The night that the lights went out at Tom Brown

Well, I've finished one of the more hectic weeks of my life and tomorrow embark on what I hope will be a bit calmer.

Last week was trainer training at Camp Indian Springs, but I also had to go back to Tally to work, so I was putting 70-100 miles on my little car every day.

Camp itself is going to be fun, I hope. I learned the wage is terrible, so don't ask. A hint is think minimum, then go well below. I still don't know exactly what I am making, but there are four people in similar positions and two of them told me their rate. It's like PC money, only I am not in a developing country.

So I will eat a lot to make up for it. I hear the food is good, but I bet we don't have couscous on Friday.

Anyway, I met a handful of people this past week and they're all very nice. The director is as nice as she can be and my three counterparts are talented and fun. I look forward to meeting the rest of the staff this evening.

But last week. Man, the training was fine but going back and forth was a nightmare. I worked Wednesday writing, then Thursday had work and a game of my own, and then Friday I had a job interview and work.

Since it was the last week at work, I also had to gather equipment. Fortunately the director met me Friday and collected what I'd gathered since last week and I don't have to lug it all around.

Thursday was ... well, special. Oh, dear God, it was special. I had a fabulous day at camp but then it kind of went downhill. My kids' game was really OK; it was more my own game that started the decline. We lost pretty bad, but after the game, I was just exhausted and ready to get home.

I got in the car around 9 p.m. and started to pull out of Tom Brown Park, when I realized it was darker than it should be. Now, my little car has daytime running lights and I'd used the lights themselves three counties earlier in the morning, when I left a foggy Gadsden County.

But no dice Thursday. My mom, oblivous to the fact the car stopped in the middle of the Tom Brown parking lot was her daughter, sped on by. Not, I guess, that she could have helped but sheesh.

I waffled on what to do, then figured I'd drive with my brights, which worked fine. I started off and then realized it wasn't going to work for the drive back to Havana. I pulled off at the National Guard Armory, where there were men smoking cigars, drinking beer and looking at boats.

Two or three kindly took a look at my fuses (quite a bear trying to find the box -- I have no manual for it) but they were all fine. They suggested it might be a switch, but I couldn't do anything about that. They also said I should just drive home with brights and just hope nothing bad happened.

So I did, hoping that at 9:30 p.m., I'd find an AutoZone or something open, but I didn't. Fortunately, I didn't tick anyone off too badly with my brights, either. I kept shutting them off when I pulled up behind someone at a red light.

Safely back in Havana, they still don't work but I haven't gone anywhere requiring them so I'm not sweating it. My parents are at a wedding in Louisiana, so, after my Red Cross class Saturday morning, it's been me with the howling, vomiting and needy dogs (one of each).

The weekend has been productive. I really feel like I'm going into the Secret Service or something. I've no idea what the WiFi situation is at camp, but Sprint coverage is brutal so I've already changed the message on my cell phone to relay callers might not hear from me in awhile.

I've finished up another chapter and have two remaining on the first drafts. I have more stuff to stick in some other chapters but for the most part, I am holding off on that stuff and just trying to get it done.