Isn't It Ironic, Don't Ya' Think?

So my week started out like this:

And ended like this:

It seems that once again fate (or maybe a government conspiracy against me) is trying to have a cruel laugh at my expense.

You see, I finally found a man that I really like and that I'm actually interested in. Someone that I am completely comfortable and happy with and oh, boy attracted to.

I'll give you a minute to climb back up onto your chair and read that again....

Yes, picky little me (who I remind you, was once balked at by a friend for Twittering during a particularly terrible date last year) suddenly found my fear of commitment melt away and my heart open up.

And I've been sporting my Mona Lisa has a secret smile all week.

**

Ahh... a budding romance, a relationship that seems to provide the perfect companionship in so many ways. A man that seems so amazing in my eyes, funny, intelligent, responsible, sweet, passionate.

And now the government wants to take him away from me. Insert self-pity and tears here. Well, OK, it's not the government conspiring against us per se. It's his job.

You see, the place he works for has determined his services are needed several states away.

We are both heartbroken about it. In fact, I'm not even planning to show him this blog until after we know what will happen so not to add to his sadness and anger over the situation. He's doing what he can to protest the transfer. I can only hope that it works.

In the meantime, I will draw on that inner strength that we all know I possess (all too well) and wait.

My plan is to immerse myself once again into the house repairs and exercise (anyone interested in helping with drywall work?). I wouldn't be surprised if you see a new poem or two other than the regularly scheduled Personal Poem Challenges. Maybe I'll even start working on editing for my eventual poetry book. I also plan to get rid of all the riff-raff around here and proceed with the plan to sell the house.

We will cross each bridge as it comes but do have a loose plan in mind if the transfer is forced on him. Good thing we both like to travel.

Which means occasional babysitting jobs will be available.

I could start spouting off all the theories about how "absence makes the heart grow fonder" and all those quotes that would probably make me feel sad right now.

Instead I keep thinking about my favorite Martha Washington quote "I am still determined to be cheerful and happy, in whatever situation I may be; for I have also learned from experience that the greater part of our happiness or misery depends upon our dispositions, and not upon our circumstances"

Schadenfreude

What is it about human nature? I'll admit, I'm prone to feeling better when I see someone befall one of my previous misfortunes. It's not a quality I like to announce from the rooftops, but it's human nature. And well, I'm human.

I came across this clip tonight while playing on YouTube & I just lost it (perhaps because I've secretly been anticipating a sense of schadenfreude that is inevitable). I think the song is actually from Avenue Q (which I still haven't decided if I want to see or not), but the video obviously isn't.

Anyway, here's a mid-week chuckle for all of you.

Something Other Than Karma

Karma is defined as "The total effect of a person's actions and conduct during the successive phases of the person's existence, regarded as determining the person's destiny." If you believe in Karma, then you also believe that what I am about to tell you is a result of Bad Karma or "fate, destiny" or even more so "Informal. A distinctive aura, atmosphere, or feeling: There's bad karma around the house today."

While I agree that a person's actions and conduct make us who we are and can have a direct bearing on our existence, I so not believe that by choosing to have oatmeal for breakfast this morning in any way impacted my finding a quarter in the parking lot at work.

So call it Karma, call it Dumb Bad Luck, call it what you will. I've just plain had a bad week.

I really didn't know I had been having a bad week until I got to chatting with Ave tonight. I made a comment about burning the rhubarb cobbler Bug and I had made for desert. She retorted that at least my furnace was working now. I guess I'm just one of those people that normally has a positive attitude and can let go of little things. Reflecting back though, my week wasn't as good as I had led myself to believe. Blame it on my tendency to deal with a current situation and then let it go (hmmm... maybe that's why I stayed in a failed marriage so long, I dealt with all the little things but didn't look at the big picture?)

My week went something like this:

Sunday it snowed. and I'm not talking a little snow, I'm saying we got dumped on. I'm not sure exactly how much we got, I've heard between 9 and 14 inches. Cold, very wet, heavy snow. The kind where you can make a snowman one day and if it remains cold enough will be an ice man the next. So we missed church and cub scouts, I had an aching back from scooping, and I had to listen to Bug whine all afternoon about how bored he was until we had Ave's son over for a play date. At least the snow was starting to melt by the time we went to bed. The positive? I got a lot of cleaning done, watched movies with Sis, and found laughter in listening to the boys play.

Monday morning things started to turn for the worse. I was able to back out of my driveway. And that was it. For twenty minutes I tried rocking my truck, my new used truck mind you, back and forth in the middle of the street. I got out in my heels into the snowy slushy pond that had once been my street. I tried pushing as Sis steered to no avail.

I called into work to explain that I would be late.

They laughed. I work at the dealership where I bought the truck last month. They all knew I had four-wheel drive.

One of my kind neighbors came over to help (I practically live in Mayberry by the way. what a wonderful neighborhood for a single mom to live in). The neighbor pointed out that my four-wheel drive wasn't engaging. He was right. I had somehow stripped a gear when I was backing out.

I handed my keys to the guys in the shop when I finally got to work almost a half hour late. Positive? I work at a car dealership with a service department.

Fast forward to Monday night. I get home from work (with my truck that is waiting for parts and an available mechanic to work on it) and it is freezing in the house. Ok, not freezing, it's 63. The kids are bundled up in swetshirts and blankets.

I assumed the pilot light had blown out on the furnace. I assumed wrong. It was still burning when I went down to relight it. I changed the batteries on the thermostat. Nope. Wrong again. I called Ave, who called her Dad. He works at a local plumbing and heating business in town. He walks us through all the things we need to check. Yep, tried that and that....finally just as I'm ready to leave for the kid's conferences, Bingo! The furnace had somehow tripped it's circuit breaker. The positive? I didn't have to pay someone to fix my furnace and two hours later I came home to a very toasty abode.

Tuesday morning had me arguing with the Extended Warranty company about whether they were going to pay for my truck repair since I had just bought the vehicle 3 weeks before. In the afternoon one of our service advisors won that battle for me.

I went swimming Tuesday night. I swam laps without my cap that I somehow misplaced. What a pain. Im pretty sure I won't have to get my hair thinned out for awhile now.

I think Wednesday went pretty well. It's kind of a blur since I was so busy running kids to activities.

Tonight Bug and I had planned to make a Rhubarb cake for desert. I still have quite a bit of rhubarb stashed in my deep freeze from last year. We had fun mixing the batter and talking. We put it in the oven, set the timer for one hour, and settled down to watch Who Framed Roger Rabbit.

An hour and ten minutes later I realized something was burning.

The timer had stopped with 5 minutes left to go. Obviously I won't be trusting my stove to tell me when something is done again. The positive? We were able to salvage enough of the cake for us to each have a piece and Bug and I still had a bonding experience regardless.

Tomorrow is a new day. Bur I think I'll say a prayer tonight and ask God to keep bad karma away from me just in case.