I had a fabulous day... because I called in sick today (hahahahaha!). Last Monday was a Snow Day and today was a Sick Day. It appears that my office is so toxic that I can't be there for more than four days a week. I wonder if they can tell that I'm miserable and have decided to quit. Probably not, though. I don't think that my misery sticks out from everyone else's misery. The girl who shares my cubicle quit last Friday. Tomorrow is her last day. I'm so jealous of her. I don't know how much longer I can last.
Anyway, back to my fabulous day off. Eric left he house at 5:30 this morning, so I got up to say goodbye to him. Then I got back into bed, emailed my bosses (yes, I have like five of them) to tell them I was taking a sick day, then went back to sleep. I woke up at around 9:30 AM and scanned the new movies on Hulu. I ended up watching the entire 2002 John Cusack movie "Max," about the young Adolf Hitler who was close to choosing art over politics, except that he wasn't a very good artist (trailer below):
Not the perkiest movie to start off one's spectacular day off, but I had been curious about this movie since it came out, so I'm glad I saw (I don't know if the actor who plays Young Hitler won any awards, but he was brilliantly and creepily psychotic).
As I watched this movie on Hulu, there were several Taco Bell commercials. I admit, I got a hankering for some Taco Bell. But I haven't lived near a Taco Bell in years! There were no Taco Bells in London, and there are none in DC (the one on 14th and U St. NW closed while I was living in London). So I looked on Google Maps and found that my nearest Taco Bell is in Silver Spring, Maryland. And that, I decided, would be my adventure for the day.
After I showered and got dressed, I took the S2 bus all the way up 16th St. NW, around Walter Reed, and it dropped me off on the corner of Eastern Ave. and Georgia Ave NW. The Taco Bell was only one block away from the bus stop.
It was not the prettiest Taco Bell. It was actually one of those Taco Bell / KFC combination restaurants. The dining room was sparse and gross at the same time. This Taco Bell wasn't in the nicest neighborhood. But I had come this far, so I was determined to get my tacos. I ordered two items that I have ordered at every Taco Bell I've ever eaten at: a Bean Burrito with no onions, and a Double Decker Taco (anyone who went to Nikki Rowe High School in '95-'96 will remember the year that the cafeteria sold Taco Bell Bean Burritos).
But then I got something new. Something naughty. Something that I knew would shorten my lifespan by a day (at least), but I had to try it. I had to know what all the hype was about. I ordered (drum roll, please) the Doritos Loco Taco. And this is what it looked like:
And you know what? It was great! I mean, it tasted 95% like a normal Taco Bell Crunchy Taco. But the shell did leave cheese powder on your fingers, and isn't that what you want from your Doritos products?
All in all, it was a lovely lunch in a part of town I had never been to before. I took the survey on the back of my receipt for the chance to win $1,000.00, and you know, I think I'm gonna win it ;-) I would have stayed longer, but this restaurant did make me fear (slightly) for my life. Every time someone new walked through the door I thought, "This is the person who's going to take me and everyone else hostage." But I was not assaulted, robbed, or held hostage, so things went much better than I had anticipated.
I haven't mentioned today's weather, have I? It was cold! It was so, so cold, and so, so windy. The temperature was around 25 F, but with the wind chill, it felt about 15 F. And silly, silly Leila decided to go for a walk in this strange neighborhood after lunch. I looked on the map and saw that the Silver Spring Metro Station was just a few blocks away. I thought it would be quicker to take the Metro, plus, it would be fun to walk around Silver Spring. I thought. It was bloody freezing! I kept thinking, "Why am I walking in this, why am I walking in this?!?!"
But deep-down, I loved it. I loved it because I realized that I would rather be walking through the decayed, industrial streets of Silver Spring, rather than be inside my office. I was smiling when I realized that I was happier feeling the stinging cold on my face, rather than be in that office, surrounded by stress, anger, and sadness. Ha! I felt free. Frozen, but free.
Twenty minutes later, and I finally found the Silver Spring Metro Station. I actually enjoyed the ride from Silver Spring to Fort Totten. I like the parts of the Metro that are above ground. Above-ground trains are so much more fun than below-ground trains. It reminds me of being in England. I guess trains will always remind me of England. It was a fun train ride.
And that was my adventure for the day. I came home, checked my email, cleaned my room, and made some dinner. Waffles. I made two frozen waffles with syrup for dinner. Nice. Because, you know, I'm trying to cut out the sugar completely from my diet. So, you know, waffles. Ugh. Good grief.
Back to work tomorrow. But tomorrow is Friday. Plus, tomorrow is Pay Day. I wonder how many more Pay Days I can tolerate before I tell them that I'm quitting. Ugh, my stomach hurts just thinking about it. But maybe that's just the Doritos Loco Taco. I do this to myself, don't I?
Night-night,
Leila
P.S. All your favorite episodes of "The Sherman House Webisodes" are free to stream at www.shwebisodes.com!
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