Dear So and So

[shootingstar]

I guess I make up for my lack of visual-spatial and fine motor skills by being very organized and verbal. I don't like doing the stuff you mentioned, and DH always is on those thigs immediately, but I know what to do and how to handle it. I seriously don't know how some of the people I work with survive. They don't do their notes and are months behind in treatment plan reviews. Of course, it's the director's fault that she allows this. We went to electronic medical records last week and now it's going to be a little more in your face if you haven't done stuff. They refuse to do work at home (where I do everything, except my notes, which I do immediately after each person), and now we can do it without getting permission to be on the server or breaking HIPPA laws.
OK, that's my rant.

I'm not very good at repairing physical things. I hated doing puzzles that involved 1,000 pieces. But I have to remind myself that sewing, viewed as somehow "lesser" because it maybe not as dirty work /involving infrastructure parts, is also quite technical with abit of artistic vision thrown in. For the several decades, I wondered why my mother would choose boring, bland colours to sew garments. Yet, she could draft simple garments without using a pattern OR use a complex sewing pattern without her ability to read English and create a well-fitted garment for other people of different sizes and shapes. Or take an existing garment, rip up nearly half it up and create a completely different style. That too is technical ability. I have strong sewing skills but not like my mother's.

I'm different, I do have natural artistic ease /tendency to compose visuals, layouts from complementary shapes, colours and natural using the Golden Mean for aesthetically pleasing proportion of space. My mother doesn't really have this. But she has natural mathematical skill which will never be fully realized. She would do certain calculations in her head while my father watched, waiting for her to spit out the numbers. Yes, my father was more artistically inclined..again never fully realized. It reflected in his interests also.

Amazing how we just have to see natural abilities/skills in others in a way/totally different light that requires several ....decades of understanding.

Only recently I've come to realize that I honestly think creatively in a non-linear way as well as linear, simultaneously. This skill/style has become accentuated because of my jobs in past few decades... You would not believe it, but some reference librarians have to sharpen simultaneously analytical/logical thinking PLUS creative, non-linear thinking to help clients....within a matter of a few minutes.

The end result is me is spouting off thoughts that sometimes jump off into another direction suddenly.... I love interdisciplinary thinking, cross-fertilization of subject matters for something new/ a solution.

[rebeccaC]

I've enjoyed getting into the details of the kitchen and bathroom work, with the cabinet diagrams and the tile designs. But I didn't inherit a natural ability to actually do the work. I would figure it out eventually, I think, but would have to fix too many mistakes and probably a few disasters along the way. And I don't have the patience for that.

When I was helping the wood worker he wanted me to see the design of what was being built and went through the sequence of steps to the end…..and then he would let me help him on the project. He taught me to think through beginning to end, a few times, before I start….and to expect the unexpected but with a positive attitude. The planning part did help a lot on the remodel we did though.……still mistakes, but hey I just adjusted and learned, well sometimes maybe with a flash of crazy too

[rebeccaC]

Dear Michael….it’ll be interesting to see if your attitude changes because of this…..i doubt it but there is always hope.

I was doing some work in San Onofre this past week. Michael is one of the people I work with each time I come. He’s the ‘and why aren’t you attracted to me’ type with overtones of misogyny…..and why someone would think that’s a good attitude escapes me. He talked a few times about his bicycling prowess after I told him I ride a little bit…..long story short he actually wanted to race me on a 12 mile stretch of a really nice quiet side road along the coast starting at the work site. After a few taunts over the last few times there I finally said sure and this time I brought my bike and we did it. I had enough time at the finish to drink some water and do some stretches before he showed up. I was gracious and kind in thanking him for the challenge.

i'm kinda glad this contract is finished in January

[IBrakeforPastry]

Love it, Rebecca! You brought a smile (gracious, not taunting, I hope) to my face this morning. Okay, I'm actually giggling.

[Pax]

That is flat out funny, good job Rebecca!

[ny biker]

Dear downstairs neighbor,

I'm in my living room, as far as I can be from my bathroom, and the smoke from your barbecue grill under my bathroom window is burning my throat despite having the door closed since before you started cooking. I'm pretty sure your grill location violates local law, and I've decided to rat you out.

[laura*]

Dear MacBook:
If you had told me your hard drive was failing, I could have ordered a replacement SSD weeks ago. And started backups to my new Time Capsule.

PS If you had told me how bad things are, I could have paid Amazon to hurry up. But I see that you are still in denial: You still claim the S.M.A.R.T. status is "verified". That's not very smart!

[lph]

Awesome story, rebeccaC |-D What was he actually expecting, anyway... to beat you, and you be all impressed and happy about it?

[rebeccaC]

for me it was just about riding a really hard effort on a nice scenic road without much traffic...he was kinda irrelevant....
I see the ‘Michael’s’ as helping me learn more about dealing with the separation of personality and work…..works for me

Dear El Nino

After two days of commuting in cold very windy rain your beginning is noted.
I’ve got a feeling your going to give me some interesting rides this winter. Looking forward to the adventures! After my ride home yesterday though I was thinking I’m going to need lots of chocolate for the hot chocolates that will be needed to get through this. I’ll send you the receipts for reimbursement.

rebecca

[ny biker]

Dear El Nino

After two days of commuting in cold very windy rain your beginning is noted.
I’ve got a feeling your going to give me some interesting rides this winter. Looking forward to the adventures! After my ride home yesterday though I was thinking I’m going to need lots of chocolate for the hot chocolates that will be needed to get through this. I’ll send you the receipts for reimbursement.

rebecca

Indeed. I saw video of flooded highways in southern California on the news. I hope they're getting the word out to not try to drive on flooded roads -- all sorts of bad things can happen.

Perhaps TE still has some good rain gear in stock? You can probably get a good deal if they haven't moved to the new warehouse yet.

[rebeccaC]

Some areas of southern ca are going to have problems with a lot of rain over a few days like what happens during an el nino winter, especially those areas that also had fire damage last summer. The areas I live/travel in/work/ride in have a good infrastructure to deal with it though. I have some good rain gear and kinda welcome the different riding these next few months might bring…..and the center of a good storm can have a couple days of great riding!!!!

I’m sure the rei's here are doing well in selling rain gear this year ….and we need to think a little more about the bike room at work

eta

Indeed. I hope they're getting the word out to not try to drive on flooded roads -- all sorts of bad things can happen.

as i rode to work the first morning i actually was remembering how deep some of the pot-holes, especially the alley ones, were

[Crankin]

Talked to my brother in San Diego. It's bad there... thankfully, his home is OK, but one street away, flooding, 2 feet of water running in the street and into driveways.
We had "100 year" floods 2 years in a row, in Phoenix, in 1979 and 1980. It was hell. The bridge over 1-10 was washed out, I had to leave for work at 5 AM and leave an hour early to get home in 2-3 hours, for 6 weeks, the second time. The first year, I lived/worked on the same side of the river (normally a dry wash), but I couldn't go anywhere else, including to my parents' 4 miles away, outside of Tempe. I hope the infrastructure is better today because the rain is heading east.

[azfiddle]

I remember those Crankin- I wasn't living in Phoenix but worked on the Colorado River as a field biologist and we would go over to Tempe where our project was based- trying to get around to get paperwork done before a birding trip to Mexico and I remember it was a mess.

[OakLeaf]

Yeah, be careful with those potholes. I have a friend who broke his neck at the very end of a ride when he hit a pothole filled with water, not realizing how deep it was. Very thankfully the fracture was non-displaced and he's back to 100%.

[ny biker]

Dear me:

Put the laptop down! Get your a$$ out of the comfy chair and get changed and set up the bike on the indoor trainer and do some pedaling! NOW!!!