Smashing Success

To my absolute astonishment, I discovered that a blogger here on WP lives not far from me.  So this past Monday on the 14th, I had a luncheon date with Cordeliasmom, whom I discovered is just as lovely in person as she is on her blog.  The link I provided is her “take” on our meeting which is truly delightful yet vastly different from my version.

Our luncheon date was set for 11:30am.  Keeping one eye on the clock I went into super speed mode and by the time those things needing to be addressed were out of the way, the clock told me I had plenty of time to get ready, a luxury for me!  Proud of myself for being so organized I was soon off and driving with no need to rush.

It was a 70º F bright and sunny day and to be truthful being indoors was the last thing I really wanted to do.  To have a day like this in December was unheard of, and believe me I just wanted to be OUTSIDE.  Sighing inwardly yet really looking forward to meeting CM, I attempted to push my longing to be with my camera aside to focus on what I was doing and where I was going.

I failed miserably.  Darn darn darn why did it have to be so nice outside?  Looking down at my car clock I received a shock.  Excuse me?  It read 10:35am.  Yes there was no need to rush but to be 45 minutes early???  I could have sworn I left my house at 11:00am.  I almost turned around to go home. In fact I actually did make a U-y in a parking lot, but in the middle of turning around I decided to again head in the direction of the restaurant.

Did I actually mention the word organized?

When I arrived at the restaurant it wasn’t open yet.  No problem … I’ll stand outside and enjoy the sun.  But because I shot photos on the 11th into very bright sunlight, my eyes were still sensitive to bright light.  So I ended up sitting in my car and as I did …

The “voice” in my head kept saying, “And you do know how to read time.  Right?” Hmmmmm …. it had a point.

The moment those restaurant doors were open, inside I went and the first thing that hit me smack in the face was the smell of bleach.  My sinuses immediately filled up. Oh no!  The timing couldn’t be worse because when my nose gets plugged, it’s like cement!

Being shown to a booth I sat down to wait for CM and continued answering the “mountain” of comments I had yet to answer. The music was so loud, though, my Google speech wouldn’t work, so I had to type my comments on my phone much to my dismay.

*sigh*

A few minutes working on those comments, I received a text telling me CM had arrived and so I texted back “I am here”.  Eagerly I sprang to my feet to welcome her at the door.  The moment I saw her I just had to hug her, which I did, and she me. We then headed towards the booth I had been sitting at.

All this time between the excitement and yes the nervousness of meeting CM, the voice that asked me if I knew how to tell time, also kept yakking away about how beautiful a day it was.  I couldn’t concentrate, honest!

When an artist gets the itch to create it is one of the most difficult things not to do other then what that hankering in the head is talking about!  I just about felt like strangling that voice to please leave me alone so I could have a nice lunch with CM!

My truant mind kept wandering as CM and I started to converse.  Yet I still managed somehow to speak as if I truly were an intelligent woman.  Or at least I think I did.  We took a few moments to choose what we wanted to eat and when it came time to tell the waitress what I chose, that intelligence went flying right out the window … my mind went … BLANK.  My face flushed.

I looked over at CM asked, “Um, what did I want to order again?” and she replied, “French Onion Soup”.  Thank you, CM, for saving me!

By this time I was squirming in my seat from embarrassment.  Despite my discomfort our conversation flowed again yet for the life of me if you asked me what that conversation was, I could not tell you.  Snippets, pieces here and there, yes a hazy recollection at best. Between the hankering going on in my mind to be outside with my camera, meeting someone new, and with music that was just too loud for me, I admit, my mind just kept wandering.

*deeper sigh*

When our food arrived we of course began to eat.  Do you remember the stuffed sinuses?  The moment that hot soup was in my mouth my nose began to run profusely.  Really?  NOW??? I had Kleenex in my purse but I did not want to make it obvious I had a dripping nose, so I took the napkin from off my lap to wipe my nose, and disaster!  I felt a booger on my nose!

Oh, please, CM, be looking at your food and not me!

Oh, floor, please open up and swallow me!! 

How do I NOT make it obvious that I had to dig in my nose for a booger and worse yet, I think it may be even hanging on the tip of my nose?

HOLY MOLY!  Here I just met CM and I am not only using my fingers to wrap my stringy cheese around my spoon

(Just how do you eat that cheese attached from spoon to bowl in long gooey strands when you eat French Onion soup?)

… and now as unobtrusively as possible, I am digging for gold in my nose.  I managed to get that offensive booger off my nose, as I sat there mortified thinking “OH, what CM must think of me NOW!”

Hmmmm …. intelligent, focused, mannered …. REALLY?

To the best of my knowledge, the rest of that luncheon went smoothly without any more “only Amy incidences”.  To give CM credit, she seemed not too put off by my behavior, and despite of all the um, mishaps, she suggested that we meet again.

Besides wanting to call CM by the wrong name and everything else that went haywire, I’d say our first luncheon was a smashing success!!  Bless you, CM, for taking me in stride!!

And now for the finale.  Below is the unedited original photograph that I used for my digital art piece above.  Do you understand the meaning of the “strands” in my digital art?  GRIN!

Photography/ “Smashing Success” 2015©AmyRose
@www.herladypinkrose.wordpress.com