3:56p

huh?
whenever I sit down to write, I'm often at a loss for words.
for the most part, there are a million things swirling around in my
head that I would love to write about,
but I can never pinpoint the most poignant/worthwhile topic.

but when I'm drivin' in my car to work or making my way back home,
I swear I do some of the deepest thinking about stuff.
I think I mentioned this in another entry, but
I really do wish sometimes that you could blog as you think things.

thank goodness for foam & lumbar support
right now, I'm liking this very cushiony desk chair I'm sitting in.
it's the best chair I've sat in all year.
I sure do miss my old Herman Miller chair at my last job.
We got a nice big "capacity building" grant which enabled us
to afford more ergonomic seats for all 10 of us.
*sigh*

My chair at work, unfortunately, sucks.
I've survived these last 3.5 weeks by sitting on top of 2 pillows to make me taller and
setting my feet on an upside down mail crate (since my feet are too short to reach the floor.)
Ah, anything to mimick an ergonomic position.
but trust me, it is far from it!

happy wednesdays
anyhoo, today on "day off" day, I did quite a bit.
started my day at 6:30am (I know, I can't believe it myself!) by
wakin' up and taking my car to the dealership for its 10K service.
um, it's only been 6 months and I can't believe I've already driven
that many miles.

Then, I spent the rest of the morning balancing my checkbook,
paying bills and fixing up my budget.
I actually just got back from the grocery store, too.
'gonna fix some yummy fried rice that Mrs. Y taught me last night.

the thing I really wanted to write about last night but fell asleep too early
so about Mrs. Y...
when i first saw her, she walked into the spa and made her way to the back.
I figured maybe she was someone our bosses had hired, but i wasn't sure
what her role was.
At first I thought she was there to help tidy up because I noticed our
staff lounge was clean when I came in after a session.
nevertheless, I would see her every once in a while, so I'd always say hello.

I thought to talk to her once, but I never really did.
I dunno why I didn't, but part of me now thinks it's because I didn't have
enough interest to care.
that's was pretty shallow of me, even if I respected her enough to say
hello and goodbye whenever she left.

She wasn't a person to me then, but when i found out she was
the mother of one of my bosses, my perspective completely changed.
suddenly she deserved all the attention in the world.
she was of greater significance now that I could associate her with
someone I knew.
I'm pretty ashamed of myself for that.
I guess I'm not everything a good person should be.

but I've definitely learned my lesson....
last night when she came into the spa, I still didn't know who she was,
but my boss and I both said "hello" to her.
Then my boss told me who she was and I was blown away.

She came over to bring dinner for both of my bosses - something
that was not asked of her but an obligation she takes on as a mother.
She even invited me to partake of the meal she made: yummy fried rice
with shitake mushrooms, green onions and chinese sausage.
It was probably the best I had ever eaten. And even though she offered me
another plate after I finished my first, I was too ashamed to take it.

She apparently loves taking in the oxygen at our Oxygen bar.
My boss says she's a junkie. ;)
So I sat next to her while she told me proudly about how
she made her wonderful recipe.
"Buy the dried chinese sausage", she said, "you can buy in Chinatown...
i steam it in the rice cooker ...and when it's done, I squeeze in papertowel until
all the oil come out..."

I listened intently to her instructions and pictured each step in my mind.
She then talked about the 4 rice cookers she broke because she pushed the
"on" button too soon after the rice was finished. we laughed about that one.
It turns out she worked nights (helping patients) when her kids were younger,
so for dinner, she would prepare meals in this contraption where you could
cook rice, steam vegetables and meat all on top of eachother in different compartments.
She said, "by the time my kids come home for dinner, the food already cooked even though
I'm not there".

After excusing myself so that I could pack up my things for the night,
I asked her if she would like a cup of tea.
It was the least I could offer
after everything she had shared with me...food included.
She said she would just join me later.
And although I couldn't join her yesterday, I definitely look forward to the next opportunity to do so.

Hmm...I owe that lady a lot. And to think that I almost missed out.
The biggest thing is, she's not just significant because she's my
boss' mom.
She's so much more, and will continue to be with or without me in the picture.
Thank goodness I've been given a second chance to get to know and learn from her.