You Know You're Working Too Much Over Time When...

5. You realize that you ate breakfast, lunch and dinner in the office today. I think it might be time to head home now...

4. You accidentally refer to your cubicle as "home." As in you are leaving a meeting one day, and you tell someone you are heading home when you really are just going back to your office. OOPS!

3. You leave work on time for a change and are blinded by the bright light as you make your way through the parking lot to your car. I guess, it's been a long time since you've seen that bright orange orb in the sky.

2. You start drafting personal emails to a friend making sure to have an abstract and at least 1 claim allowing for a useful and inventive subject that must be novel. Maybe this doesn't happen to everyone here, but when you start dreaming of ChemDraw compounds, you know things have gotten serious.

1. You start having your home mail forwarded to your work address so you can keep up. OK, so things are not quite arranged like this yet, but I'm considering it. I already have all packages delivered to the office.

Hmmmm...I think it's nearly time for some vacation, don't you? HA!

I'm Ready...

I’m so ready. In 10 and a half months, I will be in England. WOOHOO!! OK, I’m a bit nervous about that flight over the Atlantic Ocean. I liked the idea of the night flight so that I couldn’t see the water below us, but while my friends are planning to catch some zzzzz’s on the plane, I’m not so sure this wired Chiquita is going to be able to sleep at all. I’m going to be so excited and giddy. I’ll be on a HIGH without the caffeine...maybe I’ll have to give myself some Benadryl. HA!

I’ve already been wondering how Jessica and Becky are going to deal with me for 2 weeks. I’m guessing that I probably won’t sleep for 2 or 3 nights. I’ll just want to be out there in London seeing it all or heading for the countryside of my dreams. [sigh!] And then eventually, we all know that I’m going to need some sleep, and so I’ll probably be out for half a day. Either that or I’ll be revived with a 1 hour nap and then wide eyed and bushy tailed again going a million miles an hour. Yeah, I’ve been looking forward to this adventure my whole life, and I’m not going to want to waste my time resting and sleeping. This could get interesting...

What am I looking forward to the most? Hmmmm…let’s see. Do I have to just pick one thing?

1. I’m ready to see a quaint English village and roam the surrounding countryside with my camera in hand.
2. I’m longing to tour Blenheim Palace and imagine that I can picture Winston Churchill proposing to his beloved Clementine in the Temple of Diana.
3. I’m anxious to walk through Chatsworth and follow in Lizzie Bennett’s steps as she tours the home of Mr. Darcy for the first time.
4. I’m looking forward to a stroll through the walled city of York and the narrow cobbled streets.
5. I’m excited to be able to visit Castle Howard…not only because I love the fact that Howard has a castle named after him, but because it looks architecturally magnificent.
6. I’m eager to roam around Oxford for a bit…snapping photos of the Radcliffe Camera, the Bridge of Sighs, Christ Church, the Martyr’s Memorial, etc.
7. I’m ecstatic about a visit to Hampton Court to see Henry VIII’s riverside palace and gardens, as well as a possible visit to Hatfield House where Queen Elizabeth I first learned of her accession to the throne.
8. I’m delighted at the prospect of seeing buildings that have survived more than 200 years. It’s not quite the Valley of the Kings old here, but it is much older than the buildings in the US. I love buildings with character and a history to boot, and the possibility to walk amidst structures that were began over 700 years ago (like Salisbury Cathedral) just boggles my mind. That’s some awesome structural integrity there.
9. I’m pumped to walk the halls of the British Museum and catch up on thousands of years of civilization’s history.
10. I’m thrilled to be able to see the Roman’s ingenuity and brilliance in Bath and perhaps later catch a glimpse of Hadrian’s Wall in the North country.

And that’s just a bit of our plans. So much more I could say here…

Yeah, there is lots of planning, scheming and scheduling to do in the next 10 months, and I’m already so excited I can hardly stand it! So, if I talk incessantly about England or have that dreamy-eyed faraway look, just smack me and remind me that I have more than 10 months to go. Thanks!

I Have Some News...

I don’t like it, and I’m not really sure I am ready yet for further discussion on the topic. I’m taking deep breaths here: breathe in, breathe out, breathe in, breathe out. I’m indulging in happy thoughts, thinking of the good times, savoring the memories of by gone delights. I’m trying to laugh and keep my sense of humor to stave off the ensuing depression. I’m agonizing over how to say the words, how to grasp the meaning of life, how to come to terms with the drama unfolding, but I may find it therapeutic in the end to just share this with you, my dear readers, and so here goes.

It now appears that my tenants from last summer spread the word that Mel’s pad is a haven for all crickets. Yes, it’s true. I am sorry to report this devastating news update, but these are the facts. I I had my first run-in with the Gryllus Assimilis last evening. It was a young cricket without wings (see "C" on link above), and the problem was easily resolved with one fatal blow using a tissue.

However, I have a dark forboding sense of gloom sweeping over me that this encounter was only the first of many of its kind to come in the days and months ahead. (See "Crickets" in my blog archive.) I did a thorough sweep of the area, but I didn't find any more or evidence of a cricket family in residence. I then conducted a reconnaissance mission in the dining room, where most of the battles took place one year ago, but again, there were no more sightings.

So are there more crickets living with me that I don't know about yet? OR was this just a random cricket who came in my patio door because he liked the color scheme inside? I am trying to be optimistic here, but I am NOT a rose-colored-glasses-wearing-idealist any more either, i.e., the glass may be half full but I think it's about to get tipped over.

Stay tuned. The management will update you on further story developments as time allows.

Diet Girl to Visit North Carolina

NEWSFLASH: It looks like I will be going to North Carolina for a week in July to help my brother and family get my niece Janet moved into her first apartment. WOOHOO!! Janet is ecstatic, and so am I.

I love the Carolinas. Minus the humidity and heat in the dead of summer, it is beautiful country! North Carolina has the gorgeous Blue Ridge Parkway mountains, the ocean and the Outer Banks, Asheville with my future home (the Biltmore Estate – I am scheming a way to marry into the family as we speak), and soon NC will be home to my 18-year-old niece ready to embark on her next greatest adventure at the Nascar Institute. I am so proud of her!

Now that the schedule is being planned and I am learning where all we are going and what we will be doing, Diet Girl is contemplating how to vacation and NOT lose control of her diet. I know, for the record, Weight Watchers claims that they are NOT a diet but a way of life. The emphasis of WW is changing your eating habits rather than starving yourself or doing without. So maybe I should say that Diet Girl is now contemplating how to vacation and NOT lose control of her lifestyle. AHEM!

Anyway, it is going to take a super conscious effort to stay on track. I pretty much know what I can eat now and what foods I should avoid, but I'm going to have to be extra careful when eating fast food and eating outside my normal schedule. I am confident it can be done. I've got to stay on the path, you know.

I'm hopeful that we will get to make a stop at Biltmore while we are in the area. I miss the house, the gardens and grounds, the gift shop, etc. [sigh!] It's a favorite place of mine. We also might make a trip to see my Uncle Doug on the other side of the state. He has promised to take us to the Atlantic Ocean if we drop by, and that would be awesome. WOOHOO!! I'm looking forward to this get-away. I know that there will be work involved. I am going along because I offered to help Janet unpack and get her apartment put together. I love doing that. It's just fun putting stuff away in a new place...I'm weird, I know.

Church-Hunting Update

Sunday morning, I visited my co-worker Barb’s church, St. Luke’s United Methodist Church. It was a great worship service, and it was cool to see Barb and her husband Lee in the choir.

Amazing how I grew up in an ultra-fundamentalist Baptist church, went to college at an ultra-fundamentalist Christian university, attended a Grace Brethren Church for a few years, and then moved to Indy and went to a former Baptist church for 5 years...and yet somehow, I don’t have a clue where I belong in the body of Christ! Am I Baptist? Am I Grace Brethren? Am I Methodist? I don’t know what I am, but somehow, I don’t think I need a label to tell me where I should be. I think if I just continue seeking HIM on my journey that GOD will direct my steps and lead me where HE wants me to be. I'm hopeful...

Mama Carollas Does Italian Right!

This may seem like an advertisement, but if you haven’t been to Mama Carollas in Broad Ripple, you need to check them out. This place has atmosphere, awesome Italian entrees and scrumptious drinks and desserts. It’s delectably incredible!

We (the 5 girls: Becky, Jessica, Kristen, Sara and I) went to Mama's again for Kristen's birthday celebration last week, and it was another savory delightful evening out on the terrace. If you can get the seats outside, take them. It is wonderful to sit out alfresco and enjoy your meal in the garden's evening ambience. I'm sure it's romantic as well (for all you couples out there), but I can't really speak to my experience on that score. AHEM!

Of course, I created our own birthday girl photo shoot for Kristen. Hee hee! And then I vainly posed with my glasses and then without. I'm still not sure if I want to go back to wearing contacts or not. I don't mind glasses so much, but I wanted to know how the lens saw me with and without. I know...all is vanity! All comments and opinions are welcome...

Diet Girl Goes Shopping

I went consignment shopping on Saturday with Kristen and Sara. I got a couple pair of pants for work (one pair was 2 sizes below my old size...WOOHOO!!), a short-sleeved dress jacket for work, and a Brighton-purse knock off.

I love the purse. It is bright red and rather cute. I don’t usually get into purses all that much. I mean I’m not the type of girl that has 10 purses in her closet and switches her purse out for the season or an evening out. NAH! That’s not me. I am usually seen sporting the same black purse all year round, and I just use it and abuse it until the straps die or something else gives way on my purse, and I have to go to Target for another. However, this purse was brand new, the price was right, and it caught my eye all the way across the store. It was love at first sight, and thus it was meant to be! HA!

I’m not much of a shopper usually, and I especially dread clothes shopping. But on Saturday, we went shopping for over 4 hours, and I survived rather nicely. Sara and Kristen are good co-shoppers and bargain hunters. We had a splendid afternoon!

I’ve said it before, and I’ll probably say it again…I HAVE AWESOME GIRLFRIENDS!!

Thank You for the Music Part 2

Kristen and I had a blast at the ABBA: The Hits concert at Symphony on the Prairie on Friday night. It was great to know every song like I did and be able to sing along. WOOHOO!! I loved it!

People started gathering around the stage towards the end of the first half, and believe it or not, Kristen and I went down there to the front and moved and grooved ourselves with the rest of the crowd. OK, this is a pretty big deal for 2 girls who don’t know how to dance! Ro, you would have been proud! Our moves will no doubt NOT land us a gig as backup dancers, but it was still fun! And I went back up to the stage area again for the last few songs during the second half, too.

All weekend, I had the ABBA songs running through my head again and again. NO, I don't need therapy, It was awesome!

Thank You for the Music

I know some people think I am obsessed with the 70's and 80's music. That is simply not true. I'm very selective about my addictions. I don't like the whole era. I might have been born back in that day, but I certainly wasn't allowed to listen to that music way back when. In truth, I'm actually quite uninformed about the era. My parents' tastes were more into Patch the Pirate and other music that had the stamp of approval from Bob Jones University, and that certainly didn't include ABBA, which is a shame really.

Tonight, I am going to the Symphony on the Prairie's performance of ABBA: The Hits, which includes a group that sings the ABBA songs. The evening is being marketed as follows:

"This Swedish cover band not only sounds like ABBA, but they look like them, too! Spiced up with the accompaniment of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, hear your favorites...."

Now, doesn't that sound like a lot of fun to be had? COME ON!!!

I just found out yesterday that this performance was happening this weekend. I nearly missed it, and believe you me, there would have been such major drama hitting the fan if fate had not intervened. HA! I would have been really disappointed to miss it. Usually I keep an eye out for stuff like this, but somehow I hadn't heard the word. My friend Kristen said she saw a blip about it on the IBJ, and she knew at once that she needed to alert me. I have the best friends! Once I found out about it, it was a must-do event, and the 2 of us are going together. We'll have lots of laughs and conversation The Way Old Friends Do.

Topher is the one that got me hooked on ABBA. I blame him entirely. Thank You For the Music! Some time after college, Topher told me that I'd probably like their music, I checked it out, and I loved it. I've been a fan of the classic sounds ever since. Songs like Dancing Queen, Mamma Mia, Honey Honey, Waterloo, Take a Chance on Me, Head Over Heels...are just some of my favorites. But nothing compares to The Day Before You Came. It's a simple song, but I like the message...the romantic sap in me that wants to find a love of her own adores this song! [sigh!] I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do. Maybe that's a bit pathetic, but People Need Love. And it's hard when I've Been Waiting For You [whoever you are] for So Long. I Am Just a Girl wondering Should I Laugh or Cry...

OOPS! I totally got caught up in getting as many song titles in here as I could. OK, so maybe I'm a little obsessed, but That's Me. Anyway, I'm really looking forward to this concert, and since I never saw the actual group perform live, I can fake myself out and pretend it's the real thing. I think it's OK to be in a Dream World once in a while When All is Said and Done.

Happy Weekending!

It All Started with Carrot Cake...

Today, there is a LARGE carrot cake in the fridge here at work. It is obviously for an office get-together in another department or something, but being Diet Girl I had to comment to my co-horts.

Me: OK, who brought in that beautiful yet evil carrot cake?

Linda V: Yeah, I saw that in there. It looks great. Hey, my husband and I had carrot cake at our wedding because it’s our favorite, too.

Me: That sounds like a good idea. Maybe I’ll have carrot cake at my wedding.

Down the hall, Craig hollers: When’s the wedding? I’m going to be invited, right?

Me: Craig, I still need to find the groom before I make too many promises.

Craig: But you’ll invite me, right?

Me: Maybe. I’d like to, but what if we decide to go off and get married somewhere else?

Craig: That’s OK. Just pick a wealthy guy to love so that he can ship your guests out to your location.

Me: I can’t promise that either.

Down the other end of the hall, Dena adds: Yeah. I’m not sure that a cable guy can afford that on his salary.

Me [rolling my eyes and venting]: THERE IS NO CABLE GUY!

Dena: Well, maybe you’ll find the guy on your trip to England next May.

Me: Don’t hold your breath.

Allow me to reflect on three comical musings:

1. I love how thin cubicle walls allow for private conversation, don’t you!! It’s rather hilarious actually. This scenario happens daily at least – not my co-workers talking about my wedding, but people piping in on conversations they are not in. I’ll be talking to one person, and someone else down the hall or across the cubicle wall will fire back a question or comment about what was just said. You got to love cubicles!

2. My co-workers are all still intrigued with my single state of affairs. Sometimes they are imagining a rendezvous with the cable guy for me. See, I had the same cable guy show up at my place two Fridays in a row. Dena now thinks it is fate, karma, destiny, etc., but I have serious doubts. Other times, they are convinced that I am going to England looking for the perfect Brit. Now, sure, it would be great to meet a single man with a lovely British accent, while my friends and I are meandering about the idyllic English countryside in a downpour. [sigh!] BUT, I’m not going to England in search of a mate. I’m going to England to see the country I’ve longed to visit since I was 8. HONEST!!

3. I love how an innocent comment about carrot cake led to a discussion about me marrying for money. After all, It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a large fortune must be in want of a wife. [Please note: that’s not me talking here -- that’s Jane Austen!] NAH! Personally, I think money is a necessary evil in life, but I don’t want to marry for it. Finding someone employed would be a good start, and one can hope that he likes carrot cake as well... [sigh!]

Meet Me at the Bat Cave

My sister has twice now made comments on my blog alluding to a fateful event from many years ago. I think it may be necessary for me to recount the tale in full to clarify things to my devoted readers (all 5 of you).

After I finished college, my sister Barbara and I lived with my brother Steve and his family in Peru, Indiana. We shared a large upstairs bedroom near my niece and nephew’s bedrooms. Late one night, I opened the bedroom door and spotted a large winged creature heading straight for my open bedroom door. It was a bat. I screamed and slammed the door.

Chaos ensued. My young nephew Jordan slept through my scream, but the rest of the house did not. My scream woke my niece Janet down the hall, who slipped down the back stairs to the main floor. Barbara, Steve and Tara (Steve’s wife) were already downstairs, I believe. Steve was immediately at attention: “Mel? What’s wrong?” And so I hollered back that there was a bat flying around upstairs, and I was stuck in the bedroom.

I don’t know exactly what happened next. No, I didn’t black out or experience any amnesia. I’m just not sure what was going on outside my door. I think Steve came upstairs and turned on all the lights. He must have swatted at the bat with a broom or baseball bat. To escape said persecution, the bat dived down the stairs, presumably heading for the main floor.

I heard Steve yelling about the bat going down stairs to the rest of the family below, and so I thought it was now safe to leave the bedroom. I grabbed the first “weapon” I could find. Armed with my small floral ironing board, I cautiously opened the bedroom door and headed down the stairs to aid in the fight.

Half way down, I stopped on the stairs and watched Steve running around the living room, shaking curtains and trying to find the missing bat, but the bat was no where to be found. Barbara, Tara and Janet had all been in the living room when Steve had watched the bat fly down the stairs, but none of them had seen the bat come into the room. So where could it be?

It was at that moment in my descent down the stairs that it suddenly occurred to me, Steve and the rest of the family huddled together that the bat might be closer than we thought. Maybe it was still upstairs? Or maybe...

I looked down at the stairs below me, and the bat was there clinging to the edge of the carpeted step right under my feet. The bat was inches from my toes. I don’t remember much after that really. I know what happened, and I know what happened after that, but I’m not sure how it all came about. The end result was that I killed the bat with my faithful ironing board.

The next thing I remember vividly is my brother saying something like, “I think it’s dead, Mel. You can stop now.”

Steve removed the no-longer-at-flight-risk bat from our view, and the rest of the family all crowded around me and gave me hugs as I made my way down the remaining steps in a daze. I remember sitting down on the couch trembling, still gripping the now defiled ironing board. First there was shock, then laughter, and then a sense of awe and bewilderment.

How did I do that? Had I ever killed a bat before? NO! I had never killed anything before except for an occasional spider (and back then, I usually resorted to having other people kill the spiders I encountered). It breaks my heart to see a dead deer, cat, bird or other animal. So how did I manage to kill the bat myself? Where did the courage and strength come from? I really don’t know. But somehow there on the steps as I stood nervously poised for flight, adrenaline had kicked in, and suddenly I had the courage to deal with my fear and protect my family. I had eradicated that winged mammal with several blows using my small trusty ironing board.

I'm not normally a violent person. I wouldn't say that I experience much rage at all really. In the years since, I haven't killed another animal, that I know of, and, I’m not expecting a repeat performance any time soon. Thus if you find a bat, mouse or other animal in your home, and you need help getting rid of him or her, please call someone else because I’ve given up my role as an exterminator for now. OK, so I’m out to eradicate the hairy 8-legged specimens that plague my very existence, but that is quite clearly another matter entirely...That is personal.

The Trouble with Birds

I have a friend who is terrified of birds, chickens, etc. If something has wings, she doesn't like them. Now me -- I've never been scared of birds. Not really. I mean I wouldn't call me a bird fanatic or bird watcher really at all, but I guess I like birds. For the most part, birds are just sweet little creatures that bless my windshield from above, sing delightfully at early hours outside my bedroom window, or on rare occasions attempt to come through my patio door. OK, so they can be annoying, but these are still GOD's creatures, and if HE cares about them, shouldn't I? Well, despite my attempts with that tranquil mantra, trouble is brewing, and there may soon be a conflict between a pair of birds and I.

Earlier this spring, I noted that there was a happy chirping pair that seemed to be hanging out in my carport. Sure enough, a few days later, they started building a nest. I'm not opposed to sharing my partially covered outdoor space that I'm renting with GOD's creatures, but I just didn't have a good experience a couple of years back with my co-rent team. These earlier co-inhabitants made an unsanitary mess of my car and squawked noisely at me daily. I didn't want to deal with that again, and so I called the apartment complex office and asked them to remove the nest right away before they laid their eggs. I know, I'm just too cruel. But in my defense, I was trying to have this all taken care of before my squatters had a family they were burdened with.

But that never happened. For whatever reason, the nest stayed put, and I pretty much forgot about it until this past weekend. After all, my new non-rent-paying-commuters had not made much of a mess yet or squawked at me really, and so it seemed to this concerned party that we had worked out our difficulties and learned to share the space. But alas, I cannot report that with certainty. Let me explain...

I step out of my apartment building and walk towards the carport with my key fob in hand. Before I get to my car, I unlock my car three times (a signal I worked up of my own initiative) to make noise and indicate that I am coming. I figure that this gives them fair warning that I am approaching. For the first couple of days, this seemed to work. The birds would fly off, and I could safely get into my Civic and drive away without a fuss.

Well, apparently my new co-residents didn't get the memo that this was the way things were going to be because Mrs. Bird (as we'll call her) does not want to leave her eggs (since she no doubt has eggs now). So when I unlock my car doors repeatedly from a distance, she no longer budges until I arrive, and THEN she flies off. However, she doesn't fly off and just return after I am gone. OH NO! The brave mother-to-be now comes right back into the carport and swoops down in my direction trying to fend me off. It is official. I am now the enemy. I am now being dive bombed by my squatters. Doesn't matter that I was there first, that I am the one paying for the space, that I have a written contract with the complex. None of that matters now because to her, I am quite clearly trying to attack her nest and future offspring. This whole time I thought I was being a bird advocate, but not to hear Mr. and Mrs. Bird tell the story. STRANGER, DANGER!!! STRANGER, DANGER!!!

OK, so it's not quite like Tippi Hedren in Hitchcock's classic, The Birds. I mean, so far I haven't been nipped, had my eye gouged out or any other random acts of violence committed on my person. And yes, it's not quite the phone booth scene here, but you get the idea. There is potential here for a real standoff or confrontation. I thought about carrying my tennis racket in my work bag every day, but I thought that might be a sign of aggression on my part, and I certainly don't want to make matters worse. The truth is that I don't want to injure either of these new parents that I am trying to live in peace and harmony with. I'd hate to break up a happy home, but that being said, why did they have to pick my carport? There are plenty of empty carports in our complex. I could move, but I was there first, and if you haven't noticed, I can be stubborn when I want to be.

Hmmmm...stay tuned for further developments!

Diet Girl Update

It's been a few weeks since I've updated the masses on Diet Girl. Well (drumroll please...thank you very much), I am down 28.5 pounds in total since April 1st.WOOHOO!! I am so excited! I'm not done yet. I still have more work to do, but I'm going to continue my progress towards achieving a healthier me. I am far from being the future crowned and adorable Miss 5 Foot America . Is there such a pageant? If not there should be! Why do all the pageants feature Amazonian women with legs up to here (pointing to my neck) anyway? The vertically challenged need a way to reach the public with their causes, too. As in, why do peep holes have to be so high on apartment doors? I have to get a stool to look out through my own, and you know, by then, most often the person knocking at my door has given up. HA! Or why do they always put the diet pop on the tall shelf at Meijer or Walmart? HELLO! Short people enjoy Diet Coke or Sprite Zero, too! WAIT! I think I found a Miss America Petite. YEAH! HA! I bet you can't be over 30. Don't get me started on the age discrimination...

Anyway, back to our regularly scheduled program...

1. Diet Girl is alive and well and enjoying making healthier choices. Well, most of the time. There was a slight relapse at a dinner last week where I indulged in a slice of chocolate cheesecake heaven, but I counted every delicious morsel's points, believe you me. Yes, every bite gets counted on my online food log. I believe in full disclosure of every evil delectable bite. My newest indulgence is the Skinny Cow ice cream sandwiches. They are delicious and only 2 points a piece, which is awesome. I mean, can life get any better than that? I love my ice cream! I swear that it feeds my soul, too. [sigh!] Seriously, and I think an overweight soul is a must! :-)

2. It is time for Diet Girl to go secondhand shopping. My clothes (especially pants) are getting too big and baggy on me. I confess, this is a nice problem to have, but as most of you know, Diet Girl isn't much of a shopper at all. Plus I haven't always had good luck at secondhand boutiques; however, I think I need to give them another chance with the cause to save money. See, I don't want to blow a wad of money on clothes that I am only going to be wearing for a month or two as I continue to drop the weight. But if I don't go shopping soon, I think I am in danger of my dress pants not staying up here at work even with a belt, and that could be more than a bit hard to live down. All comments, suggestions and donations are welcome!

3. The walking extravaganza continues with my wonderfully supportive friends Becky and Barb. I lost my co-worker partner (aka Barb) for a couple of weeks as she was buzzing around London, England with her husband. [Note: No bitterness. AHEM!! I'm going there in less than a year myself. WOOHOO!!] But, Becky (who lives nearby) has been an excellent walking buddy during the evenings and weekends. We've gotten to know the canal towpath rather well. We've discovered the Irving Botanical Gardens at Butler University. Who knew that Butler had botanical gardens? And, if you knew, why didn't you tell me about them? AHEM!! We've walked all the way to Meridian Street along the towpath. It's rather fun and excellent exercise. I'm not quite ready for a marathon yet, but you never know. I've also had lots of turtle sightings. I know...I'm more than little obsessed with these shelled reptiles. But I've also had more than turtles to talk about. Poor Becky tolerates my excitement over all of my nature discoveries! Look, Becky, there's a beaver! Ahhh! He's so cute! Or rather she privately enjoys a laugh at my lack of knowledge. WAIT! Is that a seal? No, not a seal. Seals live in the ocean, don't they? What are those things called? Don't tell me. Don't tell me! I got it. It's a river otter, isn't it? It's a wonder that I am not working for the zoo or some nature park, don'tcha think! There is great potential there, I am sure.

Anyway, things in the life of Diet Girl are humming along quite nicely. I am enjoying the summer, the beauty of GOD's creative handiwork and am gearing up to a healthier adventure, day by day. Life is good! Health is better! GOD is the BEST!

IMA Volunteer Appreciation Event

I have some beautiful flowers on my kitchen counter. They are delicious red roses. And where did this singleton get red roses, you may ask? Well, I could make up a story to go along with the facebook mayhem I blogged about earlier this week; however, the truth is less dramatic. I got the bouquet at the IMA Volunteer Appreciation Banquet last night.

I don't always attend the volunteer dinners at the IMA. I like to go when I can, but that hasn’t always happened. There are just some things that I like doing with a friend in tow, and these meet and mingle events are like that.

My friend Pollyanna went with me the first year. We had fun hitting the hors d'oeuvres and discussing the large varieties of cheese selections, as I recall. After that year, I kind of skipped a few years until now. This year, my pal Becky joined me. There were 400 people there. That's crazy! I didn't even know we had that many volunteers. It was cool! Yes, we were some of the youngest faces in the crowd. The majority of the IMA’s docents and volunteers are 60 and above, but I enjoy hanging out with the mature, the knowledgeable, the seasoned, etc. They keep me on my toes when we work together, and I find them highly entertaining. They have so many experiences to share, and you know how I feel about history.

It was a fabulous evening. Thanks for being my "date," Becky! It was definitely better with a friend!

Poor Margaret!

This piece from the IMA's American collection has always appealed to me. I've photographed it several times (without flash, of course). But none of my photos really do it justice. I believe the young girl in the portrait is named Margaret, and it is her haunting gaze that captivates me. What is she thinking? What does she feel? Did she have a hard life ahead of her?

The choice of frame really puzzles me. This is a simple lovely portrait of young Margaret gazing out at us, and she is stuck in this monstrous, ornamental frame. Why did the artist selet such a frame for this gentle portrait?

Poor Margaret! I feel like she is stuck in the gaudy wooden structure when she was meant to be left wild and free. I've said it before, and I'm sure, I'll say it again: I think too much!

Just For the Record...

I’m such a dork sometimes. Last night, I made some changes to my facebook profile. I decided not to list my marital status anymore. I don’t know...I felt like my profile was too wordy, and so I was cutting things back. Well, then later, I started to rethink it again. Come on, it is what it is! I am single, why pretend that it isn’t a part of who I am? You can't cut it out. AHEM! So, I decided to put my SINGLE status back up on my page again. Sometimes, I think too much.

Well, this caused a broken heart alert to some of my observant friends. They saw me being listed as single again and were concerned for my well being. They didn’t know that I had just taken off the single status 2 hours before and was just reinstating the status quo. So now, I’m laughing at myself. Lesson learned! What a goober I am sometimes!

I could make up some incredible epic story about how for 2 hours there I thought that George Clooney was going to come through for me after his recent breakup, but alas, that did not happen, nor is it likely to. My life isn’t all that exciting. George hasn’t returned my phone calls, and the restraining order is still in effect, as far as I know. HA! You guys know, I’m kidding, right?

So...for the record, I am still single and broken-heart-free. This was just a false alarm. In the event of a true heart emergency, I would appreciate your continued support and friendship; however, no immediate danger or threat is suspected at this time. For now until further notice, I am still taking all candidate referrals, letters of recommendation, personal matchmaking consultations, etc. into consideration for a future breakup (just kidding!) or potential mate. Yeah, let's stick to the latter, thank-you-very-much! HA!

Thanks, John, for being such a caring and concerned friend! Sorry for the confusion! I am doing just peachy, honest.

The Desire to Please YOU

"MY LORD GOD, I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot know for certain where it will end. Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think I am following your will does not mean that I am actually doing so. But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you. And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing. I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire. And I know that if I do this you will lead me by the right road, though I may know nothing about it. Therefore I will trust you always though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death. I will not fear, for you are ever with me, and you will never leave me to face my perils alone."
- Thomas Merton, Thoughts in Solitude

This prayer always moves me. I love that phrase: “But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you.” It is such an honest reflection of the beauty of the Christian walk. We don’t always know that we are on the right path, that we have made the right decision, but if we are seeking after HIM, HE is pleased with our attempts, misguided though they may be.

GOD and I have had lots of heart-to-heart conversations in the car lately. I can’t explain it, but somehow isolated in my Honda Civic, I have some of the best GOD and I times. I usually end up crying or laughing or doing some of both, but I enjoy that time of candid worship, praise, adoration, conversation and appeals to my GOD and SAVIOR.

Sometimes I’m ranting on and on about like a broken record player on a familiar topic: LORD, I have the desire for marriage, and I believe that you gave this desire to me. I need to know what to do with it while it remains unfulfilled. Sometimes, I think it would be easier to join a convent, LORD. OK, so the Catholicism thing might be a challenge, but away from the distractions of men, I would be able to devote more time to our relationship. What do you think?

Sometimes I’m laughing at myself: LORD, please forgive me for being petty, but did you have to bring that spider into my apartment? I mean if you know when a hair falls off my head, you know about that 8-legged vermin hiding out in my closet. You could have prevented this from happening. Can’t we work this out please?

Sometimes I’m struggling with knowing where to begin: LORD, I’m stuck. I don’t know where to start. Do you know how many churches are in Indianapolis? Sorry, of course, you do! I just need some guidance and help with eliminating the possibilities. Can you help nudge me in the right direction? PLEASE?

Whatever the topic or discussion, I always seem to come away feeling more at peace like I just shared my heart with the ONE who knows it best already, and that in the sharing and the quiet listening that follows, I have had sweet communion with my CREATOR, my FATHER, my ALL.

Lots of Family Time

Friday afternoon I headed up to Kokomo for a weekend with my family. I went to my sister’s house and had an evening with her 3 kids while she and Jonathan snuck out for dinner and to catch the newest Indiana Jones flick. I had a ball. Four-month old Harrison is such a little charmer. He is getting so strong. He loves to “stand” and kind of bounce or jump on your lap. Two-and-a-half-year old Grace is a loving little treasure. I’ve never heard a child tell you that she loves you so very much. It’s darling. Aunt Mel, I love you, she says in the middle of dinner. My heart just melts... Five-and-a-half-year old Jacob, who is obsessed with cars and Stars Wars, shows me how he plays chase and wrestles with their Labrador Thorn. Look at me, Aunt Mel!

We watched Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (the older Gene Wilder version made before I was born. The newer Tim Burton/Johnny Depp version scares me. I chuckle to myself and try to answer Jacob’s questions like: Why are the Oompa-loompas orange?

After I get baby Harrison down for the night, I read the older 2 a bedtime story, and then they each share a story of their own imagination with me. Jacob’s story rambles on for a few minutes...all about dragons, Anakin and legos. Grace’s story is a bit shorter and less bogged down with details: There was a princess, and she didn’t die. The end, she says with a grin. Oh, and they went swimming, she adds with a flourishing finish.

Now that the kids are down for the night, Thorn and I snuggle up on the couch together for a movie. And I smile to myself, Yeah, this is living! I’m lucky. It’s moments like this that remind me that I have it pretty good. This is a good perk! I have an awesome sister that shares her family with me like this. There is always an open invitation from her (and yes her hubby Jonathan) to share holidays, long weekends, etc. with them, and right now I feel pretty blessed to have such a gift.

Saturday morning I was awakened by one of the dearest sounds in the world, a 4-month old babbling loudly to himself. So precious! We all got ready and headed out to catch my oldest niece Janet’s graduation from high school in Peru. The gym was a bit hot, the speeches a bit long, but it was awesome to see Janet graduate and get her diploma. And Jacob, Grace and Harrison were very well behaved for such a long period of sitting still.

Afterwards, we all went to my brother Steve’s home for some pizza and to catch up. My parents had made the 7 hour drive from Michigan for the weekend, and so it was great to see more of them. However, my Mom hurt her back/shoulder earlier in the week, and so she was in a lot of pain.

Sunday morning, we heard from my sister-in-law Tara that my brother Steve and my Dad were taking my Mom to the ER. Her pain had multiplied. We later found out that she had an inflamed rhomboid, and she was having muscle spasms in her back and shoulder because of the strain on that injured muscle. Poor Mom! The doctor prescribed some pain meds and she went back to my brother's to lie down again. She spent most of the day flat on her back. I know it was hard on her to miss out, but she was in so much pain.

At church that morning in Peru, a lot of the family was in attendance to see baby Harrison's dedication or rather the dedication of his parents to raise him in a Godly home, and a committment by the family and the church body to assist, etc.

After church, we all helped the family get ready for Janet's open house. Janet had a nice crowd at her party for most of the afternoon. There was a lot of food, and the puppy chow mix that Jonathan helped me make was a big hit. We might have made too much, but hey, it didn't go to waste. We sent it home with people.

I was buzzing around taking photos of Janet and her guests, of course. My brother Chuck, his wife Lisa, and their 4 kids all came mid-afternoon from Warsaw, IN. I don't get to see them as much as I would like to, and so it was extra fun spending time with their kids. Caity, Cari and Cera are a lot of fun! Caleb disappeared upstairs with the boys after giving me a quick hug. Both Caleb and his sister Caity are taller than me now. That means, I have been passed by 4 of the 9 nieces and nephews. [SIGH!] Not quite sure why it is their goal to grow taller than me. I'm not hard to beat, after all. I'm only 5 foot. HA! I also spent some time with Grace and Jacob blowing bubbles on the front porch. I love bubbles!

After the guests left, Janet opened her gifts and cards. She got a lot of awesome stuff! It's hard to believe that in a little over a month, she will be headed to North Carolina for the Nascar Institute. It's exciting!

I drove home last night, full of good food and a bit contemplative. Time has gone so quickly. It seems like just yesterday that we got the call that Janet had been born. I remember holding her for the first time as a newborn, and now, she is off to start her adult life already in her first apartment, 15 hours away. [sniffle, sniffle] OK, now I'm feeling more than a bit old. Hee hee!

I'm exhausted this morning but happy. It was a great weekend...I'm just going to try to get to bed early tonight. Yeah! Like that's gonna happen!

Just Fantastick!

Something about going to a live performance always makes me giddy. I'm home. I should be in bed or getting ready for bed. I should be brushing my teeth or washing my face. I should be selecting what I am wearing tomorrow so that I won't grumble about it in the morning. But no, I'm wide awake and wired. I want to get up and dance around the apartment singing Try to Remember at the top of my lungs. I doubt my house plants would be amused with my less than graceful moves, and my neighbors might not be too fond of a midnight performance either, but I'm high. High on life!

Something about music theatre or even watching musicals on DVD makes me happy. I don't always seek them out. My movie collection is full of just about every genre out there, but sometimes, I just want to express the joy of being alive, the joy of feeling, and somehow a musical houses those emotions for me.

After all, it's hard to be downhearted when you are singing a song from Rodgers & Hammerstein. Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens, bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens, brown paper packages tied up with string, these are a few of my favorite things...

And it's difficult to avoid being mesmerized by love's spell with Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe. I could have danced all night and still have begged for more. I could have spread my wings and done a thousand things I've never done before...

And now, I have discovered the magic liltings of Tom Jones & Harvey Schmidt and The Fantasticks. Until this evening, I didn't know the story and didn't know most of the songs either, but it was a fabulous introduction. The song, music and dance was delightful and the acting was superb. What an incredible evening! If you get a chance, you should definitely see it.

Try to remember the kind of September
When life was slow and oh, so mellow.
Try to remember the kind of September
When grass was green and grain was yellow.
Try to remember the kind of September
When you were a tender and callow fellow.
Try to remember, and if you remember,
Then follow.

Follow, follow, follow, follow, follow,
Follow, follow, follow, follow...

I Can Keep Secrets. I Really Can.

My co-worker Dena has a saying about me: Don’t tell Mel. She will crack like an egg. So why does she say this about me? Well, a couple of times she has tried to play some practical jokes here in the office, and she has told me about it. I’ve kept the secret, but when I was questioned about who was responsible for the joke, I wasn’t able to lie. I didn’t reveal my source or the offender, but I couldn’t fib. A yes or no question was too much for me.

Him: Mel, do you know who put this in my desk?
Me: Maybe.
Him: Was it Dena?
Me: I’m not able to respond to any further questions at this time.

See?? I just can't lie. Plus I’m pretty sure my face gave it away. I blushed. I always do when I am being interrogated or get embarrassed. I can’t help it. I’m not good at lying. And I’m not good at concealing my true feelings either. I don’t have a poker face.

I guess I’m an open book. But I don’t reveal everything to just anyone, and so I guess I am on the reserve shelf. In some social situations, I will just sit back and watch other people interact on the sidelines, and this even in the midst of friends or family that have known me for years. In other social environments, I become a social butterfly and flit from flower to flower. WAIT! That sounds wrong—let me explain. What I mean is that I try to assess the situation as soon as I enter a room, and if there are new people or people standing outside a group, I like to bring them into a conversation or strike up another conversation of my own with them. I don’t like seeing people outside a circle, being left out, whether intentional or not.

A former pastor once said, We all need more love than we deserve. That statement has stuck with me.

When I was active in a singles ministry, I remember going home exhausted at the end of most of our Bible study evenings because I felt like I all I did that night was meet new people and talk small talk. Sure, I would much rather sit and have a deep one-on-one conversation with someone on my own, but I just couldn’t ignore the new person who just walked in and was looking lost. I’m actually a bit shy, but I would force myself to approach the newbie and welcome them in, and after a while, it became more natural. It got easier to strike up conversations and mingle with fresh faces. I guess I could easily remember what it was like the first time I walked into that crowd, and if someone hadn’t talked to me or made me feel welcome, things might have turned out differently. Sometimes you just have to push yourself and take that first step.

However, I struggle with talking to people that I am attracted to. I get nervous, and when I'm nervous, I tend to ramble on a bit and make a complete goof of myself as I gush on and on. It’s a mystery why I am still single, isn’t it? I’m baffled by it personally. Who doesn’t want someone who becomes a basket case around them? Hee hee!

The Forces of Justice Won Out This Morning

A spider got away at my desk yesterday morning. Actually, he crawled out from underneath a pile of files at my desk when I lifted the files. One of the attorneys standing nearby knocked the spider to the ground and then LET the spider crawl away to safety.

Those of you who are like me know that THAT is just plain wrong. You don’t release the enemy so that they can come back another day to fight or terrify you again. You eradicate them, finish them off...especially when it comes to this variety of 8-legged invaders. So I lectured the attorney after a thorough search of the terrain was conducted by myself and 3 others. No spider was found, but I knew it was just nearby, waiting.

All day, I was rather wigged out about it. What was it doing now? How long had it been there at my desk? Did I trap it under the pile on Friday only to release it again? Was it reading up on patent prosecution for one of our competitors? WHY ME?? I was itchy and scratching all day just thinking about those beedy little eyes watching me from some undisclosed location, and those creepy 8 legs meandering about my space... ICK!

Later in the day, the same villainous attorney that freed the spider the first time scared me by coming over and telling me not to move because the spider was hovering over me. Of course, I jumped about 6 feet and flung myself out of my chair, which he found humorous. I was not amused by his treachery. I was in a vulnerable frame of mind after the earlier run-in with the said creature, and he had no business to toy with my fragile state.

So then this morning, as I was innocently drafting another patent application on my laptop, I sensed and then saw movement out of the corner of my eye as the enemy returned ready for another go-round. I let out a partial scream, which caused my opponent to jump into a more defensive position. Yes, he quite literally jumped. My yelp brought help from 2 co-horts, and one of them promptly bumped the spider to the ground and then killed it for me. MY HERO! Of course, it was another woman, who foiled my opponent with one crushing blow! You are the best, Jennifer! I owe you one.

Life here in the Legal Department is humming along as usual post mayhem. I am still a bit jumpy and itchy after my near brush with terror, but I feel an enormous sense of relief knowing that the enemy has been brutally vanquished.

Well...I was feeling fine until the villainous attorney returned from his meeting, and I relayed back to him the news of the morning. He promptly corrected my version of the story by reminding me that it might have been another spider and not THE spider from yesterday that we killed this morning. I assured him that I was quite certain. He brought up the logistics of such a statement, and we argued about the validity of my claim, etc. Attorneys!! They love to debate. Then I said that I NEEDED to believe it was the same spider and that I was done discussing the topic, and that was an end to it.

Hmmmppphhhh!!

I Love Downtown

I’ve been missing being downtown more. I miss walking on the canal, visiting the Indiana World War Memorial, exploring the tunnels connecting Circle Centre and the statehouse, eating my lunch on the circle, enjoying the Strawberry Festival, running to the mall for last-minute birthday gifts on my lunch break, raiding TJMaxx once a week, etc.

For 4 years, I had all those opportunities and more 5 days a week, but then I switched jobs. Now I do like it here on our little self-contained campus on the city’s Northwest side. There are a lot of advantages – parking for one! But some days, I still miss working downtown.

So on Saturday, I called Becky and asked if she was up for a downtown walk, and she was in. We started at the library and made our way South on Meridian, exploring the monuments and taking lots of photos. I think the Indiana World War Memorial is my favorite building in the city. I just love it. I think I have visited it half a dozen times, and yet I always spot something I haven’t noticed before. If you have never visited the building, I would highly reccomend it. The Shrine Room is a must-see. It is unlike anything I have ever seen before. I also like Cenotaph Square, the Obelisk fountain, the Depew Fountain, and the Sailors and Soldiers' Monument as well. The Indiana Statehouse and the Scottish Rite Cathedral are also must-see sites.

Hey, did you know that Indianapolis is second only to Washington D.C. in the number of monuments dedicated to veterans? Well, now you know. I should totally be leading actual downtown tours. That would be such fun!

Maybe while I will always be a Michigan girl, I can still grow to love and appreciate other places, too. And I must say that Indianapolis is climbing the charts!