The worst lab experiment _ever_

Gah, what a terrible day.

Background A: Dad slipped a disk last weekend, which has put him in intense pain for the last 48 hours. It is actually pretty alarming - I don't like seeing my father with a cane. But, he got an orthopod appointment today and is in the process of getting his MRI as I type. He'll be okay, it's just been a little disconcerting.

Anyway, so his slipped disk and the pain medicine means we (Mom and I) don't want him operating a car. Mom's car needs its annual inspection, so I got woken up at 6:50 this morning to drive her to work. This, I don't mind.

Background B: Maureen and I did a trail race a couple of weeks ago. A research lab from a local-ish university was collecting names for a research study on runners. Later they contacted me and wanted to know if I would participate. I agreed - I like supporting scientific research and the money was decent. We agree on a date and time, and then I don't hear anything.

Last night, I realized I had agreed to do the study today, but no one ever sent me directions or basic instructions - it was a running study, so I assumed I needed to wear running clothes. After I got home from taking Mom out, I called the lab and asked what was going on.

Me: Hi there, I'm supposed to participate in a research study today, can I get directions to your lab?
Random girl: uhm, sure. Where are you coming from?
Me: PA, near 202.
RG: hm. Do you know where DE-273?
Me: Uhm, not really.
RG: Okay, let me have your address and I'll mapquest it.
Me, thinking, I could do this myself
RG: Okay, you turn left on Country Club Rd (the road visible from my room)...
ARGH.
Me: Can I just have your street address?
RG: oh sure, it's blahhidy, blahiddy, blah.
Me: Thanks.

So, I figure out where it is and set off driving. After a couple wrong turns, courtesy of the DEDOT, who doesn't seem to feel the need to let people know in advance when the highway suddenly turns, allowing people to merrily speed by in the right lane as the roads verves to the left, I arrive at the street address I was given. It is a "Cluck U Chicken" restaurant. Let me clarify, I arrive after wandering the streets of Newark which are all one way and have no free parking anywhere - just a lot of parking lots that require tickets.

"Cluck U chicken" doesn't do much for me, so I call the lab and try to get directions. I am frustrated and irritated and the lab guy laughing at me doesn't make me feel any better. The fact the "Cluck U chicken" isn't anywhere NEAR the lab, also doesn't make me happy. I get directions from the guy. Both the road and the parking lot he directed me towards are closed. I drive around until I find a place to park. I have enough change for one hour of parking.

I get to the lab. They thought I was coming on Tuesday. The e-mail clearly said August 8th. But the Physical therapist isn't available until noon. My parking runs out at 10:45. I tell them this and eventually a discussion on where I could have parked results in a lab monkey running some change out to my car. I was all wired up, so they wouldn't let me go.

They put sensors all over me, and begin taking data. Problems with the sensors prolongs this process significantly. Eventually we finish, they take my injury and running history and then tell me to take a break while we wait for the Physical Therapist. The physical therapist turns out to be a very nice lady, who is trying her best to deal with the double booking.

They finish by 12:45 (I was supposed to be finished by 11:00am) and I head home. Of course, I get lost coming back and end up at some Delaware state park in the middle of nowhere. I eventually make it home, where my father has decided he is going to pick up Mom. I haven't eaten since my rushed 6:00am breakfast and it is now 2:00pm, so I start making my lunch. Dad is still medicated, so I decide to bypass him and see if my sister will pick up Mom so I can eat something.

My sister, after having done nothing all morning, decides that she must go open up her bank account right now. Her bank is on the way to the train station and is open until 7:00pm, but she still can't make time to get Mom. I am very, very pissed off. I know she is doing this just to screw me over, but I go and get Mom. My sister gets home with enough time to eat the lion's share of the last brownie (which I made) and leaves a tiny brownie sliver, ensuring that she doesn't have to clean the pan.

In a foul mood, I read while I wait for lunch to digest and then head out for a run. It is drizzling when I leave, but by the time I am a mile from home, the sky opens up and pours down rain. I almost lost my contacts and end up cutting my run short. I forgot I was supposed to make dinner, but I get it done in time and my sister also does not thank me for that.

Then I fight with my sister again and end up walking Mom through the process to burn a cd. In a petty move, she hides my laptop cables. I couldn't make the connection between the ancient computer and my laptop and the floppy drive on the old computer is broken, so I can't get the files off that way. I have admitted defeat - the computer is just too old. We might take out the harddrive and hook it up to a newer computer.

I hope today and tomorrow go a lot more smoothly.