One of the many things on my to-do list today was to go downtown for a focus group. I spend an hour spouting my opinion and get $150. It’s a total win-win for me because I’m fine telling anyone an hour of my time is, in fact, worth $150.
Usually what I do is save $100 and blow $50 because, well, I believe in blowing money now and then. So I hopped in a cab from Michigan Avenue and went over to Wilson…where Sprinkles is. If you haven’t been to a Sprinkles and you have one near you GO NOW because it’s cupcake nirvana. So. Awesome.
Then I cabbed it back to the train station and got my happy butt home for a lot of weekend working. By Monday morning I have some serious results to show my superiors at work and I’m on track and poised to produce greatness (as usual).
But back to the focus group. For some reason, for the past few years I’m always the extra. I don’t actually get to participate in the study but get paid full price to NOT be part of the study. Because I’m the extra. I’m not sure what determines it, and I’m not complaining one bit, but I find it really strange. It gives me this “always a bridesmaid, never a bride” feeling going in, drinking their coffee, being handed a check and going home.
It leaves me feeling unsettled.
Of course, cupcakes help me regain my emotional and spiritual balance, even if they’re so rich I can barely finish one. Nums.
The other thing that happened is that I was able to get on the train, go downtown, get back on the train and come home with pretty much zero anxiety. Taking the train used to give me the worst anxiety attacks. Complete with hives, breathing issues…the works. Now I’m pretty much anxiety free and can mostly get through the whole ordeal with nary an anxiety pill. Mostly.
The first cab I was in the driver had an absolutely awful morning. When I asked him how he was doing he spent almost five minutes berating himself because a woman screamed at him and he didn’t kick her out of the cab. “What am I supposed to do?” He said, “I can kick her out, but then I have no fare.”
It must be tough in a city with so many cab drivers to have to decide whether to just take the abuse or assert their right to be treated like human beings. Maybe I’m just the luckiest woman on the planet but I’ve never had a cab driver that was anything but pleasant, but I’m always pleasant first. Who knows.
So today was eventful and I’m going to deposit my check for doing nothing on my way to going out with my cousin tonight. She doesn’t know she’s getting cupcakes and I think she’s going to be over-the-moon thrilled.
FYI: The Red Carpet Cupcake (pictured above) is only available through Feb 27th! Go get some today! They’re the standard beyond belief red velvet cupcake with the cutest little gold star on top! Tasty and adorable. Perfect. Yummy.
PS: This is not a sponsored post. I spent a lot of money on cupcakes today. LOL
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