Monday, April 30, 2012

A Wonderful Day

It's not often that the whole day goes right.  From waking up on time, to catching that first bus, to finishing the allotted portion of the thesis to not getting the van towed.  I'm breathless.

I've been having a rough time of it lately.  My left foot hurts (metatarsalgia), and I've been plagued by pain from head to toe.  Chances are, stress.  So I decided to see the doctor today, and despite having to bus it there (less than 10 minutes late!!!), I was relieved to find I didn't have any serious issues that an instep couldn't address.

Earlier, my professor let the class out early, and I rushed off to see my adviser about my thesis.  She liked what she read, and was very encouraging that I would finish before June.  I finished the last portion this morning, in my cubicle and turned it in.  How perfect is that?

The book I ordered from Amazon, due tomorrow, arrived today.  As I flipped through it, I remembered I forgot my sweater at the doctor's office, and called to track it down.  Just before carpool, I dashed over to pick it up.  When I came out of the building, the tow truck was just backing up to take my van away (despite the meter, it was after 4 pm, and therefore, a no parking zone).  When the driver saw me get into the van, he drove away.  No ticket on the windshield, no boot on the tire.

With a day like today, is there any doubt there's a G-d in this world and that He love us?

Monday, April 23, 2012

Okay Maybe I'm Not Blond.. .

But my hair is certainly a lighter color.  And now that you see it, don't I look something like Marilyn?  Two eyes, a nose, a mouth.  I also have a bathrobe.

The truth is, I am getting a lot of comments on my new hair.  I went to school today wearing it, and first off, my close friends oohed and aahed.  They said now I'm the sexy one in the group.  Which is not true, but it was kind of them to say so.

I did have one bizarre incident.  When I was walking to the bus on campus, a woman, who I promise I've never seen before, greeted me like a relative.  She went on about  my hair and how beautiful it looks, and then identified me, so she definitely knew me.  But who is she?

I smiled, thanked her, and went home.  If the silly wig wasn't so tight I'd really be enjoying the attention.  Praying to be headache free.

Thursday, April 19, 2012

The New Me

To all my dearest friends (E.J. especially) who want to see my new hair, and hence, the new me, I'm working on it.  I will try to post it as soon as I can.  Until then, I look something like this.

Running Away From Me

I know I blog a lot about riding the bus, but that's because I ride the bus a lot.  I mean, nearly every day, spending untold hours (i.e., I'm too tired to count the hours) going back and forth to my internship site.

The other morning, I walked to the bus stop anticipating a wait.  But from across a busy street I saw the bus coming.  I had a choice - miss it or brave the traffic.  Well, missing it just wasn't going to happen, so I waded out into traffic and got to the other side of the street as the bus approached.

Knowing LA Metro bus drivers like I do, I waved my hands in the air, but continued running to the bus stop.  The driver must have thought I was crazy because he stopped in the middle of the street to pick me up.  "Ma'am," he said from the open door, "get in."  I was shocked.

Usually, if you are not at the bus stop, or you aren't running up to the stop while people are still boarding, the driver takes off.  No mercy.  But here the driver actually stopped well before the bus stop and picked me up.  Somehow, I thought, this is my lucky day.

I ran for the next bus, and caught it as well.  I got to school, found out my financial aid had been reinstated despite the recent letter from the University to the contrary, and the guest speaker for class cancelled.  The only negative was not finding my tape recorder, stolen from the classroom a few weeks back, but seeing how the day was going, that can't be a bad thing.

Sometimes, the day doesn't go so right, but maybe it's just perspective.  Maybe all our days are just fine.

Monday, April 9, 2012

My New Hair

I spent Friday morning not only feeling great but taking care of last minute Passover items, like washing clothes and getting my son new shoes.  Then my friend called me and asked if I wanted to get a new wig.  Without a moment's hesitation, I said yes.

Let me explain.  Feeling better from the night before, I was willing to risk my luck.  Because for sure, with this friend, buying a wig together falls into the category of risking my luck.

I felt better about things when I realized that the place she was taking me was the same place where I got my very first wig 20-odd years ago.  Gone are the really expensive wigs, as this place now specializes in synthetic, which suits me fine.  I'm not good at taking care of things, and buying a new wig every two years affords me the opportunity not to invest in its care.

So now I'm a blond.  Yep, to the surprise of my friends and family, including my husband, I've gone lighter in color.  Of course, my husband prefers me with darker hair (he thoughtfully told me so himself), but I will continue to enjoy being a blond.  For a year and a half, at least.

The Planner

Thursday morning, I had big plans.  There were still a few areas in my house that weren't completely cleaned for Passover and I would see to them when I got home.  I thought all this through on the bus at 5:50 am on my way to my latest rotation.

When I got there at 6:20 am, I took a moment out for coffee (free Starbucks to all volunteers!) and to get my head straight on my tasks.  But me head didn't really get straight, so I went into the office, put my stuff down, and got ready for breakfast tray line.

Afterwards, feeling somewhat under the weather, I worked the rest of the day at my desk.  I went from one project to another, feeling more punk as the day progressed.  I thought maybe I had gotten up too early, or went to bed too late.  Or something.

The bus broke down on the way home, which delayed that trip by a good 45 minutes.  Another frustrating 30 minutes on the phone with my school's financial aid office nearly had me exploding, and by the time I got home I was sick.  I mean really sick.  Like get me to the doctor sick.  Those areas that needed cleaning, well, they weren't going to be cleaned by me.

So I climbed into bed, took an Advil, and fell asleep.  A good, deep sleep.  A I missed bedikas chommetz sleep.  When I woke up Friday morning, I felt great.

What did I learn from this experience?  Never plan.  Never put off.  Work to your fullest everyday.  Because who knows what tomorrow will bring.

Monday, April 2, 2012

Getting My Head Straight

Today was the first day of the new school quarter, and I decided to bus it in early to take care of some errands.  I didn't have to wait long for the subway, but the final bus onto campus was another story.

Just as I was emerging from the subway, my bus took off.  I was so mad.  I put my incredibly heavy backpack down on the bench (I think I put rocks in it) and waited, somewhat impatiently, for the next bus.  Time was wasting.

Just then, a woman walked by with what looked  like a severe case of cerebral palsy.  Oh my gosh.  Hello - the message was clear.  Even with all I have to put up with, I'm still healthier than this lady.  I need to count my blessings.

Needless to say, I calmed down really quickly.  It didn't hurt that the bus showed up soon after.  Admittedly, I'm a work in progress.