July 14, 2003

• Write Me A Blog!

  
  

  "Come on, write a blog about me!  You can do it.  Write about the good side of me, the side that makes people like me.  Tell everyone to visit my site.  Say how much you love me."

  
  

  I laughed.  If you knew her in real life, you'd laugh, too.  My sister is the kind of person who turns even the most serious conversation into an occasion for laughter.  She isn't mocking, irreverent or flip.  She sees that there is a sense of fun about everything, and she shares that sense with the people around her.  Since she asked me to write her a blog, I've been thinking about her and about her influence in my life. 

  
  

  Some people have to go out of their way to make an impression, but not her.  Even though she lives five states away, she makes her presence known.  For example, this morning when I dressed myself, I pulled on a garment that is guaranteed to leave "no panty lines."  Not a garment that I would have considered appropriate for a 40 year old, or have expected to receive for my 40th birthday, but you see my sister had a different idea.  I believe the way she put it was, "If someone doesn't do something drastic, you're going to start thinking of yourself as old, less fun, and serious!  SO you HAVE to wear this."  When she held up her hand, I went into shock.  Underwear consisting of little lace triangles - and strings - not my usual choice.

  
  

  I'll admit, for the first week, I had a constant urge to twist and squirm and just get that string OUT of my butt.  After I've gotten used to the new underwear, I've grown to like it.  I like the way it looks on me, I like the way the lace feels, I like knowing that I have no pantylines, and I like feeling younger and sexier at 40 than I've felt in years.  That's the kind of gift my sister gives. 

  
  

  Anyone can send a card, only she can send an attitude. 

  
  

  You go, Girl! 

  
  

  You can visit my sister here.

  
  

  *************

  
  

  In other news, I have a new keyboard.  It's fancy.  It's a spilt keypad that's raised in the center.  It has buttons, bells and whistles that I never imagined I'd want on a keyboard, but I'm learning to appreciate each one of them.  On the other hand, my typing speed has slowed to a crawl!  I'm not a big fan of change.  In fact, it would be more accurate to say that I resist any and all change with ever fiber of my being. 

  
  

  As a corollary to that, I don't enjoy surprises.  If you want to give me a pleasant surprise, you have to say to me, "Terri, I'm planning to surprise you on Tuesday.  I'll be coming over after work and taking you out to dinner at ______ restaurant.  We'll probably be having the Caesar Salad."  I will BE surprised.  I'll be surprised by the announcement, and because I'll have two days to work the actual event into my thinking, I'll enjoy it.  If you want to give my system a shock, call me on your way over on Tuesday and say, "Hey, I've got an idea, how about I take you out to dinner?"  That would just about send me over the edge of nervous flittering as I have to adjust my ideas for how I'm going to spend those hours. 

  
  

  I used to see this as a serious flaw in my character.  One for which I should apologize and feel shame.  I've decided that I'm done apologizing.  I learned long ago that surprises are usually not pleasant.  Through one experience and another, I've come to have an intense distrust of anything that refuses to submit to the admittedly haphazard routine of my life.  Oh, there are deep psychological dishes here that could feed a family of therapists for years if they wanted to take on the task of normalizing me.  But I'm not looking to be leveled out.  I'm okay with who I am.  Even if it does mean that I don't enjoy surprises. 

  
  

  *************

  
  

  In writing news, I've been back at work on the book I hope to eventually publish.  Last night I had a serendipitous dream - I dreamed the next chapter.  Whooo Hooooo!  This doesn't happen often.  My dreams aren't usually all that translatable to the page.  But this time, I think it will actually work.  So I'm off to crank out those words ... with my new keyboard ... wearing my new underwear.  Life is just full of change, isn't it. 

  • 8:17 am
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