Pitypause
I’m going through a mild case of ‘pitypause’ again.
Not to be confused with menopause – there are no night sweats, but mood swings are similar.
Pitypause comes and goes – symptoms include sadness, insomnia, unusual desire for cake and decreased desire for conversation. Which, for this Chatty Cathy is quite eerie to those around me.
Yes, pitypause affects others.
There is a cure.
It’s called ‘Count-Your-Blessings’. It’s effective 99.9% of the time.
I was in danger once more of losing my last marble this weekend. So I took action!
The marbles I bought a while ago, to replace the ones I lost during my last bout of pitypause, have been safely placed in a happy looking bottle.
I’m keeping a close eye on them . I think it apropos to place them next to light. My marbles need all the positive energy they can get.
If someone you know is going through pitypause – be patient, offer an ear, a hug and push cake at them … from a safe distance.
Musings from the Laundromat: Vultures and Sleeping Dogs edition
Ah Sunday.
I stayed up until 2 in the morning last night completing a side job I’d committed myself to. It helped that The Breakfast Club was on.
Some of my favorite dialogue from that movie:
John Bender: YOU ARE A BITCH.
Claire Standish: Why? ‘Cause I’m telling the truth, that makes me a bitch?
John Bender: NO. ‘Cause you know how shitty that is to do someone, and you don’t got the balls to stand up to your friends and tell them you’re gonna like who you wanna like.
Yeah! Go John! But, Claire was just being honest.
I digress.
I stayed up late and mentioned online that I could sleep in. A friend pointed out that I wouldn’t. True. This is true. I awoke at 7-ish.
Not so much the dog – she was sleeping in.
For her to stay still for a photo op is a feat, for her to stay still with her eyes closed is a freaking phenomenon, so I’ll share the moment.
I decided to let sleeping dogs lie and gather the laundry.
I live on a dirt road – in the desert. As I turned left onto the paved road, something caught my eye to my right.
I checked my rear view mirror and spotted the eye catchers.
Vultures.
A U-turn was in order.
I could not let a moment like that pass without being photographed.
I pulled up next to them as ninja-like as I could in a PT Cruiser and turned off the car, and waited.
And waited.
And wished I had my ‘real’ camera.
And wished I had my tripod.
And waited.
I began to feel the vulture’s frustration as car after car came along to keep them away from the kill.
The kill by the way, was a rabbit. Well, part of a rabbit. It was mostly the head and some torso … a leg was about a foot away from it. (No pun intended)
Every time a car came along, I looked away … I didn’t want to see it run over. My stomach can only stomach so much.
At last a brave vulture decided, ‘screw this – I’m getting the rabbit’ and swooped majestically down and took hold of the carcass in its beak.
And I wished again that I had my camera.
Vultures are an awesome sight to behold. They’re HUGE and gorgeous.
I did not do them justice with my ipad – but you use what you have.
Here’s what I have:
Circling the kill
The brave vulture telling the not so brave vulture to back off.
Success!
“Talk to the wing!” Didn’t that latecomer ever read ‘The Little Red Hen’? Probably he’s eaten one … but everyone should read ‘The Little Red Hen’.
You don’t get something for nothing people.
Got to help plant, harvest and bake if you want that bread. Or, get off your telephone pole if you want rabbit.
Home
I made this nest I write in.
I fought for it, clung to it and worked for it.
Behind the door I’m home.
Sanctuary.
I can be me – uncensored.
Here I am safe and loved.
My words unedited, understood.
I fill the space with colors, memories, scents.
Books, clay and paintbrushes –
Plants and sweets.
And love.
Staple removers, chocolate and hula hoops
Why is it that when I have to stay awake, I most want to sleep? It’s like not being hungry – then being told you HAVE to fast – suddenly:
I’m up because my son has promised himself as a taxi to someone who needs to be picked up at 4 in the morning.
I didn’t want him driving sleepy – so he’s napping – and I’ve taken on role of alarm clock.
And I want my bed!
It was a long day.
Work has been rough lately!
If I am to find the silver lining (other than having a job, that’s a given) it would be that the days have flown by on wings of some really fast bird.
My attitude today though, sucked. I’ll admit it. I’ll own that one.
I actually threw a staple remover at one point in frustration … not across the room or anything, just from my hand to my desk. Of course, it hit my metal file stand and made a bigger deal out of itself than I intended.
Wasn’t my proudest moment.
I think that might have been the point when I decided I needed to remove myself from the office for a little while.
When I returned, I gave my boss a small box of candy and told him I was sorry for my tantrum.
He gestured to my desk where he had placed a small piece of chocolate. Aw, see! We understand each other.
The good news is – when I need an attitude adjustment, I know it. And not only do I know it – I’m proactive about adjusting it.
Besides the small box of candy for my boss – I also bought a hula hoop. It was on sale for 48 cents.
In my self-imposed time out – my inner child needed that hula hoop. It helped the attitude adjustment immensely.
I decided to take my adjustment one step further, I emailed my other boss and requested some time off.
I am spent!
Mentally and physically s-p-e-n-t!
I don’t take ‘vacations’. My time off is used for such exciting things as ‘I have to be home because the handy man is coming and someone needs to be there’.
I have never taken more than 1 day off in a row. And it’s showin’!
So – I took TWO days off in a row! Crazy! Next month.
In my fantasies, I shall have cake, and pajamas and movies and … alright, let’s face it I’ll probably end up cleaning the house and finding dozens of other things that need my attention in order to not feel guilty about relaxing. But still – it’s 2 days off in a row.
Until next month – I must remember this:
Musings from the Laundromat: Bad neighbors, Babies and Berlin
It’s topsy turvy at the laundromat today – which pretty much sums up my weekend. Things I need to do have not been done … yet. I almost put laundry off until tomorrow night, but a burst of ‘get your arse moving’ kicked in.
So I’m here and there’s only 2 other people currently. Yet, my favorite seat is taken, there was no yellow coil cash card or laundry cart available – and my favorite machines were taken.
Talk about out of my comfort zone!
I’m ok.
I’ll be ok.
This weekend brought the unexpected – and I am glad for it.
Friday night, not so much. My neighbors, who form the other two parts of a triangle like configuration with our houses, decided to get into wild screaming matches. Not with each other even!
One house must have set the other off … “Hey, listen to them screaming and smashing things – we have to join in!”
I can be light about it now, but it was very uncomfortable at the time. I never know when to step in. It’s late on a Friday, they’ve maybe had long weeks and a few drinks and arguing isn’t against the law.
But when you hear threats of hitting … it’s hard to know if someone is in danger or if it’s just bluster. My inner child cringes though.
I can’t even stand my son slamming things around the house. Even in jest. I beg him not to do it. My stomach clenches and a whoosh of tangible fear travels the length of my body.
So suffice it to say, when there are angry raised voices and smashing and screaming – I don’t like it.
I awoke early the next day – 5:30 to be exact. I was incredibly tired, but I’ve long since lost the ability to ‘go back to sleep’. Once I’m up, I’m up.
It was still a little dark outside. And peaceful.
I sat clutching my coffee and gazing up at the sky – then a thought came to me. Wouldn’t it be great to stand between the two houses that offered me such audio the night before and just start screaming?
Wake THEIR arses up with a taste of their own medicine.
Of course, I didn’t do it. I’m a lover not a fighter.
I had little motivation the rest of the morning – I just sort of scooted from one spot to another in the house.
Then the phone rang. My boss has connections at the venue Berlin was to be playing that night. I’ve been wanting to go ever since I saw the first advertisement. Yes, he could secure me two tickets and we’d arrange later to meet up.
Color me happy!
I spent the rest of the day doing less scooting and more horizontally. I put golf on the tv and had a short nap. It’s not that golf bores me to sleep by the way, it’s more of a comfort memory. The soothing tones of the commentators and soft claps from the gallery make for great white noise.
I awoke to Butters barking her head off. She’d really been doing that all day – false alarms. But this latest bark was in fact announcing the arrival of a guest. Two to be exact.
A friend and her grand baby.
I love this friend. We’ve worked together … well – in the same field and do business together – for 10 years.
I love that she just thinks to ‘stop by’.
She has a vibe to her that I won’t do justice if I try to describe. You know I’m going to try anyway though.
She’s unpretentious and comfortable to be around. She’s funny and warm and has dimples that join her eyes when she’s smiling.
You can’t meet her and not like her. You know how you’ll come across someone every once in a while who just has ‘that something’ and you can’t put your finger on it? She has that too.
Okay – here’s her description lol: she would be the person in the animated forest that all the animated woodland creatures came to hang out with (move over Snow White.) Only, she would be saying “get the hell off me” with a laugh in her voice and the woodland creatures wouldn’t be offended.
I was happy she visited – and happy that I got to hold this tiny foot:
Phone rang again and now I had a meeting-up time to collect the tickets from my boss.
I had planned to do my weekend job that night – and I still could have if I gave up my visiting time.
I chose not to give up my visiting time. I know what’s important in life.
Visit over it was time to get ready for the concert.
Here’s Nic and I waiting outside for my boss. (Who happened to be waiting inside for us – isn’t that always what happens?)
Concert was amazing. I sang along to ‘The Metro’ and ‘Sex’ and of course ‘No More Words’. I love exposing Nic to genres and artists he might otherwise not hear.
Terri Nunn left the stage and stood singing in front of me – I was able to get this picture. And by the way – what a presence she has. She loves to perform and she loves to dance – you can feel it.
So here we are at the tail end of the weekend. Sunday – and I have to squeeze everything I didn’t do into it.
That’s okay though – I am blessed with new memories, old friends and teeny tiny baby feet.
Debauchery Soup 