Physical'ed

 

Hi Friend!

 

Walked to my car this morning to see a neighbor standing and staring at her car. 

 

Me: Are you having trouble convincing yourself to go to work?

Her: No. Someone hit my car yesterday and I’m just mourning the damage.

Me: Well, that’s much worse. 

 

(Even though I was actually torn between saying, “It wasn’t me!” and “Do you need help getting vengeance?” I really don’t know her well enough…)

 

We had an in-office physical day last week.  Never having had a physical in the office, I was moderately nervous, which didn’t help when Frita was like, “are you going to have pee in a cup?” because then I just kept imagining carrying said cup o’ pee through the office.  Bracing myself, I walked into the office, armed with three, 24 oz bottles of water, ready to get physical’ed. The new HR Director was in the kitchen, near the box of delicious blazin’ bagels, so I shared my anxiety.  She, wisely, told me it wasn’t that kind of physical and offered to share a bagel with me.  I, neurotically, refused saying I didn’t want anything messing with my numbers.  5 minutes later, someone else in the office pulled up the page with what was actually going to happen in the physical, and I came back in the kitchen and had a bagel.  This is what happened AFTER I had a “physical.”

 

Me: I PASSED! Nearly perfect.  But I do regret that bagel.

Everyone proceeded to stare at me, as if it isn’t a competition, and that I’m the crazy one. 

 

Several hours after the physical.

Me: I really want a bagel, but only half of one.

HR: You had your chance.

Me: I know! I’m sorry! We can totes be bagel buddies next time!!

 

So, making friends in the office is going well. 

 

I finished the ACOTAR series.  And then I might have read it again for good measure.  Then I booked a last-minute flight to NY for the coming weekend because I heard Kevin’s Godfather was going to his game, and I am not one to be shown up.  Also, it sounded like a lot of fun, and since D&J are out of town, I didn’t have a lot going on for Halloween.  But also, the godparent thing.

 

On Wednesday, I went for a walk with Marissa, but instead of the park, we just decided to do a loop on the main streets.  This is actually the same loop that Percy has been doing with his new dog walker, and he was genuinely stoked to show me where he goes. It was adorbs.  As we were walking our of our space, these two kids told us that someone had stalled out right by our entrance and was blocking up all the traffic.  They told us this news with just buzzing energy, that we stopped to ask if we could help, or just push him out of the way of traffic, but I don’t think the guy understood English very well and our hand gestures only got us so far, so our attempt didn’t go very far.   He was not there when we got back, so hopefully, help came soon after.  I guess it’s the thought that counts? Anyway, not sure you can see it in this picture, but I was followed by a guy on a motorcycle this week with the head of a Predator.  Just another day in Kirkland, I guess.

 

 

I went to Becky’s Spooky Tea Party on Saturday.  I even dressed up as Ted Lasso! Becky was a super hostess, especially because she encouraged boozin’ up the tea and hot apple cider, and I think there is nothing classier than whiskey in teacups.  I got to meet some of her new neighbor friends, and chat about books and other delights. 

 

Jared: Did you get another Christmas Tree?

Becky: Good Sir, I would never.  We already have 5 large Christmas Trees and 3 miniature ones!

Jared: Amazon says it’s pink.

Becky: However, if I did, I would definitely put mermaids on it and it would be fabulous.

 

Becky has been concerned that she’s been drooling more than usual in her sleep.  When she asked Jared about it…

Jared: Yeah. You have been breathing wetly lately.

Becky: Why aren’t you concerned about me!?

 

On Sunday, I had every intention of being lazy and reading, but then Lindsey asked me to come over.  It took everything I had to put pants on and leave the house.  I picked up lunch on my way, while catching up with Erika.  And then, we played two more games.  These games were intended for 6 year olds, but I enjoyed them immensely, and I have a feeling they might find their way under the Christmas tree this year for people.  Zach agreed, but I also think the fact that I only made him play 2 games instead of 20 might have helped the equation.  Before long, I was back on my couch with Percy, reading and not doing any of my chores.  A perfect Sunday. 

 

And with that, I wish you all the very best week.

 

Love you, Mean it. 

You don't say Yucks to me!

 

Hi Friend!

 

Got home this week and I needed a day to just snuggle with Percy and catch up with the fam.  I did my best to work around a mini-migraine and general dehydration, before heading into work with a suitcase full of games. 

 

My biggest news of the week is that I got invited to a party.  By a co-worker.  A new friend co-worker.  I immediately called my mom, like a 5 year old, to give her the amazing news.  I also called Becky, and this is where things get cringy, because while I did get invited, I also brought up the subject, knowing she was having a party, hoping that I would get invited.  But I was smooooothe until I called Becky and it all got ruined.

 

Me: I got invited to the Iron Flame Party!

Becky: Great! I got the text, and immediately told her that I might have already told you about the party so she should send the invite to you as well.

Me: NOOOOOOOOO! Now she’s going to know that I knew and then I’m suddenly going to lose all cool factor!

Becky: Yes.  Book club is tomorrow night, so if you want us to not talk and make fun of you, then you’ll have to come so we can’t.

Me: I can’t come tomorrow!!!!!

 

 

Me: Becky is going to make fun of me tomorrow at your book club.  I have accepted this.  Please do not uninvite me to your party.

Co-worker: Did you kick a puppy? Because that or worse would be the only grounds for uninviting you.  And even then I don’t like conflict so I probably still would never uninvite you.

 

Well isn’t THAT a relief!

 

Zach calls, and I respond with a text: Can I call you later? I’m in a meeting.

Zach: No.  This was the last straw. 

Zach: We’re meeting at 5PM [for dinner] and then some people are going to the morgue.

Me: Oh! I wanted to go to the morgue, but I thought that was happening on Friday?

Zach: You can take that up with the higher ups.

 

Here’s the thing.  Haunted Houses scare me, but Dawne loves them.  So, one time a year, I’ll take all my courage and I brave the scariest and most well-done haunted house, also known as the Morgue.  I need to be in the middle of the pack, and I need to cling to everyone around me.  And my voice is completely hoarse by the end.  I speak directly to every single scary person, including things like YUCKS. YUCKS. YUCKS. To which that demon said, “YOU DON’T SAY YUCKS TO ME!” so I said, “I’m sorry, but seriously, yucks.”

 

I made it to the very end, with a chainsaw toting clown chasing us out, and then we got Krispie Kreme.

 

Friday afternoon, I worked from Dawne’s and Zach was putting together balloons for Fran’s party, and I told him to be very careful because the last time we did the balloons, they kept popping and it took nearly a week before Percy could come back to the house without shaking.  20 min later, a balloon popped, and then another, and then I had to put Percy in the car for a bit.  I then tried to lure him back into the house, and he ran to hide in Dawne’s room.  Jordan put Gilmore Girls on for him, “Because that’s a show that comforts all of us.”  The following day, only one more balloon popped, but it happen to pop right above Percy’s head, so we didn’t see him for the rest of the evening.

 

Saturday morning, we went to Bob’s for the corn maze.  It was a little muddy, but not as muddy as that time I had to take my pants off in the parking lot.  Everyone followed my lead, and I even gave a family who was lost a map and told them where there were in the map – my good deed for the day.  Marissa wore an ACOTAR bat boys shirt, just for me, and then I tried to talk to her about a series she hadn’t read in two years.  Everyone loves when I do that! At one point, Lucas made a comment, and I had a dozen different comments I could have said, and I shoved them down.

 

Lucas: We drove here from Tacoma!

Me: I didn’t say anything.

Lucas: But you look like…

Me: Oh I know, but I didn’t actually SAY anything, and I think I deserve some credit for that.

 

Because while I’m trying to be a better person, I still need accolades for when I’m not a terrible person.  When I told my mom, she said, “I bet you missed your Uncle Ray at that point – because he would have said whatever it was, and then you would have gotten satisfaction and still got to be a better person.”  You have no idea…

 

Fran’s party was amazing. She totally supplied way too much food, but she also had containers available for people to bring food home with them.  She had a live band, and a dance instructor, and I swear, it felt like we were in a different country all night.  Totally magical. 

 

On Sunday, I avoided a lot of chores, and then waited far too long to start the last ACOTAR book, but then finished it Monday evening. 

 

Me: Just finished a Court of Silver Flames. Now, I can, you know, go to work and be an adult for a couple of days.

Becky: Yay for going back to being a functional adult!

Me: I should have started it earlier, but I’m very irresponsible.

Becky: It’s your best quality! My favorite thing about you.  It’s what makes you so easily influenced towards all the ridiculous things we do.

Me: Irresponsible and ridiculous is the bestest combination!

 

I broke my fav Halo mug this morning, which I thought might have been an omen, but I found it on Poshmark and just bought a new one for 12 dollars like the mistake never happened. I didn't know I had a fav Halo mug, but it fit 12 oz of coffee, plus half and half and a shot of espresso.  So, it was a hard worker, even if it had an old UNSC logo on it.

 

That’s a wrap! 

 

Love you, Mean It.

 

T O’B

SPIEL!

 

Hi Friend!

 

I am not 100% sure what the week before last.  I definitely hung out with puppies and watched Gilmore Girls and did laundry and avoided some key things that I had to do.  So basically, a typical October week.  I also went over to Becky’s and watched her bake cookies, so I did see two humans, at least. 

 

I tried to vent about being of a certain age with a built-in muscle memory for two spaces after a period, and how I’ll never change.  And the only response I got from Becky was, “This angst is 16 years over-due, and it took an entire year for me to beat that habit” which just reinforced how I won’t be torturing myself for a year for something that is truly ridiculous.  And then I ate a cookie and moved on with my life.

 

I tried looking at the last 3 years of this time in case there was a nugget of interesting stuff to share, but it sure does look like I hung out with puppies, photographed those puppies for Fall cards and packed every year, so let’s just move on to the part where I took my suitcase to a new location.

 

Last week, I went to Essen/Spiel in Germany for the first time.  New job, new convention.  7 whole days of travel and show to try to stay super lovely and professional.  I started the trip by wrapping up a bunch of presents for my boss to open on her birthday.  After the first flight, we’re waiting in the customs line in Amsterdam (which we would end up waiting in for over 2 hours).  I left my boss to go to the bathroom, and when I got back she had an appalled look on her face.  I immediately became defensive, b/c dude, I was SO speedy, but then she pointed next to her, to the man on the ground and said, "He just passed out, but I've seen that look before and I'm pretty sure he just died."  And then it was 5 min before someone in the crowd started doing CPR and 5 more minutes before emergency folks ran over, erected a tent, and then... who knows.  That put a real damper on the rest of the day, not going to lie.  Also, we watched hundreds of people panic because they weren’t allowing people to skip the line until they were ten min from their departure time, also fun.  All the while, I was pleasant and professional.

 

The best part of the show was walking around, playing games and then having my boss buy me anything I wanted.  I’m not sure it gets better than that.  We also met lots of designers and had crepes and I got to see Kathi! And I read the first 4 books of the ACOTAR series.  And then we had a flight delay and cancellation which lead to a 12-hour delay in getting home and having to run to our gates, become super dehydrated and hungry and tired and I still managed to be pleasant and professional!

 

 

I’m going to leave the story there for now, and try to jump in with more excitement next time.  I hope you’re all having a super fun October. 

 

Miss you lots, and love you more.