My support group's Christmas party is coming up this weekend. I'm both excited, and and a little freaked out, all at the same time. It's been twenty years since the male I have been impersonating, went to his last Christmas party, and this will be the first for Melissa. Just think of it? My very first party as a girl! And a Christmas party too!
Understandably, I'm bit nervous. I finally got the directions, thanks so much to Sophie. I looked them up on both Google Maps, and MapQuest to get explicit directions, and found that while about an hour away, it's going to be a breeze getting there, as long as the weather hold out. It's mostly Interstate highway, and four lane limited access State highway, and then just a couple of turns to our hostess's house.
I guess by now, most of my readers know what a worrywart I am. My biggest worry now, is the weather. Although winter won't officially arrive until Dec. 21, the forecast for Saturday is predicting a frozen mix of precipitation, with temperatures in the low 20's F that night. I'm not worried about getting cold. I have a long black woolen coat I can wear, or a red wool/cashmere/nylon blend pea coat, warm leather gloves, a scarf and furry black ear muffs, warm tights and knee high boots. What worries me, is driving conditions. Wet snow that quickly melts doesn't scare me, but heavy snow, or freezing rain out here in the Piedmont, can make driving home a nightmare.
I bought a used 2007 Dodge Dakota 4 wheel drive quad cab pickup truck a year ago. Considering it only had 27,000 miles on it, and was over $10,000 less than a comparable new 2009 model, it was a great deal. It's been a great truck, but it was a rental vehicle before I bought it, and it made a lot of short hauls around town. Consequently the tires, while still legal, are considerably worn. We have had a lot of rain lately, and my driveway is not paved, it just has a light layer of gravel. Lately, my rear wheels have been spinning before gaining the traction needed to propel me up the hill out to the road out front. So, now I am faced with a conundrum. Make another stinking trip into town, and spend close to $1000 for a brand new set of tires, to replace the ones I have, that will more than likely pass the vehicle's annual inspection in January, or sweat it out, and hope the roads stay clear enough to drive home Saturday night. I'll figure this one out, after I get over the painful lumps that result, from banging my head against the wall!
Sweet precious Fiona, wrote a cautionary blog today, dealing with acceptance. I would encourage you all to read her blog, and my reply to her. Hurt, Acceptance and HurtMelissa XXOO
8 comments:
Your first party as Melissa! How exciting that must be! I know you'll have a wonderful time!
Here's praying for good weather and clear roads! Merry Christmas from New Hampshire
Dianna, Christian Crossdresser :)
You must be so excited Melissa, your first party wow!! I hope you have a wonderful time, I'm sure you will, you've had one or two probs with that new camera, how about taking your old one to the party as backup, I'm sure you'll be upset if you get no pix, and as for the drive home, worry after and be prepared as I know you will, plenty of blankets and a flask just incase lol.
Have a great time Jenny xxx
$1000! That is a lot for a set of tyres!
For that price I hope you get a set who's quality was controlled by someone as good as someone you know. I never wear the tread all the way down, I like the wheels to grip the road. Like you I have experience of just what happens when they don't, while it was exciting for a few seconds as the thing cart-wheeled end to end down the road and time slowed to a snail pace so that I could savour the crushing of the individual panels whilst taking a long relaxing rest waiting for the noise to stop, the rest was a mess!
NEW TYRES!
Hope you also carry extra clothing, pushing a truck wearing high heels and hose just will not give you enough grip either.
Feel like Cinderella, no invites to christmas parties for me so you have to enjoy it and report back for us stay at homes.
Caroline XXX
@ Caroline
Only you can make a near death experience seem like fun! lol! I'm glad you survived, or we wouldn't have your wonderful wit to make us smile!
New tires probably wouldn't cost $1000. I was thinking of how much it cost to replace the tires on my old truck which was much bigger. They were well over $200 a piece, and when you add in the extra cost that they tack on for new valve stems, balancing, and environmental recycling of the old tires, it all came out to a little over $1000.
Melissa XX
Melissa, since you haven't done Christmas parties in awhile, remember that you can get into a lot of trouble standing near the mistletoe.
@ Leslie Ann
Well, I guess that all depends on who's standing next to me! ;-)
Melissa XX
Melissa dear, your worry too much. They are also calling for (up to) half an inch of rain before it turns to snow. I'm not expecting it to stick myself. To be honest with you, I am going to be a bit surprised if it really does snow, though it would be nice.
@ Sophie
It's a different story out here in the Piedmont, Sophie. As soon a you get west of Richmond, the chances of snow increase tremendously. The temperature is usually 5-10 degrees colder than Richmond out here too, so black ice is a problem on roads that got wet during the day. Throw in the hilly terrain, and you can get some tricky driving conditions. I've already had one wreck as a result of black ice, I don't want another. When I was working, and it would snow or sleet in the morning, I would either wait until the temperature came up above freezing, or I would take the day off. When you figure the trouble and expense of repairing a wrecked vehicle, not to mention the rise in insurance rates because of it, it just isn't worth taking the chance.
Melissa XX
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