Miguelina

Instant Karma

I've been on a happy streak lately (have you noticed?) and I'm determined to make it last as long as possible. (Listen, I know it can't last forever, but you can't blame a girl for trying.) So when a woman blatantly cut in front of me at the check out line at Trader Joe's I did everything in my power not to tap her on the shoulder and explain to her that her RUDE MANEUVER did not go unnoticed. Instead I laughed (more like cackled maniacally) and looked around for a shorter line.

(For the curious, she was in another line and then pretended that she was going in front of me to look at the Graham Crackers on the display in my check-out lane. She picked them up, started "reading" the label, put them back and then just stood there. HELLO? RUDE MANEUVER.)

I decided that I wasn't going anywhere, I was just going to stand really close to her and do my best to make her uncomfortable while holding on to my happiness (dammit!), when the store manager tapped me on the shoulder and opened a register just for me.

Ha!

To make things even sweeter, he rang up my groceries in record time so she was still in line as I was exiting the store. I waved goodbye (which she had to pretend not to see - after all I had been invisible but a few minutes before) and her cashier smiled and waved back in that earnest Trader Joe's way, further slowing her down.

BWAHAHAHAHAHA!

Karma, you're quite lovely sometimes. Thank you.

Empty teacups

"Can't you see the teacup is full? You can't pour tea into a full teacup!" - Buddhist teaching

When I quit my job back in 2004 (!) I literally didn't know what my next steps would be - I knew I didn't like my job but I didn't have anything lined up to take its place.

(I was pregnant, but I wouldn't find out until later that evening. My decision was based solely on what I wanted for myself. It was selfish, if you will.)

All I knew is that all the energy I was putting into that job was literally making me sick to my stomach  and I simply couldn't do it anymore.

(OK, maybe morning sickness had something to do with it, but I didn't know that at the time.)

So I took a deep breath, walked into my boss' office and quit.

She assumed that I was being coy about my plans because I was leaving to work for a competitor and at first tried to get me to spill the beans - probably because she wanted out too.

"I swear. I really don't know what I'm doing next."

"You're serious."

"All I know is that I won't be working here. Or in another big company. At least not for a while. I want to try something different."

"Like what?"

"I don't know."

At first, saying that out loud felt like I was admitting defeat: I don't know. Who says that? Not Type A careerists like me! But the more I said it, the more comfortable I became with the concept - I could accept that I didn't know what I wanted. I wanted to keep my options open. I had made a mistake and was going to own up to it: I did not want the corporate job after all.

I had given two (or maybe three?) week's notice, and dutifully worked at finishing up projects and tying up loose ends. I blissfully closed up shop and handed over my projects and timelines with a clear conscience.

I remember waking up happy as can be on my first Monday of Freedom, my mind clear with the simplicity of my new life.

Not so fast, sister.

The phone rang at 9:00 am. It was a headhunter. She was calling me about what two years before had been my dream job - to become a cosmetics buyer for one of the largest retailers in the US. I hesitated for a second, but then I told her the truth - I wasn't interested.

That felt good. I had learned the hard way that I didn't want the corporate life, and I wasn't about to get suckered back in.

Then a month later my old company called, offering more money and promotion. They thought I had been playing hardball, and they cried uncle.

It was all I could do not to laugh.

"I was serious when I quit. But thank you."

"Come back."

"I'm pregnant," I blurted out. "No thanks."

Silence.

"Then consult for us. What are your rates?"

I had never considered consulting - but it sounded good. I negotiated my rates and my terms:

"I refuse to work on any projects with my old boss. I'm not covering for her lazy ass anymore."

"Can't blame you."

"I'll come in after 10 AM. And my contract ends exactly 30 days before my due date. I want time off before I become a mom."

"Deal."

And that, my friends, was the first step in the strange and meandering path that is my work life. I haven't looked back on my old corporate life and I certainly haven't been bored. I've been honest about what I want, and more often than not I get it. And when I don't? It's not the end of the world. I've taken on so many interesting projects (not all for pay) and learned so much from every single one.

I just went through a month when I got rid of things that were weighing me down and cut off people from my life that didn't have my best interests in mind. And because nature abhors a vacuum, as soon as I got rid of the dead weight awesome things have taken their place. I've been invited to take on great new projects. I've met amazing new people that make me laugh and cry (with laughter.)

I'm not saying you should quit your job - I don't know you. Maybe you love your job but something else in your life is driving you crazy. What I'm saying is that if something is in your life and you hate it, get rid of it. You have to make room in your life for what you want - even if that scares the pants off you.

Florimania

It all started with the tulip bulbs we planted last October:

When I got the coupon offering $25 worth of free bulbs, I thought "why not?", and sent in an order for the cheapest bulbs in the catalog: 50 red tulips for $24.99. As an added bonus, they said they'd throw in a few "fancy" types. They weren't kidding:

When the bulbs arrived in October I bundled up Sebastian and we planted the bulbs in front of the house. We had a fun, if frigid, afternoon digging in the dirt and promptly forgot about our tulips until they made their presence known in the earliest days of spring.

Those stiff stalks peeking through the last bits of ice and snow gave me hope that Spring would come and give us glorious days like the last few we've been enjoying round these parts.

Spring is here, and our home has surprised us with the absolute beauty of the plants in our front garden and backyard. My allergies are KILLING me, but we definitely have a "Spring Garden" and I love it.

I love flowers. I really, really do.

We moved in last summer, when all that was blooming was the huge Rhododenron in the back of the yard, and I remember how boring I thought our yard was. I envied the neighbors. So I've spent the last few days buying plants that will extend the flowering season in our little corner of the world. I'm not a natural gardener, so I've been educating myself and thinking about what I want. So far, I've planted white peonies and white hydrangeas in the hope of creating a moon garden we can enjoy while grilling dinner under the stars.

Let's see what happens come July. I'm hopeful we won't kill anything. For now, I'm enjoying reading under the intoxicating fragrance of our baby lilacs.

You say you want a revolution? Here you go:

This is a brilliant idea and, like most ideas that have the potential to change the world, it wasn't mine. Dammit.

I was going to kick myself for not coming up with this first, but I decided to spread the word instead. I'll let The Elegantologist explain:

June 7th, 2008 will mark the 230th anniversary of Beau Brummell’s birth. I propose that the 4,000 - 6,000 readers I have mark the event with a day of celebration of personal style. Our mis-en-scene will be the world at large. 

Make it a point to gather several well-dressed friends (the more the merrier) and head for a local watering hole, museum, theatre or other public venue. Dress better than you have to. En mass, a statement will be made. Beauty will be in the eyes of the beholders and maybe, just maybe, someone will think it’s a movement. The news media will pick up on the sudden reëmergence of elegance. Strangers will be compelled to rethink the day’s shabby wardrobe choices. Long dormant manners will see the light of day. Heads will turn and polite smiles will be exchanged.

JUNE 7, 2008 - Mark your calendars. Have fun and be fabulous! I can't wait!

Someone's been watching too much Telemundo...

This takes me back to South Beach - specifically GrooveJet (or Liquid, same difference) circa 1997 and it makes me laugh because those guys? Were EVERYWHERE. All that's missing is the plastic cup of rum and coke.

(If you think this is funny, you should see me ordering food at a French restaurant. Let's just say I point and say "Si!". A lot. Turns out a semester of French isn't very helpful either.)

Estrogen overload

Last night.

Husband: "What are you doing?"

Me: "Watching an interview with the Sex and City girls."

Husband: "No, I mean on the computer."

Me: "Researching blue nail polish."

Husband: "Is that Oprah?"

Me: "Yes"

Husband: "I'm going to Home Depot."