Self Discovery

How I cringe at the sound of trash cans being lugged down the driveway on a Sunday evening. The garbage trucks always comes early on Monday mornings. Another weekend has passed. I think it's been a few weeks since I last wrote and here it is May 1st. The weeks go by so quickly; weekends barely offering enough to recharge us for the next. But these last two weekends have offered a chance for real self discovery. Now to update you...because I know you hang on with bated breath. Two weekends ago I redeemed a Groupon at the Mario Tricoci School. I left that experience learning that: 1. Hair, no matter how vain you think you aren't, should not be left in the hands of a nervous but ambitious eighteen year old. 2. That a $30 Groupon for a cut and color at a local beauty school is no excuse to experiment with color. I returned home to Ella asking, "Mommy, why did you paint your hair orange?". C'est la vie. From what I hear, red pigment fades fast. The lessons learned will not. This past weekend, Jerry and I sold our Maxima and bought a CRV. The last time we sold a car was in 2004. I distinctly remember watching the car pull away as I tearfully said goodbye to a true companion into early adulthood. My Civic helped me load up all of my belongings after college graduation, it saw me through graduate school, countless camping trips, brutal parking situations on Chicago's north side and marriage. I knew I had to emotionally prepare myself to hand over my keys to the Maxima. The faithful car that brought home our two baby girls safely from the hospital and served as my office on wheels for the last several years. We traded the car in with nary a tear. I think the adrenaline coursing through my veins following intense negotiations with the CRV dried up any tears that were readying themselves to fall. Show no weakness. I discovered I'm not all that bad with negotiating. I left my social work hat at home. Last time I accompanied Jerry on a car purchase (his Acura), he hissed under his breath, "You are on my side!". Apparently I started acting as a mediator between Jerry and the car salesman...as if they were just another client experiencing marital difficulties. This time it was my company that was writing the check and I was on the hot seat. I surprised myself, I was direct, effective, an actress and a business woman. I apparently got them down to $200 above what they paid (do they say that to everyone?) and hammered them to death over all weather mats (which we got!). The difference is, women can do this with a smile and damn it's effective. I think men like to go toe-to-toe with eachother, testosterone flying, but women negotiating can be disarming for these sales guys...and I love it. So these last few weekends can be filed successfully under self discovery. I learned that I can drive a hard bargain...even with orange hair.