Dianne's Delivery

Today I ventured into the world by myself. I went shopping for a spell at one store. After over an hour, my wound area became a little achy. Perhaps I should have worn my band around it like I do when I go to sleep. When I started to feel tired, I went home to prepare for Dianne's (aka Possum) visit.

How do you react when you receive a gift like this?



Dianne may have delivered it, but it was actually from her Filipino co-worker Mario. He is such a nut and thought these things would go well together and be a funny gift. I had no choice but to laugh hard. This is what happens when you get two crazy friends into an Asian market. Laughter is the best medicine I am telling you!

On the other hand, Dianne also brought me two hand fans, sesame cookies and these cute solar-powered Lucky Cats from her. (I mistakenly always call these Happy Cats.) Their heads bob from side to side thanks to the solar panel. These are the only cats I love. I can't wait to bring them to work so I can smile every time I look at them.



We made our way to a local restaurant after I opened all my gifts and had a great time catching up and laughing. Her visit was a great cheer-me-up. I had been feeling a little down after my shopping earlier when my body was reminding me that I am still healing from a big surgery. It is the stuff that can mess with your spirit and mind. Luckily, my new cats set me on the right path.

Hugs,
Sprinkles
xo

Dianne's Delivery

Tambourine

Some side-effects of cancer are beneficial. It is not in the physical sense, but in the emotional and spiritual sense. Cancer gives the permission to most people like myself to relax and enjoy life more without limitations. I've taken life not as seriously as I used to before January which would be a surprise to most who know me.

I used to give off the illusion of carefree. The carefree only mattered if I could control it. Does that make sense? Kind of like controlled chaos. Now my mantra comes from Richard Branson, "Screw it. Let's do it."

My week after chemo couldn't progress fast enough. The recovery is taking a day or two longer. Instead of feeling like myself early Wednesday, it is now late Thursday or early Friday. I hope this time is the exception not the norm. Blogging has taken a back burner to making sure I manage my energy at the end of the day.

My plans for this evening was to meet Dianne for Happy Hour at a trendy steakhouse across the road from my work. The place is expensive but they have made meals and drinks at the bar area affordable until 7pm. I am not big on steak so a big dinner in the main dining room would be a waste for me.

Dianne was sitting in a padded red half-moon booth when I arrived. She hadn't seen me since the week before my head shave and didn't recognize me as I came around the bar. The bar area was lit low and intimate. It wasn't until I stopped in front of her that she realized it was me! The faux hair and my dressed up slimmer body threw her off. We enjoyed two seafood appetizers, delicious gourmet hamburgers and drinks. No, I didn't have wine, but a fruity non-alcoholic drink. I was waiting for the bite of vodka or rum at the end of each sip that never came. Sigh. I envied her glasses of red wine and my hair (again!) because the waitress gushed over how much she loved it.

I was thankful for the change in pace and venue. It made me feel like a normal adult going out and enjoying life with the spectre of cancer hidden back. We laughed and talked about an upcoming trip. In July, I will tag along on her yearly trip to Captiva Island with her other set of girlfriends. I can't wait! They try to coincide it with a fishing tournament that occurs in the area around the same time which means the ratio of men to women are higher. Mind you, she and her girlies are married, but it gives them a chance to flirt and behave badly around each other before returning to their suburban lives.

Energized from my dinner with Dianne, I was about to call Tawny and Jeff to see if they wanted to go to my happy place for bubble drinks. I noticed a message of a missed call and a voicemail from Serina. She was just leaving her parent's home after having dinner out with them when I called her back. They had been concerned at how my recovery from this chemo was going and wanted to invite me to dinner. I changed my plans and invited Serina to meet me at the bubble place instead. (Sorry Tawny!) We needed to catch up on stuff since I barely saw her at my last chemo appointment.

Man, I felt like a celebrity in my happy place. Two people greeted me warmly when they noticed I was seated waiting for someone. The cafe was filled with university students and other varying adult ages. They were getting ready for open mic night. I was up for live performances.

Serina and I were enjoying our drinks when one of the guys working there grabbed my hand and asked to borrow me. Before I knew it, I had a tambourine in my hand and playing it while two other guys sang and performed Fat Bottom Girls on stage. OMG! Yes, it is captured on video and no I have not looked at my Flip camera. I was introduced as Sprinkles and got a "yay Sprinkles" later when I meandered around the cafe later.

There were two flute players that performed among the other guitarists and singers taking the stage. The first one I could tell didn't have the passion for the instrument but could play it. He didn't have the magic I was expecting. The second one blew me away. He had a samba piece from his iPod playing while he played his instrument to a world class level. The guy who grabbed my hand earlier came to me and asked if I like him. I said that the vibrato and legato was amazing. I know I never played the flute like that! He then mentioned how this kid was invited to play Carnegie Hall in New York this summer. Oh, wow! Later he played "Ain't No Sunshine" and it was the most honeyed version I have ever heard. All this enjoyment for free!

There was an amateur tarot card reader present. I decided to investigate and get a reading from her. She was okay. I let her give the reading without any confirmations. At the end of it, I explained my health and situation to make sense of whatever she had told me. I also ended up giving her tips to build her confidence and show her how to give better readings. A couple things that were on my mind were illuminated.

This old lady was outpacing 23-year old Serina. The poor thing was tired from her full-time job, studying for her graduate finals and hanging out past 10pm with me. I relented and called the evening at 10:30pm. I'll have to come to my happy place again for open mic night just to be around this kind of vibe.

xo

Tambourine

I Hate Drake

Dianne saved the day by being her scintillating and hilarious self. We had planned on getting together tomorrow night but she asked if we could reschedule for today instead. It must have been Divine Guidance; I needed the feel good energy she brings me.

As we continued to share anecdotes after dinner, she took me to an online site that was sure to make me laugh. It was painful to watch the videos but worth the laughs. Watch the others, too.

Here is my favorite, "I Hate Drake" from getmortified.com:

WARNING -- profanity on the video:


Later in the evening I remembered to check my phone which had continued text messages of support from friends around the country. They were an extension of responses from my earlier blog post and messages on facebook. I know I can get through this hair loss with the support I receive. Three more gals and one sweet man asked me for my crystal bracelets which I mailed today. That makes 30 bracelets so far. Wow. Love vibe = Healthy AGOL.

Kisses,
Sprinkles

I Hate Drake

Laughing Out Loud

Laughing with one of your closest girlfriends has got to be one of the best things on earth. I had such a great time with Dianne (aka Possum) and we usually do. For us to have an off get-together signals a disturbance in the universe.

We walked the mall a bit first before making our way to Rice & Company Asian Bistro for delish dishes and hot jasmine tea. It has been five months since I have seen her. (We have talked and e-mailed though.) Not quite full enough to be ticks, we walked our way over to the Godiva store for a cold chocolate drink and some melt-in-your-mouth sexy chocolate.

While in a fine gourmet food store, Dianne saw something and called me from the cooking utensils section. She was laughing and kept saying how it was great. It was the product pictured below. What a total scream! Of course, I had to take a photo.

Great name, huh?


Possum noticed rather large silicone spatulas with holiday cut-outs for slots. She thought them odd and asked what they would be specifically used for in the kitchen. Devilishly I said, Spanking. She quickly made a motion to me as if to spank me with it and said, Great -- now we can tell the story of how we got kicked out of the mall. Yeah, her husband would love that and demand a recreation so he could take appropriate photos. Tee Hee.

We decided to take a quick break by sitting on one of the bench islands in the mall. What I saw next being demonstrated across the way in the high end gadget store for adults almost made me swoon. Drawn like moth to flame, I made my way to it and tried it out for myself. I was startled by the power up sound and it made familiar sounds as I brandished it from side to side. It was incredible! Let's just say I felt The Force.

The football game Dianne's husband was watching somewhere was over around 3pm; she had to make her way back to him and maybe meet up for drinks. After hugs, we went our separate ways with plans to get together again before Christmas. I decided to fill the car up with gasoline and run it through an extensive car wash. Sprayed the tires with tire shine foam when I got home to complete the look.

Today's Grade: A+ ...with glitter sprinkles.
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Laughing Out Loud

Postponed Possum

Possum (aka Dianne) postponed our get together today. Like I explained to a friend in an e-mail: Her husband reminded her last minute that it was her turn (read as he volunteered her) to prepare Football Food for his friends this afternoon...So I decided to kill him with kindness by giving Dianne some very easy but impressive ideas on what to serve this afternoon. She will solidify and up her ranking as THE goddess in front of his friends. Now he will have to build a higher fence around her to keep his friends from salivating closer. Lovely wench, aren't I?

I used the day to be a veggie and it went by quick, too. Going back to work after having a week off even with a holiday weekend is going to be a pain. Dreading the dozens of e-mails sure to flood my Inbox when I sync up to the network. Why do a hear a distant rumbling?

Noticed some other people in my apartment complex already having their Christmas lights wrapped around their balcony fence. I just have the lone extra bright porch light. It'll be the North Star, how's that? It is going to take another miracle to get me through this season. I feel bad blogging about how I feel about the whole thing. Where else am I going to unload?

Got caught up in the last 30 seconds of the Bears v. Broncos game with it going into overtime thanks to the 34-34 tie. The Bears won after scoring three points on a 39-yard kick. I need to stay away from the NFL games. I get too excited. My pulse was at a nice resting rate.
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Postponed Possum

Whoops and Aargh

It was about three 0'clock when I decided to call the apartment complex to make sure my apartment was being inspected today. It wasn't. My letter said Tuesday, November 14th. The day and date didn't match. Tawny's said Monday, November 14th and they showed up on Monday.

I began to berate the lady about arranging for me to work at home and the careless proofreading skills, etc. I know I should have double-checked. Her response? Can you keep your dog in a room? Was she nuts? Yeah, Cabal would be howling (literally) and clawing the carpet to get out. Is he a biter? Was she F'g kidding me? Why would I invite that kind of liability; that's why I stayed home. Defeated, I had to get her to agree to let one of the husband and wife team employed at the complex to be the sole escorts to the inspectors. Cabal only likes those particular people. I just have to post a note on my door iterating this request. I was so pissed off. It was a wasted day and that bothered me. Oprah at 4pm didn't cheer me. Moped the rest of the afternoon.

Called Myrna who enjoyed a weekend trip to Savannah. She also reminded me her mom would be in town for two weeks starting tomorrow. I can't wait to see her again! Myrna also asked if I would mind talking to a family member over the phone about her recently deceased sister. The lady had asked if she could talk to me because she was afraid of the unexplained things happening lately. Myrna's internal response was No, you don't deserve her. She's very protective of me that way. We'll see. It's not often I agree to use my intuition for strangers, but I felt she really needed comforting.

For lunch, I had leftover vegetarian green curry I had made a couple of days ago. To balance it out at dinner (ha!), I picked up some carnivore fare: barbecued ribs and chicken at this barbecue joint near my house. While on the errand, I received my Super Sunshine Call from Dianne aka Awesome Possum. Haven't heard from her for about four months when she started her new job. How I have missed her terribly! She was inviting me for Thanksgiving and had to inform her that Tawny already beat her to it. (Don't gloat, Tawny.) Dianne and I made plans for the Sunday after Thanksgiving.

AGOL Confession: I haven't approached my aunt yet about NOT spending Turkey Day with Mi Familia. Tackling a 4'10" Filipino woman is not as easy as you would think. Seriously!

Half my dinner has been enjoyed and the rest put away. I am now watching some telly. I think I will continue with that...Night-night.
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Whoops and Aargh

Joy Quotient

Was feeling the joy vibe really well this morning until I was up to my elbows at work. Ugh. When your work is not that activity which makes your heart sing like Aretha at a kickin' concert, your joy quotient moves like a needle on a broken metronome.

I read several blogs to get some good vibes going again and commented on a few. Yes, the word demented was sitting right next to me helping me write. The one that almost had me completely on the floor was Badgerdaddy's blog with his entry on a rather delicate dilemma he was sitting on. There is a warning level of vile on this post. He writes like how my friend British Jeff talks which makes it even more brilliant.

Possum met us for lunch today. She starts her new job next week and we won't be able to have lunch during the week unless one of us has a day off because of the distance. Very happy for her. Her new company is getting a dynamite employee.

One of our lunch buddies was a bit draining today. I felt like flat soda. No fizz. The drain continued the rest of the day. Maybe the impending full moon and the inclement weather patterns were affecting me too. I kept waiting for rain on our side of Trampa, but there were no raindrops to be counted.

Tawny and her husband are leaving for vacation starting tomorrow. They are driving all over the midwest and a trip to New York for two weeks. T reminded me that she has a Blackberry that I can text or that I could call her. Does she think I won't be able to make it while she's gone? She's my tea break buddy, my lunch buddy and my meet-me-in-the-restroom-buddy-so-we-can-gossip. Okay, maybe a little...one tiny dot bit on a pinhead. Hee.

Left work at 4:50pm to make it through traffic and take care of Cabal before driving to Brandon. As I was opening the door with one hand and moving Cabal with his leash on the other, my boss called. There was a last minute process I had to accomplish but I had to wait for the first portion to be completed. Something involving our CEO and an SVP's approvals. Lovely.

I rushed Cabal on his walk and fed him before speeding to my aunt's to fire up my laptop and log into work. A normal 45 minute drive in traffic only took me 30 minutes, thanks to my aggressive driving. Walked into my aunt's house and barely talked to everybody because I was on a mission. Wouldn't you know it that around 6:30pm and after IM'g with my boss, I find out that the project will be done tomorrow instead. Was he kidding me?! It wasn't his fault; it was the vendor's for being slow on a quote.

Sat with Nan for a few hours while my aunt and uncle went to see their new grandson together across town. I told my cousin Dave that I would visit his new baby on Saturday instead. My joy quotient rose up a few notches knowing that volunteering my time tonight was the right thing to do. The smiles on their faces were well worth it.

Joy Quotient

Cloudless Blue Skies

Been expecting rains, but it was quite the opposite. Cloudless blue skies and a cooler sunshine, if that is possible. I rather enjoyed it with the breeze when I went to work and went out to lunch with Tawny to meet Possum at the mall. Must be having a low humidity level making it bearable.

Having lunch with the girls is always fun. Possum having just finished another interview and Tawny and I wanting to escape the building. I've often wondered if our ages were much closer and we had gone to the same schools how much fun we would've had at slumber parties. Probably not too much different now judging from how zanily we conduct ourselves at lunch when the mood strikes us. We topped off our meals by sharing a chocolate cake layered with cheesecake. The happy dance at the table was in full effect.

I was telling the girls of the vendor who was trying to exercise some sort of vocabulary and him telling me he would wait until my company concretized our plans in the next few months. He could have used a better word even though that one does exist in the dictionary. It was a painful conversation with me wondering if he was making half his words up or could spell them. Yeah, he'll be on my vendor list. Not.

Had a long and fun IM chat with Yummy in the afternoon. He must be on crack to have been able to stay up tonight after a couple of late evenings out. Well, he's an Englishman. I guess they are made of sterner stuff over there. Must be some secret ingredient in the beer. Ha! I can't wait to see more picture posts on his dragonblog which he said is forthcoming.

Got home and rushed to check the tile job in my bathroom. It does look better even though some of the replacement tiles do not match (old vs. new). It is grouted a nice white and they re-caulked the perimeter of the tub and around the fixtures. I am happy to have my shower back. Just have to clean the bathroom from the extra dust blown everywhere the last couple of days. All in all not bad.

Cloudless Blue Skies

Coming Attractions

Clever moments at work today made my boss happy. Nothing like coming up with workarounds to avoid unpleasantness with other people. That or any delays. I am not a financial person, but it would seem my creativity flow is spurning my problem-solving skills into action within our little procurement world. Go figure.

Possum (aka Dianne) met Jeff and me for lunch today. Tawny had a half-day conference call so she had to bow out to make it Table for Three. The conversation soon became a meeting of the minds, if you will. I loved it and the conversation reminded me how much my friends are so incredibly talented and own complimentary skill sets.

I made my TV aspirations official by outlining one of my ideas to Possum and Jeff. They were receptive and offered so much of themselves. Possum has been a stand-up comedienne in the past as well as been a producer for advertisement. I can have her direct me and help me with facial expressions and avoid pitfalls in my presentations. She has also coached non-actors how to act in front of the camera and I am very much looking forward to her suggestions.

Possum reminded me of my one audition five years ago to be a host on HSN which was a coup for us when no one outside her former company was being allowed to come in and try out. I didn't get the job, but I had an audition moment in front of the camera.

Jeff, ever the crackbaby with many skills, is willing to film me and edit my program. Here are his ideas which I made him iterate in an IM to me when we got back:

Oh pretty basic - 2 cameras, one set up as a wideshot to edit back too - then what would be a close up or "Iso" camera that can shoot the hands - sometimes in the mirror - and facials ... You can use a switcher and try and mix on the fly - harder - more takes - or shoot 2 camera independent and edit after. The mirror is tilted above the work area at an angle so you get a crane effect and can see the cooking from above without having to be hanging over it ... this way you can zoom into a frying pan as ingredients go in etc. (He rocks.)

Jeff and Dianne talked about their own media aspirations which I won't outline in detail but involves movie scripts and magazines. Those are just a smidgen of what these two could do. They awe me as do my other friends. I feel uplifted in knowing that I can get some trustful help and advice while I am trying to practice and perfect my ideas...

IM'ed with Yummy briefly late in the afternoon. He was gathering his stuff for dragon hunting tomorrow. It is supposed to be hot, but I reminded him that hot was 90+ degrees Fahrenheit with humidity. Just love that Florida weather!

Called in my food order to my aunt on the way home. My request consisted of a specially cooked eggplant, Filipino-style and some lumpia. My aunt cooks Filipino food as a side business and I know she always has lumpia stashed in her freezer. This will be my dinner bribe for Nan-sitting on Saturday while my aunt and uncle go out for dinner and a show.

Had my curry leftover for dinner. I was able to relive the flavors -- simply delicious! I spent my evening daydreaming, talking to Angie on her way home, writing in my blog before indulging in more daydreaming before bed.

Coming Attractions

Awesome Possum

Driving to work in a good mood is a great start to the day. I came into gloomy or indifferent at the office. Maybe they changed the brand of coffee?

T&J and me met our great friend Dianne (aka Possum) at TooJay's at International Plaza. I always get a positive charge every time I see her. A happy reunion with her for T&J, too.

Dianne's nickname from me is Possum because of us watching Dame Edna live twice. We are absolutely mad for Dame Edna. She's had that the name for several years. I have this habit of giving people nicknames and it sticking with everyone else.

This picture was taken at lunch today. I may have been sitting a little too close. Check out her new Vera Wang brand eyewear. Hello Possum!



The rest of the afternoon could be described with two words ad nauseam. Sigh.

Started to IM with Yummy before leaving work, but we experienced technical difficulties. He'd been trying to log on, but couldn't until multiple tries. Finally settled into a conversation and it fried on my end. Texted him about it to explain. Received one text back before he did the old school way and dialed his phone so we could talk. Sometimes you just need two tin cans and a long string, ya know?

The evening got on quietly. Cabal received extra quality time which he reveled in. It's almost strangely obscene. I had some low calorie cereal with fat-free milk to counteract the Reuben sandwich made with pastrami I had at lunch. They served the sandwich with the Thousand Island dressing on the side which made the fat/calorie watching easier. Am I just deluding myself? Please don't tell me.

Oh, almost forgot -- Yummy taught me something new today. I didn't know that fish fingers were real. They grow about three inches already breaded. Ha!

Awesome Possum

From Home

I wish this jet lag would go away. My boss mentioned how tired I looked yesterday. How lovely. I'm surprised I made it to the post office to mail little thank you's to Yummy and Anton and Anna.

There was a long line at the post office. I tried to buy some regular and international stamps, but I refrained when the postman reminded me that the cost was going up Monday and he didn't have any of the proper domestic Love stamps nor the international ones yet. Grrr.

Random fire inspections were being conducted today in my complex. I had to work from home in case my place was chosen. I couldn't leave Cabal by himself; he might get really spooked and decided to defend his territory. Nice doggie.

Tried killing two birds with one stone by having the office schedule a maintenance person to come and regrout my shower. It is my third term lease here and they owe it to me. The previous workmanship leaves a lot to be desired.

The jury is still out on working from home. It wasn't really feasible for me today. The files I needed were at work and it was too much of a hassle to haul them home. I worked the best that I could.

Around 4:30pm, I threw the towel in on getting the shower redone. I called the office and told them not to come at all if they were somehow on their way. The manager answered and she was surprised at the situation. I called yesterday to schedule and I even confirmed this morning just to make sure and still a no show! She wanted to reschedule, but I told her that it wasn't that easy because I have a dog that has to be chaperoned while work was being completed...Blah blah blah.

I had a movie date with my friend Dianne and her husband Steve that cheered me. The screening for the movie Waitress was tonight. I haven't seen them both in a long time. Dianne would also have the digestive biscuits she requested from me along with some chocolate bars. The movie was entertaining and the actress, Kerry Russell, finally redeemed herself in my eyes. Her recent acting credits were not good at all. Steve treated us to a Mexican dinner afterwards so we could catch up.

Headed home for sleep that has been teasing me. This has got to stop. Whatever happened to my signature four hours? Probably catching some Z's.

From Home