My lucky day

My third Erbitux treatment on Wednesday was happily uneventful.

There's not much I can write about sitting in a Barcalounger for four hours tethered to an IV drip. The drive home from Kaiser, however, was another story.

I decided to swing by Skylight Books in Los Feliz to see if copies of San Francisco Panorama had arrived yet. The Panorama is an actual newspaper published on Monday in the Bay Area and as soon as I read about it I knew I had to own it, despite its $16 price tag. (Sound a tad high to you? Eh! —it won't be long before the Sunday New York Times costs just as much.)

Parking is always tough on Vermont in Los Feliz and I didn't even have change in my pocket to feed a meter. But a loading zone space right in front of Skylight Books was open as I approached the store. I figured I could easily get away with sneaking a few minutes in a loading zone without getting a ticket, so I pulled over to the curb.

As soon as I shut the car door, I got a queasy feeling that something was not right. Peering through the window, I saw my car keys still hanging in the ignition, and both doors to the car were locked.

I'd like to blame the Erbitux for my foggy-headed behavior but there are readers out there who would never let me get away with that. Truth is, this type of ditziness has been my calling card for about half a century.

I know myself well enough to always make sure that my AAA dues are paid up so they can bail me out in situations like this.

I walked into Skylight and stepped up to the counter. First I handed a note to a woman named Mary asking if they had Panorama in stock yet (Mary said that they didn't) and then I handed Mary a second note asking if she would mind calling AAA for me so I could get into my car.

Mary said she was happy to help me out. I handed her my cell phone and my AAA card and a note with all of the details that AAA Roadside Assistance asks when a member needs help. (I'm way too familiar with how this process works.)

Less than 15 minutes later, a AAA driver pulled up and unlocked my car.

Didn't even get into trouble for illegally parking in the loading zone. I got home in time to stay on my feeding and meds schedule and to get in a long nap to sleep off the Erbitux.

Sometimes I am far more lucky than I deserve.