Busiest Post Office Day

I have today off. On a normal Monday morning, the alarm clock goes off at 4:55 and I'm up and running. I mean that literally. I get up, get dressed in my gym clothes, grab my work clothes, and head out. It's great having a fitness center right at work. I can run my 3 miles, shower, and head downstairs to work. It's a perfect schedule for me.

But this morning, like I said, I have off so no gym for me. I did get up at 5 this morning. As a creature of habit, I just couldn't fall back to sleep. I got out of bed, saw Jeff off to work, and poured myself a cup of coffee. As I contemplated today's schedule, one of the items on my to-do list I could do right now - go to the Post Office. Luckily, the Airport Post Office is open 24/7. I needed to get stamps to mail my Christmas cards and I have to packages to mail. I wasn't convinced that I should get dressed right now and head out so early. After all, this is my day off. So I turned on CNN where the story turned to the mail. Today is the last day to guarantee delivery before Christmas so it is considered to be the busiest mailing day of the year. That was the push I needed to get me out the door right now, before the long lines form.

I decided to pull my hair back with a headband and put on my gym clothes because they are so easy to slip on. Of course because they are gym clothes, my checkered flannel pants that I wear while driving didn't match my long-sleeved shirt I got from a 10-mile run a few years back. Needless to say, I looked like crap but at 5:30 in the morning I figured I would see a few people in line in front of me and the Post Office clerk. I've stopped there this early before and I know that before 7 there is only one clerk, and usually one or two other people are there like me, the early birds on their way to work.

This morning I was wrong. I pulled into the lot which was packed. I got the last available parking space and there are many. I brought my cat, Toby with me and I immediately regretted it. I wasn't sure I would be comfortable with leaving him in the car for any length of time. I swallowed my angst and headed out of the car. Toby's sweet little sad face made me feel guilty but I was there and I wanted to get this done.

As soon as I walked in, I could feel the hustle-bustle of how busy this day would become. There were three clerks working the counter (how unusual), and two lines. One for self-service package mailing and the other one for counter service. I needed counter service as I wasn't sure how to send my packages. The line was long and as I walked up, the guy in front of me did the head-to-toe once over. He was impeccably dressed and I looked like a slob. I thought to myself vainly, at least I have lipstick on and my earrings (as if it mattered, I knew I looked like crap).

What was not immediately apparent to me was the camera crew and the newscaster getting ready to do a story. As I realized their presence, I remembered the CNN story this morning. Oh crap, this really sucks. As the 10 people in front of me went through their transactions, the news people still hadn't starting broadcasting. The guy in front of me who I'm nicknaming Mr. Impeccable was next when the camera guy picked up his camera and started to get ready to film. Mr. Impeccable looked down at me, brushed off his shirt and straightened his leather jacket as if to get ready to be interviewed. But alas, guess who they picked out of the line to put the camera on? It's Murphy's law, isn't it? So there goes 60 seconds of my 15 minutes of fame. Arrggh.

Not exactly the way I wanted to start my day off.