Just Walking Through the Front Door Makes Me Nervous

current state of mind: serene

Falling in love filled my soul with fright

You said "Come on baby, it'll be alright"

I must have been a fool 'til the bitter end

Now I hold onto hope that I'll have you back again

~ “Here with Me” by The Killers

Backstory:

About a month ago, K-Shrub, in all her pregnant glory, knocked her tooth out while trying to open the safe at her work. She was given a retainer with a tooth affixed to it as a replacement since the dentist couldn’t do oral surgery due to the pregnancy.

Present Day:

This morning, K-Shrub rang me on her way to take “Little Dragonfly” to the pediatrician. She was in mid-conversation when there was a pause, followed by “Man, I really wanted to wear my tooth today; but I left it in my other bag.”

I started laughing. “Um, did you really just say that? If so, may I blog it, please?”

She agreed as long as I quoted her with accuracy and provided the backstory so that everyone knew why her tooth was missing. She did not, however, provide me with any stipulations regarding the discussion of why the replacement tooth was “in her other bag”.

How many bags does she carry? Why would she not make sure that she always had the bag with the tooth in it? There are so many questions left unanswered. I will give her a free pass this one time and blame it on having a new baby at home. I mean, “Little Dragonfly” doesn’t have any teeth, why should K-Shrub be concerned about missing only one?

More details to come . . .

PERSONAL NOTE: We need to catch up soon!

CONFIDENTIAL NOTE: Thinking of you and hoping you are well. I am here when you are ready to talk.

Not Waiting for the Morn

current state of mind: hesitant

I've been getting' used to liars

They sing me love songs; store-bought words

They make promises; like politicians

So we stumble and we disconnect

Over and over again

~ “Modern Love” by Matt Nathanson

Greetings and saluations!

At least once a week, I am asked about my love for opera. I have never studied music and my singing voice leaves much to be desired. My parents did not bring me to the opera when I was a child. In fact, my first exposure was courtesy of Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd on a Saturday morning. While Wagner could not have possibly foreseen music being performed by animated characters, I don’t think his artistic integrity would be offended. It is entirely possible that he’d enjoy Fudd’s rendition of “Kill Tha Wabbit”.

Opera is for everyone, regardless of preconceptions. This past weekend I spoke to several groups of 6^th graders and their parents. Most of those present had never been to an opera. I think I shocked the kids when I made fun of the concept that opera was just for old people with stodgy ideals. I told the story of bringing my 7 year old daughter to ‘La Boheme’. Most adults thought I was crazy for thinking that a young child would appreciate a century-old opera she “wouldn’t possibly understand”. I had faith in the transcendental power of art. Of course, Puccini didn’t let me down.   Girl Twin was fascinated by the performance. For almost three full acts she sat up in her seat, alert and mesmerized. As the third act closed, however, she drifted to sleep. I did not wake her for the tragic fourth act, as it was already well past her regular bedtime. When the audience broke into applause at the end of the performance, my daughter opened her eyes and began to clap as well.

As we were walking to the car, she looked up at me and took notice that my eyes were red and swollen from crying. Very concerned, she asked why I was crying. I explained that during the last act, Mimi had died. She looked thoughtful for a moment before responding with candor, “Well, you had to know she was going to die. I mean, she was really sick throughout the whole show.” I smiled, gripped her hand a little tighter, and enjoyed a mother-daughter moment that would not have been possible without opera.

Thank you, Puccini!   

PERSONAL NOTE: Welcome home, little man!

CONFIDENTIAL NOTE: I suppose that time will tell. Until then, let it ride.

I Stand Corrected

current state of mind: preoccupied

And if I fall asleep

I know you'll be the one who'll always remind me

To live in the moment

To live in my life

~ “Living in the Moment” by Jason Mraz

My apologies for the delay in publishing a new post. In the past couple of weeks we have welcomed a new family member into the world, Elizabeth has dug multiple holes under the privacy fence, I have been haphazardly navigating the dangerous rapids of volunteer board politics, school started, and the new network television season has begun. I believe, however, that things have slowed down enough that I can actually write something coherent AND worth posting. Perhaps . . .

Let’s start with a “first” that I experienced recently. I received a 90 minute professional massage from a very attractive male masseuse. I love getting massages. I have no gender preference for a masseuse as long as he/she can do the job without being chatty or breathing heavily. This one wasn’t chatty and he didn’t breathe heavily. He was in his mid-20s (I think) and way too attractive to be my masseuse. Unfortunately, the appointment was made and it wasn’t as if I could go to the front desk and say “Um, excuse me. This is going to sound like a weird request; but, you see, um, the masseuse you assigned to me is way too attractive for me to relax. Do you have an uglier male or a female available?”

During the first 15 minutes of the massage, I was extremely tense. I focused intently on forgetting about the physical attributes of ‘Mr. Hands’. I practiced meditational breathing and eventually drifted into that zone between lucidity and sleep where I like to be during massages. By the time the massage ended I had forgotten how attractive ‘Mr. Hands’ was. 

Disaster averted!

PERSONAL NOTE: Counting down the days until the opera!

CONFIDENTIAL NOTE: This is definitely the best idea we have had in a while. Now to find the right candidate.

Some People are Jerkfaces

current state of mind: intrigued

You can have me when you want and

Lips are sweet when you are talking

Yeah you make me want you madly

And you've really got me going

~ “Just Like Chocolate” by The Dollyrots

In the not so distant past, I received an email that I took as a personal attack on my work performance. I responded with the level of concern I felt was appropriate. Luckily for me, this dialogue created a coaching opportunity that was identified by someone who knows my work persona well. He asked me to read both emails aloud in the tones of voice I thought they were conveying. He then read me the same emails using different tones. And holy moly, I sounded like a be-yatch when he read my email response back to me. Granted, he fully acknowledged that he knew I did not intend my words in that tone – but he also warned me that email correspondence takes on the tone of the recipient’s brain. Therefore, if a situation appears to be ‘heated’ or ‘strained’ he suggested the best course of action is to pick up the phone or meet face-to-face. 

We went round and round with the discussion because I prefer email correspondence as it is easier to clearly state out the details without getting caught up in the emotion. After careful consideration and perhaps a little soul searching, I have come to the conclusion that I agree with my coach’s assessment when dealing with sane and logical people.

Unfortunately, some people are crazy bullies with illogical, personal agendas. Those people suck! If you have any suggestions for dealing with difficult people, please don’t hesitate to let me know.

Adding fodder for the fire, I started school this week. I will save my assessment for a later date – but I can say with the utmost confidence that I am not the least intelligent person in my Business Law II class. My faith in Darwinism decreases exponentially with each class that I attend.

That is all.

PERSONAL NOTE: Will you arrive already? Geez!

CONFIDENTIAL NOTE: Looking forward to the Opera.