…the who cares girl…

My mother has drilled into me the importance of writing thank you cards and my father has always encouraged the sending of multiple cards so I’m always buying myself little cards and stationary items as they catch my fancy, like these fancy gilded “L” cards.

The weather has been fah-boo-luss lately, all sunny and warm enough to be coat-free outside. Every day when I come home from work the first thing I do is throw on my painting pants and race around the backyard with the dogs like a maniac.

Work has been better this week. I just remember to smile. You know, like Charlie Chaplin said, “Smile through your fear and sorrow, smile and maybe tomorrow, you’ll see the sun come shining through, for you.” Anyway I’m far too old to go around scowling at everyone like I did from age thirteen to…er, twenty-eight.

Being a hospital volunteer at an early age taught me how to smile at people. With eye contact. It’s difficult, but after a while you get the hang of it, and then you just have to keep in practice. I don’t remember a whole lot about my volunteering experience (even though I did it for three years), but I do remember the hideous shapeless red-and-white-striped smock (yes, smock) I was forced to wear, with white jeans and (horror of horrors) white tennis shoes.

I was too bratty to be a candy striper, what was I thinking? Oh yeah, I used to want to be an orthopedic surgeon when I grew up. Now where on earth did I get that idea, MOM?

Good thing that plan didn’t work out. It wasn’t until I was a little older that I discovered I’m not really “into” working “full time”. I’m glad that I finished school. I have no desire to go back, unless it’s artsy. There’s a cartooning course that the Pratt Art Institute is offering, I noticed in the pamphlet they sent me. That sounds cool.