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June 9, 2003 So Far, So Good Last week was pretty damned awesome. I got up at 6:30 every day except for one (when I got up at 10:00). I've worked out and tanned and run errands and sat in Einstein Brother's Bagels reading a book at 7:00 in the morning ("While I Was Gone" by Sue Miller) and enjoying a Garlic Crusted bagel (let's hear it for dragon breath!). The fun point about that was seeing people I recognized as working at AcronymCo (though I didn't know them - there's 12,000 people on my campus - I've just seen 'em around), scurrying in to obtain their octane-and-calories before going to work. The full realization that I DIDN'T HAVE TO GO was sudden and fantastic. I felt the urge to get up and continue to speed my way through the morning (grocery shopping, bank, Ulta, new toner cartridges for the printer, movie store), but I forced myself to continue to sit, sip, nibble, and read. It was a completely decadent moment. It took me until about Thursday to kick my attitude into low gear. I am simply not in a hurry to do anything, be anywhere. Sure, I have tons of things to do, but I have a long-range sight on when they have to get done. Chores and errands are begun early in the morning, and worked at steadily with breaks for sunning, working out, breakfast, Buffy, reading, writing, or surfing. I am being useful and getting things done, which makes me happy. I am lazing around and spoiling myself, which makes me happy. Like, now! It's only 7:00 and I've done a load of laundry, made the bed, fed the cat, read Terry and Mo, had a cup of coffee, and gotten this far in the entry. Responsible stuff peppered with stuff that makes me happy. My idea of a perfect life. Calvin was able to come home for lunch a couple of times last week, which was nice. Marie's been sleeping until at least noon every day, which gives me some quiet alone time in the morning. The dogs are enjoying the cool tile on their bellies instead of having to be outside while we're at work. The cat is a mostly-permanent fixture at my side (in my lap, under my feet, in my way) throughout the day. I've been cooking a lot, but we still managed to go out to eat altogether too much (Red Robin, Kona Grill, Red Fish, Chili's courtesy of Delicious Deliveries), and I have a cheerful disregard of how much money we're spending. The budget panic will surge back after our Hawaii vacation, I'm sure. We had THE BEST time this past weekend. AB came over Friday afternoon with her daughter, bringing her overnight gear in prep for a night out. Marie agreed to babysit AB's daughter, and we left them plunked in front of the TV while we went to dinner (the kids got BK take-out) and then to Graham Central Station. There we met up with a whole CROWD of our friends, which was terrific because we all know how hard it is to get everyone to come to the same place at the same time. We danced like mad things in the 80's area. We giggled and hooted and hollered in the karaoke bar. I learned how to two-step in the country area. We got frisky and naughty in the cages of the hip-hop dance floor. I only had two drinks and just concentrated on dancing, squeegee-ing myself off, and drinking a ton of water. I wish I didn't get so damned HOT when I dance. Most of all, I loved looking across the room and catching Calvin's eye, seeing him grinning just as broadly as I was. We all left the club at about 12:30, and most of the crowd headed back to our house for some hot-tubbing and socializing. FOUR HOURS later, folks started clearing out (except for AB, who was staying the night. Erm, the *rest* of the night.). It has been a waaaay long time since I stayed up partying until 4:30 in the morning. I barely remember AB knocking on our bedroom door at 8:00 (blarg), reminding me that I had a hair appointment at 9:00 (gah). I got up a bare ten minutes later, but she and her daughter had already cleared out. Typical of her - I don't think I've EVER caught her still around in the morning after she's stayed the night with us. And poor Marie was gone, too - she'd stayed up all night with us, and her mom was due to pick her up at 5:30 to go do a day of fishing. Hey, we tried to get her to go to bed, but she was wound. Typical night-owl behavior for summer vacation. I draaaaagged myself to the salon, where my hairdresser (of nearly ten years!) teased me for burning the candle at both ends. Two and a half hours later, I was sporting a new sassy (somewhat shorter, with more layers) cut, and blonde highlights. Got home at 11:30, and Calvin (damn him) was still asleep. He levered himself out of bed and showered, and we went out to lunch. Warm fuzziness abounded - we were in the midst (still are!) of one of those highs we get, where we can't stop telling each other just what, exactly, makes us so much in love. (Readers: "Oh, gag." Laura: "Hush, you.") The mall was next, where I proceeded to tell myself that I didn't need anything more than what I've already purchased for myself, and then proceeded to get new sunglasses, new shoes, a white dress (to wear to the luau and the dinner cruise!), and a jean skirt. I'm not worried about how much money we've spent. I'm not worried about how much money we've spent. I'm not worried about how much money we've spent... Calvin got several pairs of light cotton/linen blended pants, a couple of new shirts, and some stylin' sandals. Which he donned later that evening before going out to dinner. I was in total droooool mode - he looked completely GQ. Uh. Man. I just totally paused for like five minutes, thinking about how handsome he is. (Readers: "Oh, gag." Laura: "Didn't I tell you to hush??") Anyway. Here was another circumstance where, normally, we'd be speeding our way around the stores, intent on just getting in and getting out. Instead, we strolled hand-in-hand, taking our time and stopping whenever something caught our eye. Calvin didn't display his usual impatience with clothes shopping, which tells me that he's already gearing up to be in a vacation state of mind. Later, we were enjoying a dinner of grilled mahi-mahi (me) and chicken marsala (him), when we got a call from Marie saying she was home. So we finished up and boxed up a slice of cheesecake to take back to her. She was in her room when we arrived, so we hollered up to her to come down so we could catch up on the day. And then we hollered again. Finally, we went up to check on her, and she was shut up in her bathroom. She mumbled that she'd be down in a minute, and our "uh-oh" meter went off. She didn't sound happy at all. She finally came down, looking completely worn out and unhappy. She wasn't even at the foot of the stairs before she was in tears (!?!). She was completely upset and frazzled, so we hugged and comforted without knowing what was wrong, and sat her down at the kitchen counter with the leftover chicken and cheesecake. In between bites and sniffles, we heard about her less-than-wonderful day with her mom and her mom's boyfriend. It began with getting picked up an hour late, and ended with coming home too late for her to make her pre-arranged plans with her friends (which she was promised she'd be home in time for). In between there was typical stuff that you'd have to know Marie's mom in order to understand (therefore, the relatives reading will have a clear idea of what might have happened). She was finally feeling better, after our two-hour-hanging-around-the-kitchen conversation. Where would we all talk about life, the universe, and everything, if we didn't have that kitchen, I wonder? We then walked down together with the dogs to get the mail, and then presented Calvin with his early Father's Day presents (we'll be in Hawaii next Sunday!). A new beard trimmer and a bottle of cologne that I *thought* he was out of but it turned out he had plenty. Ah, well, it's my favorite (Armani "Gio"), so in my opinion there's no such thing as too much. Strangely, the greeting card presented to him from Marie sported a photograph of a little girl standing in front of her daddy - like she's getting ready to stand on his feet for a dance. Well, that's not the strange part. The strange part is that it looks for all the world like the little girl only has one leg. I kid you not, we sat there and stared at the card for twenty minutes, passing it around, trying to figure out why the HELL American Greeting Cards would put a picture of a one-legged girl on the front of a Father's Day card. It was surreal. Until Marie spotted the back while Calvin was examining it, and gave an epiphanied "Oh!". If you open up the card and looked at the front and back together, the girl's other leg continues past the crease from the front of the card to the back - she's standing on one leg and kicking back the other. Her stockings blended almost perfectly with the background of the card, which is why we didn't see her leg. I mean, it was so surreal we were actually *relieved* to figure it out. Weird. Sunday we just lolled around, spent some time laying out in the sun (I have a tan line for the first time in literally years), napped, and watched TV. Calvin went off to work this morning with a noticeable lack of complaint - just one more week to get through before he has nearly two weeks off from work. On my agenda today is the task of digging out the suitcases and sorting through our clothes to figure out what stays and what goes. This week there is lunch with Heather, a goodbye lunch and a goodbye happy hour for yet ANOTHER departing co-worker, a dentist appointment for Marie, and an appointment for the two of us to get manicures and pedicures. There are prescriptions to be refilled, film to be purchased, dogs to be bathed. There are lists to be checked off, added to, and revised a million times. I'm crossing my fingers that my Amazon order gets here before I leave - a Norah Jones CD and two books that I really want to take with me on vacation (thanks for the suggestion, Amanda!). So! Week two of my summer vacation has begun.

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©Laura Charon 2000 - 2003.