I am getting a huge kick out of this blog!

I am fighting the urge to think, feel, say, “I’m tired.” Instead I shake the sleepiness from my head and think, “I’m awake! I want to face the day!” Ha! I could crawl right back in bed right this very second. It makes sense. I’ve been away from work and I know my inbox and voicemail are full. The thought of tackling it isn’t attractive. Plus, I don’t feel extremely motivated in that direction. I would like to roll out a blanket atop some grass or at the shore and just stare at the sky for a few hours. My hair is wet– I must keep getting ready. No tangents! Must keep moving.

On Thursday a drunk driver killed my cousin. Yesterday was the viewing and today was the mass and funeral. It was heart wrenching seeing his wife, daughters, and grandkids so distraught. He was a good man, a very good man. He took such good care of my grandparents when they were alive and he always helped my mom. It’s hard for me to believe he’s gone. I pray for his family.

My elbow hurts. It’s been hurting for about 4 days. I have no clue what I did to it. It feels stiff like it’s been locked in place. I think it’s a sleep injury. Maybe I slept on it strangely, bent under my head or something. That is all I can come up with as a cause. Although, if that was the issue, I’d think it would have gotten better by now. Saturday night I had a rough time sleeping so I got up and took two Advils. I felt no alleviation to the ache. This morning it was right there with me as I woke up and now I am beginning to wonder if this is the onset of arthritis. Please, Please God, no!

I went to the Surprise Shower this afternoon. It wasn’t something I was really looking forward to attending. Certainly I am happy for Caren but sitting in a roomful of women, oooohing and ahhhing over gifts, is just not my idea of a good time. Plus, I waited until the last possible second to buy my gift which meant practically everything on the gift registry was already purchased. Just picture it, Caren is unwrapping beautiful vases, lingerie, crystal… and then she gets to my gift, A MEAT TENDERIZER.

I spent most of the time talking to Joan. Her brother and his girlfriend will soon be having a baby and she told me that if the baby is a boy they will name him Lucas.
“…Lucas, which means we will probably end up calling him Luke which is funny since I already have a nephew called Owen– Luke and Owen. You can see where I’m going with this…”
“Yeah, just like the Skywalker Clan!”
“What?”
“Luke Skywalker and Uncle Owen…”
“Uh, no Donna, I meant the Wilson brothers.”
‘I guess that means you don’t have any nieces named Beru.”

Turns out, I had a great time. It was a wonderful shower and it was such a joy to see Caren so happy. It made me feel a little bad that I ruined the surprise last week. 😉

There’s a pizza parlor I frequent that is located nearby my office. The woman who works the register always kept her hair over the right side of her face in a rather hopeless bid to obscure a huge tumor which sat on her cheek. I went in there earlier this week after having been away for a little while and I was surprised to find the woman had the tumor removed! Her face is scarred but I have a feeling it’s only going to heal and get better. I noticed that she was now wearing her hair pinned back and I could finally see her pretty face. I wanted to say something but she is always very busy; plus, she never put out a very approachable vibe– probably because she always caught me staring at it. I said nothing although I am very happy for her. She obviously is feeling better about herself and it must be such a relief to be rid of that growth.

I eyed up the situation, determined the best location and stood there, away from the other “poll workers.” As people walked up the path, I smiled and asked: “Are you Republican?” The Democrats outnumbered the Republicans. I would say, 10 to 1. I was prepared for rudeness; I was ready to be spit upon. Guess what? The large majority of people were really very nice! There were a few buggers, of course, but on a whole, most people were pleasant. A couple people said to me, ‘Wait, are YOU a Republican? You can’t be a Republican! You don’t look like a Republican.” (I swear to you, I was wearing my business clothes and not a hippie chick outfit, braless.) I had other people say, “Honey, you are at the wrong Primary! This is the Democratic Primary. There’s no Republican Primary this year!” On a whole, the Republicans I talked to listened to me and I think they actually voted for the delegates I recommended. Regardless of the ending score, it was an interesting day.

Today is going to be a very interesting day. After work, I am running to vote and then once there, will stay to hand out sample Republican ballots. I am curious to see how people react. I can imagine there will be a lot of rudeness. Regardless, I need to do something and this is it. Hopefully this eveninng I will be able to write about how nice people were and how open and accepting. We shall see. Color me cynical but my gut tells me it may get ugly.

At my last presentation, I met a darling man. I handed him my business card and he looked at it, and looked at it, and looked at it.
“We just changed our logo. It had been blue, now it’s ORANGE!”
“Yes, I see. I don’t like it. Not at all.”
He then went on to criticize my card and once he finished with the card he started on me. Really, it was the most delightful conversation and it ended with me wanting so desperately to be his friend.

I really don’t get people. Where in the world did this man get the idea that insulting people was a good thing? As a child, did he tell his mother that he hoped one day he’d grow up and be abrasive? You’d think he’d catch me glancing at the exit with hopeful eyes and realize the error of his ways? Nope, that would be too obvious.