For the last week at the day job there has been some redecorating going on. With redecorating comes workmen, and not the kind of workmen you’d prefer to see for eight to nine hours a day.
None of the guys look like this.
The bothersome thing was they seemed oblivious to the fact that they were working in occupied space. They had no qualms about shouting to each other from across the suite. They took heavy piles of carpet tiles and dropped them to the floor instead of placing them. They huddled around the glue-drying fan and had conversations at a level that had to exceed the already loud noise of the fan, with no regard to the fact that people like me had to concentrate on our jobs too. Then there came that point where I just had to leave, as in leave the building ~ I got a straight-on view of a giant plumber’s butt. All of the noise and chaos distracted me so much I could barely do my job, but I had to draw the line when there was a bad moon on the rise at 1:00 in the afternoon.
So appropriate is a phrase from the early ’80s…gag me with a spoon!
I really hope today is less cheeky, in all senses of the word.
1. Husby and I spent two days at a retirement seminar offered by my day job. Yes, that’s right, I’m gearing up for retirement. It won’t be for a while yet but it’s smart (and exciting) to plan early. I started my work as a public servant when I was very young so it follows that I will be able to retire when I’m very young. Throughout the seminar I was reminded of all the great benefits offered to me which will be continued even after I stop working. I guess all those years of getting up before the crack of dawn and trudging through the dreary and sometimes depressing days at my job are finally going to pay off. Free at last, free at last. Thank God Almighty I’m free at last. Well, not quite yet, but the light at the end of the tunnel seems a lot brighter now.
2. Day two of the seminar fell on Valentine’s Day. I hope it was a lovey one for all of you. Husby and I don’t make too big a deal out of the day ~ we exchange cards and either go out for dinner or make a special meal at home. As we were out at the seminar already we decided to stop and have something to eat after we were done for the day. We beat the Valentine’s Day rush and had a very satisfying meal at Joe’s Crab Shack. Nothing says love like a big pot of shellfish.
3. I took Friday off from the day job because it just didn’t make sense to go in after being away for two days and having a long weekend ahead of me. My boss agreed it would be foolish to break up so much away time. (I like a boss who thinks like that.) I did some laundry, and of course some house cleaning. The day was also filled up with lots of donking around on the computer.
4. I felt like cooking up a pot of chili and some cornbread. My mom made some cornbread for the Mardi Gras party she hosted the weekend before and it was so good I wanted some more. The chili turned out pretty good, but the cornbread? Yuck. I used a recipe in one of my oldest cookbooks and it turns out they didn’t make sweet cornbread back in the olden days. It called for only one teaspoon of sugar. I thought that was strange when I was making it, but then thought my trusty book couldn’t be wrong. Come to find out most other recipes call for at least one-quarter cup of sugar. That’s what, twelve times more than I used? What were you thinking, Miss Crocker?
6. I did lots of writing. I’m doing that a lot these days, mostly in the form of rambling nothings on my super secret private blog, but also the beginnings of a story. I also started a few posts for this blog. Husby and I shared a most delightful evening this weekend sans TV or even music, quiet except for the ticking of the cuckoo clock and the crackle of a fire in the fireplace He read a book and I wrote. I imagined that’s what we’d be doing if we lived in a little shack in the middle of Alaska, or if we lived a hundred years ago. It seemed so contrary to what we normally do during the evening hours, but it was also a relief in a way. Quiet, still nights are my favorite.
Oh the things they saw! The lights and sounds and colors made the boy and girl feel alive and excited. When something caught their eyes they would sit and converse. Yes! They interacted with lobster fishermen and even ducks! The wonderful thing about conversing with those who lived in this land was that they paid the boy and girl for spending time with them. It wasn’t as if they were desperate for company. No, they were just grateful to have the pleasure of visiting with such nice people like the boy and girl. After all, the boy and girl were known for their pleasantries and fine manners.
His presence was all around her though, and she felt it very strongly when she happened across Alfred Hitchcock. Surely her brother must be near, as she knew he occupied the same space as Mr. Hitchcock. For a brief moment she wondered, is this strange land heaven?
Auntie B's Wax 