I'm Glad I Didn't Choose a Watch

Hola Amigos,

And another work week draws to a close. I am ashamed of myself, I've been really half assed about stuff and my employer deserves better from me.

I really do work at a nice place, for as large as it is it has a family feel about it. It's not for profit and academic too, so I can educate myself while stickin' it to the man. It doesn't pay much, but you couldn't find a place with better benefits. And honestly, I like my job. It's a very odd, strange little job that nobody probably ever thinks of, but I know that doing what I do in some small way helps someone in their education, or in their teaching, and I am very proud of that. I'm not a proud person, but I am proud of that.

They had a luncheon for everyone celebrating a milestone anniversary (5th, 10th, 15th, and so on) on Tuesday. Having recently celebrated my 20th, I was invited to this particular luncheon. We received a catalog of gifts that we could choose from about 4 weeks ago. There was some great stuff in there, and after much fretting over what to get, I decided on the 48 piece china set (not sure if it's actually china, but it's nice).

See, having never been married at a youngish age, I never registered for anything like china and whatnot, and I couldn't see investing in it myself. I'm single and I live in a tiny house, it's just not practical. So throughout my years of being a bachelorette I've relied on some Corelle and a couple of plates I got at the dollar store.

Every week I would stare enviously at the flyers in the Sunday paper, at these lovely dish sets with serving platters and bowls, gravy boats, etc., and think "My stuff looks like crap, how I'd love to replace it." Well, now I can!

They handed the gifts out at the luncheon, actually calling each person up individually (and there were a lot of us there--about 16 tables worth of people), which I think is a very kind gesture. I was informed via email that my gift was too heavy and fragile for the luncheon (understandable) and that I could work it out with our HR office to get it to my car.

Thing is, the person I need to arrange it with is out until Monday. So I STILL haven't gotten my gift! I was really looking forward to it. I plan on pulling EVERYTHING out of my cupboards and finally trying to make sense of it all (I hardly have any cupboards, essentially two, so I've divided them into things you can eat, and things you can eat off or out of). I may still do that, but I'll have to wait to receive my first official set of china. At age 42, I'd say I deserved it. My mom said "Now you need to get a hutch" and I thought, where will I put that, my bedroom?? So this nice china will have to sit in a cupboard, but at least now if I have people over for dinner I can serve them all on matching plates!

They had all the gifts (except mine) set out on a table and you could look them over before we sat down. I would say that the most prevalent thing I saw there were watches. Everybody chose a damn watch! That strikes me as funny, for you see, I'm not a watch wearer. I've never been a watch wearer. I have them, and have worn them, but never made a habit of it, and I can't even tell you the last time I put one on.

I think it all started with a watch my parents gave me, my first one. At the time I didn't know this, but I'm highly allergic to nickel. So after wearing this watch for a while I developed a horrible itch. Over the years I was given watches here and there, some quite nice, but they all made me itch (the band if it was metal, or the clasp, or the back of the face). Then Swatches became all the rage, and I bought several of those because being plastic they didn't make me itch. I really went crazy when I worked at a department store and could by them with a 25% discount! Hoowee! I had a swatch for every occasion.

But I stopped wearing those too. And now I've gone so long without a watch that I don't even miss them. I never wear them, never really seem to need them. Everywhere I need to go either has a clock, or I have my phone with me, or there's a clock in my car, or I just ask someone. Another handy one is if I buy something the time is always stamped on the receipt, so I can check that too.

I've also got an uncanny ability to estimate time. I'm not perfect, but am usually so close that I may as well be wearing a watch. Hang out with me some time, I'll display my time telling talents. :)

Anyway, I'm quite happy with my decision NOT to get a watch. I did have a minor pang of regret when I saw the peridot ring that was on the table. I saw it in the catalog and I thought long and hard about getting it. It's my birthstone. For years I despised it. Even though I like green, I was drawn to the flashier, deeper green of the emerald. Peridot just looked washed out to me. But it's grown on me. Then when I turned 40 I decided I was going to splurge and get myself something strictly to mark that milestone, something just for me. I have absolutely no jewelry of any value (seeing as most except for the nickel free cheapo stuff at Kohl's makes me break out in horrible itchy blisters), so I decided I was going to buy myself a ring. I went to Marshall Field's and looked at all the peridot in their fine jewelry department. I fell in love with a beautiful peridot ring with a gold band, set in small diamonds (VERY small diamonds). I have to tell you, it's gorgeous, and I rarely take it off. And no, I'm NOT going to tell you how much I spent on it. But I do really love it.

I thought about the peridot ring in the catalog for quite a while. And when I saw it on the table at the luncheon I sort of regretted not ordering it. But then I looked at my own peridot ring and realized that's enough.

So now I anxiously await my set of china, with my most sincere thanks to my employer.