7 Days--Snapshots of life in a week

Last week

Friday

I had the day off, so that morning, I was at the beach. Got a text from work asking if I could come in. Totally ignored it. Instead, I applied sunscreen, then I went into the water. The waves were gentle and the sea felt great.

The crowds from the holiday weekend were gone. The beaches were empty, except for a few birds, great and small, keeping me company on the remote shore. I deliberately chose this spot, because it was far from human habitation and populations. Nothing but miles of endless sand dunes and sea.

Small sandpipers ran up and down the shore, chasing retreating waves and fleeing from incoming ones as they scoured the disturbed sands for small creatures to eat. Pelicans flew in V formation overhead, a few diving in the water to scoop up fish. And those flying rats, seagulls, hovered nearby, ready to dive and ambush me for any snacks or food I may carelessly bring out to eat.

But I'm used to dealing with seagulls, so no food, no beach picnic on a blanket, no chance to give those flying, thieving rats an opportunity to steal from me. Soon enough, the sounds of their calling and the hypnotic waves lulled me to sleep under a beach umbrella, after I'd worn myself out enjoying the waves and water. I slept from noon til sunset! And it's the best sleep I've had in a month!

When I woke up, I checked my phone. Three more texts from work, begging me to come in, with promises of future days off. Don't care, and it's too late now. I have no regrets. Sun's setting, and it's beautiful as it dips low behind the dunes.

Saturday

It's the last day of work for a friend, a peer, a colleague I respect and have had a great productive relationship with. She's transferring to another city, having taken a promotion she thoroughly deserved. I baked her a giant cupcake the night before. And I frosted the lemon cake with red, yellow, and blue flowers. For everyone else, two dozen cupcakes, each with a flower decoration. She was moved by the gesture, and the cupcakes were a big hit.

Her upward move and relocation was a great surprise to others, especially junior management, shocked that someone that ranked a step below them was now above them. But she's worked hard for this, and this year was incredibly demanding as she balanced going back to college to earn her business degree and work full-time at the same time. I could only encourage her when she felt overwhelmed, worried that she was older than her classmates or behind in her career.

But I reminded her that what she was doing was amazing. It's very challenging going back to school, especially when you're older and have a full-time job, necessary to pay the bills and tuition. But she's all ready proven she's a hard worker, and she's got drive, and she's smart. She's got experience and leadership skills and wisdom that will make her succeed and excel. And it showed this last semester.

She graduated with honors. Armed with her new degree, she applied for a position in administration, and she got it! I am very happy for her. I am happy for anyone who works hard to achieve their dreams. I'll miss her, and her department is definitely losing a great resource. But onwards and upwards to bigger and better things. Life is short, so I'm always happy when someone seeks my advice and listens when I tell them to seize the moment and follow their heart.

Sunday

A peer is celebrating her birthday, by working on a project with us. She had just returned from a long trip, spending a few days on the road. I was surprised to learn the day before that she was coming in to work on her birthday. But it was part of her plan to work Sunday, so she'd start her vacation on Monday. It was a well deserved break after a hectic quarter.

I've never seen anyone hustle as much as she does, working odd hours and overtime to get things done in her department. At the same time, she's starting a small side business as a consultant. I'm happy to encourage her to follow her dreams. She's a fantastic collaborator and she toes a fine line, staying professional in a department plagued with gossips and backstabbers and fake people. Whatever the drama, she manages to stay above the fray.

Since it was her birthday, I made a giant cupcake for her. I knew she was embracing a healthy lifestyle, having lost forty pounds over the last year. Her colleagues give her grief from time to time for her insistence on staying healthy. But I think that just stems from jealousy, and I admire how she stays calm and stays the course. And she recently ran her first 10km and finished better than she planned!

Since she ate healthy foods, I decided to make an angel food giant cupcake. Angel food cake is the healthiest cake, and it's delicious! As I wasn't using any frosting, I decided to split and dye the batter. I ended up making a rainbow layered giant cupcake and two dozen regular cupcakes, all just colorful and festive. The smaller cupcakes I made with an orange cake batter, also dyed but frosted a plain white flower to contrast beautifully with the rainbow layers.

She was surprised at the gesture, and loved her giant cupcake. As it was her birthday, she treated herself to a frosted rainbow cupcake and loved the taste of the orange cake. She had two more and took some home to her fiance. That made me smile. She thanked me profusely for the nice surprise.

Meanwhile, I had invited the few other people in the building to come by my department for a cupcake. Everyone who had one loved the taste and were thrilled at the colored layers. Everyone loves free food, especially delicious treats!

And a surprise, unexpected bonus: The lesbians from the procurement dept declared, "Wow! You made awesome rainbow cupcakes for Pride Month!"

I had been so busy working the holiday that I forgot that it was pride month. And once the lesbians made their declaration, word spread faster than the speed of light, and the other gays came running for their own cupcakes and raved over the treats. I was deemed a fabulous baker. I was surprised when they took fotos of the cupcakes and posted them on their social media accounts, spreading them out in the world. Honestly, I was just happy to see people enjoy the treats, especially since we were working on a Sunday.

My reputation as a pro LGBT supporter was solid. The rainbow cupcakes just elevated it. I all ready had a reputation for being fair and a civil rights advocate. Now, I can add "fabulous baker" to that list.

Monday

A long day. We were short three workers. They all called in sick, so the rest of us had to work harder to cover for them. One coworker in department tripped and fell, spraining her ankle during the weekend. Her ankle is bruised and swollen. She had to stay home to recover.

Official story: She was distracted and didn't see the landscape rocks in her way and tripped and fell over one, injuring her ankle.

The rest of the story: She was distracted because she was drunk, and unsteadily made her way across the Japanese inspired garden, making her own shortcut instead of sticking to the sidewalk. She was laughing, making crude comments and gestures to the group she was with when she tripped over those rocks. Her last words before the tumble, "Bitch, don't tell me where to walk! I'll go wherever I want to go...", and then she hit the rocks and went, "Oh!," and fell over like a chopped tree. It was hilarious.

I know because I was there Friday night, and it was one heck of a party we were just leaving at 3 a.m.

Tuesday

Another long day at work. I got home late after doing some grocery shopping. It was almost midnight when I took out the trash.

On the way to the dumpster, I spotted something darting from a second floor apartment. A mewling sound confirmed that it was a small cat, a juvenile, just barely older than a kitten. And it was crying for attention.

I could see it follow me part of the way to the dumpster, but it also seemed shy, unsure, and hid behind some bushes. Still, it called after me after I ditched the trash and made my way home. It took a few steps towards me, still keeping its distance, ready to bolt to safety, yet still mewling for attention at me.

I could never resist the cries of a small critter or babies, so naturally, I started calling softly back to the kitten, making encouraging gestures for it to follow me just two buildings over and across the parking lot to my place.

I wasn't sure if this was someone's pet or a new stray. Most of the strays who hang out on my porch had all ready been fed an hour earlier when I got home. And as usual, they had vanished into night, off doing whatever important, secret business cats engage in under the cover of night.

I couldn't really see this new small cat, as it kept in the shadows, ducking under parked cars as it followed me tentatively. I left my door open, continually calling out and encouraging the small cat to follow me.

I suddenly realized that I couldn't feed the small cat any of the chicken I had made. The chicken that I fed the strays were just seasoned with salt. Now, the rest of the chicken was seasoned with onions, pepper, and bell peppers, not exactly cat friendly food.

So I did the next best thing. I popped open a can of tuna and put it in the feed bowl and with clean water, I left the feeding bowls out on the front porch.

The small cat inched closer, but kept at least a yard away, conflicted about wanting to eat and still a bit wary of me. So I stepped back inside and closed the door. I peeked out the front porch window and was satisfied to see the small cat eating and drinking.

It ate everything in fifteen minutes, enough time for me to see that it was just a few months older than a kitten. I couldn't see a collar, but the fact that it was hanging at a second floor apt and it called out to me as I passed by made me think it was someone's pet. Or at least was raised by people.

When the small, mackerel tabby cat was done eating all the tuna and had some water, it left back in the direction it came from. I can only assume it was going back home. At the very least, I hope it was going somewhere safe. I went out to pick up the feed bowls, and I was tempted to follow the cat. But I couldn't see it, and I wasn't sure if following it was a good idea. I didn't want to confuse it, and honestly, as much as I love cats, I am not equipped nor do I have the time to take care of a pet responsibly.

I had fed that small cat, and it wasn't crying anymore. That was enough. I hope that small cat stays safe, and knows that if it ever gets hungry or needs a safe place to hang out, my front porch is a place that will always welcome cats.

Wednesday

I was supposed to be off today and tomorrow, to make up for working the weekend. But on Monday, my manager pleaded for me to come in Wednesday, because we were short staffed from people leaving, sick, or on vacation.

So it was another long day, made even longer by the unexpected meeting with the big boss. Loves my outstanding work, impressed with my customers feedback and satisfaction, a few tips on areas of improvement, and a big hint for me to apply to some management positions that have opened up. Not happening. Sorry. I just nod, smile, laugh, and start planning my exit in my head. I'm going to start looking for a new job, just in case they try to corral me into a management position. Sorry, but I didn't take this job to get into management. If I wanted to do admin and managerial work, I'd've taken the management track!

When I left work, I spent an hour wandering the grocery store. I need a few items to get me through the next few days, and a treat for myself for finishing a long week.

Thursday

It's my day off. I planned to sleep in. Didn't happen. And instead of going to the beach, I'm spending the day experimenting with a cheesecake recipe, adapting it to what I like. I'm not a fan of cheesecake. Its ok, but it is not my fave pie by any means. Maybe I'll find a way today to make it more enjoyable. We'll see how it turns out. It's my day off, and I want to enjoy it doing something fun.

I hope your week is going well, and I hope you're doing fine. Hang in there, it's almost the weekend. Cheers and Take Care!