Dear Diary,I can’t help but want to report on some of my progress as of late. I have become a champion of various titles. The score is now 4:1, me versus the world. The ‘1’ on the world’s side is the incident of getting poodled at a salon a couple months ago.
My victories started with a recent conquest of the ghastly perm job from Modern Urban Hair Designers. I walked around the office feeling like a bad rendition of Medusa for six weeks after the perm incident. During that time I had followed up with Dana at the salon, stating that something was very wrong with the job she’d done. That ended with her telling me that I looked really “Boho” (Bohemian), and sending me packing with a different hair product. Well, no more Boho the Clown for me, and it’s not because of the product. I found my hair straightening iron, purchased years ago when all I needed it for then was to tame a stubborn cowlick. Now the iron is taming a jungle. I now have straight hair, despite that I have to do this chore every morning. But still. No more afro.
My next victory came last week at my first Toastmasters session. I had decided that if I wasn’t going to medicate myself every time I give a presentation to our Board of Directors at work, I was going to have to overcome the dread of public speaking. Unfortunately I have had to give my last few presentations at our Directors meetings sporting hair that resembles road kill. However, I now have normal hair, and one Toastmasters session under my belt. Being considered a guest at my first Toastmasters session, I wasn’t required to take part in the impromptu public speaking exercises, but I did anyway. During one of the exercises I had to talk for 2 minutes about a topic in the news that caught my attention that day. I spoke about two gay men who had their house burnt down. Why I chose such a politically loaded topic rather than sports, weather, or any of the other news sections I had reviewed that morning remains to be understood. But I won that week’s trophy for best speaker. I don’t think I was the best speaker, but perhaps it was recognition for bravery. Not only did I recover some pride, but also some faith in the kind-heartedness of others.
Only days after, I found myself co-hosting a party for five 7 year old boys – one of whom was my boyfriend’s son who turned 8 years old. I had asked him if he wanted a store-bought cake or a homemade one, and unlike his sister, he prefers homemade. And I was certainly determined to deliver. So I endeavoured to make him a three-tiered cake with chocolate icing and M&M’s decorating the sides. What I didn’t realize was how big three tiers of cake actually is. Glad I bought extra icing supplies because the cake turned out to be about a foot high (at least) and appeared to dwarf the birthday boy. It was the Eiffel Tower on steroids. Everyone’s eyes were big, as the cake sat like a monument on the table. Candles were blown out, and then came the mission of trying to cut reasonable-sized pieces from it. Even a sliver of the cake looked daunting to eat. Carving the first piece went well, despite its sheer volume. The second piece went a little shakier. But it was the third piece that shook the castle. While cutting, the whole cake tottered. Then it did a giant upside-down face plant in the middle of the table. During that moment no one moved. No one breathed. Time stood still while mouths gaped wide. And in that moment when someone (including me) could have cried, I yelled “FOOD FIGHT!”. Though little Meredith immediately clenched the first fist of food, we calmly decided instead to just continue carving out portions of cake for everyone – some of whom decided to unleash their inner savage and eat without forks. I call this victory.
Last but not least, I won the much coveted trophy for our annual workplace chilli cook-off fundraiser yesterday. Despite being warned of the political heat around the cooking competition, I decided to enter anyway because the event needed more contestants. I came in with my ‘Texas Hold’em Chipotle Chicken’ chilli, and walked out with trophy in hand after the votes were tallied. Despite that I have never won a trophy before, I now have two sitting on my desk (though the Toastmasters one gets recycled back into the group next week). It’s amazing what a little determination and bravery can do.
2010 is wrapping up nicely.
