MayB has honored me with an award!

In receiving it, I am to say something nice about my man, list 6 ways I measure success in life, and then bestow the award upon 6 others.

About Rob: He takes things in stride and puts up with my shit. Also see here, an entire category comprised mostly of me saying nice things about him. Along with the occasional mocking.

About success: I don't have a good answer for this, frankly. I can't say I spend much time considering how to be Successful, or what that even means. I guess, in general, being successful to me is being on top of my shit, even if that's just small things: managing a busy schedule, keeping things organized, maintaining friendships, eating right, not killing anyone in my sleep. On a much broader scope, I suppose success to me is similar to happiness. I feel successful if I'm content with the life I'm living. I suppose what I strive for is Maslow's idea of self-actualization. I like to explore and grow, through travel or reading or trying something new. This is sometimes a struggle, as my biggest ideas can be thwarted by my fear of failure. And that I have a fear of failure is rather ironic considering I don't have a definition for success.

And now I'm pleased to recognize...

• Poop and Boogies - One of the best blogs I read. Humorous and human. I adore William and his entire family.
• Doc Ern - She's smart, strong, and sincere. And even though I've never met her, her posts are like letters from a good friend.
• What Was I Thinking? - Susie exudes grace, compassion, and humor no matter the situation. More than any other blogger, she has affected the way I view things, and I think everyone who reads her would say the same.
• Janasayqua - Jana's posts always make me smile. She's got a great way of portraying everyday moments. She also has the best blog name ever (although I won't say how long I read her before I figured it out...seems I'm not as smart as I'd like to think I am.)
• Simply Geeky - Great cook, awesome photographer, and also a computer geek. And she loves crossword puzzles. This is probably the woman Rob should have married. But anyway. Her blog is a reflection of her interests and is always fresh and fun.
• Fat Orange Cat - I love Karyn's style, and by that I mean both the items she creates and her aura. She's very cool, and her blog (and Etsy shop) has lots of beautiful things. Even her cats are ridiculously gorgeous.

(Those recognized should feel welcome but not obligated to participate.)

Thanks again to MayB! Her blog is also one that's worth a visit. I always enjoy her perspective, and lately she's been posting a daily list of things for which she's thankful. Also, she's Canadian. I love Canadians.

Over at Hit and Run I've been tagged for a meme in which I am supposed to list eight random things about myself...

• I have a favorite plate. Its pattern is more swirly than the rest in our set. When Rob sets the table, he knows to give me the swirly plate. If he forgets, I switch them.




• I love to scan barcodes. For this reason I am slightly addicted to self-checkout lanes. And those price-check kiosks at Target, which I might perhaps use every time I go to Target, just because I can.




• I get really grumpy when I get hungry. Like, beyond reasoning with. Rob claims there is a very small window of time (about 2.5 minutes) between when I am not at all hungry and when I am STARVING, and that the most important survival skill he has learned in this marriage is to "recognize the warning signs and act quickly."




• I only wear nude nail polish. You know, like the flesh-toned color they use for french manicures. I like how it makes nails look nicely finished but still natural. I don't think I've worn a real color on my fingernails since high school. I've always painted my toes with a maroon or deep rose, but just recently I've abandoned colors altogether. I have nothing against them on other people, but I don't like the look on myself.




• In the morning while driving to work, I can only listen to NPR. NPR is quiet and mellow; everything else is too loud and too damn perky. When Rob and I used to drive to work together, he liked to listen to some obnoxious morning show on the rock station, with lots of crude jokes and loud laughing and the people constantly shout-talking. It was all I could do on those mornings not to fling myself out the car door.




• I was a DJ for awhile at my college radio station. Doreen and I, and another friend, had a folk show.




• I grew up listening to country music, and so completely missed all 80s pop and rock music. The only time I ever heard any of those songs was when we went to the skating rink, and so as a result, I'll say, "Oh, this song reminds me of Skatetown!" about any 80s song I actually recognize. I don’t listen to country anymore, but I’ll never catch up on all I missed. Rob is still amazed when a classic rock/pop song comes on the radio and I swear I’ve never heard it before. But, name a Dolly Parton song and I can sing it.




• I go to great lengths to ignore people I know when I see them out and about. Unless you are in my very closest circle of friends or family, I will avoid you. I'll duck into an aisle or become very preoccupied with my cell phone to prevent us from having contact. It sounds snobby, but mostly it's just because I'm lazy - making inane chit-chat is such a pain in the ass.

I won't tag anyone, but feel free to play if the spirit moves you.

The Kept Woman tagged me as a blogger who makes her think in some way. (How John Stamos is not one of the things I make her think about, I have no idea. Clearly I'm not writing about him nearly enough.) Thank you for the honor, TKW.

In turn, I'm supposed to list five blogs that make me think:

Von Krankipantzen - I thought of Kranki immediately for this meme because her very way of thinking is one of the things I adore about her. She views the world with such wit. When I read about her life, I marvel at how I completely relate to her and yet, at the same time, how uniquely creative her perspective is. To get a glimpse inside her mind is a delight.

Crankopotamus - Dave makes me think about the moments. As you surely know by now, I love the little moments. And Dave writes about them in a way that really reaches me. He's a recent widower raising his 3 year-old son, and I've become quite smitten with both of them. You will, too.

mind the gap - Written in poetic prose, Anna's posts are always profound.

Superhero Journal - Sincere thoughts of a beautiful spirit. Andrea's musings actually make me consider how I can be a better person. Click through her archives for gorgeous photos and rich reflections.

big Alba - A different perspective.

(Those tagged may continue the meme, but are in no way obligated to do so.)

I've waited until now to post this because Rob and I are going on a trip and I thought I'd leave you with some folks to visit while we're gone. But don't wander off too far - I'm hoping to update some along the way.

Our new bathroom sink and faucet, modeled by the fabulous Bridget.

Yesterday I got an email from a manager who works at our headquarters. I don't know him well, although we have met several times and I've worked with him occasionally over the phone. He is prim, proper, professional, and polite. Always.

So yesterday I sent some data to him and I got the following email in response:

-----
You're the greatest Kelly.
I'm sure you hear that everynight.
Thanks.
-----

Um, I'm sorry, what?! I'm sure he didn't mean it like that, but still. What could he possibly have been thinking about to make such a slip? No wait...don't tell me.

Subtitle: wtf? tuesday: restaurants that lie

Yesterday RzDrms was on a business trip only a few hours away from me, and we had plans to meet in the middle for dinner. I'd found a restaurant online that seemed perfect and late last week I called and made a reservation for us.

Last evening Rob and I were running late, so I called the restaurant to let them know. Cause I'm polite like that. But no one answered - I only got a recorded message. I thought this was odd, but I figured they were just too busy to answer the phone. The recorded message confirmed that they were open for dinner nightly, and I figured on a Monday night we'd certainly be able to get a table even without a reservation, so no worries.

Yeah, so we met at this restaurant only to discover that it was closed. Like, lights off and door locked. Rz asked a passerby about it and he said, "Oh, they're closed on Mondays."

Okaaaay. But their website claims they serve dinner "Sun-Thurs. 5 - 9:30; Friday & Saturday 5 - 10:30." And just like the recorded phone message, the sign on their DOOR says they serve dinner "nightly starting at 5." And a feature on their menu is "Monday Night Create-Your-Own-Pasta"! And did I mention that I MADE RESERVATIONS?! Like, over the phone, speaking to a real person who works at this restaurant? Like, for MONDAY night? WTF?!

[related aside in the style of mrtl's tangents]
I called them today. Basically to ask WTF kind of restaurant makes freaking reservations for a night they're closed? Well, apparently they are open on Monday nights seasonally, and that season begins next week. Apparently the person who took my reservation was a week ahead of himself. (I confirmed that the reservation I'd made was for yesterday. Yep, it was right there in the reservation book. For yesterday. Monday night. The night they are, you know, closed.) And I guess they just don't bother to seasonally change their website or their recorded phone message or the sign on their door because that would be such a hassle. Which makes sense. You know, in Fucked Up Land.
[end related aside in the style of mrtl's tangents]

We were, of course, able to find another restaurant. Actually, I shouldn't say of course because the next few restaurants we checked out were also closed Monday (but upfront about it, at least) and there was a point at which I think we all believed it was inevitable that we'd end up eating dinner wedged tightly between truck drivers at the counter of Mel's Diner, the only place with an OPEN sign on the door.

But eventually we found a restaurant that looked good. And by looked good, I mean had lights on. And we had a great time! I feel like I know Rz well through our online contact and emails, and yet she still managed to exceed my expectations. I already knew her to be cool, but she is WAY cool, y'all. (And beautiful, by the way.) Whenever I meet someone from the blogworld, I'm reminded that there is no substitute for knowing people in 3-D. We can convey so much about ourselves with words, can capture the essence of ourselves on the page, and yet the details are lost. And really, it's all in the details.

I could try to paint a picture of Rz for you. I could tell you that she has nice hands, that her eyes are kind, that certain words she says reveal her accent. I could tell you that, as she freely admits, her purse is where receipts go to die. I could tell you that she gives great hugs. But I just can't do her justice in two-dimension.

(Rz, it was a pleasure! But next time let's avoid Monday night, mmkay?)

This sign puts a whole new meaning to "parking spot".