> Okay. After my last post, I decided, since I had nothing to do and a little money, to go down to the gas station and buy a snack, in particular a drink for the essay contest I'm writing this afternoon... I trek out across the "Ice Field" that has formed in front of the school and in the empty lot that I must cross. I'm having fun, jamming to Pink Floyd, sliding and twirling around, falling twice but not too badly. :) I'm having a ball.
>
> I get to the intersection, and take off my headphones. I press the buttons, and wait. When I go to cross the road, I run a little because there's a car that wants to turn left onto the street I'm crossing. My leg bumps the walkman, and it goes flying off. I see stuff fly. I panic, scoop up the walkman, and check to make sure the batteries still are in there. They are, but the door for the tape is kinda wrenched out of its place, and it won't close... fixable.
>
> Wait a minute, where's the tape?
>
> I freak. I turn in a circle, still on the road, searching for the clear plastic tape. It's my Dad's tape, and he doesn't know I've borrowed it! I'm in for it now. I have to get off the road, since there's cars and I'm blocking traffic. I live in fear of hearing a plasticky "crunch" as the cars continue through the intersection. Still, I hear nothing. I also see nothing. Did the tape go down the sewer??? I couldn't handle that if that were true! I glance down at the scratched up walkman.
>
> There in my hand, picked up along with the walkman, is the tape I've just spent several minutes searching for.
>
> I go into hysterics, jog across the street to the gas station, and sit down on a grassy bit (there should be snow there, this time of year) to try and fix my walkman and see if it still works. It does. Nothing's damaged except my pride and my reputation with the drivers at the intersection (they were watching my frantic dance with a definate air of amusement).
>
> So here I am again, full of chocolate mini-doughnuts and still quite happy, although with a sore knee where I landed on it on the way back.
>
> Although I swear I saw a chunk of plastic fly up. Maybe it was a rock?
>
> Sun"klutzy"dragyn.

It's bad enough doing something embarassing, but when there's an audience, it makes the feeling ten times worse. But I'm glad that you and the tape were OK:-)

ding"no stanger to embarassment"dong