We may be fruits but we are no fucking peaches!

It’s only March 2010 and already I have gone through two major changes this year; one voluntary and the other semi voluntary. For those who know me well are aware that I don’t take well to change. Much like my cats I become irritated, neurotic and territorial. However the changes I have been experiencing is not all bad and both have their pros and cons. Much like the metamorphosis of caterpillar to a butterfly once the transformation is set motion there is little more to do than accept it.

During January I went through the stress of moving house and with simulations renovations the venture was abundantly eventful. Firstly nesting for homosexuals is an elaborate operation. Hubby and I could not just be content with slapping on a fresh coat of paint and call the new place home. No, if our budget permitted we would have come damn close to tearing the whole place down and rebuilding it from the ground up. Instead walls were painted, certain structures demolished and transformed, plants uprooted, walls raised, light fittings and kitchen appliances replaced and with our budget horrendously depleted we are now forced to take a small hiatus halfway through to regroup and replenish our finances. This forced pause perhaps came at the best of times as hubby and I had numerous decorating spats. The last of which was regarding the paint color of our outside walls.
You see I am not color blind but I do not have an eye for color. So when I and thee contractors stood outside trying to match the color of the exiting wall with color charts we all thought the one we had picked matched perfectly. So the next day they arrived, I went to work and later returned to a shocker. I came home to peach walls! Retreating to my happy place I calmly confronted to foreman about this obvious blunder and he had a thousand excuses. So I did what my mother use to do and said “Well, just wait until my husband gets home!”

Hubby did arrive home an hour later visibly pissed off. He walked up to the foreman with me bracing myself for a violent altercation between them; the only words that came out of his mouth were “Do we look like peaches to you? We may be fruits but we are no fucking peaches!” Hubby then turned to me and said “Four men and hundreds of color charts and neither one of you could get it right?” He sighed, pulled back his shoulders and minced into house. Later that evening standing in the pink glow of our peach walls as it reflected the moon’s light I turned to my husband and said “That should teach us – never send three men to do one woman’s job”. He didn’t find this funny.

With the renovations now temporarily on hold I face my second big change, changing jobs. My government decided to be close down the organization I had been working for the last two years ; the reasoning behind this decision is too complicated and controversial for me to discuss here. However, the dismantling of the organization have been a long and painful process and as that ship was sinking much like the Titanic I vowed to stay until the very end or at least close to it. That end came last Friday. My departure was uneventful but sad. I had to say good bye to some people I have grown quite fond off and to some others I was not. Well wishes were exchanged and I ventured onto a new adventure.

Today was my first day at my new job and what a day it has been. I arrived bright and early dressed up appropriately according to their dress code. With a tie (or rather corporate noose) nicely fitted around my neck, neatly polished shoes and a positive attitude there was no doubt that I was the new kid on the block. I commanded some interested stares and was overwhelmed with many cordial introductions and I promise I will not remember even half of their names tomorrow.

As all first days go the most important places to find is the toilets, smoking area, the offices you should avoid, your assigned parking space and the cafeteria. Luckily for me everyone I will work with seems exceptionally friendly, so friendly that at one point I thought I was caught up in an episode of the twilight zone. Whether they are on drugs or just genuinely happy, I guess I will find out in the weeks to come. The happy butch lesbian might go nuclear on someone, the chubby fitness fanatic might become anorexic, and the very controlled psychologist I share an office with may just have a psychotic episode. Only time will tell.

The metamorphoses of change have been set in motion and there is no way of stopping it. I am already settled into my new home and in the process of adapting to my new career. The caterpillar is in the process of breaking free and whether our home and my new career will emerge with the fresh beauty of butterfly remains to be seen. One wing has already emerged with peach colors and a tentacle with a jovial exuberance.

Till next time.

Al Roker Face by Nadya Ginsburg