No Soup for You!

In my office, the break room and copy area are right next to each other with a huge garbage can sitting between the two. On my way to the microwave, I stopped near the garbage to pop the lid off my Campbell's can. Soup exploded ALL OVER the Xerox machine. I quickly mopped it up, but couldn't help noticing that we got a new copier two days later. It has to be just a coincidence, right? I thought soup was supposed to be "good" food. Leave it up to mine to misbehave!

Of All the Gin Joints, He Had to Walk Into Mine

I am one of eight organizers in a local supper club. One of my fellow organizers issued a warning email for us to keep an eye out on a certain member. It seems that this particular member was asking men at one of the dinners who the "rich women" were in the group. His member profile self exclaims he is "the right guy" and offers a $4,000 "bounty" for the person who introduces him to his future wife.

While out for drinks one night with Claudine, I told her how I was considering giving dating another shot. She replied, "Let me introduce you to 'the right guy' so I can collect that reward!" NOT EVEN ten minutes later, two men walk up to us at the bar. Upon introduction, I learned that the guy talking to me was non other than the INFAMOUS MEMBER we were JUST joking about. As if it isn't weird enough he entered our bar (out of ALL the bars in DC) and he approached me (out of ALL the women in the club), what makes it even stranger is that he had JUST been kicked out of the supper club THAT NIGHT after going to a dinner my close friend Gab was hosting!!!

Even more bizarre than the coincidence, was the gentleman himself. He told me that as a hobby he builds guns (I am picturing John Malkovich from In the Line of Fire). He asked me about my interests and I mentioned sailing. He replied that sailing is an expensive hobby. Upon hearing this comment, Claudine retorted with a devious grin, "Oh, this girl is LOADED. Mel doesn't have to worry about that! She is a widow. Her husband left her loads of cash!!!" You could see this guy's eyes light up. It was hilarious. Normally I don't lie to people, but a guy this money hungry deserved it.

He might be "the right guy," but I am not "the right girl." For now, I’m quite content being “the one who got away.” We left the bar laughing and wondering if he'll ever find his "rich woman" to marry. Heck, he has to pay that $4,000 reward somehow!

A Fairytale Ending

Bad news - It wasn't the plumbing. The leak actually got worse! In an act of desperation, I lived without air conditioning for a few days and spent another day working from home while waiting for a repair man.
Good news - It was the AC, I have a home warranty, and the leak is now fixed.

Bad news - It is going to take me twice as long to get settled because the movers did such a terrible job. Despite me giving them instruction to where my furniture SHOULD be placed, I ended up with a bookcase and twin mattress in my guest bathroom.
Good news - I'll have access to plenty good "bathroom reading material" and will have an especially short trip when I wake up in the middle of the night having to "go." (Just kidding.) In reality, the good news is that I think I might actually see a muscle forming from having to rearrange...

Bad News - Mom was the in the hospital the bulk of last week. They took a bone marrow sample and found "bad cells." She was diagnosed with Myelodysplastic Syndrome, also known as MDS or preleukemia. While it isn't a "full-blown" case of leukemia, it can progress into acute myelogenous leukemia. She had to receive several transfusions, but was released this weekend. She'll be staring chemotherapy soon.
Good News - My mom is such a strong woman. She battled breast cancer a few years ago. Although I know she is scared and is in a bit of pain from her hospital visit, she remains optimistic.

Bad News - Recently, I have felt so alone. I know I should be happy that I have fulfilled my dream of becoming a home owner. It is just hard to sit back and enjoy it when there are so many things to worry about.
Good News - I have awesome friends who constantly remind me that I am NOT alone. My support net is very strong. A few days ago, I got an email from Angey, one of my biggest cheerleaders. The email said, "This DEFINITELY made me think of you!" and had the attached story:

Once upon a time, a guy and a girl fell in love and were married. The guy treated her like crap, but rather than taking it, the girl set off to start a new life for herself. She summoned up the strength to get a divorce and spent the rest of her life shopping and drinking martinis with friends. She always had a clean house, never had to cook, had a closet full of shoes and handbags, stayed skinny, was never farted on, and lived happily ever after.

I've seen a few different versions of this story on the web, but it was JUST what I needed to hear. True, bad things do happen (as they say, "that's life"). But, I have the love and support of friends, awesome parents, and my very own fairytale ending. :-D

The Joys of Being a Homeowner

Today is two weeks to the day I closed on my condo. Today also happens to be the day I got a call informing me that something in my unit is leaking water into the place below me. A plumber is coming out tomorrow to check my pipes. You wanna check my pipes?!?! How does this sound? AAAAAAAARGH!

Burn Baby Burn

I attempted to boil my face off yesterday while at work.

While filling scalding hot water into a cup to make cocoa, the cup slipped and some water splashed out on my hand. As a reaction, I dropped the cup, which hit the counter and doused me with water. My entire face was bright red, but the skin around my chin, lips, and eyes got burned the worst. It sent my coworkers into quite a panic. After running my head under cold water for half an hour, an ice compress did the trick. When all was said and done, my pride was damaged far worse than my face.

Of course, I couldn't have pulled this stunt last week when practically everyone was out of the office. Oh, no. I had to wait until half the executive team from headquarters came in for a visit. Leave it to me to make a big impression!

Well, Blow Me Down!

Mentioned in my previous entry, my mother's birthday was this past weekend. A few weeks ago I took a glassblowing lesson, so as a gift I gave her the bowl I made in class. While at her birthday dinner at Maison Lacour, a fine French restaurant in Baton Rouge, I thought about how things have come full circle...

A little over two years ago at that SAME restaurant I first mentioned my interest in glassblowing. Upon hearing this, my father remarked, "I dunno Melanie. You've got to be good at blowing to do that. Are you good at blowing?" Before my father realized how that sounded, I cringed and my mother gasped in shock. "Um... I mean... with your asthma and... you need good lung function... err." Yeah, there is no recovering from that comment. It wouldn't have been that bad were we not at dinner with my ex-boyfriend, his PARENTS and GRANDMOTHER.

To answer your question Dad, yes. As evidenced by the quality of my bowl, I am good at blowing. And to this day, when I think of that moment, I still feel like "blowing" my brains out.

Coming to a Close

In exactly seven days, I have managed to:

• end a nine month quasi-dating relationship
• buy my first home
• move
• fly to Baton Rouge to help my mother celebrate her birthday
• attend Sheila's wedding in Jackson, Mississippi

All that, and I only missed two days of work.

(As a side note, you might find it interesting that I caught the bride's bouquet. Well, more like it hit me square in the chest. Since that means I'll be "next," either the rest of the girls at her wedding will die old maids or I'll have to lift my dating moratorium.)

While closing on my condo was an exciting and empowering experience, I must admit that I am more relieved that the week itself has come to a close!