Maggie Rants [and Raves]

It Was a Dark and Stormy Night ...

by Maggie Franklin | January 29, 2010 | Bookmark +

If this post were a movie it would start like this: A totally dark screen with the sound of a freight train coming to a sudden, screeching halt. Just when the metal-on-metal sound ends and you are relatively sure the train has stopped just short of what was probably a bridge that's out and therefore managed to not plummet 300 feet down some desert gorge, the screen would show me ... hanging up the phone.

 

That's kinda the way I remember my day starting off today. Wednesday being my regular day off, I'd planned on getting up "early" (time is totally subjective y'know) and actually putting in a couple of hours down at the salon this morning working on my nail art competition entry for the ISSE show in Long Beach this weekend. I did have a client on the agenda for after lunch this afternoon, so the time I have remaining in which to rock out 10 nail tips with "cocktails, anyone?"-themed hand-painted artwork was dwindling at an alarming rate. Nevertheless, I managed to be persuaded by the BF's dog that, indeed, my original plan to get up early was a foolish one. In fact, if Tyler was correct in his argument, getting out of bed at all today was a foolish notion. And so it was that I managed to convince myself that 10:30 was a perfectly reasonable time to start my day and relinquish the warm cushy blankets entirely to Tyler.

 

And so I happened to be sitting in front of my e-mail this morning, thinking that it was probably about time to hop — OK, more like stumble; I'm telling you morning is not my best time — into a hot shower before heading out to have lunch with the BF and then doing Brenda's nails and toes ... when the phone rang.

 

I made a mad reach for my purse and dug into the side pocket to fish out my cell phone in time to notice the caller ID said it was my friend — and model for this weekend's sculptured nail competition — on the line. I was thinking she was probably calling because she knew it was my regular day off and she was probably trying to give me a chance to do another deep hydrating manicure on her before the weekend.

 

Alas, (cue train braking) she informed me that her BF's grandmother had passed away. The funeral is Saturday. In Sacramento. Which is in the exact opposite direction of the competition in Long Beach. Not to mention that whole "being there for the BF"/"emotional support" blah blah blah...

 

I immediately go into panic mode while my model-slash-friend proceeds to break down crying on the phone. Oh. This is not what I want. I don't want her to feel bad. I don't want to put any guilt on her. Of course I understand why she needs to cancel on the competition. It'll be OK, I'll find someone else.

 

As of 5:30 or so this evening, I have a model. Keep your fingers crossed.

 

This is all part of the adventure, I suppose. It's something I knew I'd have to deal with when I decided to start competing — the uncontrollable aspect of relying on other people. You just never know what's going to happen, and you can't always anticipate it.

 

Fortunately, for the time being anyway, my train has managed to back up, find a suitable alternate route, and is currently back on track.

 

For reprint and licensing requests for this article, Click here.

Read more about
a Bobit media brand

Create your free Bobit Connect account to bookmark content.

The secure and easy all-access connection to your content.
Bookmarked content can then be accessed anytime on all of your logged in devices!

Create Account