Stupid things I've done in a convertible

The stupidest thing I've ever done in a convertible was drive across the Mojave desert, at night, in winter, with the top down and my mother folded into the tiny back seat, in the hopes that I would see the Leonid meteor shower. I didn't see a thing, but my mother couldn't hear for a week.

Well, I think I broke the record this morning. I was going to the local DIY shop to pick up some door handles, and asked the builder if he needed anything. He did: 650 square feet of loft insulation. "No problem," I said, knowing full well it was a big problem.

I needed four rolls, and they actually had four rolls wrapped together in plastic. It was 4 feet high, 5 feet wide, and weighed about 60 pounds. I tipped it on my trolley, rolled it to my car, put the top down, and wrestled the insulation onto the trunk. I had nothing to tie it down with, but I figured it was only 15 minutes to the house along mainly side roads, so it would be fine.

Then it started to rain.

Then it started to pour.

In 15 minutes, I was completely drenched. I can only imagine what other people thought watching me drive by, but what was really embarrassing was when I got home, and the builders immediately ran over to rescue me. It easily took the record for stupidest thing I've done in a convertible.

I broke that record about two hours later.

We had ordered half the kitchen from Ikea last week, with delivery scheduled for this Thursday, and had decided on a few things since. Unfortunately, we couldn't update the order over the phone, we had to go in, and I was hoping if I did it today, they would include the new items with the delivery. Imagine my surprise, then, when they told me I had to pick the new items up downstairs and take them home with me.

This included a gas stove and an eight-foot refrigerator cabinet.

So once again the top came down, the boxes were perched precariously on the back of the car, with no tie downs. Fortunately the weather cooperated, but unfortunately I was now an hour from the house and had to get on the motorway.

Knock wood, the drive home was uneventful, but it was definitely the stupidest thing I've done in a convertible...so far.