After the Great Train Race, we went to Sleeping Bear Dunes for camping. We touched the sand, ate chocolates and slept late. Lovely.

Since agreeing to be the race director for a footrace, I’ve been almost too busy to write -
but mostly I’m just a touch lazy.

Things are going well these days. Of course I’ve been totally consumed with the race for the last three months, but thanks to the people I’m working with the pressure hasn’t been too bad. Everyone has taken their area and made it really fantastic. They are just doing it on their own - making it their own - which is amazing. It makes such a difference when you have great people on the committee. I ask people to participate in a loose plan and they comply. Is this leadership?

I’ve kept the sleepless nights in check but on the down side I know I’m under some pressure because there was a few bouts of serious paranoia and at least one day of complete despair. (fun)

So tonight we had the bag stuffing party and it’s the last meeting I’ll have with the committee members before the race on Sunday. About 10 people were there and everyone listened to how I wanted it done and then they did it. People had questions and I answered them. They came together and worked out their own solutions for race day issues - my direction wasn’t even necessary. Everything is falling into place. I’m quite pleased. I’m quite looking forward to having this race over with.

So when I’ve got a lot of details cataloged and filed in my head, the gears and tubes up there slow down. My responses become very literal - tonight when my friend sold me a raffle ticket she asked me for my number.

‘What’s your number” she asked, pen hovering over the ticket.
“Eight” I said.
(silence)
“Eight what?”
“Just eight.”, I said, the gears just now starting to turn.
“What do ya mean, ‘eight’?!” she said
“It’s my favorite number….”

***

So we have over 150 runners registered, a mostly sunny forecast and a likelihood that we’ll meet the break even point. Exciting.

The first time I saw you, we were at the bar.

You were wearing a turban because of the cancer treatment.

I was drinking vodka.

And I was struck

By the fluid movements of your hands,

And the shape of your face,

And the way the smoke from your cigarette swirled around your body.

And you looked at me, as if to say;

“Do you have a staring problem?”

And then I smiled… And you smiled…

And it was then that I knew that I wanted to know you for a very long time.

This morning I woke up with this message on the back of a scrap of envelope next to my bed:

The garden gig made you slower and softer than when you spent time in the clink with Jack Karouac (Jack, the dark garden wolf - leader of the wolfish, dark things).

In light of this, it looks like Mr. Karouac and I have an appointment at the library this weekend.

Since getting back from Orlando I’ve caught up on about half of my overdue tasks and there is more to catch up on. But working onsite at the tradeshow was totally worth it. I wish I had some pictures of me at the hotel to post. It was a lovely resort.

It was a good trip and the show went smoothly. I kept my composure during the difficult times when people were asking me hard questions during both set-up. (Where’s my literature!?!?! Isn’t there supposed to be a pedestal there?? Why isn’t my equipment here???!!?!)

Then I changed from jeans to my pinstripes to help open the booth. A salesmen from our company stood close to me and said in my ear “my, but your perfume is lovely.” Weird though since I was a little sweaty and I just wolfed down four pieces of sushi so my breath must have smelled of fish.

One of the people I work with and respect said, “You should learn about these products so you can do the product demos too. [like the sales people] You have a presence of a Cobo car model.” Sweet compliment.

Not familiar with Detroit car girls? I like this description best:

By far the most famous and most popular auto show accoutrement are the car girls, those easy-on-the-eyes young women with sparkly jewelry and patterns of movement and speech that haven’t changed since the shows of the ‘50s.

At the end of the show, and after we finally loaded the last crate of surgical equipment, I went to the pool and drank. The weather was beautiful and the pool waterfall sounded more and more distant with each sip of my long island.

There is a flowering tree next to my apartment staircase and in the spring it showers pink petals over everything. Nothing like stepping out onto freshly strewn petals in the morning to make a girl feel like royalty. This weekend the rain made puddles in my driveway that floated the petals in a lovely way - made the garden look especially vibrant too.

Plink. Plink-plink…

ripples in puddles

Violets mean you’ve survived yet another winter. Congrats.

Afterwards we lay on the bed a long time and listened to the rain.

Happy mothers day.

I love you!

This morning I woke up early to go to the ghetto market for pop’n'fresh biscuits, cheese, and eggs. It’s Chad’s birthday today and the man loves breakfast sandwiches.

Also, he took cupcakes that I made from a box mix to his weekly dungeons and dragons party this afternoon. He was happy.

I’d like to think that I would rise to the occasion if his culinary/birthday expectations of me were higher. Unlikely though.

It snowed again on Thursday. Winter is leaving, but not before waving a defiant middle finger and slamming the door. Chad took some pictures of me at my request since I was really happy with my threads that day.

The skirt is second hand pinstripe with mo’fo pockets (!). You can’t see it, but the tights are patterned something crazy from Target. Everything else is ancient - I’ve had that trench coat for probably 8 years. Some years I wear the granny heels as part of a Halloween costume and then sometimes I wear them to work. They are obnoxiously high so they don’t get a lot of work time actually.

On Friday, I picked the sewing machine up from the repair shop. Only $90 and they replaced the broken plate, the belt, and the light bulb that never ever worked. They also scrubbed it to a shiny finish. I put in the back seat and strapped it down with the seatbelt when I took it home. I’m so glad to have it back!!!