Little things keep trying to trip me, but I�m maintaining my balance quite nicely this morning. Through little obstacles, I�ve been giggling and smiling. It�s impossible to describe how fucking comfortable I was in bed this morning. Everything was perfect: pillow angle, blanket coverage, arm and leg placement� perfect. I woke up a little early so that I could just lay and savor the sensations of the sheets. Languorously, I leaned to the side to look at the clock by my bed. Sigh, 6:50am, WHAT? 6:50?? My car needs to be moved before 7:00!! I threw on some clothes and ran out the door with my car keys, closing and locking the screen behind me.

As I speed-walked to my car, I passed a woman, smiled lazily at her and noticed that I couldn�t open my eyes all the way, my hair was a mess, I was dressed in miss-matched clothing, so I must have looked like a disheveled and drunk lunatic on some secret mission delegated to me by a dog in an alley. She regarded me, wary, cordial, little nod and half-smile. I didn�t care, I WAS on a mission! Made it with a minute to spare, School Zone, bus pulling up to where my car just was a moment before I flipped a bitch to drive closer to my place, just to park again in a zone that expired in an hour, plenty of time to get ready for work.

Got back to the door. Locked. Hmm, that�s funny, why isn�t my house key on the key chain? Good thing I only shut the screen door, that way I could just call through it to my sister, annoying the fuck out of her, waking her up before her alarm goes off (a horrible thing to experience), but at least I didn�t have to bang like a crazy-person on the windows for her to hear me. Somehow, in my half-awake state, I must have remembered that I had removed the key from its chain yesterday so that I could put it in my pocket and go walking without the bulky jangle (by the way, the walk was lovely, my father showed Steph and I a park and a century-old graveyard amidst gorgeous houses in the hills, we're going back there). Jenny answered, in a huff, all ready to be cranky, but one look at me, to see my apologetic and dorky expression, not to mention, I was giggling, and she couldn't help but crack a smile. She went back to sleep.

I got ready, thought, Hell, my boss isn�t in this week, I�m wearing sandals, I don�t have any appointments, no reason to look professional, I declare today to be CASUAL DAY!! And yes, I was thinking this all out loud, which was called to my attention with a curt �SHH!� from my sleeping sister�s room. Speaking of my boss� well, why really go there. This place is a joke. She is the woman of perpetual vacation. Been out more days than she�s been in, at least since I�VE worked here. She came in yesterday, brought her kid. She had to come in, even though it�s cutting into her �vacation�, because she didn�t make it in on Friday, and we can�t always cover EVERYTHING. So she brings her kid, the same one I�ve written about before, who vandalized her car, who beats up school children.

He ran around, banged on things, God, I just wanted to pinch him. Do something to show him that this is a place you behave at. This is not the playground, this is Mommy�s work, and at Mommy�s work, we must� wait a minute, what the fuck am I saying here?? The kid shouldn�t BE at Mommy�s work. She doesn�t allow candidates to bring their children here, so what, another double-standard? Are you beginning to taste the bitterness? Anyway, my point is, she�s coming in today. And I am the epitome of casual. I�m even wearing sandals. Oops. Fuck, at least I make it in. So that was the last little blow. I really was looking forward to a day of productivity without her around. When she�s here, I�m so busy being bitter, I can�t concentrate on my work. A coworker asked me yesterday what was up with me, in this position, with management being retarded and following up in the wrong areas, not giving me room to perform, micro-managing, which does NOT work with me. I said, �I just wish these fuckers would get OUT of my ASS so that I can take a shit here.� I know, crass, vulgar. You'll be okay.

But at the moment, it was the most sensible thing I could have said. It�s going to be a good day. I feel like overcoming obstacles and then turning to laugh at that barrier that had the audacity to think it could actually get in MY way.

-Barbarella

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