beware...

the day started off quite nicely. i woke up in a good mood. it was cool and sunny. teeny, my local neighborhood cat, had come to visit me and seemed as if she had never been more happy to see anyone. my cats didn't even attempt a throw-down at the screen door when teeny was getting loads of love in the backyard. so, after deciding i didn't really need a shower today i set off to run errands. the rounds included: target, the craft store, the post office, and the library. all was right in the world and it has been a decent long while since i felt like that. and then....something seemed to take over and i got cranky.

i had made early dinner arrangements with my grandma and had about 45 miles of road to cover before my journey was over. this sweet stretch of land did not include a freeway, so it was all side streets. that was fine by me because i had a little tom petty action singing to me sweetly. i realized i didnt have a penny on me and since i had lost my check card yesterday, (during an unfortunate incident involving messing around with the card in a seam of my trunk, while i pumped gas, sipped a diet coke and yammered on my cell phone) i realized i was kinda screwed because i was thirsty. i wheeled into the bank to cash a check i had in my car and the teller insisted on a second piece of ID. (this was my bank! i had my drivers license! come on lady!) this miffed me-hardcore. i got sassy and demanded to know why she needed it. after witch-ing out at the teller, i concluded that a drive-thru would be a poor choice. i could tell i was beginning to get a little unstable and wondered if maybe dinner with Barb was a bad idea??

well, as i am sure the non-scholars among you can predict....it was a bad idea. little miss cranky-cakes (that is me if you did not figure that out) was a royal brat during dinner. i felt like a two year old trapped in the shell of a 29 year old. after dinner i explained i was feeling sick and thought i should head home and not visit my mother who is recovering from back surgery. Barb asked me 4 separate times if i wanted a mint to settle my stomach. she was lucky i didnt try to strangle her from across the table. after asking three times, she reached in her purse and produced the mint container-why?-i don't really know-perhaps she thought the blue plastic case would be so enticing that i would jump at the chance to suck down one of those minty treats! wrong-o! i literally ran from the restaurant because i feared i might say something so appalling that my grandma would disown me. i could tell i was losing it, and quickly. on my very long, traffic filled drive home, i popped in this cd i had found in my grandma's basement and tried to relax. it was this sordid humor cd from 1994 and it felt good to revisit "light music for dying people". i had forgotten that adam duritz, the lead singer for counting crows, sung backup vocals on this cd. when his voice popped up like a long lost friend- i started to cry..

and then i realized what my problem was.....

i have pms.

crazy, horomonally unbalanced, mean, unpredictable PMS.

i was getting a little concerned and i instantly felt better when i realized my inner demon will only be here for about a day or two and then the blue skies and sweet mood will return. the return might be accompanied by PMS' close pals "mind-numbing cramps" and "the jfk headache" (my mom describes this headache as one that makes one feel as if the back of their head has been blown off) at least i will be in a better mood.

i came home, shut off my phone, and baked some chocolate chip cookies. i am in self imposed lock down to protect all who love me from my evil behaviors. i am staying away from the television, just in case a hallmark commercial is in rotation. hallmark commercials are a girl's worst enemy during this fragile time.

normally i read my horror-scope (i like to call it that because it sounds more fun!) every morning, but i didnt today. when i read it tonight, it cracked me up.

Everything looks great when you wake up today, but situations might start to unravel as the day progresses. You don't have to worry too much about it -- the unraveling is a symptom of the changes and growth you're going through, and it's to be expected. But when things get unstable, you should be prepared. Get your priorities in order so if you need to act quickly, you can. You might have to cancel some fun evening plans to take care of business.