I’m obsessed with Portlandia, because it reminds me of Burlington. In their “Brunch Village” episode the daily special of the popular brunch spot is marionberry pancakes. I think they were going for the most obscure berry they could think of to obtain that “why is it” niche. Literally, take half of these sketches and put them on Church Street, and you wouldn’t notice.
This week has been exhausting, especially compared to how blissful the weekend had been. Thankfully, nothing too maddening happened this week, but as we get further into our site migration, there’s more for us to learn-by-doing.
That said, there are a few things that I feel myself losing patience on frequently this week. People are trying to adjust their website without knowing how to do it. Imagine being a mechanic and standing next to someone with a flat tire, and the person wants to repair the flat tire on their own, but wants you to explain it to them, and when you tell them “You need a spare tire” they ask what a spare tire is. At that point, just let the mechanic repair the tire. This is not your time, my love.
With that, there is a sense of camaraderie with my coworkers. We know what it means when “Beverly” needs help, or when “Fred from Chicago” is on the phone. Then comes the pregnant pause after the phone call ends, and the coworker is like “OH. MY. GOD.” and we can all reply back with “Dude, I know.” It also helps me with appreciating the GOOD customers more. I’d give my life for “Carly.” Call me with help with the website whenever you need it, okay?
I’ve come up with a tactic when I feel like I’m about to snap. I just close my eyes and pretend I’m floating in the ocean, and I’m surrounded by tiny seahorses (solid “Napoleon Dynamite” reference). Then there’s jellyfish in my head, and I move my hand like it’s a jellyfish. The movement REALLY calms me down and diffuses my tension.
This image is from Tumblr.
I’m not certain if this is a real jellyfish it looks animated.
The theme song for Portlandia is really chill, too. It’s called “Feel it All Around” by Washed Out, and it does remind me of walking Church Street like I did in college.
It’s flashback Friday, and I’m feeling the nostalgia tonight for UVM hard. I’ve been doing a poem a day, and today’s theme was “Back to Nature.” I kept thinking about the times I’d just walk through the colors of UVM, whether it was the trees on campus or lying in the snow on a dead silent night. I have a lot of good memories. I can’t wait to move to New York, but I want to retire in Vermont. I want to have a nice home where I can hike and go to a farmer’s market for fresh vegetables.
I will make it happen one day. For now, I’m going to get ready for bed.
After one more episode.