Today: How It Went

Today actually went a bit better than expected. My first appointment went OK. I am so nervous around this client that I just want to have a heart attack and keel over myself when I get the perception that said client is struggling in the least. Said client had an accident last time I did a lesson with them and now I am so nervous around them that I can barely function. We kept it short and sweet and I stepped in to help out with packaging issues and afterwards I sat and talked with them for a long time, I think so that I would feel better about them before I left.

Afterwards, I had a few minutes to spare and needed to use a facility, and the nicest one where I was is at Borders Books. In fact, it's probably the nicest Borders I've ever been to. While I was there, I decided to grab an audio book. I re-read the Guernsey book, all my Janet Evanovich audiobooks, and re-listened to Prairie Home Companion and Car Talk CD's twice each, plus for some reason I had a Rick and Bubba CD which I listened to twice. I was getting desperate--sitting in the car quietly was just making me think about stuff I didn't want to think about and I swear to God if B101.5 doesn't start playing some variety, I'm going to rip out my own ear drums. So it was time for something new.

I have an audiobook rule: Nothing abridged and nothing that costs more than $20. It took me a while to find it, but it was there: Stuff White People Like. There is a blog at http://stuffwhitepeoplelike.com which the book grew out of. I wasn't really sure what to make of it. The description sounded funny though, and it was 5 hours worth of audio, so I decided to take a crack at it.

Well, there was not a single thing on that list of stuff white people like that didn't immediately call to mind something in my own home, a friend of mine, a family member, etc. I was about screaming with laughter. I am only disc 2, but I have to say, this thing is brilliant. If I hadn't already selected a book for book club, this book would be my 2009 pick.

The part that really struck me was about white people loving their kitchen gadgets. And in particular, the bit about the Kitchen Aid stand mixer. Forgive me for stealing their thunder just a bit, but here is the direct passage from the book and website:

But in order for them to truly enter into whitedom, they need to own the holy grail of white kitchens - the kitchen aid stand mixer (right). They will match this mixer to their kitchen’s color scheme and it will make up the focal point. And much like many religious artifacts, it will remain untouched for months and even years, sitting on the counter to be admired as a testament to their lifestyle.

I remember like it was yesterday when my Kitchen Aid stand mixer arrived from Amazon.com for my birthday last year. I ordered a cherry red one, since I like having red accents in my kitchen. I drove in from work and saw it sitting on the front porch and literally screamed. I nearly forgot to put the brakes on and shut the car off before dashing over to pick it up and bring it lovingly inside.

And then, it sat in the box on the kitchen floor for a week. I walked past the box and patted it lovingly. I stared at the writing on the box. Everyone was asking me, "When are you going to take it out of the box?" I had to wait for the right moment: the weekend. When I finally unpacked it and lifted it from its cardboard womb, it was with all the reverence of a mother being handed her child for the first time. I gently put it on the table and moved from chair to chair, studying it from every angle. I lifted the attachments, feeling their weight in my hands. I washed and dried the bowl lovingly. I flipped the switches back and forth, tested the lock that prevents the mixer from lifting. I made space on my counter and washed the counter down as if I were preparing the area for surgery. And then I gently and lovingly carried that mixer to its new home. And there is not a day goes by that I don't look at that mixer and it makes me happy. That mixer is one of the best things about my house. There are days I think I love it as much as the man who gave it to me: the Sugar Bear.

So the book caused me to think of this and other happy white things, have some good laughs, and get on about my day. My other appointment went very well. I actually spent much of that time laughing my head off with the client, who I am teaching to sew. If you know me, you know what a laugh that is. I have not the first clue how to sew a thing. So we were working with plastic canvas to get the feel of sewing in our fingers, and the canvas kept splitting, the yarn kept getting tangled, and at one point, I think we had sewn our projects together.

It was a long drive home after 5pm, and by the time I got home, I was so exhausted I just walked right upstairs, crawled into bed and slept for 45 minutes. I had to go to WalMart to get rabbit food and a new toothbrush for the General, and then I stopped off at Sheetz and got some dinner--I was not cooking tonight, no way. We had a nice dinner and then I came downstairs to do my aerobics and do some NaNo writing. I'm up over 18K words so far. I don't think it's any good, in particular, but it's there and I'm not worried about good, bad, or indifferent.

So in short, today was better than expected, and that is a good thing. Tomorrow I have to work in Springfield a good part of the day, which is going to SUCK. However, my office mate, Kris, is going to be working with me and she was a big Bush and McCain supporter, and I have been waiting for four solid years for an opportunity to gloat. I'll try not to be too obnoxious.

I am still really tired, so I"m going back upstairs to cuddle up with the mister and get some sleep. Thanks to all for the outpouring of concern. It was not a great day, but it was a good day, and that is all I wanted.