what a waste of a day

We are leaving for Barbados 3;00am Friday morning so today as soon as the banks were open I set off with Andrew to go to my local bank for money and travellers checks, and to the HSBC branch to get a credit card, they tell me their card does not charge for foreign currency exchange.

Well, I always used the OBA branch in Gaithersberg, where I opened it many years ago while working in DC and living in Maryland. There was no point in driving all the way to Gaithersberg if we couldn't visit Matthew while we were there and his mother is busy, so I went on the internet and found a branch in Arlington, Va. I checked the address, found directions, checked the location of HSBC, and away we went.

Well, the directions said take Arlington blvd (rt 50) to some road that I never saw then take Glebe Rd to Wilson. I looked and looked and finally found myself going over the bridge into DC. Agh!!!!

Well, it has been years since I have been in DC, and I couldn't remember how to get back and I got completely lost, and wound up going under DC to someplace, where I could see the capital behind me, way behind me. So I turned round and went back, those big highways do not give adequate directions and you never know where you will end up.

Finally after hours of frustration I found my way back across the wrong bridge, but at least I was heading back to Virginia. After what seemed like an eternity I found my way to Wilson Blvd, found HSBC, but there was no where to park, found the address where OBA was supposed to be, but it was not there and again, no parking. So I went round the block till I found an empty parking space, but before getting out and having to wake Andrew up, I called them. Oh, they said, we closed that branch.

So why in the hell is it on the Internet?

Again, agh!!!!!!

Well, I could drive all the way to Gaithersberg, but it was lunch time and I had had enough. So I called John. Are you going to the bank to get money for the trip? Yes. Good, get some for me too, I have had it. Agh!!!