When no one is watching

Apparently there's a little confusion around the office, so let's just set things straight. Shall we?

I, Margaret Andrews, am not English.

In fact, I've known enough Englishman over my humble years to know they will probably be insulted at the very notion that this mouth could possibly be from anywhere but the good ol' Midwest. The small matter of my Englishesque name has never helped matters much, but there you have it.

The funny thing is, I used to have professor's in college - professor's from overseas - ask me what country I was visiting from. Like that isn't an opportunity begging to be had from all directions, am I right? Sometimes I would put on my most d'yooper accent possible (always have had the knack for accents) and really make them feel silly for asking. Twice I played along and told them I was from another country by putting on the Swedish thing. Ah... good times, good times.

In other news, I've been thinking about (my AMAZING) father a lot lately. For no apparent reason. The fact is that I live in Minnesota and the rest of my family lives in Wisconsin, several hours away, so I don't get to see anyone very often. But the past few days I've had these bubbling memories of when I was a kid - WARNING: sap alert...

My dad was a businessman through and through - and a very successful one at that. He did what he had to do to take care of his family and himself, and did a damn good job at it. By the time my parents had me, they had 4 other brats under their belts (WELL, you guys WERE brats!!!) and so I turned out perfect of course. I have these vivid memories of waking up early with my dad every morning - from the time I was 3 - and snuggling with him on the couch for an hour or two before anyone else even got up. He would read his newspaper, drink his coffee, sometimes we'd share doughnuts, and watch the morning news (that Deborah Norville), and I would stumble down in my footie pajamas with my blankie, and cuddle up next to him. Over the years he softened and at 6:00 he would turn the TV on to whatever I wanted to watch (don't tell my siblings, they'll be jealous). There was Mr. Wizard's World, Fraggle Rock, and Little Women the cartoon. What an amazing feeling that was - getting to snuggle up to your wonderful, loving, compassionate father.

So the next time your asshole boss is being a huge asshole, remember he might be the kind of guy who snuggles with his little girl when no one is watching.