I took a quick trip up to New York on Friday for a business meeting. I went with my new boss and another team member. The weather was lovely. We traveled by train, which I always enjoy, and the meeting itself was extremely productive, which was fabulous, since I'd been prepared for it to be complicated.

Two things of note happened. First, I totally jinxed myself. For some reason, I felt it necessary to say out loud that I had made it through the whole winter without getting sick. Sure, I qualified it with "but my allergies have been really bad." and "I'll probably get some horrible summer cold" but it was too late. I had to be punished for my folly.

My throat was sore when I woke up on Friday, but seeing as how my dark grey car was covered in so much pollen it looked green, I figured it was due to allergies. Nope. My colds always start with my sinuses, but not this time. This time I have some weird chest, throat and ear cold. I started coughing and hacking Friday night and I haven't stopped yet. I actually stayed home from work today. I've been propped up on the couch, surrounded by cushions, reading, blowing my nose, chomping on nasty cough /throat drops and sucking down juice, stopping occasionally to feel sorry for myself. It's been full on summer outside for the past three days, and I've been too sick to enjoy it.

The other event of note was that we managed to steal not one, but two cars while we were there. Three mild mannered publishing professionals turned brazen by the big city. Well, no, not really. The people we were meeting with had arranged for a car to take us back to the train station. We went outside and there was a car waiting right there by the door, so we got in it. The driver confirmed we were going to the train station, and then as he started to drive away, he asked "You're Caitlin Murphy?" "No, Kathryn Mulroney"* we answered. "I'm not your driver." he said, and turned the car around. There were two other cars from his service waiting at a different entrance to the building, so he drove us over there. He pulled up in front of them, sternly and emphatically ordering us to stay in the car. He went over and talked to the other drivers for a minute, and then came back over. "You go in that car." he said, pointing to one of the other town cars. "He's your driver." So we went over and got in the other car, and I swear, I swear to you he said "Kathryn Mulroney" and we said "Yes, Kathryn Mulroney." And so we headed off to the train station again. About halfway there, he gets a call on his phone and they say his passenger is waiting. "What are you talking about?" he said. "I already picked them up ten minutes ago." Then he made me say the name into the phone, and they said again "You're in the wrong car." He shows me the text of the reservation info, and it is some chick named Danielle something. It doesn't sound like Caitlin Murphy or Kathryn Mulroney. I don't know how he misunderstood us. "You're supposed to be in car 73, but I guess you can just stay in that one." said the dispatcher, and we made it to the train station with at least ten minutes to spare. Hopefully poor Caitlin and Danielle got their rides too.

*Names were changed to protect the identity of my boss and any other random people hurt by senseless limo theft, but they really were as close as Caitlin Murphy and Kathryn Mulroney, just different.

Posted by Bad Penguin at April 27, 2009 6:44 PM