why they shouldn't assign me early classes EVER AGAIN

I lost my car today.

Instead of paying a ridiculous amount of money for a campus parking permit, I park at the basketball arena and ride a shuttle. However, so do a few thousand other people. That's a lot of cars.

This semester I teach at 8:30 in the morning. The system at the basketball arena requires a certain amount of finesse, especially that early in the morning. You see, buses are supposed to run every 5 minutes. You're lucky to get one every ten. If you come at the wrong time, the line will be so long that you won't even get on the first bus that arrives. You have to plan meticulously, experiment a few times at the beginning of the semester, then leave at EXACTLY the same minute every morning to make the trip go smoothly. I know, for example, that I must leave my house between 7:43 and 7:46 am to arrive at the arena at 7:52 to get in line to catch the bus that comes between 7:56 and 7:58 (on a good day). It is a SCIENCE. And usually, I rule at it.

The problem is that I am still half-asleep in a zombie-like state between 7:43 and 7:46 in the morning. Sometimes I have not even had coffee yet because I pour it right before I leave and its still too hot to drink without removing the top layer of my tongue. Me minus coffee is a sad picture. I'm hardly fit to drive.

This morning was no exception. I was armed with coffee but had yet to drink it. I slept through my alarm this morning and had only jumped out of bed around 7:25. I barely remembered to brush my teeth. Next thing I knew, I was sitting on the bus on the way to school.

You can imagine that when I got off the bus this afternoon, I had zero recollection of parking my car this morning. Makes finding the vehicle a BIT difficult. I wandered aimlessly up the aisle I usually park on, assuming that eventually Joey the Honda would come into view. Strange. No Honda in sight. I must have looked confused because another girl walking down the lot helpfully offered this gem of advice: "When I can't find mine, it usually means I'm parked further out than I think.

Right.

I literally walked around that lot for the next 5 minutes with panic creeping up my esophagus. Did I lose my car? Where did I park? OH MY WORD, SOMEONE STOLE MY CAR.

Or it could be right over there. At the front of the lot. I must have walked by it at least 3 times.

Husband's encouraging response to this horrible thing that happened to me? "Why didn't you just keep pushing the Lock button so the car would make that beeping noise?"

Ummmm... because that would have made logical sense. Duh.