The Meaning of Life

My latest performance review is pret-ty good one, if I do say so myself. And that is PROBABLY because I wrote it myself. Well, I'm in the process, anyway. The woman who is supposed to be writing it asked ME to write it instead. That is kind of a brilliant idea on her part... that way she gets out of writing the review, I get to say nice things about myself, she feels bad about not writing the review in the first place like she was technically supposed to, and therefore she signs off on all the nice things I have written about myself... win/win ?

It's almost 2 am in Milwaukee. I should definitely be asleep by now, but I was supposed to have finished this review already. Last week, to be exact.

No chance that I am going to have time for my taxes tonight... which means I will be filing mine and my mother's taxes on April 15th. The VERY. LAST. DAY. Sometimes I actually convince myself that I have become an organized, efficient, proactive person who no longer has the procrastination disease. At least it says those things in my performance review.

Remember how I said I was giving up the search for a flight to California next week? Well. I kept searching. For hours. Which is probably why I still am awake now doing all of the things I have been putting off, and why I was awake at this time last night, and why I will probably be exhausted for the rest of the week. And with nothing to show for it, because I never did find a flight. At least I heard it was going to rain in California next week. That made me feel slightly better.

I decided upon the meaning of life today while standing outside by a tree. (My Blackberry had just died and I was waiting for somebody else to finish up a call, so I had nothing better to do than to contemplate the meaning of life.) The verdict: I think the meaning of life is to explore and appreciate the world.

You know how I thought of that? Because even though I was stuck working at a building in this crummy neighborhood where the McDonald's I was forced to go to for lunch had a sign posted on the door (no joke) warning all customers to remove their hoods upon entry or an alarm would sound, and the client I'm visiting is so strict that I have to be escorted to pee, I was thinking how much I liked that tree, and the grass I was standing on at that moment, and the fact that the sky was blue and the sun was out.

And on other days when it's ugly and grey outside, you can always appreciate the people you're with, or the crazy things you do on the weekends, or the late night phone conversations you have, or a trip to the gym, or that feeling you get when you first lie down to go to bed and realize you have the entire night ahead of you to sleep. So I think if you can FIND things to appreciate, and you can explore at least some of the people / places / things the world has to offer, then you are have satisfied the meaning of life.

OH! That reminds me - this hotel where I am staying has BANANA FLAVORED LOTION!! It smells like banana pudding! I LOVE it - best idea ever! Yeah, I am always appreciating the weirdest things. What can I say? There are just so many things to be excited for in the world.

Okay, but seriously... time to finish this thing.