Lunch Date

Is there someone who drives you crazy?

Someone who really gets under your skin.

Now, write a first-person piece - as if YOU are this individual. Write from his or her perspective and include the things that really bother you.

This can be completely fictional or you can base it on a real-life person.

Word limit is 600.

I whipped out my compact, tucked a few uncooperative hairs back into place, deftly applied my crimson lipstick, and made sure none had strayed to my freshly bleached teeth.  Perfect.

After working my magic, I had finally secured a lunch date with Steve.  He earned top scores down my list:  six figure salary, check;  tall, dark, and handsome, check;  comes from a well known family, check;  and so on.  He was going to be mine and he didn't even know it yet.

"Alright, Liz. I'm off. I'll be back in an hour."

"What?" I wasn't sure what my coworker, Suzanne, was talking about.

"I'm leaving for an hour.  You promised to cover for me, remember?"

"I did?"  I couldn't have.  "I'm not available today, Suz.  Can you just move it to tomorrow?  I can cover for you then."

"Tomorrow?  Liz?"

She looked confused.  What was she doing again?  Ugh.

"Suz, I'm leaving for lunch in fifteen minutes.  I can't cover for you today.  But, tomorrow would be fine for me."  Putting my makeup back into my purse, I began tidying my desk, getting ready to meet Steve.

"Liz.  I can't go tomorrow.  The elections are today.  I have a full schedule tonight and this is my only opportunity to go vote."

"Oh."  I wasn't sure what to say.  There was no way I was going to miss seeing Steve.

"Maybe Carol or Lynn can cover you."  I slid the heels that I had kicked off under my desk back on, continuing to get ready.

"No, Liz.  They can't.  I already asked them."

"Well, I'm sure you'll figure something out."  I stood up, slid my arms through my coat's lined sleeves, and grabbed my bag.

Suzanne opened her mouth.  I assumed it was to say something, but she looked like she was catching flies.

"Good luck, Suz!"

I glanced back just once, to make sure I hadn't forgotten anything and saw Suzanne's face.  It was the same shade as my lipstick.  I turned my head away and rolled my eyes, irritated with her.

While waiting for a cab, my irritation faded as I thought about Steve.  I could see this developing into something quickly.  We'd have to get through the holidays that are always awkward in any new relationship, but then I saw us dancing on New Years, skiing the slopes in January, a romantic Valentine's weekend on the coast, and on into an event filled spring.

I was so lost in my envisioned life with Steve that I almost didn't hear my phone ring.

"Hello?"

"Hello, Liz.  I need to cancel.  My day has filled up fast and now is the only chance I'll have to go vote."

"Vote?"

“Yes, it’s a pain to hit the polls. But, the absentee deadline slipped my mind while out of the country last month.  I'll call you next week to reschedule, if you'd like."

If I'd like?  I tried to pull myself together.  "Yes, Steve.  I would very much like to reschedule next week."

"I'll give you a ring."

I was about to say my farewells when he hung up.  He has to vote?  The elections?  Seriously, what's all the fuss?

I didn't get it and was more than a little irritated.  Somewhere in the back of my head, I could sort of hear Suz's voice telling me that she needed to go vote.  But, that only made me more annoyed.

I would deal with her later.  I was in serious need of retail therapy.  Just then, a cab pulled up.  And I hopped in.

~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~

I thought this was kind of tricky.  I kept wanting to interject the other person's emotions, thoughts, and perspectives.  For me, it was hard to write first person about someone who is so completely unaware, someone who is consumed by her appearance, someone who is working down a superficial checklist for the perfect man (particularly as a Mama raising a wee girl!), someone who is oblivious to others' needs, and someone who is completely self absorbed.

I wrote several different variations of fiction for this prompt.  And every time, I wanted the other character(s) to shout out and even proverbially bonk this first person character on the head!  So, this was definitely a challenge!

One Little Word meets The Sketchbook Challenge

Yesterday, one of my kidlets said, "Mom, I want to see you get more crafty again." It was out of the blue, as they sat down for breakfast, before I was even really awake.

But, he had a point and I want that too!

A couple weeks ago, inspiration struck for The Sketchbook Challenge's March theme: Spilling Over and last night, I took my kidlet's advice and got to it.

It's the end of the first quarter of 2011 and a great time to check in with my One Little Word: ~Grow~.  And even better, combine it for an art journal page for The Sketchbook Challenge.

Last month, I updated my camera to a DSLR and I'm learning to ~Grow~ in photography.  And while that's a long happy process, I'm having fun clicking.  To include a bit of this growth, I upped the contrast on the photo I took of our now removed ash trees, to make it easier to trace the silhouette onto transparency with a fine tipped Sharpie.

While the simple printout of the pic isn't good quality, I went ahead and included it.

Under the transparency, I included the Her Face piece I wrote for a Red Writing Hood assignment at The Red Dress Club.  Outside of blogging, it has been quite some time since I've written creatively.  Writing along with prompts from The Red Dress Club and Microfiction Monday this year has allowed me to ~Grow~ here as well.

And on top is some simple acrylic paint, topped with my One Little Word: ~Grow~ and the synonyms that I've included in my One Little Word album that I'm working on for Ali Edward's class over at Big Picture Classes...one more area for me to ~Grow~!

Do you have One Little Word for 2011?  How have you incorporated it into your life so far?

  

Friday Evening Fun {at home}

List the menu for your last meal.

Well, I wouldn't necessarily call what we eat on Friday night a meal, but it's dinner!

Friday nights are movie nights for the kidlets.  So, I made them their GFCF pizza (with the appropriate mozzarella Daiya 'cheese' shreds this time) and while Finding Nemo graced our screen, Hubby threw some toppings on a cheese pizza that he picked up at Safeway on his way home.

And I hopped on to Twitter to go where all fun people go on a Friday night, #wineparty! (And no, wine is not required. I don't generally drink it, despite living surrounded by vineyards!)  It's a fabulously fun place to hang on a Friday night when you're home and feel like chatting.

Buzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz!

Pizza's done.  I pardoned myself from #wineparty for a few minutes to eat with the family (I *might* have snuck a few tweets in there! Shhh....) and watch a little Finding Nemo (love the jelly fish & sea turtles...Dude!).

Hubby had thrown red onion, bacon, red bell pepper, olives, and chopped artichoke hearts on top of the plain cheese pizza.  (Everything goes better with bacon, artichoke hearts & red onion, don't ya know?! :>)

And yes, after dinner, I went back to #wineparty.  But, my computer is in the living room, mere feet from the kidlets.  When they select a new movie to watch, I'll watch with them, but when they've watched the same movie three weeks in a row, like they did with the uber cute How to Train Your Dragon, a gal's gotta have somewhere to turn!

What does a Friday night look like for you?

Writing along with my friend, Lizz of Am I a Funny Girl? for Saturday Seven again this week!  Stop by and say hello!  :>

Disclosure:  I might break a few "rules" in life, but I follow the FTC's! The movie links are affiliate links.

Reasons why Moms don't get Labor Day off ~ Mama Kat's Writer's Workshop

 

Writing along with Mama Kat and gang today!  Prompt #5: Share an old journal entry, had me perusing my scrapbook journaling folder (saved notes, emails, ideas & sometimes the full journal entry so that I'll have the memory of the moment to share when I eventually scrap it......years later).

I came across something I wrote and saved a few years ago, on Labor Day, when my wee girl, my li'l Princess, was just three and a half months old (and I was a more than a wee bit sleep deprived!).

Reasons why Moms don't get Labor Day off:

1) Because when Mom is eating her breakfast, one kidlet is in her arms and bouncing on her knee while the other one is climbing up her back and dangling his arms around her head.

2) Because even though its boys day out and Dad and son are off "riding in Daddy's truck" and going to the hobby shop, Mom is at home with sick baby girl who only wants to sleep in Mommy's arms because every time she lays down her snotty nose clogs up so much she can't breathe through her nose and wakes her up.

3) Because while eating her breakfast with both kids physically on her body, her husband was taking a hot shower and then her son got a nice warm bath and she is still in her jammies trying to figure out when she can schedule a shower in for herself after the boys return.....this afternoon!

4) Because she'll be giving up her 'quiet time' this afternoon when one kidlet sleeps and the other is having his daily 'down time' in order to take that shower.

5) And because this evening, like most evenings, she'll be putting children to bed from 7:45pm until after 10pm and shortly thereafter have to go to bed herself in order to get up tomorrow and start again.

And believe it or not, I'm actually not ranting here, I write this with a smile and kinda think its funny. Now if it were a Friday, this would be a list of complaints, but since I got a chance to sleep in over the weekend and catch up on the sleep that I loose at night getting up with one or both kids, it just makes me smile and laugh at my life.....as a Mom.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Years later, while the kidlets are in bed, with lights out, promptly at 8pm, I still have to schedule in time to shower & wash my hair, struggle to make time to have breakfast in the morning race to school, and loose sleep to bad dreams or a virus passing through. 

And years later (with far more sleep under my belt than when I wrote this with a newborn in my arms and her energetic brother movin' about), it still makes me smile and laugh at my life...as a Mom.

Down Came the Trees

Drip, drop. Splatter, splash. Pitter pat of raindrops on the path. Sploosh. Gush. Dowwwwwwn comes the rain.

It's been like that off and on for a bit now.

Recently, we finally went ahead and had our two towering ash trees removed.  Even though we loved the trees, they were absolutely huge.  Ash trees are known for splitting and though we'd had several limbs pruned in the past, the cost of pruning them way back was about the same to have them completely taken out.

And over the weekend, I was at once very glad we made that decision.  It was not only pouring rain, but incredibly windy.  (Like funnel cloud formation and tornado touchdown in a nearby town...though hard to believe because this is so not tornado country!)  I would have spent the night worrying that the trees would come down on either our house or our neighbors!

Though, even when you know you made the right decision, it's still possible to miss the before picture.  You can tell how tall they were...the bit of house showing at the bottom, between the trees, is the gas vent/chimney that comes up above the roof line (and I still struggled to get that in frame!).

Bye-bye beautiful trees, we miss you, but definitely feel a lot safer!

We're thinking about what to plant in their place.  Maybe a fruit tree or two?  What would you plant?