Nicole Tasker Woods

I have worked in a couple of very different work office environments since graduating from college. I was an assistant for a short four month stint in a professional office setting and dressed very professionally everyday in suits, slacks and silk. Then I worked as a customer service representative in a warehouse-type-office environment and never saw any customers or clients, as business was all done over the phone or email. Here I dressed in jeans, t-shirts and sneakers.

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On Tuesday after work, Cali and I went for our regular walk. I have been trying to overcome my fear of the ivy where the last slithering creature was hiding. I started by walking on that side of the road, but my eyes frantically darted from flower to rock to piece of trash hiding in the shrubbery. So far, so good. I continued to walk down the road then took a sharp left onto the service road that is gated off and usually has a mixture of Cal-Lutheran students jogging, mothers pushing strollers and random men and women walking their dogs. Recently, the tall grasses that lined the edges of this road have been weed-whacked down to the dirt. This is good for me because I can see everything that is going on and this keeps Cali (and let’s face it, myself) safe from Anaconda 3 that is just waiting to leap out from the bushes and attack me.

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This phrase makes me think of drinking my breakfast each morning when I was younger.

Carnation Instant Breakfast! You’re gonna love it in an instant!

I was a sucker for the chocolate or mocha flavors (of course) and I even had this bottle specially made for mixing, shaking-up, and drinking this instant breakfast. It had a pop-off, blue top and measurements on the side.

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Sometimes I like running the show: being in charge of something and having people ask my permission and present things to me. A year ago, I actually had a staff of 13 people at one point. I had my moments when I truly enjoyed calling the shots. These days I am just a peon and do not boss anyone around, except Ryan and Cali, but even then those two get their way now and then.

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The lights are out,
but the glow
from underneath my door
illuminates select items
around the room.
I can’t see it,
but I know it’s there…
a Snowball sitting
tauntingly on my bookshelf.
It’s begging,
from the darkness of the far wall,
to be released
from its cellophane.
My eyes forget to blink
as they focus on the dark,
and try to envision the sweet dome.
Racing thoughts of
beach vacations,
bikinis and tan lines
fail to avert me.

The coconut will be crunchy
come tomorrow;
the marshmallow will harden
overnight;
the hidden chocolate cake,
shielded by these
colorless sugars,
will take longer to grow stale,
but why take the chance?

Junky calories
resonate from underneath
fluffy cream filling…
my ears strain
to resist what can not be
muffled by plastic wrap–
hostess hostess hostess.
By the invasion of hallway lights,
my fingers become thumbs
as they frantically rip the wrapper,
shoving 6 fat grams
into my mouth
with three swift bites.

Copyright © 2008 N.E. Tasker

I love this show. I have been watching it since the very first season and have hope that this show does help people find true love after seeing Trista & Ryan tie the knot. Trista was one of two girls at the very end of the first season of the Bachelor; the world thought she would get picked, but she did not. Then she was on her own show, The Bachelorette, and that’s where she met and fell in love with Ryan. ABC even aired their wedding in a a series of 3 episodes and 26 million people tuned in for the special event. Trista & Ryan are the first married couple to be produced from the Bachelor (in this case, The Bachelorette).

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This has double meaning. On one hand, it is the name of a lizard/skink type creature that lives in the water. I can not say what else it is or looks like because frankly it is disgusting (by now you should all know how I feel about this kind of stuff). If you want to know more, just Google “mudpuppy” and see what pops up. I seriously grossed myself out by doing so and will never do it again. What I was trying to find was a site for the Mud Puppy mud cleaning machine that well drillers use (see picture here).

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I am a huge fan of food. I have always loved to eat ever since I was a child. My mom was the best cook and everything she made was so delicious that I happily ate more than I probably should have. Yes, that’s right, I was a fat kid. My sister-in-law will kid me about it today because she has seen the pictures (click here, fourth picture down) and I love to laugh at how chubby I was because I have totally overcome all of those weight problems so it is laughable now. But I remember not thinking it was that funny when I hit freshman year in high school and I strove to eat less seconds & thirds, and do more crunches. Let’s face it, high school is not fun for anyone because they all have at least one horrifying, end-of-the-world, bad experience. And some are so lucky as to have a couple of those moments that help them put those four years into perspective. Now, back to the food…

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Mondays are busy for me at work so I thought I would post a picture instead of nothing at all…

On January 11th
The puny, fake tree
Is still twinkling
In the receptionist area where I work.
Depressing ornaments still hanging
From weak limbs above a tattered
Skirt around a plastic base.

I consider the sky
Uncertain if it should be blue or cloudy
This deep into winter…

In California, this season is less dismal
Than in New Hampshire or Mass;
Both former homes of mine.
I do not miss waking up early on a crisp,
Bright, wintry day
To push heavy flakes off the deck,
Then shovel them to the edge of the drive
So Uncle Danny can plow
Ten foot high drifts of dirty snow.

Or leaving the dorm in my PJ’s
With a tray from the dining hall
So that I can slowly lift
Corrupted fluffiness
Up and over my head
From the space in the student lot
That I am certain is my parking spot.
This sweaty attempt to find
My tiny, white VW cabriolet
Exhausts all limbs, causing me
To overheat in the chilly outside air.

During these mindful escapes, I stare
At the lit up numbered buttons
Counting down to my car.
Making my way to the parking garage
With a multitude of my peers,
Anxious to start the weekend,
Is a much anticipated journey
As I dream of sleeping
Past 5:50 tomorrow morning.

Copyright © 2008 N.E. Tasker

The rain started to fall and I could hear it pit-patter on my doorstep around 9:00pm last night. I sat cuddled up with Cali’s head in my lap and Grammy’s afghan wrapped around us on the couch while we watched TV. The thought of going outside was chilling. An hour later, Cali got up from my lap and sat down underneath her leash & collar that hang on one of the dining room chairs by the door. That was the signal. I put on shoes, a sweatshirt with the hood tied tight and opened an umbrella over my head. The first step out the door was wet and I quickly discovered that every inch of the ground was going to be covered in snails. When the rain falls at night and moisture fills the air, out come the snails. It was like a mine field. Cali was less cautious, but I could not help but guide her between all the shiny shells to keep her paws from crushing them. We spent about 20 minutes outside, in the misty air, weaving around snails dotted on the cement walkways, asphalt driveways, ivy-covered corners and even the wood-chipped rose garden. I hate creepy-crawlies, like lizards and snakes…tack snails on that list too.

In the mornings, she fancies
A brisk walk in the ivy, low to the ground.
Her footprints staying hidden by the carpeted mat
As she daintily chooses each step.
She then sniffs along a cement path that curves
Around front stoops to a fence in the back…
Where she can see everything going on down below.
The path along the fence opens up to a cul-de-sac
That she crosses in a graceful trot.
She hops over rubber plants and carefully
Enters the forbidden rose garden
That is filled with dew-soaked, yet fragrant pink pedals.
As she weaves between the flowery bushes
She warily avoids thorny branches and combs the woodchips
With her snout to discover an unknown scent.

In the afternoons, she is game for a three mile trot
That stretches her legs and fills her tummy
With an abundance of fresh air.
As she walks down the street,
On sidewalks and bike lanes,
Her head is tilted up to the cement walls:
Her ears smooth back into Full-Stealth-Mode
As she becomes a cunning con contemplating
A leap to the other side.
So light on her feet, she slips past houses
With dogs in backyards and none of them the wiser.
She dislikes pine needles immensely
And prefers a jagged weave around each pile
To prevent crunching them with her matted paws.
One wrong step and her lovely gait
Transforms into a three-legged hobble
As her foot is stung by a thorn hiding amongst needles.

In the evenings, she wrestles, nipping fingers,
Swinging rope-toy, looking for constant attention.
Get her riled up and the crazy-switch
Clicks –ON– scoot – scoot – scoot
Upstairs,
Downstairs,
On couches and coffee tables, from bed to bed,
Then on the floor with tail straight in the air
And paws stretched out in front as she is ready-to-pounce.
Her tongue hangs out of her mouth and to the side,
With eyes wild and waiting for you to make the next move.

After dinner, she lounges on couches
Resembling nothing at all that is disastrous or destructive.
While lying on her back, tucked in between
Cushions and pillows, she drifts off to sleep
With paws dangling above her and toes fluttering…
The product of puppy dreams.

Copyright © 2008 N.E. Tasker