I am getting married in 64 days.  Bed, Bath & Beyond reminds me of this every time I log in to my registry, which in all honesty, I've been doing on a semi-regular basis.  It's not because I want to know what people have gotten me, not because I want to count my gifts.  I look at the website and I see my future.  Whether or not someone buys those things for us, it doesn't matter.  Those are "our" things.  I have my possessions, he has his, but the stuff on that website, that's "ours," collectively.  Rich and I are going to be legally we'd, rather than I'd.  (You like my we'd/wed pun?  I thought it was cute).

I was talking to a friend today and she asked, "are you ready?"  My answer was, "For the marriage, yes.  For the wedding... no."  There are all these details that need to be taken care of.  I'm not even sure how they are going to be arranged.  I am at work everyday from 9:30am to 6:30pm each day.  The full of business hours are taken up with my working.  How do I price limos or pick makeup artists when I'm not available for a consultation?  Have I mentioned that I've been working on Sunday's also.  That's six days a week I'm not able to do anything.

We still have to buy wedding favors, pick a videographer, arrange and actually carry out an engagement shoot, talk to the DJ about the song list, meet the rabbi (that's this Sunday), pick the flavors and design of the wedding cake (also Sunday), pick up the bridesmaid's dresses and have them fitted, have my dress fitted, place an order for the tuxes (I will be coercing Rich into doing that this Saturday), figure our where the bridal party is going to get ready for the wedding, figure out where the groom's party is going to get ready for the wedding, and talk to hotels and find out what kind of group rates we can get.  That's twelve things if I've counted correctly.

You have got to believe that there is more that has to be done, but do you really think I can remember more of it?


So, yes, I am ready to have mutual, wonderful, household appliances with Rich.  I am ready to live comfortably with Rich, I am ready to take care of Rich in sickness and in health.  Am I ready for a wedding?  Ehh... I guess we'll find out as the date draws closer and closer.

The perfect beginning to a new story:

"The smell of excrement could only make it better."

Would anyone like to contribute ideas as to what the subject of this smell is going to be?  You tell me and I'll make a list.

This would actually be a very good way to teach writing to a class of children, with a different sentence, depending on their age. 

Tomorrow starts a new chapter in my life.  I am excited and nervous about it at the same time.  I have not left my old job completely, but I have left a major part of it.  I am no longer teaching nursery classes or gymnastics classes.  The gymnastics is hard to give up, I really do love it.  Fortunately, there are only a couple of kids that I will really miss.  If I had left last year, it would have been more.  What I will miss dearly, is the interaction between myself and my coworkers.  I'm not going to be seeing all of them on my Sunday's there.  Yes, I will probably see them at some point or another in my private life.  Ok.  It's not the same though.

I've been there almost my entire life, twenty one years.  It will be hard not going there every other day, possibly not even once a week.  It's like losing a second home, or in my case a third.  I will still be there sometimes, but like I said, it's not the same.

However, I am still excited about my position.  I get to dress up, rather than down every day.  I may or may not wear make-up.  I am happy that my life is moving forward rather than staying stagnant.  I am excited.

Dear Bloggers,

I have no desire to write a long and involved blog entry right now, I just wanted to mention that I got a job!  I am very happy and excited about this opportunity.  A new chapter in my life has begun and I am ready for it.

On a completely different note, my registry cards came in the mail today.  I'm still not sure what to do with them really.  I can't put them in the invitations, that's just obnoxious, I don't know how else to get them out there to people.  They aren't really necessary, they don't have any other information on them other than, "Hey, Rich and I are registered at Bed Bath & Beyond!"  I just need to find a way to get that information out there.... How can I do that, I wonder.....

Ever just have one of those days?  I went out to have dinner with one of my friends and in the course of the evening, we ran into not one, but two of my father's students.  It was fun.  Musicians are some weird people.... but I knew that already.  That's why I like them.

As for the rest of my day, it was rather boring.  I have hope of a job looming on the horizon.  We'll see how it goes.  I hope I get an interview, I would love a chance to prove myself.  I really need to move on, however much I generally like my job.

I think tomorrow I am going to try and be creative.  I want to continue writing my detective cat story.  I need to finish it.  I need to find a middle for my story.  Ok.  That's my plan.

To Whom it May Concern:

I am a recent college graduate who did not have the opportunity to take an internship while in school.  I have had to work to support myself for as long as I've been able.  I am a hard worker, dedicated to whatever task is set before me.  I have had the good luck of being able to work my way up the chain at my current job.  I started working as a volunteer when I was thirteen in the arts and sports camp.  I interacted with children and helped the teachers as best I could.  At the end of the summer, when I was offered tips by the parents, I turned them down saying that getting to know their children was all that I needed.  I was young and naive.  Now I know that working in the summer is all about the tips.

I remember that there was a four year old named Cole in the camp.  It was the year that "The Sixth Sense" came out, so even though Haley Joel Osment and this kid looked nothing alike I was reminded of the movie on a daily basis whenever I came to work.  Cole's best friend was named Carly and she was heading into kindergarten at the end of the summer, into a world I knew all too well, SSSQ.  I felt kind of sorry for her actually.  Those two kids are sixteen years old now.  Wow.

When I was sixteen I started working during the year.  I assisted in teaching gymnastics classes.  When I was younger, from the ages of five to ten, I took gymnastics, at the same place that I am now working in.  I was teaching with different head teachers, one of whom was the gymnastics teacher that had taught me.  As time went on, I also started assisting in Nursery classes and birthday parties and working at the front desk.  I always worked hard, and I never turned down a tip again, whether it was monetary or in the form of advice.

Now I am the head counselor in the arts and sports camp.  I have about ten people working under me on average during the summers.  I help plan the program, modernizing it.  During the year I am a head teacher for both nursery and my own gymnastics classes.  I have written press releases for new and upcoming programs.  I do paperwork and work at the front desk whenever asked.  I even wrote a licensing agreement last year.  I explain programs to people on the phone, I take payments on credit cards and checks, I write receipts and write up excel spreadsheets for my boss.  I have also been asked to photograph different things.  Over the years I have also worked as a swim teacher and a body shop attendant (otherwise known as the workout room or gym).

I have progressed in my career at this place and I think that my opportunities for growth have been capped out.  I am currently seeking a new job, putting my writing skills, my photography skills, and my people skills to good use.  I am looking to be an administrative assistant, or an editorial assistant, or anything else that may come along.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,

Mira Nitzberg

Rich and I registered today at Bed, Bath, & Beyond.  The beyond is where they really get you.  They could stick just about anything in that store and it would make sense because of the "beyond."

Anyway, we picked all of our kitchen stuff that we can think of.  We picked a set of everyday dinnerware and a set of fancy, but not too fancy dinnerware.  I actually really like both sets.  Accordingly, we picked proper flatware for each set.  What I'm not too sure about is registering for things like bedding.  We don't have a bed yet.  We don't know what size it will be.  The same goes for the bathroom.  I picked towels, but we don't know where we're going to live, so it's hard for me to envision towels in a bathroom I've never seen.  I guess I just need to pick a color theme and go with it.

As for living room?  We need furniture, not registry type stuff, so I guess that's taken care of.  I didn't even know that people COULD register at Bed, Bath, & Beyond until last Sunday.  I always assumed I would register at Macy's, or something like that.  However, BB&B has a lot of stuff that I like and the prices are better.  They also give those 20% off coupons so people can save money.  I've been infatuated with the store for years anyway, it's perfect!

I gotta go to sleep.  It was a long day.  Registering is fun, but it's also exhausting and somewhat overwhelming.  I've always wanted to scan items, now I've done it!  I can also do it every time I go to Stop & Shop, soo..... it's not as special as it used to be, but..... it was still fun.

Off to work in the morning!  Sleepy time!

I took a walk today through Forest Hills.  I through the Gardens taking pictures mostly of flowers.  My aim was to take landscape photos, I guess for the most part I succeeded.  Now I just have to get back into  portrait photography.  I am starting to get used to my digital camera, but not the lens.  I need a netter lens, I cannot focus manually with it, maybe it's just my vision, I'm not sure.  When I was shooting black and white photography I had little problem focusing, I really loved the lens I was using.  I  only had problems  focusing with night photography, something I haven't tried with the digital camera yet.  I will one day, hopefully when it's a little nicer outside.  I can't believe it's almost the end of April and it's still so cold out.  Oh well, the wonders of global warming.

I know I am missing most of the person in this shot, but I find it interesting none the less.  I like the angles.

A lemonade stand.  I don't think I've actually seen one of these in quite some time.

As seen through a mesh screen

Texture

        

Memories

A girl finds herself outside her grandparents old house.  A house they sold when they started having trouble getting around, trouble going up and down the stairs.  They sold the house about 12 years ago.  The girl’s last remaining grandparent, passed away  about a year ago, and she cannot reconcile the fact that she no longer possesses any link to her past.  There is so much she just doesn’t know about where she came from, so much she doesn’t know about where her family is from.  She already comes from a broken home, a happily divorced family.  

She finds herself staring at this old colonial house for hours every day, long enough so that the owners come outside and ask her what her business there is.  She explains that she doesn’t have any business, that the house used to belong to her grandparents.  The wife doesn’t want to invite the girl inside, but the husband sees a sadness in her that maybe he recognizes a little of in himself.  He invites her inside the house for lunch and to look around, see the same things that she had seen as a young girl.

Even walking into the front of the house brings back memories.  She remembers that as a child she had only ever walked through the front door a handful of times.  The front door was not easy to get to.  It was in the middle of the long winding driveway, off the driveway to be specific.  Since the girl was always driven to the house either by one of her parents or her grandfather, she was always taken all the way up the driveway and she always, ALWAYS, went through the back door.

She remembers when her parents had just separated.  Her mother was sitting on the back steps by the door smoking.  Her grandmother, seeing her daughter sliding down a path she would rather her not, came outside and smacked her mother on the back of the head.  She never saw her mother pick up another cigarette again.

Walking through the house from the backdoor makes the house look so cold and uninviting.  The first thing you see is a coat closet, closed of course.  The girl remembers that only the fancy coats were ever kept in that closet.  She was staying with her grandparents one day when they were getting ready to go to the opera.  She remembers right before they left her grandfather pulled a mink coat from the closet for her grandmother to wear.  She had never seen anything like that before.  She went over to her grandmother to pet the jacket.  She had never felt anything so soft in her life.

Passing the closet she can see the door leading to the staircase upstairs.  When her grandparents had lived there is was almost always open, now it was shut tight.  Everything in its place.  The closet next to the staircase was closed also, at least that was the same.  To the left there was the dining room, to the right the living room.  All the furniture looked ultra modern now.  There were no rugs, no carpeting.  The table in the dining room was metal, it looked like a table you would see in a medical examiners office.  Very cold.  She could not imagine anyone enjoying eating a meal on it.  While it was metal, it was also fancy.  The legs were a twisted wrought iron.  It didn’t really match the plain table top.  The whole thing looked out of place in the traditional architecture of the house.  The chairs were a metallic leather, armless, very stiff.  The girl had never seen anything quite so ugly before, but of course she wouldn’t say anything.  The walls, which had been a cream color were now bright red and there were glass things holding fancy plates and other cutlery.

The living room was not much better.  There was no piano on the right side of the room, instead there was a metal harp, she couldn’t imagine anyone actually played it, or that it could even be played.  Instead of the nice oversized chairs which had been there when her grandparents owned the place, there was a long hard wooden slat bench.  It didn’t go with anything in the room.  It looked like it belonged in a backyard rather than inside a house.  The couch they had was stark white.  It looked comfortable, but it was so white that she would be afraid to sit on it, she wouldn’t want to make it dirty accidentally and thrown out of the house.  

While her grandparents had beautiful persian rugs on the ground, these owners had ripped out the hard wood floors and installed ceramic tile on the ground.  Ceramic tile could be nice, but it usually worked best in a bright sunny room.  The living room was dark to begin with and there were now heavy velvet curtains hanging on all the windows.  All in all the living room looked like a somehow modern mortuary.

She remembers the sun room off of the living room.  There had been beautiful french doors separating the sun room from the living room, yet somehow the two rooms seemed to belong to each other.  The sun room was basically where the plants had lived.  The room always smelled like a greenhouse.  It was high in humidity, it’s where the spiders were.  It’s where the girl remembered looking through her grandparents art books and learning about Matisse, Manet, Monet, Rembrandt, Chagall, etc…  She remembers the Tibetan bells that hung near the door.  They clanged every time someone had walked into the room.  The bells had gone with her grandparents when they moved.  It was also the only room in the house that had been fully carpeted, with red carpeting.  It was a cozy room.  A place she would have appreciated if she had been older.  Still, it had been one of her favorite rooms, and it was gone.  It was like a surgeon had come along and sliced the room off the side of the house. You might not notice there was something wrong if you hadn’t known there was something there before, but if did…  It just looked like the room ended suddenly, like it was missing an appendage.

The girl wasn’t taken into the kitchen, the hub of activity, before.  She was taken into the living room.  She didn’t know where to sit.

******

“What are you doing out here?”

“Oh, I’m sorry, I’ll leave.”

“I just want to know why you’ve been sitting here watching my house all week.  I’ve seen you out here.”

“Well…  This used to be my grandparents house.  I’ve just sort of been missing it I guess.  I’ll go away.”

“This was your grandparents house?”

“Yes.”

“Well, why are you coming by now, my family’s been living here for just about 12 years.”

“I know.  What happened to the sun room?  I can see it’s not there anymore.”

“Oh.  Yeah, I really liked it, but my wife thought it was too dirty to clean.  I’m not sure what that means actually.  She thought it was an eyesore I guess.”

“She had it removed?!”

“Yes, I’m sorry.”

“I guess it doesn’t matter anymore, it’s not my house.  It never was I guess.  Did she change anything else inside the house?”

“Mostly just cosmetic things, paint color, stuff like that.  She had the basement made into a den.”

“The whole basement?”

“Well… most of it.  There was one room I wouldn’t let her touch.  I mean she changed the door, but she left the room alone.  I would bring you inside, but she’s on her way home with our son.”

“Thanks for the offer, but I’m not sure I want to go in anyway.  I think I want to remember it the way it was.”

“I understand.  How are your grandparents by the way?  I think I only met your grandfather when we were buying the house.”

“They’re both dead.”

******

The girl rolled up her window and went home.  She didn’t want to talk about her grandparents so casually.  Especially her grandfather.  I mean he had basically just died.  It’s not like she had been close to him, she had been much closer with her grandmother actually.  She couldn’t really understand why she was so upset by his death.  The suddenness of being alone.  She could only remember a handful of times she had been alone with him.  She thought that might be part of the problem.  She never knew him and now she never would.

I am currently in the middle of writing three separate and very different stories.  I have a mystery story with a cat detective (which will most likely be for adults), a story about a woman and her day, and am now working on a story about memories and grandparents.  So far I have the most hope for the story about the grandparents.  I have more ideas for that story, and a character with.... character.

My other fictionalized people have personalities as well... but, I guess, the new story is more... me.  It's not a true story by any stretch of the imagination, but it has elements from my life.  I find my most successful stories to have some sort of basis in reality.  I know the sounds cliche, write what you know.  In my case anyway, it seems to be at least partially true.  I guess for any writer, their own personality sneaks in their somewhere.

So question of the day is: What are the merits of an e-reader versus a book?  Which do you prefer?  I know I don't usually poll people, but maybe I should start.  Personally, I think e-readers are interesting and good for carrying around I guess, but I still prefer the feeling of paper between my fingers.  Maybe I'm just a purist.  I can't imagine living somewhere without being surrounded by books, e-books do not count.  I know they save paper, and I know they save room... but I don't think I will ever get used to it.

I know I am a geek, and probably talk about Star Trek too much, but even in the 24th century Captain Picard was always reading a book, a real book, even though he could have been reading off a pad.  Actually, the pads they had were very similar to the ipad.  Isn't it wonderful how science fiction becomes reality if we wait long enough?  I am waiting for the transporter.  As for the shuttelcrafts... I still want a car first.

So far I've been rejected from one job today and my resume is pending with another.  Should I be hopeful?

I can't answer that.  I'm trying to keep my head up.  Actually, getting a reply at all is progress.  I should be thrilled.

Mostly, I am not feeling very well today.  I just have a cold.  I could be perfectly functional if I had to, and since I'm going to work tomorrow I will be.

I've been thinking about the summer and the warm weather and yearning for it.  I've even been thinking about the beach lately, which is amazing considering that I don't even like the beach.  I just want to feel the warmth on my skin, the sun shining on my head.  I want to feel... warm and relaxed.  I've been thinking that in a few months I will be married.  I want to start my life already.  I really do love him.  Sun, warmth, beach, Rich.

I feel like I'm starting off all my entries lately by apologizing for not blogging.  Well not today!  I've been busy, so I haven't written.

I've been applying for jobs like crazy and have only been contacted by what are probably scams from craigslist.  I've started looking for on monster.com because I feel like monster is more... reliable and more... real.  People hiring from monster are not individuals, but businesses.  I think that is probably the way to go.

As far as updates of my life?  There really isn't anything new.  Nothing new has happened in regards to my wedding.  We are again in limbo.  I think we've found the people we want to use, minus a videographer (we haven't met with the recommended one yet), but we've yet to actually book anyone.  I guess we have to move on to the next step.  Tomorrow, I am calling the DJ to find out exactly what the next step is.  How do we proceed?

I have to send out my save the date cards.  I've gotten a bunch of addresses, but not all of them.  I have been waiting for all of them, but maybe that is not necessary.  I think this week I'm going start mailing them out, get the ball rolling.

I've got to get the bridesmaids to buy their dresses....

Dear Blog,

I applied for a job.  It's a job that would be perfect for me at this moment in my life.  I might not have the qualifications to be an executive, but I can be a good assistant, or receptionist, or hostess.  These are skills that I have picked up over the years working in my current job.  I'd be good at this job.  I just need a chance to prove it.

On another note...

Today at work was hard.  I hurt my back while I was sleeping and I can't really move.  It's unfortunate since I teach children's gym classes.  Teaching gymnastics while not being able to move...  Now that's dedication I tell ya!  I also thought my coworker's jokes were unnecessary and were starting to get on my nerves by the time class was over.

Yet another note...

Any ideas for weekend activities?  I was thinking about ice skating, but seeing as how at the moment I can't even turn my head, it might not be the best idea.  I would like to go to one of those places where you paint pre-made pottery.  I find it relaxing.  Then again, I would find it more relaxing to actually make the pottery pieces.  All these things are rather expensive though.  If it were warmer we could take a walk, maybe even go on a little hike.  There could be a picnic waiting for us when we reached our destination.  Fried chicken in a basket, freshly made warm buttermilk biscuits, cucumber salad, cool seltzer for Rich and a cool coke for me.  I don't know if that sounds like the most satisfying meal, but, hey, it's good for a picnic.  I've never had a real picnic, I don't know if I would even want one... all those ants...

Rich just got here, so I'm going to go pay attention to him now.

Bye Blog!

I don't have time for a real post right now, but I just wanted you to know, dear blog, that I haven't forgotten about you.  I haven't had time to post nor anything to really say that would not constitute complaining.  My life is my life, it is as it is.

Life goes on.  I'll post something real later.

I haven't blogged since last week.  I know, I'm bad.

The florist that we saw last Saturday was great!  Her name, ironically enough, is Rose.  She is a year younger than me and is so incredibly knowledgeable about flowers it's amazing.  I think we have found our florist.

We also saw a business called the Wedding Box.  They are a one stop wedding machine.  They do everything there!  We want photography and videography from them.  The pictures are in the style that I want.  The problem is that we would be getting one photographer for the engagement shoot and a different one for the wedding.  We also don't meet the person, or people until the day of the shoot and wedding.  We see a book of their work beforehand, but that's it.  What is our personalities clash?  What if they don't understand what we want?  What if their English sucks?  I'm not thrilled about that.  It's not a deal breaker exactly, but we'll see what happens.

I met with another photographer whom I actually like better.  He also works in the photojournalistic style, which is good.  He puts a book together rather than an album, a real bound book with pictures printed on the page rather than mounted.  He tries to tell the story of the wedding with his pictures and I think that's a good way to go about it.  I have obviously already met him and he would be the primary photographer.  There might be a secondary one as well, but that's up to us.  The problem with him, is that he doesn't do albums himself, or videography.  Personally, I'm not thrilled with albums.  I think they are outdated and unnecessary.  I think that my mother and Rich's mother might want one though.  As far as videography goes... I want it so that I have a record of the ceremony... as far as the rest...  I would like to have it, but, I think the photography is more important.  How often would a couple look at their video?  On an anniversary or something?  Maybe?  If we used this photographer there's no reason that we couldn't still use Wedding Box for video... right?

We also have to figure out where everyone is going to get ready for the wedding.  My house?  Westbury Manor?  Most likely, the hair and makeup and nails will be in Forest Hills in the place I normally get my hair done.  I don't see why we couldn't put our dresses on and do last minute primping at Westbury Manor.  We just need to be able to get there somehow...  That's where the probable limo comes in...  We'll see what happens.

I have no more wedding news!  I need to collect my address next week and mail out the save the dates by the end of next week or we will have no guests!  My how times flies!

Yesterday was a long day.  I was working at the desk again, but I was also teaching gym classes.  I was exhausted before my classes even began.  My first class, of three year old's was insane.  They ran around like maniacs.  I think everyone is so cooped up because of the weather that they are stir crazy.  Normally, for gymnastics class on Thursday there is me plus an assistant.  Yesterday, there was me and 3 other people.  Keep in mind there are only about six kids in this class.  They were truly crazy yesterday.

The second class was a little bit better.  It started with three kids and doubled in size by the end.  The problem with that is that all the kids are on different levels and they are coming in at different times.  So, the class becomes a little disorganized every time someone new comes into the room, it's fun.

I bought myself kraft microwaveable mac and cheese and ate that for dinner.  It was alright.  I prefer the stove top version, but I had another microwave one today for lunch.  At least it's convenient.

Today's Montessori classes were fun.  We were teaching (I was learning) how to juggle and I was teaching plate spinning.  Who knew gym class could be fun without large balls flying at your face?  MEEEE!!!

Tomorrow Rich, his parents, and I have an appointment with a florist and a photography package place.  This place has a package that includes EVERYTHING!  We'll see what they can do.  Hopefully, we will book at least one of them.  I'll let you know how it goes.

My day was very long and tomorrow will be just as long, actually an hour longer.  I don't mind since I'm getting paid for my work.  I do mind that my back is killing me, oh well.

My father picked me up from work today and we went to Costco.  I have a love/hate relationship with that place.  It is useful.  It has its moments, but the food.  Holy shit!  You can't get a normal size of anything!  I know this isn't exactly a new revelation.  I kno this is something... knowns.  But I saw a container of cottage cheese bigger than my head!  I guess Costco is good if you have a family, a possibly growing family, then it pays to buy in bulk.  For just two people, unless your house, your pantry, and your freezer are huge, it's just not worth it.  There won't be anywhere to put your 25 rolls of toilet paper, or your side of cow.

I do like Costco though.  It's a fun place to be for a little while, not for too long, you might start wanting to kill yourself.  Today, I went with my dad.  He bought be a printer for Chanukah!  I am very appreciative and very happy!  My old printer crapped out maybe.... six months ago.  Since I'm not in school, it wasn't that huge of a deal, but I do need to print something every now and then, especially since I'm into photography.  My mother has been using a Dell printer since she broke her HP.  Unfortunately, my mac OS doesn't work with the Dell printer.  There seem to be no plug-ins available.  Grr.  Every time I want to print something I have to email it to myself and print it from my old Dell laptop.  Not the most convenient thing to do.

So, I have a new HP Photosmart Plus e-ALL-IN-ONE B120 series.  So far, except for temperamental wifi connection it's great!  I am very happy.  Thank you Dad.

I have a few plans for the future.  I plan to find another part time job, possibly doing retail, possibly real estate, along with my current job.  I need to find something.

Is anyone else realizing how bleak our generation's future is?  We graduate from college in the middle of a depression, health care is getting an overhaul, there will be no social security by the time we are eligible for it...  It's a great time to be alive, no?  Not that I'm depressed about the current job market.  Not yet.  I will be depressed about it in September after I'm married and am still living at home.  How many people get married and then resume their lives exactly as they were before?

I'm being pessimistic.  I should rally.  I will find a job.  I WILL find a job.  I WILL FIND a job.  I WILL FIND A job.  I WILL FIND A JOB!!!!  Not that I don't have a perfectly god one at the moment, just.... I need more hours.  I can't get any, so I need another job.  I am unwilling to quit my current job until I have a solid new job.  How many times have I written job in this post?  Hmm...

Taking a little break from my story.  I've written part of chapter 3, but I'm not done with it yet.

I've decided that since at the moment I'm not working on Tuesday and Wednesday's I should take advantage, or take more advantage of my free time.  Since I am a member of Lucille Roberts I am going to actually go to the gym.  Shocking, I know.  Tomorrow, I am going to take an ab class.  It's at 5:15, so I'm going to get there about an hour earlier and do some cardio, get myself stretched and warmed up.  I'm having dinner with a friend later so I hope I don't leave too smelly, hehe.

Today my day was alright, went to work.  My nursery class started with a lovely little boy spitting on the floor.  When I asked him what he was doing, his response was to rub his foot in the saliva.  I pulled him away from the class and he got to sit out for the remainder.  What bothered me more than the spitting was the insistence of my nemesis that we make this child feel bad about what he had done for the rest of the class.  She said, "Let's play ring around the rosy, he likes that game, he'll feel bad that he couldn't play."  I don't think that level of passive aggressive behavior is necessary.  I do consider it passive because she was speaking to me and not to the boy.  The rest of the kids were playing, he was sitting there watching, I don't think aiming an activity at him is necessary, like I said.

The most exciting that happened in gymnastics was an unexpected nose bleed.  A girl was standing there and then all of a sudden there was some blood on the floor.  We had to give her a nice gauze pad in which to absorb her blood and put an ice pack on her nose all while she was squeezing it.  It didn't take long to stop bleeding.  She just had to sit out for a few minutes, 8 at the most.  I had to clean the blood off the floor, that was fun.  Lysol wipes are wonderful.

Dinner got a little screwed up also.  My father and I went to get sandwiches.  I always order the same basic thing, turkey or roast beef on a bagel with lettuce.  I don't like tomatoes, not raw anyway.  I also generally hate condiments.  I just don't like unnecessary liquid mush on my food.  I really have a special hatred for mustard.  I won't eat mayo either, I think it's gross, but mustard has a certain smell to it which nauseates me.  So, I order my roast beef sandwich.  Dry.  My father orders his traditional jewish, roast beef, mustard on rye.  We get back to his house, we sit down to watch House on TV, we take out our food and, BAM!  My sandwich has mustard on it.  I was disgusted and pissed off.  I would have taken it back, but it was cold and House was starting.  I picked off the most meat that I could and ate it with way too many potato chips, trying to compensate for not having enough meat.  The left over mustardy meat goes towards my father's lunch tomorrow.  I was disappointed.  Actually, I'm hungry now because I didn't really eat enough dinner.

Ok, so that was my day... I'm going to go look for a salad or something of the sort.

Chapter 2

“Shit, what happened to you?”
“Ucch, I slipped and then the bus splashed me, I had to change.”
“You’re seriously going to walk around like that?”
“I can’t look that bad...”
“Um.. Steph, I gotta tell ya... It’s not good.”
“What do you mean? I know my clothes are a little big, but it’s just jeans and a shirt, how bad can it be?”
“It’s not the clothes. You have makeup running down your face. You look like a deranged member of KISS.”
“Thanks, appreciate it, really. You have any makeup remover?” 

It was a long agonizing day. Everyone I encountered asked me why I looked like shit. I

didn’t think I looked that horrible once I put my hair up and removed the eyeliner that dripped down my face.

I didn’t look so bad really, just like BNB, my old self. People didn’t treat me badly before, but they never paid any attention to me. When I changed my outer appearance, peoples

reaction to me changed also. 

“Wow Steph, I like that blouse! Looks great!”

“Damn girl that skirt is HAWT!” 

“Hey, where can I find me a pair of those shoes!?”

“Attention office: Stephanie approaches, watch out or she’ll burn you right up, burn baby burn!”

The reactions wore off after a week or two. People still commented on my new found style, but it was more... subdued, not overt and insane. All that attention was coming back

again, but in the opposite way. I felt like the old Steph in the new Steph’s body. Totally uncomfortable. I still had NB’s body. I was wearing my old shirt, which was too big, so I tied it

up so it sort of looked like one of those 80’s knots. My stomach was showing a little bit. At least I could still do that.

Once everybody got used to my new/old appearance work resumed as usual. Semi usual anyway. There were no customers at the club because the weather was so bad. I mean who

would want to come out in an ice storm unless they had to? I thought that we were crazy for

being open actually. The few people who did show up, were old. You know those people that go crazy if they can’t follow their routine? Those are the customers I got. I got call after call from people asking if we were open. Oddly enough, they must not have cared too much. I mean, if I got five calls in an hour about it, I got maybe.... zero of those people actually coming in.

By the afternoon the roads were fine, or so I heard. I work in a basement, couldn’t tell myself. The sidewalks were still a problem though. Wonderful. A girl, or young lady as my mother would say, came in. I guess the ice skating rink on the sidewalk couldn’t deter her any. 

“Can I get a tour of the gym?”

“Sure, would you like to see the rest of the facility?” 

“What?” 

“So the gym is this way. Follow me.” I walked her into the gym, body shop as we call it, and she looked around. The attendant in there asked her if she would like him to show her how the machines worked.

“This is it? There’s nothing else in here? Do all these machines work?” 

“Yes, all the machines work. Would you like Henry to show you how to use them?” 

“Sure.” 

She had this annoying high pitched sing songy voice. She was a little overweight and had some bad acne. I think she was a little.... Slow? She was twenty three and acted like a self righteous teenager. She stayed in the Body Shop with Henry for almost forty five minutes. Long enough so that when she came out again I was surprised to see her. I had managed to forget she was still there. 

“So how much is it to join the gym?” I took out the brochure and showed her the prices. For a single adult, she was 23, the price for the year was five hundred dollars. 

“That’s so much. Can you give me a discount?” 

“Well, there is a payment plan. You can speak to the front desk upstairs about that.” 

“Ohh.... You can’t give me a discount?” 

“I can’t do that, but they might be able to do something for you upstairs.” 

“It’s five hundred dollars just for that little gym?” 

“No. Like I was telling you before you get access to the entire Health & Fitness facility. Would you like me to show you around?”

“Oh. Ok.” 

I took her to the pool where she looked around. 

“This is it?” 

“For the pool? Yeah.” 

“Oh. I don’t know how to swim. Is there a lifeguard?” 

“There is always at least one lifeguard on duty all the time.” 

“Where is he now?” I was a little confused because the lifeguard was sitting right there, on his tall red guard chair wearing a bright red lifeguard t-shirt, so I pointed to him. 

“We do offer adult swimming classes and private lessons if you’re interested.” 

“Ohhh... that’s for free with the membership? 

“No, classes are additional, but there is a discount for members.” 

“So this pool and the little gym, is this it for five hundred dollars?” 

“No, if you come with me I’ll show you the rest.” 

“Ok.” 

I showed her the women’s locker room with the sauna in it. I showed her the showers, I told her the lockers were for daytime use only. 

“So, I can leave my stuff in the locker and use it when I come in?” 

“No, you have to take everything with you when you leave. The locks that are left on the lockers are clipped at night.” 

“Oh.” 

“Would you like to see the basketball court?” 

“Ok, do I have to bring my own basketball?” 

“No, we provide them.” After I told her about the steam room in the men’s locker room, which she could use on the hours which are set aside for only women, she turned around and asked me, “Can I work here with nursery kids?” 

“You would have to talk to the director of that department on the second floor.” 

“Oh. That’s upstairs?” 

“Um... Yeah.”

Unfortunately that was the highlight of my day. I went back to the desk and just sat there and answered the phones, “Yes, we’re open.” “Yes, classes are going on?” “No, we don’t have jujitsu classes, but we do have karate, tae kwon do, and tai chi.” A normal day.