Bluesday Tuesday

One of the things I look forward to every week is when I check out the latest Sacramento News & Review on Thursdays. No, not for all of the deals on medical marijuana or the questionable underage Asian "masseuse" ads. My favorite is the advice column. It always features a "Meditation of the Week," and last week's was especially poignant. It was a quote from someone: "Be the chess player, not the chess piece."

That really hit home because the last couple weeks (hell, the last couple years), I've been feeling crippled with indecision. I'm never quite sure about what to do or where to go in life - what's my next career move? Do I want to still live in the suburbs?

That quote was a good reminder that my life is my own - I shouldn't just let things happen to me. I need to make them happen. I have full control!

That doesn't mean I won't have my down days. I've dubbed Tuesdays as "Bluesdays" because for some reason, I've been feeling down on those days. Last week, I had a volunteer meeting for my Sexual Assault Response Team and then a networking event I'd RSVP'd to. I ditched both, went home and barely left my couch. I don't know what it was - I just felt pretty blah.

Today I felt that same down feeling. I'm thinking I'm not busy enough - when that happens, I have too much time to think. Thankfully, my day is ending pretty well. I may be sitting on my bum on the couch now, but I did Zumba earlier, cooked my newest veggie tofu stir fry for dinner, and watched reruns of "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air." And my precious kitty is curled up next to me. So things are pretty good.

And now for an abrupt subject change...

A couple weeks ago, I spent a much-needed weekend in Nevada with the fam. First on the list - a family dinner that consisted of my parents meeting my sister's boyfriend for the first time. I chatted with the happy couple before we met up with my parents. I offered one bit of advice to them: absolutely, positively NO touching whatsoever.

I said this coming from experience. About 2 1/2 years ago, my parents met my new boyfriend at the time. It was a big moment for me because, well, frankly I thought that this would be the last guy I'd have to introduce to my parents.

It started off in traditional Dad fashion - he walked up to us on the street in front of the restaurant and pretended to be a homeless person. He walked with a limp and asked for spare change. Seriously.

I should have known the relationship was doomed.

But anyway - during lunch, my then-boyfriend nonchalantly kept his hand on my knee. Such a sweet, caring gesture, right? WRONG. To my parents, this was tantamount to fornicating over our sandwiches. They didn't appear surprised by it at the time, but my mom later informed me that my dad had been horrified by the guy touching me. On my knee. While I was wearing pants. In front of my parents. At a public place. Oh, the horror! It was literally like that scene in "Father of the Bride" when Steve Martin can't listen to a word his daughter's fiance is saying because he notices him rubbing her leg.

So I knew it was necessary to share this insight with my sis and her beau. Thankfully, they heeded my advice and kept their distance. I can only imagine the sinful thoughts going through my parents' heads if the guy had put his arm around my sister...yikes!

The dinner went really well, and the next day was even better - a spa day with my mom and sister! Such a blissful day of relaxation. I had the next day off from work since I'd worked the entire previous weekend, which meant another day of sleeping in and not wearing makeup! Those 2 things are truly essential when it comes to my weekends.

Speaking of weekends, this one is a 3-day weekend for me, thanks to Good Friday. The stock market is closed that day, so my firm will be also. Whoop whoop! It should be a fun weekend of a dinner with my girlfriends, catching up on chores and then spending Easter in Chico. Can't wait!