by Peter Marus

The past couple days have been full of stress. Thursday I went to the hospital with my dad and mom so my dad could go get this procedure done. I didn't know what exactly was going on and why he needed it, but it turned out he went for a stress test a week or so ago, and something didn't come out right. We get to Lennox Hill, and sit in the waiting room for about an hour before he gets called in to get ready for this thing. The waiting room sucked, and it had chairs I swear were made by a guy who was a midget, since I barely could sit in the chair comfortably. Eventually, my mom and I get to see my dad before he went to get the procedure done. It was weird seeing him in a hospital bed, and I kept having a bad feeling about the whole thing (but I always do get this feeling when I'm in a hospital, especially after all what I went through with my Uncle a couple years ago).

After my dad went into the operating room, my mom and I went outside for a little (she wanted a smoke and I wanted to check my voicemail). I check my voicemail and I have a new one from someone from an agency about my resume I sent her. I call her back and I have an interview at 2pm Friday in Midtown for a receptionist job. Sounds all good right? Well with the way my stupid brain works, I'm now freaking out about this interview and all the ways I can screw it up on top of my dad in the hospital. So now I got all this on my brain, while making sure my mom's doing Ok. Don't I sound like Mr. positive!!!

After a couple hours, which felt like the entire day, the doctor who performed the procedure came out and said he had to clear up a couple things in my dad’s arteries. Other than that things went well, but my dad has to stay in for the night. All my dad was worried about was getting something to eat, since he hasn't eaten all day. After he gets put in his room and we everything gets set up (including watching the nurses trying to get his IV right), my mom and I help him eat his dinner, and we leave. My mom and I get into an argument about something stupid on the drive home, but eventually get home and order dinner.

Today I had my interview, which went as well as all the other interviews I usually have. It consisted of me filling out paperwork, talking to someone, and taking tests out the ass. A twist to this one was when the person I was interviewing with took me to the back room where she had me stand in the middle of it and introduced me to the people who actually handle the assignments. It was uncomfortable, and they asked me a bunch of questions and then I was sent on my way with the standard “We don’t have anything now, call us in a week if you don’t hear from us.”

So now this weekend will consist mostly of me driving my dad around and do all his errands. It’s going to suck, since I tend to not have a whole lot of patience, especially with my mindset now and how tense I am at this point. The good part is it may break up that whole “sit on my ass and stew in my own hatred and rage” I usually do on a weekend. I’m still sore over the fact that I couldn’t go to the big Ron and Fez event in the city (it was right by where I had my interview, but I was not in a mood to wait in line for an hour to try to get into B. B. King’s). But feeling the way I feel now, I probably wouldn’t have had a good time anyway. I need to find something or someone to get my mind out of this funk I’ve been in. Maybe soon that will happen, but I’m not exactly holding my breath, or I won’t shit myself with woe if nothing happens (job-wise, chick wise, or other).