What a Piece of *$#* Is Man Sometimes

What a piece of work is a man, how noble in reason, how
infinite in faculties, in form and moving how express and
admirable, in action how like an angel, in apprehension how like
a god! the beauty of the world, the paragon of animals—and yet,
to me, what is this quintessence of dust? Man delights not me—
nor woman neither, though by your smiling you seem to say so.

If you don't know, that passage is from Hamlet. It's one of my favorite moments where Hamlet ponders the unbelievable nobility and grace of humanity. Despite his awe though, he is not moved by what he sees. I've had a few days to ponder humanity myself. On the one hand, humanity is truly amazing. On the other, humanity is hopelessly bereft of anything but cruelty. This befuddling duality of humanity has been on my mind.

Last week, I had occasion to spend a few days in a tree house cabin with some friends of mine. This gathering was a pre wedding retreat for a friend. Unfortunately, my body decided this was the perfect time to succumb to a nasty cold. My husband also received some distressing news on the day that our little hen party was to begin. During the four day retreat, I received some of the most compassionate and kind acts. My friends knew I was ill and they got me some medicine to help my cough and congestion. They knew I was in a bit of shock and worry about my husband's news and took measures to help me relax and take care of myself. They listened, helped me laugh, and supported me the whole weekend without me ever needing to ask. This is what friends do for one another. They not only looked out for me and did not razz me about coughing all night long (although I am sure it must've been awful sleeping for some of them), they did the same for each other when little quandaries popped up. In this small group of women, I was able to observe laughter and merriment and support that exemplified how humanity can indeed be angelic and beautiful among the Earth's creatures.

Conversely, I also experienced the other side of "this quintessence of dust" that definitely did not delight me. As those of you who have been reading know I have been struggling with changing jobs and trying to maintain happiness even when the bastards try to keep me down. Just before this tree house trip I got an invitation to interview for a part time job via my free lance site. I sent an inquiry for more information and was excited that this person thought I'd be perfect for the job. I let her know that I had some non-negotiable time off for vacations and weddings and she seemed fine. I even told her that come fall, my time would be somewhat more limited, so answering her messages during certain times of the day might be difficult. She wasn't worried. I eagerly awaited my first job assignment when I returned from my tree house adventure. 

As I understood it, my job was to cover making travel arrangements for her, responding to messages for her when she was away, scheduling, and at times purchasing needed items and shipping them to charities like orphanages. I didn't think much of it because it promised $400 a week, which would build up nicely toward purchasing our own medical insurance, a down payment on a new truck for my husband, and it would alleviate some financial burden about paying my student loan. Awesome right? Well, my first job assignment shows up two days late and it is a check for just under $2000. Right away, I am surprised and a bit confused. I was expecting directions and new employee paperwork and a task assignment list. I email my new boss and she says that since the shopping list for this orphanage is so large, shipping all the supplies would be difficult and that she had "reached an accord" with the director of the facility who would buy the items herself. All I needed to do was deposit, wait, and then Money Gram the money less my weekly salary to this person. Sound fishy? It did to me and to my husband as well. It sounded gloriously easy mind you, but it also made me a little apprehensive. Consequently, we did some Googling and found a check fraud scam from a few years ago that hit Craigslist. Same M.O. and almost identical circumstances. I was crushed. Not only would this put the skids on some of our plans, but it meant someone was using my freelance site for nefarious purposes. It also meant that someone (probably a lot of someones) is out there preying on people who are trying to find work and earn a living, but who will end up committing fraud and being held accountable for all the money he or she transferred unknowingly. Thankfully, I had done nothing with the money. 

Humanity can be noble and admirable in its infinite faculty. It can also be cruel, predatory, and awful. Trying to keep believing in the innate goodness of humanity is damned difficult when you experience the other side of humanity. For now, I am eternally thankful for the wonderful women with whom I had the delight of spending a few days in a tree house eating good food, playing ladder ball in tacky formal wear, and going to the hot springs. They do delight me greatly as they are all strong, capable women of integrity and compassion. For this other woman who tried and failed to take advantage of me, I say:

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Free Time

What a lovely weekend.
Due to a hiccup in the flow of posted assignments, my article writing took a hiatus this weekend. I suddenly found myself with all this unobstructed free time. I could spend my weekend unencumbered by deadlines and AP style.
I met with a friend for coffee to start things off. I finally got to bike on Sat. since the weather decided to stop the rain long enough to have some sunshine. So I biked downtown for coffee with a friend. I was treated to the sound of many a person out grooming their lawn. Many kids out running around enjoying a preview of summer to come. It was a delightful venture on my bike just enjoying the lovely warmth and outside recreation of a sunny June day. I was also quite thrilled to find the coffeehouse put in a funky little bike rack which is of course shaped like a coffee mug. I thought I'd have to hunt for a rack, but nope! There was one right outside the shop's window. Way cool.
I spent a lovely couple of hours getting caught up with my friend. We haven't actually seen each other in months. She's been occupied. I've been occupied. We've been on opposite frequencies. For two delightful hours though, we chatted and enjoyed one another's company. It was sublime.
Then I biked myself home and my hubby and I decided to go have lunch. Lunch could have been better, but just sharing a meal out with my honey was delightful. After stuffing ourselves, we went and met a newborn baby.
Some friends of ours just had their first baby. She's a delight. Of course, she slept most of the time we were there, but oh my goodness is she cute. She's tiny and her chin is kinda sucked in like an old man who is missing his dentures. That's how her mother describes it and I have to agree it is an apt description. She's also a new member of the crooked pinky club. This wee one is lovely. Our good friends are her grandparents and their boy whom we have known since he was 11 or 12 is the daddy. It's a little surreal. I was fine until we got up to leave and I hugged this young man. It just brought tears to my eyes to think of this young person whom I have known so long being a father. It's humbling and he and his wife have so much love for this baby it's palpable. Pure joy.
Last night my hubby and I started a Netflix series. Have you watched Hemlock Grove? It's very melodramatic, but I'm intrigued so I am sure we will continue. It is rather soap opera-ish at moments, but I do so love Lili Taylor I can't help but watch. It's got a slight Twin Peaks season one feel to it.
Today, there still were no assignments available so I made some editing corrections for another article and spent the rest of the day as I saw fit. I would have loved to be in the garden, but yesterday was too muddy and today it was back to rain. Not that I am complaining because we really do need the rain, but a little yard time would have been nice.
So I gamed instead. I did.  A lot.  It was great. I did my usual morning routine of reading a bunch of articles about the state of the world as it is, but then I got to obliterate some demons with my monk. She's totally a badass.
I took a break to go have a bedlah set fitting. Our belly dance costumer got her order in from Turkey and she was afraid the set I ordered would not fit. Luckily though not only did my green set fit, it has a peacock color to the sequins which is fantastic. Not only did the green one work, but the wine colored one did, too! Huzzah!
Now the weekend draws to a close and I am content. How wonderful free time is. I had forgotten.