Monday, October 02, 2006

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 7th 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.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

You made me sick to my stomach just thinking about standing up on a pole 30 feet above the ground, let alone jumping off!

There is no harness in the world reassuring enough to make me do that!

Hats off to you.

Zany Mama said...

mom-
Thanks! It was fabulous. I know the heights get you - for me, not so much. Now if they had asked me to handle a snake, it would have been a different story.

Frederic's Hair Design said...

Great accomplishment Zany! The heights may not be so bad, but it's the JUMPING that gets me. Sorry about your nemesis'(?) uncomfortability with you, but oh well, if she wants to raise her stress levels-even in the slightest bit for whatever trivial reason, bully for her.
Ah, Jem...
My brother would KILL me for saying, but my forced exposure to the lovely Jem and her Holograms occurred because it was his alotted time block for the t.v.
(Don't ask why I never left the room)
Glad your weekend was more stellar than stinky, and the lovely wife truly appreciated the yoga pants post, but is still slightly shy about responding.

Anonymous said...

*Ahem* (From memory...)

Jem- Jem is excitement (oooo)
Jem - Jem is adventure (ooo-ooo)
Glamour and glitter,
Fashion and Fame (Oh-oh)
JEM- Jem is truly outrageous
Truly, truly, truly outrageous
(Oh-oh-oh)
JEM- Jem, the music's contagious,
Outrageous.
Jem is my name,
No one else is the same.
Jem is my name.
JEM!

SRH said...

I don't know if I should be impressed or scared by lsig's recitation.

Anonymous said...

I am somewhat speechless about your musings on age! I guess we need our lifetimes to work that one out. So as your Elder buddy, and since you had a harness on, I am somewhat happy that you didn't catch the trapeze....

Zany Mama said...

jw-
You made several good points, so in my typically anal fashion, I shall now respond to them one by one.

It's true: one should climb a telephone pole and jump off into nothingness at least once in their life. It just makes you feel good about yourself.

ooh...that's a great reframe. Now I have a nemesis - not just some annoying chick who gets under my skin a little bit. A nemesis. I haven't had a nemesis since SRH's brother divorced his last wife.

Of course you couldn't leave the room - Jem is truly outrageous. Who wants to miss that?

Glad your wife liked the yoga pant post. I agree that commenting is pretty hard - it's kind of like walking into the middle of a party with no one you know and hoping that they're glad you showed up. But rest assured JW's wife, you'll be welcomed here!

lsig-
This is one of the reasons I count you as a friend of my heart.

srh-
I'd pick impressed. That will make it way easier for you to live with me - another woman who remembers all sorts of song/advertisements/jingles from the 80's.

zooland-
As always, thanks for your gifts. I'm noodling on it.