Sunday, December 21, 2008

So Cheer up Sleepy Jean.....

Monica is reading a book, eating carrots, watching a movie and sending emails all at the same time. After four days of being snowed in, Monica has had a revelation. OMG: Retirement could be like being snowed in. IT"S NOT ABOUT THE MONEY!!
Before Retiring, Monica will:
1. Stock up on ingredients for cookies - never be without eggs, flour, sugar or walnuts
2. Let there be popcorn!
3. Own a four wheel drive vehicle
4. Remember where she put her slippers
5. Always have at least one book (in the house) that she is dying to read
6. Buy snowboots
7. Find a life companion...(or rent a room)
Monica needs to get busy.

Friday, December 19, 2008

Triple Play

Three snow days = Three slow days.
The working every day for forty years Monica often dreamed of:

1. Sipping morning coffee, and a leisurely observing of the unfolding day,
2. May Sartonesque journaling of brilliant thoughts
3. Solitary walks in nature.

Three days off, inside and alone, Monica is rapidly rethinking the plan based on the following:

1.Television: Monica quickly notices that Regis and Kelly, The View, Ellen and Oprah regularly repeat themselves!
2.Internet: Monica googles until the brain is fried with useless information and hours/days of life have disappeared.
3.Entitlement: Monica eats hourly. On the dot.

Monica will not be quitting her day job.

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

Well The Weather Outside Is...........

Monica Buttercup lives in a great and beautiful city in the Northwest. A city that gets too much rain and not enough sun for Buttercups. Wintertime is full of fog, rain, freezing rain, a few inches of snow, and every shade of gray. Monica does not thrive in GRAY. So it would seem a bit ironic that today MB has spent many hours wishing.. PRAYING for SNOW. All because MB has partial responsibility for determining whether scores of people will travel to the place of work during inclement weather. This, dear friends, is a huge responsibility - particularly for Monica who does not relish gray...and has no stomach for driving on slippery roads.

Decisions about closures must be made by 6AM in order to inform the media.
At 5:30 this morning there was no snow, no rain...just some two day old ice and at least twenty TV weatherpeople brushing snow off their parkas kicking flakes off their boots and warning of a "nasty commute both morning and afternoon.

Monica remembers a December storm ten years ago when no one could leave and folks spent the night at work. Most uncomfortable for everyone. The colleagues conferred - many phone calls and failed conference calls. The colleagues considered - "damned if you do...damned if you don't" - The colleagues turned on the news....the list of closings was daunting. The colleagues eventually joined the leagues of others who closed...no work today! The media was informed, the phone tree was activated and Monica went back to bed relieved that she would not be joining the nasty commute.

At 8:30 AM there was no snow not a trace...nor at 9:30, 10:30,11:30...in fact, it didn't even seem gray. The colleagues called each other .."whose idea was this?'' "I knew we shouldn't close!" "What a waste!" "What a way to lose/misuse client confidence!" "I grew up in the North East...this is embarrassing!" Blah..Blah..Blah...

Well dear friends. It is now 5PM and there is a lovely light blanket of snow outside the Buttercup abode. Monica's prayers have been answered. A bit late.