No happy dance - back to facilitation

Well - no happy dance at this time. I got official word that I wasn't selected for the job. I was sensing this, so last Friday I sat down and wrote up what was on my mind.

My continuing issues with my boss have deteriorated from a mild improvement. I was ignoring it because I was looking for another job. But now I have to face this mess. Maybe that's the real lesson here - to face this rather than leave.

This morning I sent off my missive to the boss and the facilitator. I'd post it here, but that would probably work against me. We'll see.

I remain an optimist and as the saying goes - Don't let the bastards get you down.

Friday update - still no dance

Gee - good thing I didn't prepare my acceptance speech or choreograph the happy dance.

A week ago there was still no decision so it is still possible. My challenge is to prepare for the worst. And I have done that. I have a plan. If nothing else, it will give me something to do.

Tomorrow is a big day - lots of friends and family in town to celebrate George's 50th Birthday. So that is the focus right now.

Have a good weekend. Be safe and be kind.

Advice from Oscar nominees

Years ago following the Academy Awards a nominee said that the reason winners don't usually have a prepared speech is because if you don't win - you have that speech rolling around in your head for the rest of the evening.

So I'm waiting for a phone call - hoping rather for a job offer, but I cannot let myself get too far ahead of myself. No happy dance until I get the call.

I wonder how chickens feel waiting for an egg to hatch?

July 1st - thoughts on many things

Wow - what a week!

The litany of celebrity deaths in the past week - Ed McMahon, Farrah Fawcett, Michael Jackson, Billy Mays, Gale Storm, Fred Travalena - did I miss anyone?

July 4th is around the corner - but before that I have July 3rd - my mom's birthday - she turned 83 last year while in the hospital. A year ago I was driving back and forth to Winchester a couple of times a week.

On the job front - my boss is still crazy and I think it is time for them to re-adjust her meds. I had a job interview almost two weeks ago and it was really good. So now I am trying to remain positive yet dispassionate. I want to keep the positive energy flowing - but I don't want to be too disappointed if I don't get it. The optimism is winning.



I have explained it to a couple of people as - staying optimistic but not choreographing the happy dance yet.

At home things are going apace. We will celebrate George's 50th birthday this month and we have invited his brothers and other friends and family - so we're working on getting things cleaned up and throwing things away. That's very exciting to me - I've been wanting to clear out some of the clutter. In part because we'll eventually get some more stuff from the family home - but some of that will be a place to put things.

I'll keep you posted.

Another rainy day

Last night we drove home in the rain and during the night I awoke to the sound of rain falling. This morning I walked to the Metro in the rain and it has been raining all day. Sigh.

I really don't mind - I like the rain. Alas I think the ground is getting a bit water-logged. But it is supposed to clear up for the weekend and be sunny.

It has been a thoughtful week for me. Tuesday was the third anniversary of the death of my father. I wasn't devestated - but I do miss him.

Wednesday was a pretty good day - I was enthused to realize that I am a really good librarian. I continue to work under the stress of a boss who is truly certifiable and continues to avoid me - actually that is a good combination. A patron was in and went on at length about it. All I could do was nod and smile.

So life goes on - and things are looking better. It is still raining - but I love to walk in the rain. Look for me when it's stormy - I can't complain.

Crayon therapy

I did survive my vacation. I had a wonderful time in both San Francisco and Seattle as well as my brief visit to Portland, Oregon. I reconnected with several friends and made some new ones. I also ate a lot of good food and saw the sights in both cities.

On May 2nd as I made my trip back to the east coast - I had 2+ hour layover at O'Hare Airport. I almost said Chicago - but I was far from Chicago! So I looked for a restaurant that would allow me to sit down and relax with lunch. I even had a glass of wine.

This was a restaurant that has paper over the tablecloths and provides crayons. Not only am I presented with a blank canvas, I am given some colors - a very limited palette - to work with. And I have always found coloring to be a very therapeutic activity.

Just the smell of crayons will take me back to my childhood - when my life was simpler and involved lots more playtime than my adult life allows. I had forgotten how wonderful coloring is until several years ago I was on a work assignment in another city. I was there for two weeks. I had taken books to read etc. but that wasn't doing it for me. I was alone in the evenings and there wasn't much to do but watch television. So I walked to the nearby department store and bought a box of crayons and a coloring book. So each evening after dinner, I sat at the table in my room and watched television and colored.

Now I have a couple of coloring books and on occasion I will sit and color while I'm watching tv. it is very relaxing.

So back to the layover in O'Hare. My first drawing was of a village next to a lake. And then I drew the parrot above. I decided to keep that drawing and share it with others here.

If you are ever feeling overwhelmed with life - sit down with a box of crayons and a coloring book. Don't worry about coloring inside the lines. (Okay - I stay inside the lines - but not everyone needs to do that.) Color a few pictures - don't worry about where you start in the coloring book either. Find a picture that you want to color - one that says - this person is wearing a blue shirt and in no time at all you'll feel more relaxed.

I stole art from the SF Museum of Modern Art

Well - before the Feds come knocking at my door - what I really did was take a few photos of some artwork at the MOMA.

I got there just in time for a guided tour of the William Kentridge exhibition. He is a South African artist who is multi-talented. A friend told me that she had heard a definition of a genius as one who looks at things and imagines them for other purposes. In one of Mr. Kentridge's film works his coffee pot turns into a spaceship. He works with a lot of commonplace items that were in his studio.

The museum also has paintings by Klee, Mondrian, Miro, Braques and Picasso. I took photos of Diego Rivera and Frieda Kahlo paintings.


Diego Rivera painting The Flower Carrier


Frieda Kahlo self portrait with her husband Diego Rivera
So I didn't really steal anything - and I paid admission and I bought a couple of things at the gift shop. So please, don't arrest me.