Monday, July 22, 2013

Alcoholic Musings of Brilliance

You never showed at the festival. Or at least the Universe didn't let us collide. Perhaps next year...
Jen and I were able to hang out on Friday night at the Center of the Universe Festival in downtown Tulsa. It felt like old times, drinking, just the two of us. We don't get to do that very often these days, now that she's a mom, and a wife, and I'm single. It seems like we're never on the same page in life. I'm married, she's getting a divorce, I'm getting a divorce she's happily married, I'm single again and finding myself, and she's a first time mother devoting herself to another.
We've both mentioned how fun it would have been had we both been single at the same time, possibly able to live together or have the opportunity to go out together more. On Friday night on our way home, we settled into our easy conversation, grabbing Taco Bueno with the midnight snack cravings. We have this way with each other. Its very comforting to be able to express oneself openly about anything and have no worry about judgement. Once again we reminisced about the fun evening of drinking and music, and wished we could do it more often. She suddenly stopped and looked pensive for a moment. Then said something along the lines of , 'I think it worked out this way because we were exactly what the other person needed at the moment they needed it.' Which struck me in my post drunken, late night, munchy, chatty, starting-to-get-sleepy stupor (the exact moment when the brilliance shines through), that she hit the nail on the head. Had we both been in the middle of a divorce, who would have been the stronghold? We would have both been emotional wrecks, and just dragged each other down. It helped to go over late at night and cry on her shoulder, and see the life she was able to make for herself on the other side of a divorce: The wonderful loving husband, and the beautiful baby in the next room. It gives me hope. I hate to say it, but even though I'm older, she's kind of my mentor in a lot of ways. Even though no one can claim to be perfect or have it all figured out, she seems to have a pretty good idea. I'm fortunate to call her my best friend.

Tuesday, July 16, 2013

It depends...

I think I've mentioned on a post by post basis how much of a dork I am.
At least I hope that my dorkiness is somewhat endearing.

A woman in my department turned 50 last week. We all decided to get her gag gifts. They of course pick me to buy the most ridiculous gift, the adult diapers, DEPENDS. I didn't care really, said sure. I go to the store that night also intending on buying my groceries. Now as a little back story I think its hilarious buying stuff like that, and sure I do get embarrassed when I have to purchase certain items occasionally, but at this point in my life I've pretty much owned up to my un-cool status. I love to be in the Pharmacy line, which happens to be directly next to the condom display and watch for the teenagers that do a quick pass over, then come back and snag a box of condoms as quickly as possible. It tickles me pink. But on this particular trip I saw three, I repeat (3) of my coworkers. By the end of my grocery trip I purposefully buried that bag so far at the bottom of my cart it was practically on the ground. I can only wonder what those people must think of me.

The story and my embarrassment doesn't end there.

The next day I get a little of a late start and rush inside the building juggling my purse, a folder of papers I'd worked on the night before, a to-go coffee mug full of hot coffee, and the now wrapped(I guess bagged is the correct term) gift. At 11:30 we all take the gifts and cake and surprise her with them. The joking and harassing is endless, it's almost too much. She has a walker, denture cream, hemorrhoid cream, etc. Everyone is ragging on how old she is. She gets to my gift, and everyone laughs it up, but she reaches in again, and pulls out MY CAR KEYS. Everyone is confused for a second and I try to think of some joke to play it off as planned. Nope. Got nothing. They must have fallen in when I was juggling my stuff that morning.
I awkwardly step forward to ask for my keys back, and the group goes wild with laughter. "Who really needs those depends?!" OMG. I think my face was as red as an apple, and I reverted mentally to a toddler, just pouting while I took a verbal smack down like you wouldn't believe. She even placed HER walker in front of me. I was one step away from stomping my foot in a tantrum. The meanies.
At least I got cake....
So how dorky am I, well, it DEPENDS...

-pun intended

\m/