It's Weird, Because Reading is Supposed to Be My Thing

So.

I don't know.

Given that I always felt like I read all of the instructions for my online courses really well, multiple times, and still ended up at an open-book exam without the book, I'm kind of worried that my reading comprehension has drastically deteriorated in the past few years.

Last night ramped up that anxiety by a factor of HOLY FUCK.

I had an interview at six o'clock. In November. I was insanely, irrationally, stupidly nervous about the interview - not the interview itself, if that makes any sense, just the whole process. Because of this, I wasn't really concentrating on the getting-there part of it, and it didn't occur to me until far too late that six o'clock in November in Ontario would be dark. It was also rainy, as it happened, which didn't help. I should have done a dry run.

The interview was at Greenbank Middle School. I knew that because I read over the email several times, SEVERAL TIMES, and asked my husband where Greenbank Middle School was, and he told me. I also read the address - 131 Greenbank.

I left with lots of time. I set my GPS. I realized it was dark and rainy and wished slightly that I had done a dry run, but thought I would be fine - the address wasn't that far and seemed straightforward.

I pulled in at the address and it was slightly less straightforward than I thought it would be - there was a sign saying Ottawa School Board, so that was good, but the school was apparently attached to the board office, which meant I was dealing with a giant forbidding structure, not the cute little middle school with the obvious enter-here door I was looking for.

The email had said there was parking in the back of the school, so I drove around until I saw a parking lot. There was also another sign, and when I pulled up to look more closely, it said that the Board Office was to the right, and up ahead was....

Sir Robert Borden Elementary School.

Say what?

Okay. Okay. Let's regroup. Did I punch in the wrong address? Maybe I did. Still lots of time. I turned around the started driving back out to Greenbank. Saw a student on a skateboard. Stopped and asked him if he knew where Greenbank Middle School was. He could not have been nicer and more helpful. It was just back out on Greenbank and to the right.

I pulled back out, stupidly not resetting the GPS. It was (shocker) still dark and rainy. I thought I saw a school but wasn't sure if I could turn where it was. I found a side street and punched Greenbank Middle School in the GPS. I had to drive a bit of a crazy route, with mounting panic, although I was still on target to be early. I pulled into the parking lot. Just to be sure, I pulled up the email to check the school name and address one more time.

It said.... wait for it....the interviews will be conducted at...

SIR ROBERT BORDEN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL.

So, I think that it is NOT my reading comprehension falling off. I think I'm the victim of a rare syndrome that makes emails actually transform while still in my in-box.

Anyway, I drove back to the right school. Parked in a parking lot that looked tailor-made for mugging and murder. Walked in the rain to a back door that completely looked like it would be locked.

But it wasn't.

On the bright side, after all that crap, I was hardly nervous about the interview at all.