Hello, welcome to #weekendcoffeeshare! If we were having coffee, I would once again make myself a cup of what I had last week – a scant teaspoon of instant coffee and milk. Other than Starbucks Tuesday, this is now my go-to drink at home.

If we were having coffee, I would tell you though this is the first week of spring, it’s been feeling like early summer despite snowing hard on Spring Solstice. The temperature has been climbing all week – 5 to 10 degrees Fahrenheit per day, starting from the 40’s. It was in the low 70’s (low 20’s Celsius) yesterday and it’s supposed to get up to the mid-70’s degree Fahrenheit today.

I know some of you will say, “mid-70’s (mid-20’s Celsius), that’s comfortable.” Unfortunately since we’re on a higher elevation of 4300 feet (1300 meter), it often adds a few extra degrees than the temperature on the forecast.

I moved my indoor plants outdoor this week, even transplanted some peas and broccoli raab, which were started indoors a few weeks before. Last year, around this time, I had gone to the nursery and purchased over $100 of plants including 2 tomato plants which I had to bring it in and out of the house to keep it from freezing.

This year will be different. No more buying expensive transplants. I’m growing my own from seeds.

As much as I’m loving this warm weather, I’m not liking the weeds. It’s as if they had arrived overnight – crab grasses, dandelions, all kind of weeds. I thought with mass planting and mulch, I could deter some of the weeds. Maybe I have to wait until my plants get bigger?

On another note, my photography composition class concluded this week. We spent over an hour on Monday evening outside taking pictures of the clock tower. This is one of my favorites.

My next photography class will start next Friday, April 1, and will be focused on Night Photography. There will be a field trip on Saturday night to do some hands-on learning. I’m really looking forward that.

Finally, I had a humiliating incident at work this week. I had just finished my lunch and brought my water kettle and bowl to the breakroom to rinse when the head of the legal department snuck up on me. “Can I ask for a favor?”

“Sure,” I said because how else is one supposed to answer such question?

“I made a mess and wonder if you would vacuum it?”

I was speechless for a second while a hundred voices were shouting in my brain, HUH? Instead, I sputtered, “I-I’m not the janitor.”

“Then who are you?”

“I’m in accounting. I sit over there.” I pointed to the other side of the floor. I couldn’t believe it. Do I look like a janitor? Just because I’m Asian and I don’t wear pencil skirts, high heels, and make up? He apologized and walked away.

Later, he came over and introduced himself and said he thought I was carrying a watering jug to water the plants. Inside I thought, if I was the janitor and need to water plants, I would not be using the tap from the breakroom.

I felt so humiliated and embarrassed especially because there were others that saw the whole thing and no one said anything even though they both know who I was. It’s wrong to make assumption about someone.

I didn’t tell mom about the incident because I knew how she’d react. “If you dress nicer, you wouldn’t be mistaken for the janitor.” She’s never been on my side, always the other side.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this edition of #weekendcoffeeshare, hope to chat again same time next week.