Today did not go according to plan, and I learned two very important lessons.

First, I woke up to my neighbors doing a tear down of their garage. I’m assuming that means they’ll have construction workers in and out over the next few months because odds are, they’re turning it into an ADU (Accessory Dwelling Unit aka mother-in-law suite/apartment for rent).

Lesson #1

Second, I went to the bank to the credit union to cash a money order. When I got there, after waiting in line for about five minutes, the woman didn’t know how to process my transaction because I’m not a member. She goes to get her manager who asks the other teller to help me. The other teller is the woman with the notes, so she comes over and starts pressing buttons and then says, “Press fee.”

So, of course, I stop her and ask, “There’s a fee?”

Her: “Yes.”

Me: “How much is it?”

The manager: “It’s ten dollars. Is that alright?”

Me: “No, Why is it ten dollars?”

Him: “Because you’re not a member.”

Me: “It’s a money order drawn on your bank.”

Her: “Yes, but there’s a ten-dollar fee for non-members to cash a check.”

Me: “But it’s not a check. It’s a money order and it’s drawn on your bank.”

Him: “It’s just because you’re not a member. If you were a member, there wouldn’t be a fee.”

Me: “Yeah, I’m not paying that.”

I’m sorry, but that is the MOST ridiculous thing I have EVER heard in my life. Why would you charge a fee to cash a money order drawn on your own bank? That means you know the money order is good and also that the person who got it PAID CASH. It’s not like it’s a check and you have to make sure the funds are there…which if it’s drawn on your bank, you would know. What is happening? These institutions are crazy.

So anyway, that meant that I had to go across town to my bank to cash it. Okay, so not way across town, but it was a five-minute drive in the opposite direction when my plan was to go bank, Trader Joe’s, CVS, then home. That meant I had to add the extra stop to the bank before going home.

Anyway, lesson learned: just go straight to my bank to cash a check or MONEY ORDER, apparently.

Then, I got home and graded/worked for a bit until I was so drowsy I couldn’t stand it at 4:15ish.

Lesson #2

The reason I was drowsy is that I took my nighttime meds when I got up this morning. One is Zyrtec, which usually doesn’t have an impact on me, but my sleep pulmonologist told me to start taking it at night since it could have a soporific effect. The other is my depression medication, and that does have a sleep aid in it since I was having trouble sleeping because of the depression. What’s funny is that I often questioned if the sleep aid made a difference for falling asleep because I usually (or am supposed to, ahem) take it around 10 pm and then go to bed at midnight, but I often find myself pushing to 1 or 2 (or 3 sometimes, like last night). However, I can say that it surely does work because I woke up around 10 am feeling refreshed and ready to seize the day and was struggling to fight lethargy by noon. Then, around 4:15, I knew I had to take a nap to the point where my daughter was talking to me, and I told her to follow me to my room as I prepped for my nap and then fell asleep as soon as she left the room and didn’t wake up until 8:30 (so an hour ago).

Lesson learned: Nighttime meds are nighttime for a reason.