The Package

We had an adventure today. And again, I begin the blog with a completely unrelated photo. This is the dieffenbachia on the patio. It looks like variegated ivy, but the plant guy told us it was a variety of dieffenbachia. The leaves are like paper and it dies back in a day if you don't keep it watered. I've been very conscientious about keeping it damp (the rains have really helped), and it's doing really well. Plant pride.

The planter was a purchase at the Arroyo Grande Strawberry Festival a few years back. I really like how they look together.

And now to the adventure.

As I mentioned in the last entry, I purchased the "Classroom in a Book" from Adobe for Photoshop, Illustrator, Dreamweaver and Flash. The books were supposed to arrive Wednesday, but all I found was a door hanger saying they had tried to deliver the package and no one was home. (Well, I was home.) I supposed they came first thing in the morning and I was still asleep. So having laid that guilt on myself for sleeping late, I figured they would try to deliver again today (the door hanger said so).

Just to make sure, we double-checked the buzzer at the security gate outside to make sure it was working. It was.

So today, we waited. And waited. Around 1 p.m., I suggested Steve go out and pick up something for lunch and I'd wait for the guy to show. Steve left and I was sitting in the living room when I heard what sounded like a Fed Ex truck. I dashed to the window just in time to see the truck driving off down the street. I went out to the gate and our neighbor was there checking her mail. There was another damn door hanger from Fed Ex. The gate had been open, a neighbor had been present, he could have come in and knocked on the door. I suppose their services don't extend that far these days. He obviously didn't use the buzzer.

Anyhow, the hanger said we could pick up the package between six and seven p.m. at the central facility, which is south of downtown L.A. near the rail tracks leading into Union Station. So we decided to go down there and retrieve the package rather than risk another no-buzz, no-delivery session and having the package returned to sender.

It's actually an easy drive. It's just down the Pasadena Freeway, which I have a love/hate relationship with. I love it because it was the very first freeway and meanders from downtown out to Pasadena. It's about as pastoral as a freeway can get. Also, the onramps actually have stop signs, since the top speed was originally 45 mph.

But I hate it because it's a freeway, now filled with insane L.A. rush-hour drivers ripping through the unbanked curves as we drove down to FedEx. We exited on the tiny offramp at Avenue 43, swung down to Avenue 26, then over to San Fernando Boulevard, where the facility is located.

About 100 yards from the entrance, we were stuck in heavy, traffic. Suddenly, there was a crunch and a hefty lurch forward as the SUV behind us hit our car.

Steve blurted an colorful expletive and pulled over to the curb as I pushed the button for the emergency flashers. He got out, as did the other driver, and they checked the cars. No damage to either one, but they swapped information in any case.

This was all taking place in bumper-to-bumper traffic. And with all that, we still arrived at Fed Ex about half an hour early. Then it took about an hour for the truck with my package to return, but I did retrieve the package, finally.

To treat ourselves, we stopped at Sizzler and had the salad bar. (Mmmm...beets).

What excitement! I now have the books and look forward to diving into the material tomorrow.

I have my highlighter ready and everything.