June 29, 2007

The Three's

It is said that things come in threes. Good things come in three's and bad things come in three's. Whether it be an old wives tale, Murphy's Law, or The Universe Sayin' Something, or just plain old superstition, the theory seems to hold true.

When I was in college, I had 3 jobs to pay for tuition. Funny that - never thought about it until now. Anyway, one of those jobs was as the Unit Coordinator on the Post Partum wing of Boulder Community Hospital. For those who don't speak hospital, that's where the ladies go after giving birth. On that wing, all the nurses were convinced that things happened in three's. When something bad happened, they started counting. When a woman was about to have her 3rd child, they celebrated and knew nothing would go wrong. When there was a full moon, they all got edge-y - but that's another story, as is their solidarity on the pro-life issue (it was Colorado, so give them some slack). When something good or bad happened that didn't align with the three's rule, they went about their routine but puzzled over it in the break room.

That was a long time ago, but ever since BCH, I always subconsciously think in three's. When life gives me a knock, I wait for and expect a couple more, not even knowing that I do. So when they don't come, I'm briefly puzzled and carry on. And when everything's good, I hope and hope it will get to or even extend past the three's. Gosh, who wouldn't?

And so, you three dear readers of mine, I announce that I've just summed up six or maybe eight! Three blows and three-plus incredible successes, all within the last 5 weeks. All at the same time. Because that's how life throws it, I guess.

The first string of three's were negative, and all to my dear, darling, adorable car, Desdemona. Most of it cannot be explained really; if I were to boil it down I would figure she had it coming considering her name's origin is Greek for "wretchedness" or a direct translation for "misery." Thanks, Google. Knowing that now, such a pretty name, and such a pretty car who has been so good to me for so long, I don't think I would have ever named her that when I took title.

Three weeks ago, I was out and about for work, driving the lovely Desi, and came second in line to a stubbornly slow stop sign intersection. Apparantly, some Arizona Ass-Wipe got mixed up along his way, pulled into a driveway before I arrived there to do a U-turn, and backed out right up on Desi's shank. Good thing he was of my Jewish tribe - otherwise I wouldn't have been so accomodating to him.

Two weeks later, Desi got the sh*t smashed out of her side mirror (I know this is sounding repetetive to my 3 readers, so I'll keep it short - there's a point here somewhere near the end). A week later someone bashed in her passenger window to grab the mobile she was coddling for me as I absent-mindedly slept.

So there's Desi's 3. Almost all of them are fixed now. She's taking it well and running like the Arabian stallion she is. Goddamn BMW's. You have to love them.

On the flip of the three's though, and congrous with the timing of the bad three's, three great things have happened. Actually, if everything positive can be counted on the plus side of the universe, then 5 great things have happened. So bonus kharma points, I guess. Man, I think I deserve them with all my niceness anyway.

I closed two fantastic business deals even while nursing Desdemona back to health. I also, shortly thereafter, had a (*ugh*) birthday, for which the parties were very well attended (it was a big birthday, so it commanded more than one party). Plus I had my first friggin' date since December (I must be a monster!! Or busy. Or something in between.... at least I hope that's the case), and yes, people, I just scored the BIGGEST contract thus far in my new business. Just today. Woo! Hoo!

I cannot explain the universal wives' tale/Murphy's Law/Universe Doin' It/Kharma thing. I cannot say that I consciously count all the time. But on occasion, when I do, it all seems to add up. So if you don't already, take the good with the bad and know that life ebbs and flows, and all you can do to stay sane is roll with it.

June 19, 2007

Perspective

I recently reported that I have nothing to report. Some curve balls, yes. And I'm really glad to have had the perspective I had then, as it continues even further now. After all, they are just curve balls; they are diffucult to navigate, but any pro can manage.

After the previous post of un-interesting events, some others have occurred.
Another one of my contracts closed - pay day - woo hoo. But my company decided to take a big chunk to cover some costs. Boo.

A few days later, my best friend who I hadn't talked to in 6 weeks had her birthday. We went out, had fun, and the late night ended after a 1 hour discussion on how we had both f*cked up. This, actually, wasn't so bad. I swear - so much in the world can be put right just by hearing the other side. Clarity people! We're not totally renewed, but we're both aware now of some outstanding stuff and know we're important enough to each other to work through it and continue to be beacons in each other's lives.

That same night, however, I neglected to remove my cell phone from the car, and awakened next morning to a smashed in car window (no! Desdemona! no!) and the mobile gone. Most of the following Monday was dedicated to getting a new cell and a new window.

But here's where perspective comes into play. Several unfortunate events have come to me recently, but nothing life-altering (except an almost gone best friend, which is pretty huge and altering). But the rest: Annoying? Yes. Inconveniencing? Yes. Expensive to replace when I totally wasn't at fault? Certainly. But it's not like one of my parents died, which happened just recently to another friend.

Over Father's Day weekend, a friend's dad passed away. I simply could not imagine a more devastating blow. To not be there; to have so many things left unsaid; to have so many more life processes to go for which one would want to share with one's parents. Makes my curve balls seem even more trivial than they already seemed. After all, I have pretty much lived 10 years incident-free in a big urban metropolis.

So please, just talk to your loved ones. Parents, rellies, children, and best friends, and let them know you care. I was fortunate enough to putz around my parents' place on Father's Day, trimming the bottle brush tree in front while my dad worked the garden in back and my mom planned her sister's visit and her week's meals in the kitchen, and then I was dragged to the grocery store and helped make a King's Dinner for Dear Old Dad on the BBQ, and I couldn't have asked for anything more that day.



June 10, 2007

Life-o

Sometimes, life brings you nothing but chores and nothing to report. And that sucks for general life blogging. That is where I seem to have been for the last many many weeks. For those of you who have hung on and checked in anyway, I thank you and I really appreciate it! And, I guarantee that there are circles in life, and soon I will be sharing some really amazing, surprising joys instead of all this crap.


So life, as it were, and as it continues to be, has recently thrown me several curve balls. Not dissimilar to a rather famous religious figure who was asked to make water into wine, I have been asked to turn curve balls into a balanced juggling act on a tightrope of passion vs. getting payed, not to mention having to prove to my parents that I am not a spinster; no, I'm really, truly waiting for the right guy. And really, I am. Come on.


Needless to say, my intellectually designed pithy diatribes have been reduced to quiet, internal grumblings. If you have been in such a position, in which your pithy diatribes have been reduced to quiet, internal grumblings, then you know that these can eat away at your core of Ever-Positiveness. It can shake one's confidence. All around, a dark place to be.


Sometimes-Positive-and-Heading-Down is a tough spiral to contradict, and a meager replacement for one's previous Ever-Positiveness. Seriously. It takes absolute defiance of natural human tendancies. I'm happy to report that the dark storm is subsiding in the outshine of a glorious sunrise. Wait. What? Who the hell said that?

So, to appease my quiet and small audience, here is what has been going on:
1. Work work work work work work work;
2. work. This, as well as the above work, has thus far gone unpaid. Grr.
3. Volunteer work. Um. Can we say unpaid again? OK> Unpaid X 2 groups and I'm on 4 of the committees, come on...;
4. Social networking. This may be fruitful down the line, but as I'm sure you are aware, these activities are sometimes, but almost always, LAME evenings and are yet again Unpaid;
5. Met a real cool cat at the SF Int'l Film Festival. We set up a tentative date. He changed it around at least 5 times and then said he was in a hurly burly chaos state and can we just chill out. I laughed out loud at his email, because we were only trying to set up a night to get drinks and get to know each other better, and his life, apparently, got overwhelmingly in the way. Whatevs, dude. It was just a drink. Chill out.
6. Car crash - in the most urban and mundane sense of the phrase. Some dickhead from Arizona decided to back out of a driveway and into the back of my car, Desdemona, while I was at a stop sign. Apparently he doesn't know to check both LEFT and right before backing up. Nevertheless, it took 2+ weeks to estimate and resolve while I was staying out of town - in general a pain in the ass;
7. Upon making my lovely Desdemona beautiful again (yeah that's her name, don't judge), I came out from today's 4 hour Sunday work appointment only to find that some crazy got super crazy on Desi and kicked out her driver's side mirror just for fun. Oh Joy! Another call to AAA and another visit coming to Tony's Imported Autobody. Damn, they love me there;
8. Haven't talked to my best friend in 6 weeks. Tired of being the olive-branch giver in this situation. She's pissed at me about something, and with 1,2 and 3 above, I really can't be bothered to figure out why and find the olive branch that will work this time. Why do Geminis have to be so damn difficult? However, her birthday is next week, so I've got to do something... must find appropriate gift/olive branch, damn her;
9. Somewhere in my recent calendar of exciting events, I forgot to mention to you that I was kissed (read: accosted) by a 53 year-old Irish man after he bought me 3 glasses of nice Italian wine at my favorite Italian wine bar Ottimista Enoteca. And, let's just wipe that out of all of our memories right now. It doesn't matter that he was such a gentleman and looked like a slightly older Dave Foley, he doesn't exist. Who? That's right. How? Nevermind. And stop complimenting me on my calves.

Geez. More later and I miss you,
Gertie.