notre Dame@GT 

11.14 Pitt@GT

11.21 GT@Miami 

11.28 Duke@GT 

12.05 GT@NCState

 

09.26 UGA@Arkansas 4 pm SECN 

10.03 Auburn@UGA 730 pm ESPN 

10.10 Tennessee@UGA  

10.17 UGA@Alabama 8 pm CBS 

10.24 UGA@Kentucky

11.07 UGA@Florida 330 pm CBS 

11.14 UGA@Missouri 

11.21 MissState@UGA 

11.28 UGA@SC 

12.05 Vandy@UGA

12.19 SEC Championship Game 

 

Laptop updated and reset everything. Had to figure out sign-ins and passwords to log in. The typeface on my email is super tiny, which is bad because my screens aren’t bright and my eyes are bad anyway. I reset some of it to larger and called the help desk about the printer. We’ll see if it stays.

 

Crazy busy with two coworkers on vacation. Boss stepped in to help and sees what chaos the day to day details are. Slower on Friday, allowing me to enter orders that are a week old.

 

Thursday: worked past 6:30. Ceil had a women’s ministry thing at a friend’s house so I stopped by Chickfila on the way home. Free CFA sandwich and frosted lemonade. Watched the season finale of Holy Moley, where the 12 weekly winners competed for the $250,000 grand prize. Then after that a Holy Moley highlights show, and then some of the Braves, who won again with home runs from Acuna, Freeman, and Dansby’s game-winner.

JASON VARITEK  [B-R Bio] is the only person who has played in the Little League World Series, the College World Series, the Major League World Series, the Major League All-Star Game, the Olympics and the World Baseball Classic - LLWS (1984), CWS (1984), MLB WS (2004/2007), ASG (2005/2008), U.S. Olympic team (1992) and WBC (2006). He’s a huge admirer of another Diamond Hall of Famer. Varitek’s third daughter Caroline was named after the song "Sweet Caroline" (recorded by Neil Diamond) that plays in the middle of the eighth inning during every game at Fenway Park. Diamond was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1984 and into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2011. He’s the first catcher to catch four no-hitters. Behind the plate for the no-no’s hurled by Hideo Nomo (04-April-2001), Derek Lowe (27-April-2002), Clay Buchholz (01-Sept-2007) and Jon Lester (19-May-2008). Carlos Ruiz matched this record in 2015.