Bizarre Happenings

I intended to post on this last Saturday, the day it happened, but other things got in the way. So here goes. This last Saturday I got up about 5:30 am and began a drive to Jasper to attend an ETHA symposium on the building of Toledo Dam. First off, it's amazing that I even saw 5:30 am. The drive itself wasn't too bad. I went by way of Zavalla instead of San Augustine, the way Drs. McDonald and Sosebee both told me to go. I should have known better. I shouldn't say that, I guess. Anyway, I'm 10 miles outside of Jasper and actually on time for once, when I see a flicker out of the corner of my eye. It's a truck, upside down, in the ditch, on fire. So I stop, whip out my cell phone to call 911 (not that it did any good - I had no service) and run to the scene where about five people are carrying a woman from the vehicle. I would like to report that I had some vitally important role in saving the woman's life, but alas, all I did was stand there. Luckily, there was an off-duty EMT that stopped and took care of her until the ambulance took her. I didn't even manage to locate the woman's dog, whom she was immensely worried about. But at least I stopped. I wish I could have done more.

Another bizarre happening occurred yesterday morning as I was getting dressed for work. An elderly woman called my cell phone and asked to speak to someone I assumed was her grandson, and couldn't understand why I couldn't go to his class and get him on the phone. I patiently explained to her for nearly ten minutes that she had the wrong number. Over and over again she made statements such as "but he goes to school up there!" So finally I figured out that she thought she was speaking to someone at TJR Elementary. I informed her politely that this was not TJR Elementary. Even still she couldn't believe she had the wrong number, but finally she just hung up. I sat on the edge of my bed in amazement for another few minutes, unsure of what had actually transpired.


In other news, I have a job for the summer. I will be working in "the archives" as I like to tell people in order to sound important. In actuality I will be working the desk at the East Texas Research Center. But "the archives" sounds so much cooler and...well, important. Now if I can just make it through this semester...