Yup. That’s what I am right now. With Bubs out of town or rather, out of the damn country, I’m left with the two awry pups. You think it’s not that bad. Well try depriving Remy and Martin of dog parks, birds, squirrels, and practically all other creatures you once thought INedible, for three months and you see what happens when they discover rodents living in the bushes of their new playground. Yeah, getting home after dark and walking them in my heels (ahh, the demands of the business world) was only part of the problem. The other was locating their shit with a flashlight and scooping it into size way-too-small sandwich bags, all while trying to hold on. Silly fools. Martin saw a critter scatter across the parking lot and all hell almost broke loose. In a situation like that, there’s a lotta room for error. I gotta watch where I step in the darkness plus it’s been a real close call keeping my fingers clean, if you know what I mean. With these rascals, you gotta be a real hard-ass. A real disciplinarian, I tell you. And it’s not easy, especially for a softie like me. 🙂

In other news, I had a meeting wtih a potential corporate client this afternoon. I got the job! I’ll be training their staff of seven on business English writing. And the gig pays too! This marks the first deal for Move the Brain English Language Services. Woo hoo! Must be the business cards (designed by the ever-so-talented Bubs)! So after landing the SABIC (they’re a petrochemical company, headquartered in Saudi Arabia) job, I treated myself to a banana smoothie and veggie sandwich at Zoe’s Cafe (or as John calls it, “Zo’s, because it should rhyme with Joe’s.”).

In the evening, I was off to my Tuesday/Thursday tutoring job (thanks Emily!). I tutor this young lady who works for Carrier Corp (the A/C company). She’s a total workaholic: she puts in like 12 hours a day, plus training and other studious activities on the weekends. Anyway, she’s all about China’s growing economy– even at the expense of the environment, worker’s rights, human rights, etc. Yeah, so needless to say, she’s a little on the conservative side. But that’s one of the greatest challenges with teaching: you have to figure out how to mold the minds of your pupils. Ha, ha, ha, ha. Okay, so I’m not that cunning. Teaching is great. I’m glad to be back into it.

Oh, I forgot to mention my other small victories. Yesterday, I picked up some pants I dropped off at a nearby tailor’s. I’m definitely very clueless about fabrics and clothing (in terms of how they are made), but the stuff I got back fit beautifully. Yes, leave it to me to purchase very inexpensive pants that don’t exactly (or even closely) fit. Yeah well I get the last laugh because thanks to my magical tailor, now my cheap pants look more expensive. 🙂

For some reason, my bike is always getting knocked over. John says someone has a grudge against me. His bike (parked right next to mine) is NEVER knocked over. After John left on Monday, I went to ride to re-orient myself (now that my navigator has left). My front brakes wouldn’t release. Riding my bike became ten times as difficult with the friction from the brake! I went to a roadside bike repairperson who suggested that I got into an accident and got the brakes all out of whack. There’s been no accident, I told him. I’ve simply been the victim of bike abuse. It took the guy about 25 minutes to finally fix the problem. And it’s only a temporary fix. The brake is damaged. It’s only a matter of time before a replacement will be needed. Goddamn cheap bike. He pumped my tires up (they need air every few days!) and off I went. Happy as a clam, speeding through the crowds and ringing that wussy bell. I even discovered a shortcut to the light rail station. John will be proud.