shifty...

My bebe was finally able to visit this weekend. Hallelujah! He flew in Friday night (the plane was delayed an hour, much to my dismay, and impatience!) and he was shown the official tour of my new apartment, which took almost two minutes. Saturday I made homemade cinnamon streusel, bread from a box, and then we set off on a surprise adventure. Knowing how much Clint likes to ride bikes, how much he enjoys adrenaline rushes, as well as a little competition, I made reservations for a twenty mile descent down a mountain close to Pikes Peak.
He was pumped, I was pumped. The trip up the mountain in a shaky passenger van provided an amazing view of the Springs, although the clouds were moving in and the chance of rain was pretty high. Being slightly (ahem) underprepared we robed ourselves with leftover jackets from previous journeys in order to protect ourselves from the elements. Clint lovingly let me carry the fanny pack (@$*%!) with the extra tire tube/kit in case of a flat. For the record he was hauling stuff too, but his was cool stuff like snacks and a hydration backpack. After getting on all of my gear, I no doubt appeared to be my mother's twin. I refuse to post photos of the ensemble to protect my pride. But trust me - it was bad.
Nonetheless we made it down the mountain safely. Clint's back tire did pop, so I assisted him in changing it by sitting on the ground and observing his craftsmanship. We hiked down a steep edge to get a closer look at a waterfall, maneuvered around tricky landscape, (he did, I sort of rode, fell, then walked my bike) and went under numerous tunnels that were so dark inside you couldn't see a boulder from a pothole. The final section was on pavement so we raced down hill as fast as we could, given we were sharing the road with vehicles and other bikers. As we pulled up to the office sprinkles of rain began to fall. We made it just in time.

The rest of the weekend was fun and relaxing as well. I ate my first "bloomin' onion" and walked Clint through a day in the life of me. I think he got a kick out of it. It was over all too soon, but I suppose all good things are. Clint arrived home at 2:30 Monday morning. How he managed to stay awake for the drive home... I have no idea.

Only one more month to go until we meet again...

early to bed...

I suppose I am quickly learning why adults whine that they have to work all day. It's 9:13pm and I am exhausted. Nine thirteen! Believe me, I feel more than a little old saying that. And I know, I know. As a student I would always say, wow, it will be so nice to have a set schedule, no homework, etc. Which that part of course, is a great, obvious perk. But, I forgot (or more likely did not even consider) other factors (downfalls) of the good ol' eight to five.

We have to wake up early. My alarm clock has not seen the likes of 6am since freshman year high school, when my blonde bangs had to have the perfect rounded curl in order to be popular. And how nice it would be to roll out of bed after eight, throw on a hoodie, wipe off the mascara smudges from the night before, and drive five minutes to class. Because now it is a ten minute drive to the train parking lot, twenty-five minute commute, and a half mile march to the office. (Thank goodness we are a casual company and I don't have to wear heels!) Almost an hour later I'm in my cube checking email. I get home after six, make dinner, which sometimes consists of cereal and peas, (tonight, for example) pick up my messes... okay now I am completely, outright, unabashedly complaining, which no one wants to read anyway. So I will stop. Because I really love my job, and I love the city. It is just hard to adjust. And I hate being tired so @%&#* early in the evening.

I guess I just wanted to remember the college days for a moment, and to remind those of you still in it - enjoy every last drop. Because 6am comes way too early. Yuck.

ponderings...

“Let your mind start a journey thru a strange new world. Leave all thoughts of the world you knew before. Let your soul take you where you long to be... Close your eyes, let your spirit start to soar, and you'll live as you've never lived before.”

--Erich Fromm


"Of journeying the benefits are many: the freshness it bringeth to the heart, the seeing and hearing of marvelous things, the delight of beholding new cities, the meeting of unknown friends, and the learning of high manners”

--Muslih-uddin Sadi

do not enter...

It is probably not a good idea to merge onto interstate going the wrong way. As in tying to go down the up ramp. Not good.

Thank you Lord for red lights. Seriously.

it's here...

My internet was hooked up today. And I was just starting to be weaned from my obssesive usage and time wasting online tactics. I've been "blogging" in a word document since my move, in order to keep my sanity. The entries start in July so if you'd like check out the archives, you can get the whole scoop on my transition thus far, it should be a fairly quick read, have no fear. And if you would like the short of it: I made it, I'm happy, it's beautiful here, and I miss everyone. A lot. It's different not seeing a familiar face around every corner. I catch your faces in people I pass on the street all the time. "Hey there's so and so... wait, no, can't be." So you are all in my heart. Aaaaaand... come visit! :)

your bucket...

I recently finished a book about buckets and ladles (I will get the title and author soon – Don something and his grandson). And no, it was not a soup cookbook. Although a simple concept, the message is beneficial to anyone willing to listen, whether it pertains to the workplace, relationships, friendships, or seemingly unimportant everyday encounters. Basically it goes like this: Everyone has a bucket, and each day you can choose to help fill their bucket, or you can take from it. As the authors wisely put, rarely does something happen that has a completely neutral outcome. Most of the time there are either negative or positive implications. And over time these events, no matter how insignificant they may seem, build up and eventually cause a greater impact on your life, including your motivation, self-esteem, as well as general feelings of happiness.

When people make “funny” jokes, poke fun, and make jabs at your expense, they are taking scoops out of your bucket. If this juvenile behavior continues a person can become deflated quite quickly.

On the other hand, if someone is offered praise, encouragement, or even a smile, their bucket can be refilled (and so will yours).

I realize that this seems incredibly simplistic, possibly a little cheesy, but it made me think. And think before I do/say certain things. The things you say and maybe more importantly how you say them have a major impact on those around you. Much more than initially meets the eye. So choose wisely before you speak – and next time try to fill a bucket instead of stealing from one.

And, if you catch me bucket dipping, let me know. I promise I will listen.

day something or other… i lost count

Great new discovery. My office building has this little cozy library full of books about work. Okay more like “human resource related, people motivation, why confrontation is important, what makes employees tick” type books, which, being the nerd I am, are some of my favorites. It was like walking into a slice of happiness. If happiness came in slices.

day eleven...

To anyone who may be wondering: When the box says “easy assembly, few tools needed” what it really means is “this takes almost five hours to complete, even with an electric drill and super handy father – avoid at all costs unless ready to deal with excessive frustration and extremely heavy lifting.” I do have a beautiful desk now, but even better than that, a very, very patient dad (and thank goodness he has always been that way).

day nine...

The moving company finally delivered my thousands of boxes (I’m barely exaggerating) two days ago. Although I couldn’t be happier sleeping on my new deluxe mattress, courtesy of my parent’s generosity, (okay, I know I’m bragging, but with a down comforter it’s like sleeping on a little cloud in heaven) I may have been better off pre-delivery. Basically the problem is this – I have too much stuff. Too many clothes, too many kitchen gadgets, too many shoes, too many hair products, too many knick-knacks, too many, too many, too many. Not that I have all sorts of fancy things. I just have a hard time parting with my belongings. I work hard for most things, and we all know money doesn’t come cheap. So even though those chunky heeled leather boots went out of style two (or maybe more) years ago, I still feel like I’m tossing $50 bills out the window. You get the picture. And my little apartment is filling up fast with no place to go.

I’ll give you an example in order to better visualize. I currently have two dining room tables (long story, one of which will eventually go to my brother). My computer desk was broken in the move, so my computer remains planted on the carpet. For me to be able to reach the keyboard I have to belly crawl underneath one of the tables, lay cattywampus with my hips swung to the side, feet sticking out, and type at a very awkward angle. If blogging wasn’t my therapy, believe me, all that maneuvering would not be worth the commotion!

No matter, my parents should be here in a little over an hour and they will graciously help me dig out of my unorganized mess/disaster/chaos. And I can’t wait to have company!

day six...

I took the wrong train today. Just hopped right on without even paying attention because I was positive my ride was next. It did not hit me until way too late (my nose was buried in a magazine) so I pretended as hard as I could not to appear panicky. Or more like completely freaking out! Crap crap crap. This is not right. Nothing looks right. Where the world am I? Obviously not on the correct route. Crap.

Thankfully Nancy’s words rang in my head and I jumped off the stop she had originally suggested if this situation were to ever occur. (Of course I never thought I would make that mistake.) I actually made it to work earlier than the other way, it just included a lot more transfers, stops, and walking. Next time I will be paying more attention. Believe me.

Tomorrow I get a computer at work and hopefully!!!!! my belongings will finally be delivered to my house too. I have been eating meals on this light cream carpet, watching T.V. on this carpet, (all three channels) and typing on my computer on this carpet for too many days. Things might start getting a little crazy over here if I don’t get the delivery soon. Red spaghetti sauce on the carpet for example. I can only be lucky so long.