So, Toastmasters strikes again!
This flyer is in our building's elevator and on bulletin boards throughout our office proper.
I appreciate what they're trying to do - they're saying people fear both death and public speaking. But I'd say that dying is infinitely worse than standing up in front of people. I mean, I guess it depends on how you die. If you go peacefully in your sleep, then yeah, public speaking is a bitch. But if you're caught in a bear trap miles from anyone, slowly bleeding to death and in immense pain, I'd say a speech is a walk in the park. It just seems a little extreme. Plus, the noose and "hung" pun are just tacky. And, yeah, I'm aware I'm overly sensitive and a total bleeding heart liberal, but white man with a noose in Tennessee? Seems a little too spot on. That's just me, though.
Anyway, that was pretty well the most interesting thing at the office today. I ended up working the afternoon from home for the excellent reason that President Trump was in town today, and his arrival, which coincided with rush hour, was going to get thoroughly screwed. So, I came home. I also worked from the deck, for the most part. Last week, I did the same thing - I worked from home on Thursday - and it was 77 degrees and beautiful. Today, a different story. Barely above freezing. My hands still haven't thawed out.
But Piper enjoyed it - she's now passed out in the bedroom.
Cold hands are currently the least of my problems. They're incredibly dry, from weather, repeated washing, cold and so on. So, I bought a vat of unscented heavy duty lotion from Walgreen's this afternoon - and as soon as I put it on, my hands break out in a mild, lumpy dermatitis. I'll spare you that picture. It clears up quickly, like within an hour - but it itches, and it makes me not want to put on lotion, except that my hands are crazy dry. It's a challenge.
Tonight for dinner, since I didn't get home late, I had time to get a little creative. I made stuffed peppers - stuffed with taco meat, beans and salsa - with a little cheese on top. They were extremely filling and quite healthy, sodium notwithstanding. I'm still struggling to get all my calories in each day, which is weird. I think more about food now than when I wasn't dieting - what will hold me from breakfast to lunch, how can I make chicken taste better? If I cave and eat sugar, how screwed will I be? It makes me sort of like a fat anorexic. Sort of. That said, I feel better. I feel so much better.
Eventually, and by that, I mean soon - I need to get back into exercising. I was talking with two of the nice, pretty young women in Marketing - and they were telling me about a class at the Y they both took Monday. Sometimes I forget, there is really, really an age gap between me and the younger people. But most of the people my age have kids, and so the things they're into are progeny-centric - as it should be. So, I end up relating to the younger employees. Except I have some more stability - married over a decade, home owner, decent pay...
So I don't really fit in either place. And that means I can play in both sandboxes. It's kind of fun, and it's how I was in school - I would drift from group to group - never a member of any inner circle, but on the edges of lots of circles. That leads to some regrets. I have a lot of female friends who have close groups they've been tight with since middle school or high school or even college. I keep up with lots of people, but I'm not going to the beach weekends, or girls' night out, etc. And then I wonder if maybe I should have been a better friend to fewer people. I think not. I have a variety of friends at different levels for different occasions. And it's a skill to be able to socialize with lots of different kinds of people. Either that or I'm sneaky and conniving... hmmm.
I've had kind of a few moments of emotional clarity this week, and I feel more "settled" than I have in awhile. Grounded. I suspect that being home for a whole month (or two) makes that likely, and I'm definitely enjoying it. I need, while I have time, to get myself and my dog some appointments with a dog trainer so that we can get both of us the skills we need to manage outside the confines of our backyard. She deserves that.
And for now, that's that. I'm going to do a crossword puzzle, chill out and go to bed. I need to find a way to consume about 200 calories before I go to bed. So, like half of a Little Debbie and a few sips of milk. Or a ton of blueberries. See - I am making better choices!
Peace out, peeps!
ae
 |
| I've been around dead people and talked to crowds. Neither scare me. The possible racial issues this could evoke? Scary. |
This flyer is in our building's elevator and on bulletin boards throughout our office proper.
I appreciate what they're trying to do - they're saying people fear both death and public speaking. But I'd say that dying is infinitely worse than standing up in front of people. I mean, I guess it depends on how you die. If you go peacefully in your sleep, then yeah, public speaking is a bitch. But if you're caught in a bear trap miles from anyone, slowly bleeding to death and in immense pain, I'd say a speech is a walk in the park. It just seems a little extreme. Plus, the noose and "hung" pun are just tacky. And, yeah, I'm aware I'm overly sensitive and a total bleeding heart liberal, but white man with a noose in Tennessee? Seems a little too spot on. That's just me, though.
Anyway, that was pretty well the most interesting thing at the office today. I ended up working the afternoon from home for the excellent reason that President Trump was in town today, and his arrival, which coincided with rush hour, was going to get thoroughly screwed. So, I came home. I also worked from the deck, for the most part. Last week, I did the same thing - I worked from home on Thursday - and it was 77 degrees and beautiful. Today, a different story. Barely above freezing. My hands still haven't thawed out.
 |
| Table Dance? |
But Piper enjoyed it - she's now passed out in the bedroom.
Cold hands are currently the least of my problems. They're incredibly dry, from weather, repeated washing, cold and so on. So, I bought a vat of unscented heavy duty lotion from Walgreen's this afternoon - and as soon as I put it on, my hands break out in a mild, lumpy dermatitis. I'll spare you that picture. It clears up quickly, like within an hour - but it itches, and it makes me not want to put on lotion, except that my hands are crazy dry. It's a challenge.
Tonight for dinner, since I didn't get home late, I had time to get a little creative. I made stuffed peppers - stuffed with taco meat, beans and salsa - with a little cheese on top. They were extremely filling and quite healthy, sodium notwithstanding. I'm still struggling to get all my calories in each day, which is weird. I think more about food now than when I wasn't dieting - what will hold me from breakfast to lunch, how can I make chicken taste better? If I cave and eat sugar, how screwed will I be? It makes me sort of like a fat anorexic. Sort of. That said, I feel better. I feel so much better.
Eventually, and by that, I mean soon - I need to get back into exercising. I was talking with two of the nice, pretty young women in Marketing - and they were telling me about a class at the Y they both took Monday. Sometimes I forget, there is really, really an age gap between me and the younger people. But most of the people my age have kids, and so the things they're into are progeny-centric - as it should be. So, I end up relating to the younger employees. Except I have some more stability - married over a decade, home owner, decent pay...
So I don't really fit in either place. And that means I can play in both sandboxes. It's kind of fun, and it's how I was in school - I would drift from group to group - never a member of any inner circle, but on the edges of lots of circles. That leads to some regrets. I have a lot of female friends who have close groups they've been tight with since middle school or high school or even college. I keep up with lots of people, but I'm not going to the beach weekends, or girls' night out, etc. And then I wonder if maybe I should have been a better friend to fewer people. I think not. I have a variety of friends at different levels for different occasions. And it's a skill to be able to socialize with lots of different kinds of people. Either that or I'm sneaky and conniving... hmmm.
I've had kind of a few moments of emotional clarity this week, and I feel more "settled" than I have in awhile. Grounded. I suspect that being home for a whole month (or two) makes that likely, and I'm definitely enjoying it. I need, while I have time, to get myself and my dog some appointments with a dog trainer so that we can get both of us the skills we need to manage outside the confines of our backyard. She deserves that.
And for now, that's that. I'm going to do a crossword puzzle, chill out and go to bed. I need to find a way to consume about 200 calories before I go to bed. So, like half of a Little Debbie and a few sips of milk. Or a ton of blueberries. See - I am making better choices!
Peace out, peeps!
ae
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