Aggravation
More adventures in flight
This morning when I woke up at 5am in Minneapolis, the “feels like” temperature was -30 degrees. “How am I going to make it from the hotel to my car?” I was legitimately afraid that somewhere in that 500 feet, I would freeze, suddenly, like a Neanderthal. But my 7am flight would be leaving with…
In which I drain my savings account
Back in December, a natural gas leak was discovered in the crawl space beneath my house. The inspector from Xcel told me that it wasn’t urgent, and that I could have it repaired at my leisure (pronounced “lehh-zhure” in my mind). So this past Friday, I finally had someone come take a look. He shut…
The best and the brightest
When I left the office last night, my inbox was down to 5 messages (a record!). When I arrived this morning, I had 181 emails. Here was the original message: And then came the replies: Dozens of times. Eventually, the sender…
Why I’m doing what I’m doing
Are you stressed? Aggravated? Fed up? Worn out? Call Annie Parsons – the Bullshit Exterminator. This is what one of my beloved co-workers called me today – a moniker I proudly accept. Listen, life is too much these days. I’m inordinately stressed at work. I’m in the midst of an insurance battle over my roof….
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The sky is falling, and other tales of woe
Ever had one of those weeks? Last Monday and Tuesday, I got four parking tickets in 24 hours. My license plates had expired at the end of March (news to me!), and before I could find an opening in my work schedule to hit the DMV, Denver’s parking patrol graced me. Four times. I have…
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Let it go
This weekend, something that I wanted to work out didn’t work out, leaving me sad and disappointed. Then my bike seat broke. Then I tried to fix my bathtub drain, but realized I don’t have the right tools. Then several people told me, in various ways, that a dream that I’ve been working toward is…
Twitchy
I am the girl who balances her checkbook. Makes her bed every day. Drives the speed limit. Plans in advance. Goes to bed at a decent hour. Projects ahead so the future will never take her by surprise. Always has a responsible amount of gas in the tank of her car. This is what’s known…
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Re-entry
Today I re-enter real life after a 9-day vacation – and oh, the pain. I mean that figuratively, of course – but also literally. My body hurts. I climbed three 14ers last week, and I’m all scabs and bruises today. On a steep slope a week ago Sunday, a rock the size of a bowling…
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All of the things I have to say
All of you over-achieving, perfectionistic control freaks out there, raise your hand. I mean, I can’t be the only one, right? I have a really hard time when I can’t do something perfectly, which is unfortunate because I can do basically nothing perfectly. And lately, I’ve been doing a lot of things, which means that…
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Update: home
All of last year, I lived in the apartment above the most silent man of all time. The only time I ever saw him was when he would stand outside his front door smoking cigarettes with his headphones in, avoiding my eye contact as I would pass him on my way to the third floor. …