Hero of the day!

For reasons unknown, I didn't sleep well last night. I tossed and turned, and got up for water so often that every time I finally got comfortable enough to sleep, I had to piss like a race horse. I was dreading today so much that I actually considered calling in sick...which, believe it or not (I hardly can), I haven't done since starting my new job. Because I hated the thought of ruining my perfect attendance, and because I don't get much sick leave my first year, I dragged my tired ass out of bed and went to work. I'm so glad I did!

It's been a very pleasant day. How bad can a day really be when you wake up to a sunrise like this?

Amazingly, things only got better from there. My biggest critic at work hit me with a challenging project pretty early on and, I'll admit, I was intimidated. Every time I think I've done a perfect job, she finds something wrong. She's nice about it, but still...it's not something I used to. That could be due, in large part, to the fact that almost every one else there treats me like God because I know how to sum numbers in Excel.

I finished the project and timidly walked to her office to present it to her. I briefly explained the process I'd used to complete the work and handed her the finished product. For a few long, agonizing moments, she stared at it with a blank, unreadable expression on her face. I stared at my feet and muttered, "is that even what you wanted?" She slowly raised her head, her eyes lit up, and she gleefully (she's generally not a gleeful person) said, "This is excellent! You are my hero of the day!" With that comment, she programmed Metallica's song by the same name to repeat in my head for the rest of the day.

Then, this afternoon, I got to walk home from work in freshly fallen snow. I'm a little confused about this exciting me, especially when I've just washed my car, but this has been a winter without winter weather, and I'm starting to forget where I live. Besides, I was raised to believe that a winter without snow means that everybody's wells are going to go dry and they're going to have to shower at Grandma's house until a monsoon rolls through or until Dad shimmies his skinny ass down the well to dig it deeper--both potentially unpleasant situations, especially if you're Dad.

Other things I'm happy about:

1. The sob-inducing American Idol cowboy making to the next round. I may have even cried again last night because, to borrow a phrase of his: holy crap. Everything about the experience is amazing to that kid and literally brings him to tears. Sigh...

2. Aurora's impending weekend visit, during which we will be attending a dance thing. That's really all I know about it. It's going to be such fun! Plus, there's been talk of Red Lobster (yum!) and shopping. Was there really talk of shopping or did I just make that up? I don't know, but I should go, because that trendy girl is dressing up and I know that anything in my closet right now is going to make me look like a bag lady next to her. We also may get shitfaced in a random hotel bar and flirt with emotionally unavailable wealthy married men who buy us drinks...just because we can. Anything is possible when Aurora is around!