Survey Says . . .

This morning, in my over-tired, fighting with satin Halloween costumes, getting ready for an important trip, over-committed, bad cold threating to become a sinus-infection sort of way, I decided to make coffee. I drink coffee most mornings. I know, it's a bad habit, but as far as vices go it seems relatively mild. I often think I am addicted to the stuff, but then I get too busy and forget to make it.

I doubt people forget to smoke.

The morning did not go as smoothly as some, so I was brewing coffee as I ran out the door. This seemed like a judicious plan that would prevent me from the $5 coffee at the local drive-thru coffee shop. I imagined a nice cup of coffee when I returned home with only one child in tow.

When I returned home, the coffee maker had been turned off. (My husband is home sick, poor guy).

This leads me to the survey.

Turning off a woman's coffee maker, before she has a cup of coffee should be interpreted as:

a) an honest mistake, to be dismissed with a Christian heart.

b) a prudent reaction to a potential fire hazard.

c) domestic violence.

d) a crime against humanity.

There may be more than one correct answer, but I suspect there is at least one wrong one.

Business Card

I began to wonder how I could possible catch up after having fallen off the face of the blogging earth for nearly three weeks. I stopped wondering. I decided to start in the middle.

I created a business card for myself the other day. You know, those little cards people give to one another in business-like situations? That’s right. I have one.

I returned from MIT a few weeks ago with a long list of ‘things to do.’ I could flip back a few pages in my calendar and even look at my list. I won’t bother you with the details, but let us just recognize that it is long. Most of it is done. Some of it is in progress. The rest will take the rest of my life and become part of my journey.

I make lists like that when I have time, which is why I try not to sit still very long.

In any case, I made myself a business card on the recommendation of several very respectable people who both have my best interest in mind and appeared honestly appalled that I could not produce one upon request. I had the good fortune of collecting a few cards on my trip, one of which turned out to be the inspiration for my card.

A retired man, who happens to be from near my hometown, produced it upon request. It gave me all of the information I needed and made me smile. That seemed like a good format.

So, in roughly 20 minutes, I managed to make myself a business card. A few hours later, I enjoyed great conversation with some very interesting people at a very business-like dinner. We were having great fun discussing some very good (and other not-so-very good) entrepreneurial ideas. Towards the end of dinner, the gentleman next to me offered me his business card.

“Ha!” I thought immediately. “I can play that game!”

And, so, I provided him my very hastily made business card. He nodded, smiled, and seemed genuinely pleased to have met me. In fact, he enjoyed the card so much that the woman sitting across from me wanted to play too.

So, I gave her a card. (She didn’t have one – shame on her!)

She looked at it. She read it. She finally looked up.

“You seem to do quite a few things. Is there anything else I should know about you?”

“I’m an anonymous blogger,” I offered with a smile.

“I suppose you can’t really put that on a business card,” the man next to me said, as soon as we all regained composure.

So, Mr. Man-sitting-next-to-me who was discussing the entrepreneurial ideas. I finally have it!

I need a self-destructing business card.

(Or, perhaps more likely, a less dubious profession, but what’s the fun in that?).

My Week in Review

Can you guess which of these did NOT happen this week? I only did 10 of them, I promise.

1. Organized new after school activity for Andrew, with 5 other children his age.

2. Led successful volunteer meeting.

3. Contracted bizarre virus that caused me to miss preschool pick-up and sleep for 20 out of 24 hours. (Who really needs Thursday anyhow?)

4. Sent ridiculous but original lymric to member of the Dreaded Poet Society.

5. Had my ribs x-rayed.

6. Got caught up on laundry.

7. Caught error in a politician’s note regarding property ownership in our neighborhood, saving time for neighborhood volunteer.

8. Witnessed a grizzly bear receive a root canal within a few yards of the surgery.

9. Enjoyed small talk with an astronaut.

10. Conducted annual maintenance on my dryer and reassembled it.

11. Ran through the pouring rain with a toddler.

You guessed it. I have a lot of laundry to do today.