My week of being “in between jobs” is coming to a close. Only one short weekend lies between me and the exciting-yet-terrifying frontier of The New Job. I think I’m excited for what’s ahead, but I’ll miss the luxury of being a stay-at-home dog owner and accomplishing important things like …
- Buying, arranging, and photographing surprisingly pretty supermarket flowers
- Taking about 600 pictures, in the hopes of salvaging around 30 not-too-blurry ones, at two volleyball matches
- Taking Ted to the vet for the first time — my first time, not his
- Making meatballs from scratch
- Walking about 18 miles between walks with Ted, retrieving my car from the mechanic, and a morning downtown
- Savoring the snap and rustle of the first fallen leaves under my feet
- Watching Ted chase rolling acorns on the sidewalk
- Baking our first “fall dessert”: a pumpkin spice cake, a great excuse to slather on cream cheese frosting
- Completing three New York Times crossword puzzles on my own!
- Getting my car inspected
- Spraying down many items with flea repellent stuff, after getting an e-mail from JG about being on “full assault mode”
- Doing four loads of laundry
- Trying very hard not to feel itchy
- Gorging myself on episodes of Barefoot Contessa and Design on a Dime
- Typing up this list with Ted on my lap
I think I’ll be appropriately nervous on Monday, but I’ll try not to think about that yet. For now, the weekend is for relaxing.
When faced with an open space of free time, I have a tendency to fill it up with activities and chores of all types. I have all this time, so why can’t I knit a scarf every four days? Or meet friends for lunch? Or drive to the Goodwill to donate a mini-fridge? Or go to two volleyball matches? Or to a church meeting?
Wait a minute. Where did my week go?
So here I am, stunned that it’s already Thursday and I don’t feel even close to rested as I would have hoped. Of course, having full-on Ted Duty doesn’t help matters. I’m not complaining, I just didn’t estimate correctly about how much down time I would have, I guess. That said, the week has been a lot of fun. Ted survived his first Penn State game with our friends screeching all the while and enjoyed the added bonus of pawing around the bean bag chair afterward. He and I took a long walk to Kennett Square’s downtown area; along with his evening walk, the day accounted for almost five miles of walking! That’s a fair amount of exercise for him and me. I managed to get some knitting done from a beach chair as Ted trundled around the lawn on his leash. That was before the weather took a turn for the worse and become more like humid summer than crisp fall. Boo.
By far, the highlight of our week has been the introduction of Octopus, a purple stuffed toy from the Dollar Store. After Ted had such a good time playing with a stuffed bear at Mimi’s, JG and I have been on the lookout for a cheap, non-squeaky stuffed toy, but to no avail. This week, as one of my errands, I stopped by the store to see what I could find, and lo and behold — Octopus. Ted loves this thing and has spent a good number of hours chewing and clawing at it. I’m a little afraid that we’ll find legs around the house, but what heck. A 5-legged octopus has a certain charming irony, doesn’t it?
Tune in to Roosday-Tuesday and Wednesday-Bensday for the other two-thirds of the doggie cuteness trifecta!
I had a doctor’s appointment yesterday and the Annual Weighing took place. I don’t own a scale or weigh myself regularly, so once a year, I grit my teeth, make my best estimate, and I am almost always disappointed at how high the number is. As the nurse moved the slider to the right, and more to the right, and more to the right, I had that familiar sinking feeling. It’s not that I feel fat or I want to be thinner, I just didn’t think the number aligned with what I think it should have been. Or something. My internal rant immediately started up in an endless loop that sounded like, “This is why I don’t own a scale. This is why I don’t weigh myself! Weight is such an inaccurate measure of health, right? It doesn’t take into account muscle mass or body proportions or if I just ate something or the fact that I’m wearing sneakers right now. I’m walking at least a mile and half everyday! I’m climbing! I’m doing crunches! Maybe I have more muscle, which totally weighs more than fat. Right? Right?! This is why don’t own a scale…”
So, because I could use a good pick-me-up, I will follow Laurel’s lead — since we all know that I am powerless against her demands — and share ten things I like about myself.
1. I have shiny, shiny hair
Let’s start off with something shallow, yes? But seriously, my hair is my all-time favorite physical attribute. Poker-straight, super-black, thick, and fine, all it needs is shampoo, conditioner, and a quick blow-dry and I’m out the door. If I am really pressed for time, I can run the AC/heat in the car, flip out the ends with my fingers, and arrive at work looking halfway put together. At the very least, my mane is resilient. Throughout college, I went to a stylist school for haircuts, and despite the efforts of several dozen unique fledgling hair dressers, my hair never looked worse for wear. After years of a horrific bowl cut in my gymnastics days, it’s about time my hair lived up to its potential.
2. I’m very short
Some petite folks are eternally bitter and hearing the euphemism, “vertically challenged,” stings them every time. Not the case with me! I love being short. I can sit Indian-style in planes, I’m always the hero by volunteering to sit in the middle seat in sedans, and I can squeeze behind furniture or under bleachers to snag a dropped item. On the flip side, tall people (i.e. the husband) don’t hesitate to help poor little me reach tall places, like anything above 6 feet. I also score good deals with clothing because my size is usually lying, neglected at the bottom of whatever stack of rejects is left over.
3. I have a great laugh
Well, I think it’s great. Others have called it “really loud” and “ear-splitting,” but, hey! I’m enthusiastic! I also laugh at pretty much anything that might be remotely funny to someone of any age at some point in time. When some might give a pity laugh, the person laughing uproariously and maybe crying a little bit will be me. You’re welcome.
4. I love having people at our house
In every group of friends, there is The Planner and I am that person. All those so-called annoying questions that made college excursions not-so-spontaneous (“Do I need good walking shoes?” “How late will we be out?” “Should we pitch in for gas?” “Can I have your cell phone number?”) have transformed me into the person who our friends expect will e-mail out an invitation with directions and food items for sign-up. I just like being in our own house, cooking a whole mess of food, and anticipating what people might enjoy.
5. I make food in mass quantities
I love leftovers and it’s really hard to cook for just two people, so when I cook, it’s enough food to feed anywhere from 2-8 people. Baked ziti and chili are my go-to dishes; I satisfy my love of leftovers and we’re pretty flexible if we have a couple of extra people over for dinner.
6. I am very organized
It’s no secret that I love using spreadsheets whenever possible and that I can’t help but make lists for every life activity. I take notes all the time and I like being that person who can recall what happened when because I wrote it down. I figure that I have to remember less if I write down more. Hence — more lists!
7. I love to bake
Never arriving empty-handed to someone’s house has been hard-wired into my brain and I usually arrive on people’s doorsteps with a plate of cookies. I love the crazy alchemy of baking: you take simple dry and wet ingredients, mix them this way and that, and you end up with a moist, chewy, sweet mouthful of yumminess. What is not to love? Plus, homemade baked goods make the house smell delicious and are always a welcome addition to any gathering. I’m just glad that it’s not a chore to me.
8. I am awesome at games involving guessing
… if I do say so myself. Games like Taboo, Catch Phrase, Cranium, and Charades are my forte. I am very intense with the guessing and I consider it a compliment that people are glad to have me on their team. It is quite a switch from the kickball days of yore.
9. I can sleep in any position
Be it an uncomfortable car seat or resting my head on JG’s thin shoulder I can snatch a few winks if I really need them. Of course, there is a slight hazard to this personal aspect if I don’t actually want to fall asleep…
10. I love to stretch
Physically, that is. I’ve always been more of a static exerciser than a dynamic one and stretching really relaxes me. When I got antsy from studying for big exams in college, I would do a few butterfly sits and bridges to get my blood moving again for the next round. Stretching is an easy, free way for me to get re-energized and stay flexible.
Things I will miss about the job I just left:
- Having a laptop with wireless capabilities and all of my favorites plugged in
- Sitting in a super-comfy ergonomic chair
- Taking advantage of a ridiculously casual dress code. Jeans and flats, I will miss you.
- Using a discretionary hobby allowance
- Having cute shops and fun bars within two blocks of the office.
Things in which I will revel this week:
- Spending time with Ted — he’s lying beside me now like a good little lap doggie
- Running errands, uninterrupted
- Baking desserts for church events: ’tis the season to try out pumpkin and apple recipes
- Watching JG’s volleyball team play
- Having time to knit — five more scarves to go before October 16…
- Walking to the downtown area in the freshly-minted fall weather
Hmm. How early can one qualify for early retirement?
