Happy Friday the Thirteenth, everyone! I admit, I'm a bit on the superstitious side, but not about this, for some reason. Then again, if I'm not freaked out by receiving $6.66 in change on a Friday the 13th or having a black cat cross my path at midnight on Halloween, I probably won't be thrown by the accident of the 13th falling on a Friday.

I'm meeting someone today at 1:30 pm and I'm very nervous about it. I never really thought I'd meet this person, though I've, well, fantasized about it for some time. But it's actually going to happen. My knees are knocking, my heart is palpitating and I've having a wee bit trouble breathing. Wednesday, while eating my lunch, I thought about today's meeting and my left hand started shaking uncontrollably. I had to switch my sandwich to my right hand. It's very nerve-wracking! I hope I don't show up, then fall on my face in a dead faint.

The person who helped set this up reassured me that I'll be fine, that the person I'm meeting will be very easy to talk to and set me at ease, and that all I have to do is be myself. Thanks for the vote of confidence, but I'm still nervous as hell. Please, oh please let everything go well! The words from a Lerner and Lowe song (from Gigi) keep running through my head:

Say a prayer for me tonight
I'll need ev'ry prayer
That you can spare
To get me by

Say a prayer
And while you're praying
Keep on saying
She's much too young to die

On to your Waterloo
Whipsers my heart
Pray you'll be Wellington
And not Bonaparte

Oh, say a prayer for me this ev'ning
Bow your head and please
Stay on your knees
Tonight

Let's take a look at today's horoscope: "Two matters that are uppermost in your mind can advance today through your social skills and contacts. Whatever arrangements you make will have longevitiy to it." Another horoscope says it's a five star day for me. Oy.

It's funny, this early in my journal I'm addressing my reading audience with words like everyone, everybody, and other all encompassing words. I guess that's for anyone who happens to stumble upon Imprints. As far as I know, I only have one regular reader (hi, Linda!) whom I love dearly from her funny and frequently touching e-mails. (I've linked to her in other places of my Strand, so why not here too? Her site is the Mike Farrell Appreciation Page and is a great site.) Plus I'm (very slowly) learning a bit of Dutch, thanks to her. Though she's a good five inches taller than me, 6 1/2 years younger than me, and born on a whole other continent, I'm convinced we were separated at birth. We just have too many of the same tastes and views on life, though she's considerably more informed than I am. And we're both brunettes who wear glasses. Not too many people like that in this world, are there?

Hey, Linda, I bet you think this entry is about you, don't you, don't you? *BG*

Am I so vain, or do I just think that everyone is looking at me?

Lately I've been getting the feeling that men are looking at me with lust in their hearts. And most of them are already spoken for. At work, when I go to the copy room or kitchenette, I have to pass by a bank of phone operators hawking a Disney product. Inevitably I see heads poking out from behind their clear plastic separators as they watch me walk by, especially if I'm wearing a skirt. It always seems to be male heads. I know that more than a few of them are married or otherwise taken.

Plus I've gotten a few passes from married men or men that have girlfriends. What the hell am I putting out there? This happened to me once before, about seven years ago, when every guy that was interested in me was married. And I mean, every guy. Soon after that things started looking up romantically, so maybe the same thing is going to happen this time. I sure hope so.

But if you're one of those taken guys that looks at me with lust in your heart, you can just forget about it. Carol don't play that.

Maybe I really am just vain. Or maybe I'm losing my mind. Hey, it's possible.

POSTSCRIPT: 2:20 PM
Well, I just got back from my meeting and I'm still flying. It was with Mike Farrell. A very short but sweet meeting. He's a very nice man, and I think I was ok, though I suspect my goofy grin didn't leave my face for more than a second. Linda helped orchestrate the meeting. I promise, I'll give full details on Monday, if I've regained conciousness by then. *thunk*