I think it’s safe to say I sometimes get carried away. Luckily there is one place in my life where this is just fine and dandy.
At my office, each of us in my department is in charge of another’s birthday. You send around a card for all of us sign (all 10 of us), set up a time on our calendar to celebrate and bring in a treat. We are all event account managers so planning parties is something we all know how to do. There is a drawer full of assorted colored tablecloths, festive paper plates and plastic silverware, a few party hats.
I am the keeper of the drawer and also the schedule of who plans the birthdays. About 5 years ago, when updating the list for a new hire, I assigned myself to my friend, Norma. Norma lives life large. She is a single mother of two boys; she moved here with them from Mexico when they were babies (after the death of her husband, who was an employee at my company). She was able to put her hotel experience to good use and eventually ended up at BIW and in my department. She is outspoken, funny, full of energy and loves celebrations as much as I do. No one gets more enjoyment out of their own birthday than Norma does. We are a birthday party match made in heaven.
This year I did a flamingo theme. Not sure why although I remember that I thought the idea up a while back. First I found a big petal envelope back in the client mailing center and did a huge card for everybody to sign.
Then I made a banner that spelled out her name. (I got this banner die set a year ago so I am always looking for an excuse to make a banner.) I turned off the tv in the lunchroom to hang it up.
I set up the table with lots of pink, using the cupcakes (the feature photo) as the centerpiece. The menu included pink cupcakes with pink and white icing and flamingo straws, white chocolate popcorn with pink sprinkles (Norma loves popcorn), pink sixlets and ice cream with pink sprinkles).
This is way over the edge and created quite a stir in my building as I was getting everything set up. People from other departments came in and some folks even took pictures. Everyone seems to think I’m a little crazy. But Norma was thrilled and I’m thrilled to over-do for an appreciative audience.
When was the last time you got a little carried away?
You are a natural wonder, vs. How I wish I had that childlike enthusiasm for celebrations. Alas, I don’t, and I can only imagine how appreciated and celebrated Norma felt at that fiesta.
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In the last week I have lost 4 pounds helping my friend pre and post operation for her rotator cuff. She works full time as a security guard, and also works part time at a hobby farm helping with chores. If she wasn’t working, she was sleeping. Life has not been kind to her. She moved into her current apartment in July, and hadn’t had time or energy or the health to unpack, and some of her boxes and totes have been unexamined/unpacked for more than a decade. She just moved them every time she moved. She also is an avid quilter and seamstress and has tons of fabric and sewing equipment. Her situation led to inertia and despair, and it was not possible to walk through the apartment for the boxes and totes. I sorted, organized, and moved furniture. I made multiple trips to the dumpster. We shredded documents dating back to the 1990’s. She called me a “white tornado”. I made banana bread, cooked up two butternut squash, and organized all contents of the totes we couldn’t empty. In the midst of it all, there was a burst pipe in the wall of her apartment, and we had to move shelving for the plumber, and then dry everything and move things back.
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Now she has a functional living room and bedroom, organized shelves, and a sewing room that she will be able to easily organize when her arm is functional. A
I am chagrined, however, that I need to go to the rez tomorrow to collect Husband and all his stuff, as he is completely fed up with his agency and won’t go back. Sigh.
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I leave for ND later this morning.
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Wow Renee– what an amazing thing you’ve been doing. Sound like the help was desperately needed and hopefully, much appreciated. You’re a good friend.
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What an amazing act of friendship, Renee. Good luck with Chris’ move. Sorry that things aren’t working out with his agency. But, if now isn’t a good time to realize that life is too short and precious to squander in a bad situation, I don’t know when is. Hope everyone out there is staying healthy.
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By “out there” I meant all baboons and their loved ones.
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Do you mean not going back to the Rez or not going back to work? Or is that the same thing?
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No longer working on the rez. He will ramp up his private practice in our town.
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I’m concerned, Renee. To decide to discontinue work he has devoted years to, he must be seriously unhappy. I’m glad he has an alternative, but sorry he feels compelled to leave the Rez. I hope this works out for everyone.
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I don’t think working on the rez became his main gig until he retired from his day job.
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This was in response to xdfben’s question.
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It is hard to work under an authoritarian administrator and a narcissistic clinical director. He is finally done.
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i can’t work at all in autocratic situations
bozo meatheads are difficult to drive behind for 3 miles. working with them would kill me. i really do tell myself i can do this because i only have to deal with it for 3 minutes malania has to be there every day
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Is this the same friend who will someday live with you?
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Yes. We have been best friends since we were 6 years old.
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OMG, Renee, what if you hadn’t shown up? You get a pair of “special angel” wings…
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i am moving out of my warehouse and unearthed my moms stash of marvelous fabrics
i think it’s in the i can’t keep it pile but i sure would feel better if i could send it to your friend
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If she doesn’t want it, tim, my friend Sara who lives down the street from me is a quilt maker. She’s an amazingly productive sewer, and she donates all of her quilts to women’s shelters and homeless veterans’ shelters all over the state. Depending on what you have, I’m sure she’d love to have it.
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i’ll get back to you
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She really doesn’t have room for any more cloth., but I wish she could take it, too.
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sold pj
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The last time I got carried away was March 9, with my suggestions about how you could stay away from Cadbury eggs. The one idea that never occurred to me was an order from the Governor.
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Wait! Wait! He hasn’t ordered that we can’t buy Cadbury eggs, has he?
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It’s coming. Remember when he limited gatherings to 250 people?
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I went to Walgreens (carefully) yesterday and stocked up.
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I actually need to tell you guys that some of the outrageous suggestions including writing the check have kind of worked. I have managed to stick to only one Cadbury egg a day (if they are in the house). I haven’t written a check and I’m not even going to attempt that but somehow thinking of all of those ideas has kept me on the straight and narrow.
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Some of those suggestions were pretty clever and had a lot of teeth.
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Teeth, but with cavities.
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amazon prime cadbury search?
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tim, I have actually considered that. LOL.
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VS and Renee — you are both amazing! Such amazing work and fun you both provided to people who enjoy it. The most I do for birthday parties (for my boys) is a fancy cake and a nice meal. Decorating (of any sort) is just not my thing.
I’m still going to work fulltime everyday and am considered an “essential employee” and even have documents to prove it! Buses and parking lots are empty and over 80% of employees here are working remotely. Kind of surreal …
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More power to you, Joanne!
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woo hoo essential is good
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I go over the top sometimes about organizing (according to someone who lives with me). My favorite is to have “a place for everything and everything in its place”, but esp. right now, you wouldn’t know that to look around our house here. Trying to get a handle on that…
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OT – In case you’re interested, yesterday Bob Dylan released anew single. As good a time an any to reflect on the events in our life-time that have had profound, long lasting impacts. Here’s a link to Murder Most Foul. It’s worth the 17 minutes to listen, and reflect:
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thanks pj
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Nit
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At one time I had four cats simultaneously; I suppose I got a little carried away with the rescues.
It’s not good to let me get too close to animal shelters. I’d like to take them all home.
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If it makes you feel better, Linda, my baby sister is up to nine right now. She does pet sitting for a living and is very involved in animal rescue and just can’t help herself.
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The world needs people who will take them on. Bless her.
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two or three years ago i started going too goodwill on tuesday’s to buy suit coats on 75%off day to sell on ebay
today i am moving out of my warehouse and have thousands of coats to finish photographing and selling (i have stopped for the foreseeable future)
record albums i had a few but then again not too few to mention
i’ve got thousands stashed played a bunch of pj and vs’s last week. i do love lp’s (i can’t stop)
hats (never stop)
i get into jags (noun not autos) (but i need to beware of jag jags too)and go loopy before it stops
if birky finds on ebay for 20 bucks is a good deal 5 of those is a great deal. that brain gets me in trouble
searching masks for menards appears to be a dead end but my manic searching led me to another side hustle that may play out in the next little while
farmville is my latest in too deep sin. i hope to discover new ones as i reinvent again
air bnb is toast. looking for new inspiration from my backyard
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The air b-n-b properties could be repurposed as coronavirus isolation suites.
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fun
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