Four days until Hair Appointment #1. And I just bought a second set of hot rollers. I must have a pumpkin head because one set wasn't sufficient. It was only enough to give me party in the front and business in the back. I need party all over. 

I had a meltdown today. How do people handle the daily flux of emotions without a daily dose of chocolate? Seriously...how do people deal with stress and anxiety without a crutch of some kind? I don't know. I feel like I've been left alone in a chocolateless vacuum to deal with one raw emotion after another.

I played the crying game all day today. Except there was no surprise ending. It was one of those days where you lock yourself in your office and quietly weep about anything and everything, including the fact that the stapler ran out of staples, and then tell everyone you have a rogue eyelash...in both eyes. It started with a brick. Texas Tech sent me a letter about their alumni center expansion. If you donate a certain amount, they inscribe a brick with your name on it and place it permanently in the ground. To remain until the end of time. Considering how much I loved that place for seven years of my life, I couldn't pick up the phone fast enough. I turned on my Texas accent, dropped a few y'alls, and bing, bang, boom, I had a brick. PS...Most people get bricks with their spouses. My brick will read "Elizabeth & Astro Jones, BS 1997, MS 2000."

I couldn't tell you what happened next. I felt like Linda Blair just before all hell broke loose (literally). Maybe it was because I was waxing sentimental about the happiest years of my life. Maybe I was sad because I may be the only person in Tech history to share a brick with a pek-a-poo. Or maybe it was because it brought up memories of that very pek-a-poo, the love of my life for 18 years and 20 college semesters. He wrote some of my best research papers.  

Thank God for BFFs, is all I gotta say. I called Kara in her office. I knew she was with someone because her voicemail picked up almost immediately. That means call three more times. When she finally answered, I was just an incoherent, blubbering, bawling BFF. Who knows what I said. Luckily, Kara speaks the language. 20 minutes and some very cloudy contact lenses later, I was feeling much better. It also helped that she texted me a few hours later to say she'd almost thrown up after a super hard workout with her trainer. Kara knows I approve of and am very impressed by any workout that makes someone hurl. And the mere idea of the head of the science library at a prestigious university tossing her cookies in the middle of a bunch of sweaty jocks...had me rolling on the floor. She would be horrified!  I am pulling up the image on her face right now...you should see it.

The good news...I'm still Diet Coke, aspartame and sugar free. I didn't cry into a bag of brightly colored M&M's. Kara didn't toss her cookies. And I am immortalized with a pek-a-poo at Texas Tech University. I guess the day wasn't so bad after all.

PS...In 20 years, when Love of My Life #2 goes, I'll be counting on all of you to help me think up the perfect Shih Tzu memorial.  

Comments

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Elizabeth, hope today (the day after your blog entry) is a much much better day! Hugs from all of us. Xiao Niao was very interested in your Facebook profile picture when I logged on yesterday.