Skitters

Being busy over the weekend makes Monday suck.

Because being busy over the weekend means that, when Monday comes around, I'm still geared up for stuff I have to get done around my home.

Like dishes.

And laundry.

And crazy dancing.

I don't get to do dishes at work.

Nor do I get to do laundry.

Not that I would really want to if I could... But still. Knowing that they're at home needing to be done, and I'm at work not being able to do them... It's frustrating.

Moreso because I have to sit still and do boring stuff like process invoices and log paperwork.

Which would be more exciting with crazy dancing, except I can't take my shoes off and one cannot dance crazily with shoes on.

I should be home right now.

But at least my coworkers tried to pacify me with cake.

Which I may have eaten too much of, giving me a sugar high and a skittery brain.

Skitter Skitter Skitter Skitter BOOM.

All The Difference

I'm wearing the same clothes I wore yesterday.

"Ew!" you must have said. "Sunny, that's gross."

Well, don't judge. You haven't walked in my shoes.**1

Let me explain.

Today started out almost exactly like yesterday:

I woke up a little early. I rolled over, assessed the clock with one bleary eye open, and then rolled back to mash my nose into Boyfriend of Amazingness's armpit and catch a few extra Zzz's before the alarm clock rang.**2

When the alarm clock finally did make itself known, I dutifully ignored ignored it - mashing down the snooze button half a dozen times before actually admitting that it was time to get out of bed.

I showered. I brushed my teeth. I got dressed in my darkest jeans, my purplest tank and my only button-up shirt. I accessorized with my favorite "statement necklace" - a pendant that Boyfriend of Amazingness chose for one of my dance performances - and did my hair.

The only difference between Monday and Tuesday was the hairstyle: Monday was a power bun. Tuesday was pigtails.

Which is why, today, I can say with absolute certainty that hairstyles do make all the difference.

Yesterday was an exercize in futility. I arrived at work fifteen minutes early, only to fritter away half an hour chatting with one of my favorite coworkers about our weekends.I had a very positive report to give, and received a positive report in return, and much giggling commenced. But I was still late to start my day.

I poured my cup of coffee and scampered back to my desk. I sat down in my chair, set down my cup of coffee, and reached for the pile of invoices that were to take up my earliest morning working hours.

Which is when all hell broke loose.

An entire cup of coffee (mixed with a packet of hot cocoa mix, for optimum stickiness) decided to burst free of the confines of my mug and leap joyously into my lap for a snuggle.

Which would have been fine, except that it was 8:30 in the morning and I don't enjoy feeling like I peed myself.

Today, I successfully drank a full cup of coffee and didn't even drip any on the side of my mug.

I wore the same outfit all through my workday**3 and I got lots of stuff done and I didn't even have to go to my icky morning meeting.

I had an amazing lunch of leftovers from last night's amazing dinner that Boyfriend of Amazingness made.

I'm injury free, except for the one bonk to the hip that I got when I didn't quite clear my corner around the print room table.

I'm even managing to get a little dancing in.

Today has been a much brighter day.

**1 You'd love it if you did, though. They're all orthotic-y and delightfully full of squidge.

**2 I know. It's weird. We both wonder why I do it.

**3 I can say that safely now. If I spill something, I can go home without shame. I've worked almost 8 hours, and am confident that there will be enough overtime in the rest of my week to cover whatever I may need this afternoon.

And... Check

Remember when I was a wild-eyed stressmonkey right before my summer vacation?

The past week has been more of that... but without the fun 'Going On Vacation' part to look forward to.

See... I'm volunteering my organizational skills as a Wrangler of Wardrobes for a local dance production set to premier its tenth anniversary Christmas show in the middle of December. My home is littered with costume pieces in various states of completion.

And Boyfriend of Amazingness is getting ready to compete this weekend in a medieval tournament wherein he actually has the potential to win the right to crown himself prince - and myself princess - of our fair Kingdom. So my home is also littered with Ye Olde Clothings that I've been rushing to complete so we can look presentable when we make our appearance before the current king and queen on Saturday.

And Halloween is coming up. I cannot be Batman without a little extra assistance in the clothing department.

But I've also got dance classes.

And dates with friends.

And somewhere in my schedule I'm supposed to find time to eat and sleep.

I was feeling pretty frantic.

So yesterday, I got sick.

Not a headcold, but more of a Worry-Yourself-Into-A-Tizzy.

I had been sick to my stomach for days...

And I wasn't sleeping...

And Boyfriend of Amazingness was thinking about having me tranquilized and put in a padded box.**1

So I took eight hours of sick time and got All The Things done.

• (2) Cloaks; created
• (1) Chemise; hemmed
• (3) Costume skirts; assembled
• (2 sets) Costume legs; assembled
• (1) Batman costume; completed
• (1) Boyfriend of Amazingness costume; completed
• Miscellaneous shopping; completed

And to top it off... I folded two loads of laundry before I left for work this morning.**2

So I'm feeling pretty jazzed about how much Ta-Da is reflecting on my To-Do list.

Which can lead me to feel pretty silly.

(I swear, I have a work-related point in here somewhere.)

Which is probably why I erupted into a fit of The Giggles when a client called in to talk to an EngineerFriend, and I said "I'll put you right through."

I imagined myself going all Hulkette and tossing the client straight up through the ceiling and into the cubicle of the person they were calling.

Which led me to this:

Photo Courtesy of Family Guy.

And how can you not giggle when you think of the Kool-Aid Man busting all up through your workplace?!

The EngineerFriends wouldn't know what to do.

(I, of course, would give him a high five and invite him out for a drink.)

**1 If you're reading this, honey... You don't have to deny it. I was thinking about locking me up, too.

**2 Boyfriend of Amazingness does our laundry. From pick-it-up-off-the-floor-where-I-discarded-it-in-a-pre-sleep-shamble to bring-the-laundry-basket-full-of-clean-clothes-back-upstairs-to-the-bedroom. All I have to do is fold it and leave it on the bed, and then we both put our stuff away before we go to sleep. Suck it, Every-Other-Girl-In-The-Universe. He's all mine.

Let 'Em Have It

ReaderFriends,

I found this blog post half-finished in the archives from before we completed our office move last year. I read through it, hoping to find a little nugget that would help me post something witty and clever instead of the sleepy snark I'm eminating from my personage today. But as I read through, I realized that I had been putting together this post on a day not unlike today. I was exhausted. I was frustrated and I really wanted a nap. But I managed to unearth this little tidbit about... Well, you should read it and find out.

But I'll tell you, it made me feel a little better hoping that there's some of this radiating my way today.

You all are certainly doing your part just being here. So thanks for that. :)

Hugs,
Sunny

****************************
December 6, 2011

So, there isn't much time for a long post today. But I wanted to post an update.

We're packing and getting ready for M-Day this week. (That's Move-Day, in case I was being obscure.) It's been a long, stressful process. Tempers are short and it's hard to keep a positive outlook when there's StressAPalooza going on.

So I'm going to do something I typically don't:

Use someone else's words.

Let me precursor this with a short explanation:

I'm a sap. I like thinking happy thoughts. I like watching movies with sweet and happy endings. I like fuzzy kittens and fluffy bunnies and my teddy bear. (And especially Boyfriend of Amazingness, for putting up with all this sicky-sweetness.)

So every week I get e-mails from a relatively well-known author of Romantic Fluff that are brimming with happy fuzzies.

Today's e-mail talked about 'The Benefit of Doubting.'

The Benefit of Doubting
by Michael Webb

Several years ago a minister from the United States went to visit one of his denomination's congregations in Africa.  When he got up to the pulpit to preach he noticed by the style of clothing that members of one of the local tribes sat in the front of the room while those from a different tribe seemed to be forced to sit in the back.

Knowing that there is much tribal animosity in the country, the minister scrapped his notes and began preaching about unity... and how we are to love our brothers. After the condemning sermon, the visiting minister sat down and the local pastor leaned over to him and stated "Our members sit in different sections out of much love and respect for one another.  In our culture, it is our way of showing honor to the visiting tribe by giving them the best seats in the church."

Had the preacher not jumped to conclusions, he would have saved himself from humiliation and from offending the church members. While he might not have had the opportunity to ask why they sat apart before his sermon, he could have certainly done so afterwards.

How often do we make the same mistake in our relationships?  How do you think your relationship is affected when you allow yourself to get bent out of shape over what appears to be a rude waiter, a slothful co-worker, an insensitive pastor or an uncaring mate? 

Consider the following scenario.

You call your wife at home during your lunch break to ask her what she's making for dinner.  She snaps back "I don't know.  Gotta run. Talk to you later."  and then hangs up.

Instead of going the "Jumping to Conclusions" route, let's play the "Benefit of the Doubt" game.

Could it be that:

1.  She is planning a surprise dinner for you and didn't want you to know about it.  She got flustered at your call thinking you might be on to her.

2.  Little Johnny is throwing up on the persian rug, lunch is burning on the stove and someone is knocking on the door.

3.  She has awful cramps, a blistering headache and you woke her up from a much needed nap.

4.  She is on the other line with a relative calling from Sri Lanka at $3 a minute.

5.  She is right in the middle of a really good episode of Jerry Springer (if there was such a thing).

When you arrive home you lovingly ask your lovely wife why she hung up on you so quickly.  If her answer matches one of your "Benefit of the Doubt" possibilities, you win.  If it doesn't match, you still win because you didn't sit in judgment of her all afternoon, brewing over the fact that she was a little curt.  And best of all, you open a dialog of communication so hopefully any misunderstanding doesn't happen again.

Athena and I like to play this game when we are out around town. We come up with some great explanations why the Toyota SUV just cut us off in traffic, why the cashier practically ignored us and why our friends didn't return our calls.  Most importantly, we try to do the same when we are confronted with potential "Jumping
to Conclusion" situations in our relationship.

Sure, we still fall back into our condemning and judgmental ways from time to time.  But we are working at it.

If you find yourself regularly getting frustrated, angry or even furious at others, it is possibly because you haven't considered the benefits of doubting.

Today I can think of four instances when I was overly curt. Not getting enough feedback from a repeat-offender of Withholding Information... Needy requests from someone seemingly incapable of taking care of themselves... Situations keep popping up and I keep handling them badly. Within the land of the Stressy McStressers, I need to keep my head on straight, my panties un-bunched and my nose to the grindstone instead of bent out of shape.

After all... losing your cool is what Evening Commute Angry Music is for.

Have a Sunny day, ReaderFriends.