WTF

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Me to Tom: Hey, will you take a picture of me in my AWESOME fox tights?  I have to post this for the world to behold.

[Lark enters the room]

Me: Lark, will you take a picture with me in my fox tights?  [Underlying motive: to not be alone in my fox photo - make it a little more casual.]

Lark:  No thank you. I'll pass. What are you taking the picture for?

Tom: She's going to post it to Facebook for self-validation based on the number of likes she gets. 

Me: [losing a bit of my foxy mojo]. Come on - let's just take the picture!  

[I assume a camera-ready pose. Tom snaps the picture.  We look at the result.] 

Tom: Whoa, your head and neck look like a Pez dispenser!  Bad angle! 

Me: Argh!  Let's do another one. 

The result:

Yup, check out those tights.  On the curve of woodland-critter-apparel adoption, I'm an off-the-charts early adopter. Case in point, my all-time favorite squirrel sweater dates back to, date I say, 2001. Yup, I was intarsia-ing it way before my time. 

Oh, wait. Could it be true? It couldn't be. Did I hold onto that sweater long enough for it to come back in style?  Am I just riding the wave of the latest fashion trend, not actually creating it?  Darn it! 

WTF.  What the Fox. 

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Happy Thanksgiving, Friends!  Gobble, gobble!  Love, Lisa

The Interview & Lost in My Mind

The Interview

I had an interview the other day with a recruiter for a full-time position that peaked my interest.  I haven't had a formal interview in years and I was looking forward to learning more about the company and position, which I certainly did.  Here are some of the highlights: 

1. In summarizing where I thought I would be in 5-years, he said, "Is it safe to say that you don't really know?"   I had to stifle a laugh.  I replied, "Well, I think about it a little differently.  While I don't know exactly where my career will take me, I know I'll be doing something I enjoy."  
2. He also mentioned that they were looking for a woman between the ages of 30-35 (because the company is "man heavy") , but that I was a good candidate so he didn't think my age would be a problem.  He said this with a straight face.    
3. Finally, he said that he had a friend that lived in my neighborhood and that, "Is it safe to say that you live well below your means?"  Water flying out of my mouth all over the place (not really, but it would if I could).  My response: Just staring at him and letting the weight of his words really sink in.  Still staring.

Let me translate the above for you:

The company is looking for a young, smart female that they can underpay.    

All in all, it makes for a good story and a great example of what NOT to say during an interview (or in life in general).  I think the guy had good intentions, but wow, his execution was ever-so-flawed.

Lost in My Mind

I love how music can sum up a mood so well.  I recently asked for some music suggestions on Facebook and got a bunch of great ones.  "Lost in My Mind" by The Head and The Heart (thanks for the suggestion, Caroline) is the song of the day.  Yup, I'm lost in my mind yet again, thinking about what's next in life.  I've been a little weepy lately and have been feeling that super, heavy feeling of sadness in my chest.  Not all the time; just when I stop long enough to let my emotions catch up with me.  Anyhow, I found out that I'm not the only one who's feeling unsettled and teary, so maybe it's just this time of year as we transition from lightness into the dark, quiet womb of winter.  It is such a good time for reflection.    

  

 

Here I am in San Francisco Again

This time it's for work, not a Phish concert. But let's not talk work, let's talk breasts.  

I had my exchange surgery in August, where they removed the expanders and placed my "permanent" implants.  It was a day surgery, so Tom and I were home by 11:30am.  It was nothing like the mastectomy.  I was back to my normal physical self within 5 days.  Emotionally it took me a little longer to regain equilibrium.  I, like many women, placed a lot of importance on doing exchange surgery and sort of held it up as the end of reconstruction.  It's disappointing to learn that for most women, including myself, there are more surgeries needed to make everything look right.  

I ended up with Gummi Bear implants which are anatomically tear-drop shaped and are semi-solid, so if you cut into one, it won't leak everywhere.  When you get a mastectomy, they remove all of the tissue so you're left with skin that's as thin as your forehead.  So, unlike recreational implants that have some tissue to buffer them, mine do not, which leads to some rippling under the skin.  My next surgery will involve fat grafting to fill in those ripples.

All in all, it really hasn't impacted my overall happiness.  I'm grateful I'm cancer-free.  Let's keep it that way!  I also don't have any pain associated with my implants as many women do.  I'm adjusting to the Tamoxifen (hot flashes aren't that bad). 

And I look normal in clothes.

And I can hug people and I don't have those hard tennis balls on my chest anymore.

And Alice thinks one of my scars looks like a smiley face.  She thinks the other one, which is a straight line, looks "serious." 

Here's to life and sending prayers to the people who really need them in the Philippines and other disaster-stricken areas.  May they find shelter, food and a place to rest their heads.  

Love,

Lisa