So you had a bad day?

Try this one: Look in bag and see 2 umbrellas-take one out. Leave the house at 7:20 and realize you still have to buy your ticket and the train leaves in 10 minutes. Start running, with a rucksack containing a laptop on your back. Get to the station and buy ticket...2 minutes to spare. Hike up stairs, over tracks-realize its going to rain all day and maybe today was a bad day to wear white jeans.

See train approach, open door, step in. Move from the new so-slip surface on the platform to slippery lino on the train-one leg goes forward, one leg goes back out the train and in between the platform and train. Feel like a fool, worry about those white jeans and pray the door doesn't close before you extricate yourself from current position. Limp to seat as pain sets in from knee to just above ankle. Piercing hot pain that makes you want to scream and sick to your stomach. Desperately grab water bottle hoping its cold (but no). Defy train rules and prop leg onto seat.

Get to class only to realize my umbrella is broken and worthless.

Borrow some Aleve from classmate (who was late because someone somewhere else fell between the gap only they got stuck). Leave class early, not in the mood to come up with a concept garden for Andrew just having spent all mental energy on final design project. Although he did like my idea and asked me to make a model, photo it and email it to him.

Leave umbrella behind because its broken. Get on tube-stand for 20 of the 27 minute ride. Get on train home-its a short car and stopping at all stations. Why do they do that? Someone on the train smells funny, but I have a seat.

Work furiously on laptop all the way to home stop. Get off train and it is now chucking down rain. (Kids & Au Pair Julie tell me they had to walk home in the rain with 2 broken umbrellas and a flat tire on the jogger.)