A Date with Marek - Day 121 - Daily Haiku
A date with Marek
even when running errands
always worth the wait
Cori MacNaughton
Marek and I spent the day running around getting errands done, which started off with me completely stressed out, as I had spent the better part of two hours on the phone with Epson, after our almost new all-in-one printer ceased to function after a firmware update.
It wouldn't have been so bad, had the people I was talking to actually listened to a word I was saying, but instead I was having to repeat the issue, over and over again, only to be transferred to another department to discover that the rep I had just been speaking with hadn't even bothered to inform the next rep why I was calling.
I'm generally a very patient person, but by this time I was ready to throw the printer at someone, but Marek saw the humor in the situation way before I did, and managed, as usual, to joke me out of my irritated mood.
Then he went on to do what he had to do, and I went to get examined for a new prescription for my contacts . . . and, after about a twenty minute wait, was told that our health insurance was no longer valid. More wasted time.
I growled part of the way to Nashville, but by the time I picked Marek up I was seeing the humor in the situation, which became even funnier when we discovered that our insurance had been valid all along, and whomever the eye clinic contacted at the company had their information wrong. Ah, the joys of miscommunication.
We then found a halfway decent Chinese restaurant in downtown Nashville, not bad, but nothing to write home about, completed our errands and returned home. And, once again, I was reminded how incredibly lucky I am to have Marek, and he is to have me, because we are SO well suited to one another, in so many ways.
Not least of which is that when one of us is in a bad mood, the other is always able to lift us out of it, as we are almost never in that place at the same time. And this has been true for the entire eleven plus years that we've been together.
The photo above of me and Marek was taken on one of our first dates, most likely by my friend Boo Ehrsam, using my Nikon N70 35mm camera. Though it does look a bit like he is thinking, "Who is this woman, and what the heck am I doing here?" ;-)
This was taken at the Oxygen Bar in Safety Harbor, Florida, during an art opening where I was both exhibiting my art and reading my poetry.
And, as I have posted before, I have my friend Boo Ehrsam to thank for that as well, for without her gentle but unrelenting nudging and prodding, I would likely still be an unpublished poet and writer, would probably never have shown my art publicly, and would almost certainly never have read my poetry publicly.
So if I could speak to my younger self, in my mid-to-late twenties, when I was despairing ever finding someone worthwhile to build a life with, I would counsel patience, because he simply hadn't left Poland yet!
And there were so many things in both of our lives that could have prevented us meeting, but ultimately, conspired to being us together, for which I am forever grateful.
We are each unconventional in our own but complementary ways, we have each other's backs, and we laugh all the time, especially when no one else around us understands what is so freaking funny. Which, invariably, makes it even funnier.
Who knew marriage could be this much fun??? ;-)
Marek misses the poetry readings, and has been encouraging me to do so again.
So, to all the Tennessee-based Steemians, any ideas for poetry-friendly venues in the Cookeville/Nashville vicinity?
Thanks in advance for any suggestions!
And I would love to hear your take in the comments.
Speaking Words of Love - Day 119 - Daily Haiku
Speaking My Own Truth - Day 118 - Daily Haiku - and some Questions for Empaths and Lightworkers
Buddies to the end - Our cat Miod and our dog Lolo - Daily Pet Photography
Loveliest Flower - Day 117 - Daily Haiku
Sweet Little Kitty - Day 116 - Daily Haiku
When I Was Shot At - Golden State Killer - Day 115 - Daily Haiku - part 2
Golden State Killer - Day 114 - Daily Haiku - part 1
To Our Mockingbird - Day 113 - Daily Haiku
To Write a Haiku - Day 112 - Daily Haiku - Photography
Cinco de Mayo - Day 111 - Daily Haiku - architecturalphotography
If you feel my posts are undervalued, and/or you want to
donate to tip me, I would appreciate it very much.
In the process, you will be helping our small organic farm to operate,
to help others, and to feed and house all our animals better. Thank you!
Bitcoin (BTC) – 37Z9UabFyygFYXMoChifdCkyFgPJtKwXRj
Bitcoin Cash (BCH) – qq5p7dkr9239u6fer98lyc3cjvhcwcggzuxyde9mjp
Ethereum (ETH) - 0x731e363a4e6C680D47aFA63e4620342964a9d0Fb
LiteCoin (LTC) – MprMcJSAXKvtBouDQRSSk85qbms8ak3xDY
The following are a few affiliate links, to companies we really
believe in, that will further help us to operate, to help others,
and to care for and feed our animals.
If you have any interest in becoming affiliated with these companies,
which may bring you additional income, please contact me,
and perhaps we can work together!
Dr. Al Sears, well known anti-aging doctor, with his first-class
line of supplements that actually work:
https://primalforce.net/?aff=1893
Melaleuca, a company that has been making natural, eco-friendly
products since the 1980s, that not only work as well as
chemically laden versions from the supermarket,
but are safer, and typically save money overall in addition.
I was introduced to them by a co-worker in 1990, lost track
of them, and was thrilled to find them again about a year
and a half ago. I strongly recommend their products.
http://www.melaleuca.com/corimacnaughton
Prime My Body offers a nanoenhanced hemp-based CBD oil
that is legal in all 50 United States, and clinically proven to be
absorbed 3X better than the leading pharmaceutical brand.
I have used it on myself and my animals with excellent results.
https://Crescendo.primemybody.com
If you are interested in becoming an affiliate yourself,
check out this link:
https://enrollpmb.com/Crescendo
All words are my own, with the exception of the two noted above, of me and Marek, which were taken by my friend using my camera.
The photo of our dog, Lolo, and our late cat, Miod, I took as they were cooperatively begging at the dinner table, despite our longstanding rule of not feeding them from the table.
You can see how much that deterred them both.
Resteeming is welcome, you may link to my post from your own website or blog, and you may use excerpts and/or images as long as you credit me, and link back to this post.
Please ask for permission, before using my work otherwise, as all rights are reserved.
...so many things in both of our lives that could have prevented us meeting, but ultimately, conspired to being us together, for which I am forever grateful - love it! Tim and I met on a blind date, but only after I'd posted a LOST sign for a painting-in-progress of my mom's mother, which a former classmate saw, and thought, Carol paints? I should introduce her to Tim... well, Tim is so good, I gave up painting, and my sign worked; I got the lost painting back (having driven off with it on the roof of my car). It was truly not a good painting, not worth mourning its loss, but it led to me meeting my husband - 30 years of marriage, now!
Awesome story! Yay marriage to someone who actually gets us!
And I completely relate on the value of lost artworks, even if their only value is to ourselves.
I did a polymer clay sculpture shortly after my divorce, inspired by my artist friend Boo Ehrsam, who is a polymer clay expert, which was essentially a pair of Tyrannosaur-like creatures with sterling wire (since I did a lot of wirework jewelry at the time) for the backbones, tails and legs, the larger of which had no arms.
The name of the two sculptures collectively was "Divorceasaurus," which became extinct because, while she had fully functioning arms, his arms ultimately atrophied and withered away, because he refused to do anything for himself.
And yes, this was an entirely unfair characterization, but it felt really true in many ways, especially since this was, after all, a depiction of the guy who couldn't stand my picking up a book if we were in the same room together. He would literally make up stuff that he "needed" me to do to keep me from reading. I rest my case. ;-)
Anyway, when were switching houses after the divorce was final, the sterling wire got mangled, and after attempting to "fix" it numerous times I ultimately gave up, but was sorry as I really liked the sculpture.
Even though it was far from my best work, it was funny, to me at least. ;-)
"Divorceasaurus" - LOL!! - "became extinct because, while she had fully functioning arms, his arms ultimately atrophied and withered away, because he refused to do anything for himself." Ohhhh man, you could SELL these, Cori!! My sister Lori needs one of these!! Can you remake this and 3-D printer it and market it?? Or make T-shirts and dishtowels? Seriously, you've gotta patent this, fast. Greeting cards?
Finally! Someone else who thinks it's funny!
The really ironic thing is that I actually showed these at one of our GCAA (Gulf Coast Artist's Alliance) art shows, and it seemed like almost no one there got the joke. And here I thought it was pretty self-explanatory.
Which, naturally, made it that much funnier to those of us who did get the humor. ;-)
If you've encountered people who didn't see humor in Divorceasaurus, then I feel better about the way hardly anyone ever gets my kind of humor. Like Dave Barry saying, "I don't want you to think I'm whining--(I am a whiner; I just don't want you to think so)" - that cracks me up. So I read it out loud to someone who doesn't even crack a smile. sigh Well, I think you're hilarious, fun, and kind-hearted, so the rest can go turn to stone. (Ok, I need a better line there.)
LOL - I can completely relate.
My ex, and my previous ex before him, never got British humor, and couldn't even understand English accents, which blew me away because, come on now, they're speaking ENGLISH!!!
Needless to say neither one got my whacked out sense of humor. Hence, "Divorceasaurus."
I remember talking about it with a close friend one day, and her comment was, "Maybe you should use that as a litmus test from now on?" Indeed, and I did so.
It's amazing how many American men just don't get British humor.
So along comes Marek, from a completely different background and part of the world, with English as his second language; and he was already completely addicted to British comedy, and thus got my sense of humor from the start. And I got his.
And that same friend, several months later, after observing us together at one of the many art openings we attended, commented, "Isn't it awesome when you finally find someone who gets you?" Yes. It is. ;-)
And I dearly love Dave Barry, which I already know doesn't surprise you by now, and have several of his books, as well as several of Carl Hiassen's, of whom I''m also a fan.
Did you ever read "Naked Came the Manatee?"
It was a collaborative mystery novel, in which each author wrote a single chapter, and it was fabulous. Both Barry and Hiassen wrote chapters, along with a number of other high profile Florida authors. It's a fast read, full of Florida trivia and in-jokes, and hilarious.
Perhaps in your copious free time. ;-)
Naked Came the Stranger... and the Manatee! Ha!
I'm shocked, shocked, I say, that you'd love Barry too. :)
"Isn't it awesome when you finally find someone who gets you?" Yes. It is. ;-) If Steemit has done nothing else for me, it's brought my YOU! A missing sister.
Awww. Thank you, Carol. I feel the same. ;-)
As for who "gets" my humor, the list is short and sweet.
Thankfully, it included both of my parents, who were as warped as I am, and steered me in that direction.
Likewise, my sister Carol, who is the only person I'd call thinking we'd talk for fifteen minutes and, four hours later, we were still finding new and interesting things to discuss.
My meditation group in Florida, pretty much to a person, got my humor from the beginning, and I got theirs, because we have so many references in common. I miss them greatly.