Typical Sunday In Harris Household

Ever wish you could spy on other people and see how they live their lives? Here's a quick peek into a standard Harris Sunday:

6:10 AM: We purposefully do not inform the cats of the time change and the spoof works. We are allowed to sleep in until just after 6 before the clamoring for food begins.

6:20 AM: In preparation for the morning's run, I eat 2 pieces of toast with honey while Blair eats a bowl of Cream of Wheat.

7:15 AM: Leave the house laden with water supplies which I have volunteered to set out for the group.

7:30-- 7:45 AM: Set out water supplies at 3 different points on the 13 mile stretch we'll be running.

8 AM - Meet running group at parking lot. Eleven of us are there. We complain about the cold weather (30 degrees) then head out.

8 - 10 - Run, run, run.

10 - 10:45 - Group heads to Brueggers Bagels for hot coffee and carbs.

10:45 - 11:30 - Collect water supplies and head home.

11:30 - 2 - Clean house. Damn lot of cat hair is all I have to say.

2:30 - Eat lunch. Blair - Spaghettios. Me - Sandwich, yogurt, dark chocolate.

2:30 - 4 - Read Sunday paper.

4:30 - Decide that lunch didn't do it for me and instead of dinner proper, what I really want is to watch a movie and eat a bag of Doritos. Blair is not hard to convince to join my plan. He heads to the Dollar Store for Doritos while I pop in the final Matrix movie.

5 - 6:30 - Doritos and movie.

6:30 - 7:30 - Long overdue call to Mom to catch up. (Cute sidenote: She was playing "Garage" with my 4 year-old nephew and his toy cars. As he went to push a car out of the garage after being fixed, Mom said, "That will be $3." "Oh," said my nephew. "I only have one money.")

7:30 - 9 - I have no memory of this time period. Must have been doing something vital like filing my nails.

9 - 10 - Read in bed. Fall asleep as soon as lights are out.

Such is the exciting life of the Harris's. What did you do with your day?

Gettin' Girly

I'm not a girly-girl. My idea of a fun evening out NEVER involves having my hair and nails done, slipping on a ball gown, and wearing sparkly eye shadow. I hate shopping for clothes. I cave in to my husband's urging to wear comfortable versus stylish shoes.

Still. I go in stages where I have the urge to pretty myself up a bit. I'm entering one of these stages now. I know because I highlighted my hair on Wednesday. And while I was waiting for my stylist, I flipped through a beauty magazine and read with great interest how a few fake eyelashes at the outer corners of the eye can add drama and effect. I'm heading to CVS today to get me some of those. (Prepare for a forthcoming blog on how I had to call 911 to remove eyelash glue from my eyes.)

I went to a book signing last night for my friend and fellow GSO author, Quinn Dalton.  I found myself paying attention to what the women were wearing.  And the fact that most women had their nails done. I gave up on nail polish years ago. I do so much typing on the computer that I can't make a polish job last even a day. But I admit... I was feeling "less then" because my my poor little nails were naked.

I blame TV. Watch an old episode of "Friends" or "Desperate Housewives" and check out the $2000 outfits these women lay about the house in.  At the moment, I have the urge to hit the stores and buy new clothes so I can feel pretty sitting at my desk. However... is that really necessary? Does it make sense to pay $150 for a blouse and wear it around the house where likely no one will see it and--knowing me--there's a good chance I'll spill something on it during the course of the day?

But I'm in girl-mode. I want padded bras, matching silk underwear, new eye shadow combinations, chunky jewelry, oversized rings, high heels, glossy lips, extra-conditioned hair, skirts, floral prints, and six different ways of styling my hair. I want it... and I want it now.

This too shall pass, and I will return to my normal mode of jeans and my "dress up" pink t-shirt. And hopefully the phase will pass before I spend too much money. To begin, I'll satisfy myself with a little trip to the drugstore for eyelashes, eyelash glue, nail-polish, and maybe a new lip gloss. Just to lift the spirits.

Cheers to all women who have to do SO MUCH MORE CRAP THAN MEN to look good. =)

Throwback to Another Era

Manners count. That's what I realized this week after recommending an intern I'd worked with at Diversity Woman magazine for a staff writer position with a local business magazine. I've never seen one scrap of this intern's writing. However, he impressed me so much with his manners and professionalism that I was eager to plead his case.

"John" (as we'll call him) is a throwback to an earlier era. Although all of us at the magazine showed up at the office in jeans and t-shirts, John wore a white shirt and tie every day. He never missed a "please," "thank you," or "excuse me," and although I begged him to call me Dena, I was inevitably "Ms. Harris." He was prompt in responding to e-mails, took on extra work without being asked, and is simply one of those people you know you can turn to for the work to get done.

Dressing up and being polite should be the foundation skills of any young person looking for a job, but it's amazing how often it isn't. None of us would have thought anything amiss if John wore jeans and a sweatshirt, but there was something about seeing him in a tie each day that reinforced the message, "This person has value."

So I hope John is asked in for an interview. And in following his good example, I have ditched my standard jeans attire for the day, and am heading into Greensboro for my casual meetings in a skirt.

But I'll still probably call you by your first name. =)

Phone Call

There is a conversation to be had today that I am dreading. I've been at odds with a magazine I write for about payment for some articles. Each of us has taken an opposing view of the situation and today at 5 we are to talk in a final attempt to resolve the matter.

I like everyone I'm dealing with. I just dislike conflict. I feel I am in the right, yet they hold the purse strings and so I see this as them holding more of the power.

I'm trying not to blow the conversation up in my mind before it's had. Maybe they're willing to concede and it will be a pleasant conversation. Maybe. My guess though, is that each side is ready to dig in their heels. I have a compromise position I'm willing to fall back on but I'm not adverse to walking away from the magazine and future assignments. However, I hope it doesn't come to that.

Meanwhile, it will be a long day until 5 pm.