Time to smell the roses

...Literally! WOW! While I was busy being preoccupied, and feeling sorry for myself because even keeping insanely busy hadn't cured a bad case of wander-lust, it has turned into a beautiful season. The weather went from cool nights(still are a bit cool) to balmy days. The air this evening is scented with iris and roses which have exploded into bloom practically overnight. It seems like yesterday the rosebushes were covered with barely-colored buds, and today they are a riot of lush, overblown blooms. I'm enjoying an unexpected evening off(switched with a co-worker who wanted my usual day off), and the moon is spectacular. Life Is Good!

The upside to Corporate Policy...

I'll skip the "work sucks" part of the rant--it would only be true for one of my jobs. The other? I had a concrete demonstration of my determination to keep that one the day I had to get a Dr's note to call off. The Virus from Hell has been making the rounds here in good'ol central PA. Its JUST a virus, and a really effective way to lose 10 lbs in a hurry. The only thing to do is rest between bouts of nausea. The idea of bugging the nursing staff only to have them tell me "its a virus" was excessive. But I did, because Corporate Policy required a Dr's note. Driving to the clinic was eventful. Driving while yakking I can't recommend, but I did feel ridiculously pleased with myself for not having a wreck, and not trashing my car. I reached the clinic safely, saw the staff, and heard "its a virus, you need to rest." !!???!!! "However we can do something about the yakking. How long has that been going on, and how recently?" Cut to the finish; I met some very compassionate people, got help for something that was beginning to scare me, and found out, when I returned to work two days later(yeh, the Dr thought I looked awful and wasn't done yet), that I'd been missed. As much as I've railed against it recently, some aspects of Corporate Policy make sense.

"A Boundary Moment"

"Don't Touch The Earrings!!!"

I like to wear unusual earrings--lately I like to wear unusual earrings that I've made, and it amuses me when people notice them and make comments. I've had many fun conversations about earrings which turned into scavenger hunts for the perfect plant, etc.

It does not, Not, NOT amuse me when a total stranger reaches out to examine one of them while I'm still wearing it!!!

Milestones...

Now I've gone and done it...installed a cd player in my bottom-of-the-line Mitsubishi.

Does this mean I've become the latest adherent to the doctrine of Consumerism?

No, but it might save the rest of the drivers on the road from the alarming sight of me juggling a cd player and transformer, impatient to hear the next chapter in the hours-long thriller I've been listening to on my epic road trips... The guys at the stereo shop were pretty cool. "We're installing a cd player for you? Do you own it?" "The car? Yes" "The CD player." "You're selling me one." "What do you drive?" "A Mitsubishi Mirage" "Any idea what you want?" "Something which plays CD's and isn't very expensive. If I got something nicer I'd be better off upgrading the car."

This after the owner whacks the guy who made my appointment upside the head. "Why didn't you tell me we were out of the basic models?"

So I came away with a not-so-basic model for the same price, grinning and covered in dog drool(The owner has a Staffordshire Terrier who dances round the shop--he's an 18 month old puppy, all sleek muscles and ecstatic puppy kisses, and beautiful manners. When I offered him a treat, he very gently engulfed most of my hand, and then washed my face for a "Thank You". My new CD player really outclasses the rest of the car, with its pretty violet and red lights, and a fancy digital readout, and I'm getting an education on the preferred Harrisburg Hip radio station. I haven't figured out how to change the stations (the instruction manual is the size of a small novel, written in 0.25 point type--besides, it makes me smile every time I remember the puppy and the very cool shop owner.)

Notes from Abroad

I've been so busy lately that I've resorted to Keeping a Calendar. Me, the person who lives most of the time in "tribal time" and only reluctantly wears watches or observes clocks--mostly because people around me, whom I care about or have to interact with, seem to be obsessed with them. Promises to "write a long letter" have been shelved as a nice idea to pursue when I readjust my priorities. Meanwhile I get off the carefully written--usually brief note, and try not to make those sorts of promises. I don't like to be kept hanging, and I refuse to do it to the people I care about. Hence going ahead and declining an invitation that will almost certainly be impossible to keep. Theoretically I should just be able to apply for the time off, and be assured of getting it. I have the leave balance, but one of the places I'm working has been using the power of fiat, and denying leave requests which were duly filed well in advance due to "business needs". The truly offensive part of that strategy, as far as I'm concerned, is that they're doing it a couple of days prior to the event. For people who have their entire lives planned down to Number of Attendees, this puts a serious kink in things. So off goes the carefully worded refusal, in duplicate! And back comes the "oh surely you must be able to manage this" Not when I'm trying to play by the company rules, unfortunately. This seems to be a time when all kinds of people I care about are readjusting their priorities. I understand its a process which can require time and space(a lot of both). I'm readjusting my own, and getting a lot of flowers planted in the process. Did I mention I go in for gardening therapy? Riots of colors, and a daily reminder that beauty requires, at a minumum, some watering, and that all things thrive in direct proportion to the care they receive.