Stinky to Stellar

I had an interesting weekend – was very busy – but nothing really happened that lends itself to full post, so I thought I’d write up some of this weekends events on the “stinky to stellar” continuum.

Let’s start with the stinky, shall we?

Stinky
I had to work all weekend long – both days. I haven’t had to work a weekend in forever, and boy did I resent it. (Geez, give a girl a cushy three-days-a-week job for one year, and she goes all mental when she is actually asked to work a Saturday). In an effort to have fairness in reporting, I should add that this meant that I only had to work two days last week and that I will only be working two days during this upcoming week, but it also meant that I saw very little of SRH and Zane this weekend. I happen to like both of those characters very much, so it kind of stunk up the place.

Kinda Stinky
At my all day meeting on Saturday, there was a woman – a work colleague - who doesn’t like me. And I don’t mean “sort of” doesn’t like me. I mean, she has trouble looking at me without a sneer on her face doesn’t like me. And here’s the thing: I am quite sure that I must remind her of someone - Maybe the girl who got her spot on the cheerleading squad in 7^th grade? - because I honestly have never had a conversation of more than 5 sentences with her. I just could not have said/done anything that would deserve the clear enmity with which she looks at me – or doesn’t look at me, as the case may be.

Because we’ve formed a sort of agreement, she and I. As long as I don’t make her acknowledge my presence, by greeting her for example, she doesn’t have to put a fake smile over her pained expression and pretend to everyone else that she can tolerate me. So it works out like this: She just pretends to NEVER see me, even when we’re in the same room for an ENTIRE day.

It only rates as “kind of” stinky, because although it’s uncomfortable, I somehow think that it bothers her way more than it bothers me.

Neither Stinky Nor Stellar
I met a bunch of new people during the day-long meeting on Saturday – several of whom have only been names on emails up to this point. So I’m meeting one such person, and she says to me,

Oh, Zany Mama, yeah. I know your name. I applied for your job, actually. But you got it instead.

Hmmm…wow…I don’t really know what to say to that. So I think I just said something about “better luck next time slugger” or some other such nonsense and made a quick exit.

Kinda Stellar
Sunday I spent all day with women students of a leadership program that my office is collaborating on. I think the students are all really remarkable women – way more together than I was at 20 and 21- but I’m always really aware of how much older I am when I spend time with them. I haven’t been in undergrad for 10 years. (Yikes!) But as I’m talking to one of the course instructors, she says,

Zany Mama, do you mind if I ask you how old you are? I mean, I figure you must be almost my age since you got some of my references earlier. (She had referred to a Jem Doll, and I was the only person in the very young group who got it).

I should add that the woman who asked me was 25 years old. When she found out that I was 32 she just couldn’t believe it. In the sweetest way, she said,

But you just look so youthful!

Oh dear one, even though that is kind of a backwards compliment, I’ll take it. If you think I look under 25, I don’t care if you think that age 32 is old. I just don’t care -any affirmation of my continuing vitality is welcome and appreciated.

Stellar
We took the students to one of those adventure recreation/team building type of camps –and it was fabulous! I have only done something like that one other time in my life, and it was fun, but this time was just spectacular.

I really got to know the girls better, and I really pushed myself physically to do some of the challenges. As some of you may recall, I was quite injured during my labor with Zane - as discussed in this post - so climbing up rock walls and belaying for girls who are heavier and bigger than me was just a really physically empowering experience.

But the best part was the “Pamper Pole”. Although I’d never heard of it before, the pamper pole is a telephone pole that a person climbs using staples for foot and hand holds. Once you’re about 30 feet in the air, you maneuver yourself to standing on top of the pole – without any hand grips. Then you have to turn your body 180 degrees before jumping off to a trapeze about 8 feet away. It is just really challenging emotionally to make yourself stand up in the middle of a pole with nothing around you. (Again for purposes of full disclosure, you are wearing a harness. So you most likely will not plummet to your death should you fall, but it’s still really hard to jump out into the air with only four virtual strangers belaying you).

It was both terrifying and exhilarating – and I did it! I didn’t catch the trapeze when I jumped, but I made myself climb the pole, stand up, and jump out into nothingness!

It was a truly fabulous experience.

Overall, the weekend was more stellar than stinky, so I'm trying not to be too sour grapes that I didn't get much time with my boys.