There are a few things that will cause me to bolt out of bed in the morning: My recurring nightmare where I’m swimming through a swamp full of snakes, the momentary
And yes, my bed always has pristinely white sheets and drinks with twigs in them. Doesn't yours?
belief that I’ve missed my alarm and I’m two hours late for work, the sound of one of my cats yakking up her lungs onto the floor I just cleaned for the umpteenth time this week, the realization that this isn’t my bed and maybe I shouldn’t have had so much to drink at that networking event/conference/family reunion or a surprise email from a super wonderful character actor who happens to have been on one of my most favorite shows evereverevah!
This morning, I escaped #s 1-4 and was beyond delighted to get to experience #5. It was amazing. He spelled my name right, didn’t say I was stupid for emailing and while he didn’t offer to fly me to the country where he’s located, he did say that if for some reason I turned up there, we could meet in person.
Here’s my response to him. Actual text is in blue; What I felt like saying is slanty.
Hey there! Holy.Shit!!!
Thanks for writing back, it was great to hear from you! I literally just shit the bed. My roommates are wondering why I’m screaming and I’m so excited that I’ve barely noticed that my cats have thrown up right on my face. I’m so overstimulated in fact, that I’m not positive I’m not having a stroke.
Congrats on the new project. Sounds like a lot of fun! Look, I hope this isn’t presumptive of me, but how do you feel about winter weddings?
I’ll definitely let you know if I’m on your side of the pond. I can in no way afford to up and head to the UK right now, but I will sell my blood, these cats and maybe my roommates’ blood and cats if that’s what it takes to end up in your amazing amazing arms.
Best, I love you more than words, paintings or angels could possibly express.
And it doesn’t stop there! My soul must have an awesome 6-pack from the effort I spend muscling the crazy back inside where it belongs. Here’s a rundown of a typical day and the reason I’m always so exhausted by 7 p.m.
Yes. We be crazy.
6:45 a.m. (my bedroom)
Cats: Meow
Me: Hi Bobbie, Hi Marilyn. Look, I’m really really sorry that I don’t spend $20 a bag on good food, but c’mon, you eat your own throw up and the other day when I cut my foot and bled all over the floor, you ate that, too so you can’t be that picky!! But maybe the fact that this bag of food that feeds you for a month only cost $4 is the reason you have that bump on your belly ohmygodI’msosososorry!!!!
Cats: Meow
Me: Yes, I’ll feed you in a minute, babies. After I get done castigating myself in the shower for being such a terrible mother! *sobs…internally*
9:15 a.m. (office)
Boss: What are you working on today?
Me: I’m gonna update these schedules this morning and am in meetings all afternoon. But I will lick your office clean if that will ensure that you don’t regret hiring me.
12:30 p.m. (my office)
Friend: Wanna go to lunch?
Me: Sure! I’m your ninth choice for lunch company and you’re only doing this because you pity me, right?
4:23 p.m. (my office)
Coworker: Do you know what room the task force meeting is in?
Me: 552. I’m smelly, aren’t I?
7:00 p.m. (Trader Joes)
Cashier: Did you find everything you needed?
Me: Yup! Please love me.
9:56 p.m. (bed)
Cats: Meow.
Me: Fie! Take thy claws from out my heart and take thy form from off my door!
Cats: Nevermore…Meow.
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Surely I’m not the only one riding this close to the tipping point of reason. What goes on in your head that should definitely stay there? Let it out and tell us about it in the comments!
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The Oreo Experience 
You said:
“This morning, I escaped #s 1-3 and was beyond delighted to get to experience #4. ”
I think you meant you were delighted to experience #5. By my math, #4 is a drunken hookup with a colleague/blood relation.
🙂
Haha! Thank you! Corrected! 🙂
Reminds me of conversations b/n me and a female co-worker. We really like each other, but she has a boyfriend and a tenacious grip on remaining faithful to him.
We work the night shift together at a nursing home.
BBM, last month
MELANIE: I’m sick (My interpretation: “I wish I could be there with you”)
ME: Your residents keep asking for you (“Where are you? I was really looking forward to seeing you, chatting with you…)
MELANIE: Which residents? (My interpretation: “you miss me?”)
ME: Girl, the entire unit is upside down! (“I do”)
Soon after these messages I had to transfer to another unit. I ran into her at a pizza party we had last night.
MELANIE: You wear an earring? (My interpretation: “I wish my boy friend had an inch of the swag you have, you sexy man”)
ME: yeah (You know I wear an earring, baby, stop playing; you comment on it every time. But I don’t mind. I only wear it when you’re working, anyway, to jazz up the scrubs, so glad you notice…every time…without fail”
MELANIE: Oh (My interpretation: You sweet thing, I could pick the earring out of your ear like a bone out of a fish and eat your face up!”
ME: Yeah…(What are you waiting for?)
Later on that night, BBM
MELANIE: You know what…I’m gonna set you up with my bf. Ooops! I mean best friend [picture of best friend in question enclosed]. Her name is… (My interpretation: since I can’t be with you, I’ll do so vicariously through my best friend).
ME: She’s cute. What does she do? (Hmmm…okay, this should be fun).
I can do this in three languages. I am working on the fourth….
English
Beeliz Kriol
Spanish
Next up: German
I must say, you’re adorable!
Once upon a time I dated an “oreo girl”.
It just didn’t work out tho’
It sounds cute for the 1st few weeks, then it gets under my skin.
We parted on friendly terms.
That sexy Thanksgiving video got me very hot and excited.
P.S. You should see my excitement.
I don’t have professional nightmares anymore- everyone in my industry knows or can find out that I am difficult to work with, but worth it when things get tough. This winds up raising my rate, actually, though it makes it harder for me to get work. I find muyself OK with that, as long as it doesn’t go too far.
The cat vomit thing is huge for me. I promised myself, about five years ago, that I would never, ever have another cat. I have four cats now. The little bastards kept showing up and making me their bitch, basically.
They all like to sleep as close to me as they can when I, ahem, sleep alone (like that ever happens.) So when I wake up to the sound of a cat retching I have about half a second to kick the cat out of bed if I don’t want it to throw up in my bed.
I’ve been worrying about their nutrition lately. I worry that they don’t drink enough water, and might develop cystitis as a result. So I am considering ordering wicked expensive flash-frozen ground rabbit and making cat food from it.
Dear Oreo: I’ve always considered myself a manly man, who does manly things. If I start making custom cat food from specially ordered ground rabbit, have I gone to far in the nurturing direction? Please advise.
PS: Only two of my cats are black. The other two are a mackerel tabby, and an orange cat. If you average them out they are a nice light coffee with cream.
Oreo,
I can understand the reluctance…let’s see, you’re smart, slim, have curves, and hold a job. Keep it up, Oreo!
And a goose down comforter doesn’t hurt!