glassybaby
Brief update again today, I think. I rode my bike back to the office after work yesterday, and predictably the receiver stack was rather thick so that's going to keep me busy on Friday—it would have been slightly thinner if they had had the damned things ready for me on Monday, but whatever! The holiday weekend probably complicated things, I'm guessing.
Shobhit had an unusual work shift, since he didn't work at Big 5 yesterday and worked at Total Wine instead—3:45 to 8 p.m. We still had time after he got back, to watch the final two episodes of Space Force on Netflix. I felt like the strength of the show kind of weakened in those last episodes, but, oh well.
Assuming I still get the flowers from Barbara tomorrow as expected, then I will have received sympathy gifts three days in a row this week . . . the second one, which I opened today, probably should have been opened yesterday. I got a call on the intercom and the woman said, "Hi it's UPS and my code isn't working!" I live in a building that's had a long history of security issues and I wasn't just going to take her word for it so I just hung up.
Oops! I received a text today from Many, Gabriel's friend (and now my friend too), telling me she sent something and was informed it had been delivered. I was like, oh, okay I guess I'll go down and check the packages. The woman did indeed make it inside the building eventually, evidently, and I found the small box in the art room in the West Building where all packages are being securely stored these days.
It was a glass candle holder from a company called Glassybaby, and she sent me the color called "Strength." And, holy shit! I only went to the website to be able to share here what it is; I was not at all thinking about the cost. She spent fifty bucks on that thing?? I mean, it was very sweet of her, but . . . Jesus.
She had said it would take some further explanation once I opened the box, and after I sent her photos of it opened (and lit) she texted me this:
The details are just that when I lost my dad in December of 2015, a package arrived at my doorstep which was this exact same glassy baby. I didn’t know who it was from, but I lit it and immediately felt loved and supported. I found out that it was from my sweet cousin. After that, I sent them to everyone I know who lost a parent or someone very close to them. I love it so much because it’s a daily reminder of my dad, and the strength that my community has given me. And anytime I am missing him, I light it. It’s a beautiful and simple reminder of him. So I wish that for you as well - to feel surrounded by love and support from your community and have a little something that is simple and sweet that will remind you of your mom and her love.
I found that very touching.
I just had my biweekly FaceTime lunch with Karen, which would normally have been tomorrow but she had a meeting conflict with it so asked to move it to today. I thought I would be eating leftover pasta from the ravioli I made two nights ago, but Shobhit has a rare full day off today and he took it upon himself to make rice and lentils.
Funnily enough, she wound up eating lentils too! She had actually gone to Trader Joe's to get a bag of pre-cooked lentils a friend had recommended she mix with a bruschetta mix and eat with crackers, and that's what she had. Honestly her lunch was probably tastier than my lentils and rice, but that's okay. Shobhit and I are going to go get some pizza for dinner tonight so I do have that to look forward to.
Otherwise, the call started with her asking how I was doing, and about my mom, and basically how it ended. I might have gotten more detail out but Shobhit came back to the bedroom and said hi to her and they wound up chatting about several other things for several minutes, including Karen's apparent issues with internet connectivity with Xfinity at home. That gave me some time to go use the bathroom.
I suppose that would on its own prompt me to throw Shobhit a bone and give him a Social Review point, but he's going to get one for pizza tonight anyway! He better not try to back out of the pizza now, anyway. I won't stand for it! There's a place we both really like near the south end of Lake Washington, and maybe we can get takeout and go eat somewhere along the lake. I quite like that idea.
Anyway I should get back to work now.
[posted 1:03 pm]