Friday blunder

Kind readers, I arrived at work around noon on Friday, after having a doctor's appointment downtown. It was a lovely day to walk into work, and with only one appointment (at 2pm), I intended to have plenty of time to get things done. It seemed like a nice, easy afternoon. I met with my 2:00 appointment, and we ended our meeting with an agreement to meet this morning to talk about a few poems he was having difficulty with--he's an international student whose first language isn't English. We walked down the hall to the photocopier so that I could bring home copies of the poem to prepare for our meeting, and I sent him on his way. As I rounded the corner to come back to my office, my phone was ringing, but I wasn't quick enough to catch it. I began to futz on the computer until the voicemail light began to glow, and then I checked the voicemail, which was from Admissions. The Admissions counselor noted that email was a good way to keep in touch on the particular topic, so I sent her a quick email update and got back to work. I was certain the time-stamp on the voicemail said 2:46. After what felt like an hour or so, I looked up to see the minute-hand on my clock at :50. To me, it seemed logical that it was approaching 4, given the time of the voicemail, so I began to gather my things to head home--I have to leave my office on the hour to walk to the train. I rode home with a colleague in the Politics department but was bummed when H didn't turn up on the train platform to ride with us. We'd exchanged emails when I arrived at noon to note that we would ride the 4:25 train together on the way home. C and I said goodbye and headed our separate ways in the city. I decided to call Anne to check on her ETA. It was at this point that I noticed my blunder... It was, then, 4:25, not 5:25. I was in denial about my phone having the correct time, but my watch agreed. I called H, who immediately asked where I was. Yeeeaaah. I actually misread my clock. I left an hour early. All because I thought the call from Admissions came in at 2:45. I fully intended to stay till 4, and had I known my mistake before arrive in Chicago, I would have gone back to my office (okay, not if I'd walked all the way to the train, but if I'd figured it out relatively quickly). Quite embarrassing, I tell you! I'm looking at the wall clock in my office right now, and I actually have to squint to tell where the hour hand is...is it 11? Or, is it noon? Perhaps the clock should be closer to my desk. :P Hey, at least I have my blindness as an excuse for my stupidity. I did get home early enough to cook dinner, though.

Incidentally, going back to check, I sent my reply to the Admissions Counselor at 2:26. I don't know what I could have heard on that voicemail, but it clearly wasn't 2:46 when I listened to it.