Dateline: Pompano Beach, January 12, 2009, 10:36 PM Subject: Misperceptions

[Dawne]

So I'm trudging home, tired, COLD, and in no mood for the walk back to
the Sea Monarch from A1A & 2nd Street, where we park. As I turn onto
Pompano Beach Blvd., I hear two men who appear to be arguing. Great, I
think. JUST what I need. Where's BSO when you need them? Come on,
guys, I see police cars every TWO MINUTES. I pick up the pace, trying
to get to the Sea Monarch driveway. The voices get louder. More
agitated. Closer to me. I envision my epitaph - left for dead, no sign
of her beloved netbook. "Dude, come ON!" "NO!" "DUDE, COME ON!" "NO!!"
By now I am FLIPPING. I make it to the safety of the driveway;
hallelujah, there are EIGHT PLUMBERS in the driveway (really, I
couldn't make this stuff up). Lit by portable floodlights (no pun
intended), they are feverishly fixing some pipe thingies that have
apparently malfunctioned. Feeling safe enough to turn around, I look
toward the beach to the source of the voices. And I see two . . .
runners. The guy in the lead is still yelling, "Dude, come ON!" and
the other runner is still yelling, "NO!" But then the guy in the lead
says, "Come on, if you had any idea how close you are to finishing -
you're only, like, 200 meters away! You can do it!"

I smiled, thanked the plumbers for whatever it was they were doing at
10:36 pm, and went inside.