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Leap Day has been a very good day for me. It seems that my life took the rare opportunity to leap forward into something new.

I received a job offer today. I have accepted it. Unfortunately, I will be making less money than I have in 2 years. I have decided that it is worth it. Although making less money is hardly a step forward in my career plans, doing something I love makes the cut in pay less of an issue. I am looking forward to starting this part of my life.

I’ve spent the day rather sick, popping DayQuil every chance I get and watching countless hours of Charmed & Boston Legal. I’ve downloaded several amazing songs that I discovered while on vacation and got a Costco membership. So, it has been a rather low-key day, but one of the best I’ve had in Alaska in a long time.

My vacation was also among the best of my life. It was low-key as well, but really gave me pause and forced an examination of where my life is now. Life is good. I can certainly elaborate soon, but for now I will go watch a little more Boston Legal.

I hope everyone had an amazing Leap Day.

Featured Image Art: Omar Bernal, Tochtli

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I am on my way home for a visit. I leave tonight and will be in Oklahoma Monday. I have some stuff to do in Dallas over the weekend. Please, call me if you want to do something. I would love to see everyone I can. I can run to Tulsa anytime. If you don’t have my number, you can leave me a comment and I will contact you as soon as I can.

Hugs to all!

Featured Image Art: photo of my cast during first grade (due to having Legg-Calvé-Perthes)

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We’re Off To See The Blizzard

I ended my trip home by spending a few hours with Becky. I loved seeing her and was glad to finally reconnect. It had been far too long since we’d had a chance to hang out. I wish I could be around her all the time. She is so much fun.

The rest of Sunday was spent on a plane. 9 hours in the same seat… it isn’t fun. I was seated next to a woman who just loved to talk and I tried to not accidentally indicate that I may want to talk to her. It was a largely successful effort and I was able to spend my trip in silence. I did read My Fine Feathered Friend, which I had purchased in Stillwater for 20¢. I enjoyed it and was glad I didn’t pay cover price for it. I will most likely read it again and again, but it was too short.

When I arrived in Anchorage, it was very late… after midnight. Heather had arrived early to pick me up at 11:30, when the plane was suppose to land. I felt bad that she had to wait, but I couldn’t have known ahead of time. She helped me get my stuff into her car. I detected a bit of congestion starting, but I assumed it was a symptom of being on the plane for as long as I was. On the short drive home, I enjoyed the view of the week-old blanket of snow covering the city. It was January cold, but I felt warm to be at home.

How strange, I remarked, that this place feels like home. Heather agreed. She helped get my stuff into the house and hung out for a little bit. We both decided it was time for bed and she left. I was scheduled to be at work at 6:00 a.m.

a sick body is a prison

I woke up Monday morning very early. It was 5:00 and I couldn’t talk. I could barely breathe. The tickle from the night before was now a full-blown illness. I debated a little, waited until 6:00, & called the store. Work was not going to happen… not until I had a little medicine. I pretty much felt crappy all day. I missed the luncheon for Grant, which sucks. I missed work and getting payroll done correctly, which I am just now paying for.

I returned to work on Tuesday. I didn’t quite feel 100%, but wasn’t quite sick either. Tuesday was great, Wednesday was good. I was sleeping a lot, which was expected. I hadn’t had to do anything for 2 weeks. Thursday hit me like a ton of bricks. I was completely congested again. My head hurt and I could barely think correctly. I spent the entire day at work trying to stay motivated and awake. As soon as I got home, I crashed.

After a few hours I woke up, still feeling like poo and lethargic. I showered, which helped a bit. Heather called at 9:00 p.m. about the movie plans. I had totally forgotten, but agreed to go. I was a bit cranky. The movie, The Film Is Not Yet Rated, was amazing. Shocking, really. I recommend it.

Today, Friday, has been just as bad. I feel horrible. I did get to the store for some DayQuil & NyQuil. I hope they help. I can’t miss work… I have too much to do.

Okay, I will stop complaining now. 😉

I love snow.

Image: Cuno Amiet, “Baum in Winterlandschaft”

Featured Image Art: Alexej Kondratjewitsch, “Sawrassow”

 

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I finally left for my vacation.  After 9 hours of flights and airports and weird smells, I arrived in Dallas, where my uncle picked me up (an hour later).  We arrived at his house this morning early.  He went back to bed and I was up for about an hour winding down.  Finally, I went to bed.  I had told him I needed to go to a few places while in town,but he is not here.  His car, the one I was told I could use, is not here.  My cousins, who I haven’t seen in a year, have not been here at all.  WHAT IS GOING ON?

I guess I expected fanfare and am just angry that it never happened.  Why should they want to see me???  So, I am stuck here at my uncle’s house.  I have no idea when I am leaving, since he is not available like he said he was.  I have no deodorant or toothpaste because I needed to get them when I arrived and I have no way of getting to a store.  And the phone keeps ringing… my uncle called while I was typing… my cousin apparently took the car that had been left for me.  He should not have done that, but we don’t know where he is right now.

I am tired and a little cranky, but it will all be fine.  Stan did just suggest that I drive up to IKEA in the morning and told me where to find some food here.

I can’t wait to see my family.

Featured Image Art: William Morris, “Strawberry Thief”

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I revealed something to a friend… a crush. I am terrified of what will happen next (good or bad). I just needed to get it off my heart and let him know because it was consuming me, keeping me up at night. I haven’t seen or spoken to him in months and I can’t stop thinking about him. It felt like the right thing to do. Unfortunately, he was unavailable, so I left a message, telling him everything that I needed him to know. If I had waited, I would have lost my nerve.

I don’t really know what to think right now. I guess it was the best way to deal with it, but I still have this fear of people thinking about me when I am not around. I want people to love me, but I don’t really want them giving much thought to me when I am not with them… which is probably why gifts make me uncomfortable. The idea that the person was considering me is unsettling. (Is this just another step on the road to needing therapy?)

I can’t wait for my vacation. I leave in a week and I am nowhere near ready. I look forward to spending time with my family and have made some definite plans with friends to go dancing. I think the trip will be very emotional from start to finish. We’ll see.

A huge thank you to Heather (& Jake). I have spent ever so much time at their home using the internet. It is very kind of them to be so patient with me.

Featured Image Art: photo by Joshua Newton (via Unsplash)

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Sleep:
I slept for 20 hours again. Something is very wrong. Maybe depression. Maybe just fatigue. I seem to never feel tired, but sleep too long when I finally do fall asleep. It is okay, but I am sorry to Lori who was expecting my help today. It wasn’t my intention to sleep all day. Oh well. (by today, I mean Sunday). I feel like I need to catch up, so I am thrilled that I only have 3 shifts to work before I have a week off from work. Maybe I can level out my sleep patterns in that time.

Vacation:
Suddenly there is a lot to do in the small time I have off. I plan on going to Stillwater to see my family on Thursday and Friday. Saturday is Nathan’s 2nd birthday party and I will be going over to James & Shauna’s house for that. Rennie is supposed to be there, which will be great. I really miss all of them and hope we can start communicating more often. I would like to spend a couple of days hanging out and therefore not having any plans to go anywhere. I can do that Sunday and Monday. It should be nice and it all starts when I get off work on Wednesday.

Same Ol’ Story:
My house needs to be cleaned as usual. I wish my mind worked like Lori’s. Her house is always clean and she doesn’t seem to stress too much over it.

Top 10 Stores I Would Shop At If I Had Money (or shop at more):
1. Saks Fifth Avenue
2. Banana Republic
3. IQ Furniture
4. Pottery Barn
5. Urban Outfitters
6. IKEA
7. Vertigo
8. Pier 1
9. Ultimate Electronics
10. Sears

I am generally happy with my financial situation, but if I had the money to shop at these places I would gladly do so. As it is, for what I want they remain mostly out of my range. That is okay though.

Featured Image Art: art by Peter Stanick

originally posted on Xanga

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Rain:
Glorious rain!!! I love it… I really do. I could sleep all day just having the sound of rain outside my window. I already slept for 15 hours today, so I think I might back off and just enjoy it while I am awake. We need more storms this year.

Secret:
It all seems like a dream now. Too long ago to remember the details even though it was just last weekend. HINT 2: I have done this with all but 1 of my friends.

I am still a nerd!

Vacation:
I am on my mini vacation now. It started when I left work yesterday, but since I slept all day I say it starts now. I have almost nothing planned, which is great. I think I will go to Lori’s this evening, Stillwater tomorrow to see the family, then Saturday and Sunday I will probably just hang out at home, with a brief break to go out to the Majestic. I need to get some friends to go with me, but I doubt that will happen. I will spend Saturday cleaning I think. I know I keep saying it, but even I hate to be at my house right now. Blah to my house. So I need to do something. Hang the curtains I got, clean the floors, take stuff to Goodwill. Lots to do.

Featured Image Art: Jacques-Laurent Agasse, “Sleeping Fox”

originally posted on Xanga

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Vacation:
So exhausting!

Okay, God… Cut it out!:
On my drive down last Wednesday, I got stuck on my way through Dallas because of an incredible storm. It was some of the hardest rain I have seen and driving quickly became impossible. My drive ended up taking 10 hours which is about 3 more than it should have. I was so tired when I arrived at 3:00a.m. But there was no rest for the weary.

Moving the Lathams:
We were up and on our way early. Unfortunately, I was in a lot of pain, which I thought sounded too convenient so I said nothing for a while, hoping it would go away. It didn’t and I ended up trying to do as little as possible. I felt somewhat bad that everyone else was working harder than me, but my shoulder and back just wouldn’t let me do anything. I ended up sleeping for a while, but the day was a bust for me. I did manage to whack my shin, causing immediate swelling. It was so strange…

Day 2: Yes, it was a 2 day thing. Mostly a cleaning day, I really only felt slightly better. We worked, I slept, it took ALL DAY. I was so ready to not do anything… I am certain that I was starting to upset Travis so I tried to say as little as possible. I didn’t mean to be a nuisance. Oh well…

Frankie says…:
Saturday was one of the most wonderful days I have ever had in my life… Maybe it had to do with all the work we had done, but we all slept in did our own thing for a bit, and then spent the day shopping and grilling… not to mention getting drunk. It was so nice. There was even suggestions of streaking around the cul-de-sac. You don’t know us, but we are so not the type… just the mention was pretty wild. That sounds so sad. Hmm… maybe I should’ve just done it! What would it have hurt?

Bargains and Tats:
Sunday I woke up too early so ended up forcing myself to sleep and sleeping later than everyone. They all think I am so lazy… We went to lunch at a Mexican bakery and then went downtown for my tattoo. I stayed to keep my appointment while Travis, Conrad, and JD went to Costco. While there, JD and Conrad decided that they needed to get back, so I was alone for tattooing. It took a long time before I got in and then it took a good hour and a half for the tattoo itself. I am so happy with it and will post a pic if I can get one!

Robby:
I will write about Robby’s and Denton later. I was just so exhausted that I hope he doesn’t think I was being rude… I was really distant. It had been too much by that point.

Me:
I feel cute today.

Birthday:
As my birthday is now less than 2 days away, I completed a CD of my current favorite songs to give as gifts. Here is the track list:

1. Music Gets the Best Of Me (Flip ‘n Fill Remix) — Sophie Ellis Bextor
2. Comfortably Numb (Da Groove Club Mix) — Scissor Sisters
3. Impressive Instant (Intergalactic Solar Mix) — Madonna
4. Pornstar (Olav Basoski Remix) — Peplab
5. More Lemonade (Scissor Sisters Remix) — Bucci Bag
6. California Dreaming 2004 (Remix) — Benny Benassi
7. Senorita (Eddie Arroyo Radio Mix) — Justin Timberlake
8. I Love My Sex — Benny Benassi
9. Shock — In-Grid
10. Boom Boom Ba — Metisse
11. Paradise (Not For Me) (AO’s Live Drum-Dub-Apella G!H edit) — Madonna
12. Take Your Mama — Scissor Sisters
13. Amazing (Nikko’s Amazing Remix) — George Michael
14. Summer Jam (Benny Benassi Remix) — The Underdog Project
15. Sanctuary — Origene

I changed a few for a version to give my mom… not much different though. I think it is interesting that Impressive Instant has been in my top 5 or so for 4 years now!!! Music Gets the Best Of Me has been up there for a while too… about 2 years. The rest are fairly new…

Featured Image Art: photo of my tattoo

originally posted on Xanga

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Oh Yes, More Vacation:
I am going to try really hard to have a good time in Texas. I will be back Tuesday and my birthday is Thursday… 25!!! I hope to be in much better spirits and get more sleep… God, it’s been awful. I am not looking forward to moving Travis tomorrow, but then I can relax with my friends. They always make me feel better faster than anyone else.

Xanga:
Since Travis is moving, I won’t be able to post while I am gone. I don’t know how I will survive. When I get back I will read everyone’s sites — I haven’t done much of that lately. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend. I love all of you!

Lori:
I know you will have done too much before you stop yourself. I thank you, silly-butt. Keep your fingers crossed for A & Natalie. I will call if they are voted off… it’ll suck that bad! Holly really must go

Featured Image Art: photo of Natalie & Adria from Big Brother Season 5

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Vacation:
Fifty freakin’ bucks later, we have pictures!!! I will post less flattering pictures later. There are some great ones of my neice, KC, that I’ll post too!

Family:
Bradley stopped by the store today. He wanted to come by later, but didn’t tell me that at the time. I feel kinda bad for not being patient with him, but I hadn’t even seen him for three months. The least he could do is stop by. He works here in Tulsa!!

Featured Image Art: photo of Brian & KC

originally posted on Xanga

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Vacation:
I’m trying to solidify plans with everyone. I haven’t heard from Jim. I did talk to my dad though. Yay! I am doing a happy dance as I type this… Woo hoo. What I would really like to do is have a ton of money drop from the sky and into my house so I could make this vacation a little longer… I am just so sick of work right now… Ug.

Sleep:
Maybe nothing is wrong with my sleep cycle. Maybe it is just different. Yeah, that’s it… Of course. I slept until 4 today… Ridiculous. I had/have too much to do to waste my life sleeping. I was on the phone with Robby last night for 3 HOURS & 40 MINUTES! My ear still hurts. That is so unusual for me — I hate being on the phone, but it was nice. And I blame the call for my lack of sleep last night. As if this is the first time…

Drink:
Sonic Strawberry Limades really are one of the best things on the planet! They make me very happy.

Featured Image Art: photo of Brian

originally posted on Xanga

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Storm:
It’s been raining now for a couple of hours. I love a good storm, but I am the idiot who still has his computer plugged in… and on. I could deal with this weather all day today, but I think it’s going away this morning.

Vacation:
I can’t wait for my vacation. I just made plans last night to stop on my way through OKC to stop and see my brother’s family.

(KC…Yay!)
Isn’t she pretty. I would also like to be able to see my nephew, Conner. He is my other brothers kid. They live in Stillwater, so it isn’t as on the way as it could be… we probably won’t stop. I love being an uncle.

Becky:
It scares me that I haven’t heard from Becky yet. I hope she is not as upset with me as I now fear she could be… I am just not sure what to do. Maybe I should drop it and move on with my life… easier said… My mom tried to call earlier and I suddenly felt quite guilty over telling Becky, as my mom asked me never to tell family… It is still my path and I don’t like being pressured to do, or to not do, anything.

Featured Image Art: photo by KC (via Unsplash)

originally posted on Xanga

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Happy:
I have been unable to sleep since chatting with this great guy. I really hope to meet him soon. It was so nice to just take a risk again and be vulnerable to someone. I have really held myself back lately and it has sucked to not have anyone. I don’t know what will happen, but I am so excited that I at least took the step to talk to someone. Yay!! I also chatted with another great guy… He was incredibly sweet.

John:
Lori recently posted something about John. I think I am refusing to believe it now. I was mourning normally and then nothing. I am not sad, but it is more like I blocked him out for now. It seems so weird that I am able to talk about it and still know that I am not currently dealing with this. I have been trying all day to deal with this; I refuse to believe that John died.

Texas:
I made the schedule with my vacation on it!!!! Yay! I am going to Austin for a couple of days and then to Houston for a couple. Depending on what happens I may need to stop in Norman on the way! It will be nice to see Travis and Sandra (Austin). It has been too long. I want to shop in Houston and Lori’s family lives there (near Clearlake area), which makes the trip convenient since I don’t need any hotels!! I really hope they let me stay with them. I am really excited to just have some time off. Wow I have spent a ton of time in Texas in the past 2 years. Can’t wait…

Visiting People:
I forgot to go visit my dad. I am horrible. Maybe I can go tomorrow evening. I also chatted with Kendra today. I haven’t seen JD & Kendra in an obscene amount of time. I could visit. They live an hour away… that isn’t far.

Great guy:
I get to meet the great guy no later than Saturday night. I am excited about it. I hope he is who he seems to be on here… Hmm… I also have my usual reservations about being repulsive. I know better. Hmmm… I am nervous. Its been a long time.

Featured Image Art: flag of The State of Texas

originally posted on Xanga