Vacay Recap & 2011 Musings

So I struggled with this post for a bit. I was going to give a quick synopsis for each day, but then realized that would be a bit too much reading boring whatever… so instead I’ve cut out the interesting stuff and made it much shorter. The below covers about 10 days of stuff. This way I can comment on other random things at the end and it won’t be a full blown novel.  LOL  

Vacay – Christmas 2010

Rushed through packing wayyy too quickly and felt panicked in the last 30 minutes. Didn’t really pack “smart” and ended up throwing in new and taking out items last minute like a spaz… forgot only a couple minor things. As I predicted, as soon as the plane was in the air, I felt a wave of happiness and relaxation wash over me. So lovely.  : )  The flight was quick and before we knew it we were landing, then headed to pick up pizzas for dinner. It’s tradition, apparently. Every time BF goes home, they pick up pizzas on the way back. Fortunately we thought ahead about this and avoided pizza at home for the month of December. In trying to eat healthier we’re only allowed pizza once a month. It gives us something to look forward to. LOL

Worked out on the elliptical 40 minutes once over the entire vacation. What? It’s vacation. I don’t have to work-out if I don’t wanna.  :P  BF went last-minute Christmas shopping, of course. ::eye roll::  We all opened presents at night (Christmas Eve) instead of the next morning (Christmas Day) because moms was expecting guests around noon and didn’t want to rush us (or herself) in the morning with presents and the making of the feast. After all the present opening I felt like I should have personally brought gifts for his family also, instead of just from BF and/or us as a couple. They all got me something special. Awww… I ended up with a cute black Coach clutch (perfect for me since I’m not a label flaunter), jammies, and Channel perfume from moms (and pops/Santa, I’m assuming LOL), a small table-top air hockey board game (so fun!) from younger brother (YB), a pretty Galileo thermometer for both of us from youngest sister (YS), earrings from older sister, and I can’t even remember what else… I felt so spoiled. And out of my element.

Visitors came over around noon the nest day. Another mix-race couple (like BF’s family) and their 2 boys… Oldest son had a claim to fame, he was on an episode of House Hunters International. I told my moms later, and she got so excited because she had seen that episode. LOL

Big dinner, plenty of food. Tons of leftovers. Us kids (me, BF, & younger bro (YB) mostly) cleaned up. Moms was wayyyy drunk. Watched original Tron on DVD that night… in preparation for seeing the new one later in the week.

Unfortunately this is the first night BF’s parents had an argument while we were there. They kept it quiet in volume, but I could feel tension in the air just by walking in the room. No idea what it might have been about as it was none of my business and I quickly found somewhere else to be.

Day after Christmas, snow started around 11am. Blizzard in full effect by 1pm, and airports and trains were shut down. This is the day older sister (OS) & younger sister (YS) got into a mini fight. Basically, here’s the gist… before YS returned from college, OS spent a couple nights over at the house, and instead of sleeping in her own old room she slept in YS’s room. YB, YS, and OS’s rooms are all beside each other in a row, and connected with adjoining doors. YS’s room is the middle one. OS figured since she was hanging out with YB, it was easier to just crash in YS’s room instead of walking the extra 9 feet to her own room/bed. YS came home and was just irritated to have her personal space encroached upon. Seems to be recurring issue. OS assumes she can use/borrow all of YS’s stuff without ever asking. It all came to a head within 5 minutes when one of them said something to the other. We were just starting a movie, so BF, YB, and I were just trying to get them to let it go. All OS had to do was apologize, but instead she felt like we were all ganging up on her for no reason and so she “fought back” by being a bully and telling YS she was making a big deal of nothing, bullying her in front of us, and then tried to create a physical fight. We just all thought OS was being a bit of a jerk. Later on OS was whining to her mom about it and bashing YS’s attitude. I was cleaning the kitchen and said something like “well, you did sleep in her room…” and I basically said that I didn’t understand why OS was getting so worked up about it.

But before I could finish my thought she interrupted me to “politely” remind me that I’m not a member of the family and I don’t know the history and shouldn’t get involved. So I just realized she was being a bratty bully because no one was backing her, and excused myself to go read my book. I wasn’t going to fight with her over something trivial that had nothing to do with me anyway.

BF comes up a little while later to check to see if I’m ok, and asked if I was upset due to overhearing something. I didn’t know what he was talking about, and he sheepishly admitted that OS had been going on about me butting-in downstairs. Basically trash-talking me behind my back to her mom and BF, but he says he was trying to defend me. BF and I had a few words, in which I told him I thought OS was being a brat and a bully. Of course after listening to OS talk behind my back, he didn’t want to listen to me talk behind hers either, so he left the room. When I started crying I realized I was likely still hormonal (perfect timing cycle-wise). He comes back a little while later with food, coffee, and giving kisses… and we talk it out easily in 5 minutes. I didn’t go back downstairs because I was feeling too vulnerable hormonally and didn’t want to make an emotional scene. Asked BF to let his mom and sister know that I wasn’t upset with them, but that I was having a case of hormones so I wasn’t planning to be social for the rest of the night. I also asked him to relay the message of bygones and nothing was mentioned the next morning. Whew! Too much drama right… :P

Blizzard aftermath. Trains out of service and plows slowly in action around the city. Missed Broadway show, due to storm conditions we couldn’t get into the city. Purchased new tickets for Thurs afternoon. BF’s parents will redeem old tickets for another show sometime between now and March (thanks to the storm and the understanding theater).

Went to see new Tron movie with BF, YS, and YB. In 3D. Woot! This might have been the night I got tipsy and we played Rock Band in YB’s room. I sang… very off-key, and loud.

Moms, YS, and I went shopping and got pedicures. They got to witness the extent of my uber-ticklish feet. LOL 

I had bought 6 VIP tickets for an improv comedy show and we took the train (finally running again) into a very cold night in the city. The place was classy and the food was great! The comedy was a little “crass” so moms had a few awkward moments, but it was funny… and everyone enjoyed getting out of the house after the blizzard had kept us in for days. Moms picked up the check for the food and drinks, which was really sweet of her… I’m gonna send a thank you card. (Note: BF and I were watching 30 Rock the other day and realized one of the improv guys is actually one of the “writers” on the show. He doesn’t have lines ever/often… he’s just a “filler” writer, but cool to see him on TV.  

Headed into the city for Broadway “do-over”. We read the wrong train schedule, and arrived in the city when the show was already starting. Then in our rush to get there, ended up on the express subway by accident and got a little lost while trying to find our way back. Too much walking and too many people already celebrating pre-NYE, plus being really late for the show, made me very cranky. I was getting on BF’s (and my own) nerves quickly. We got to the theater an hour late and made it there right before intermission. The second half of the show was fantastic! (Forehead smack!) And at intermission BF bought me a rum & coke (alcohol + caffeine. Genius!) and M&Ms (YAY chocolate!) to try to cheer me up. It worked! After the show we headed back into the crowds to walk around.

Found a hole-in-the-wall Indian restaurant that ended up being amazingly delish! I can’t remember what it was called but we had this awesome deep fried eggplant appetizer thingy. YUM!  Had a lovely romantic dinner date. Headed out again to walk around. Ankles were hurting from all the walking in my heeled boots (doh!), and was having to jump over slush puddles and ice patches… so told BF that if we happened upon a shoe store I would just buy decent walking boots and quit my whining. He loved this idea. We rounded the corner and like a shimmering beacon, alighted upon Aerosoles! My fav shoe store of all time! We don’t have one here at home, so I was thrilled and found the perfect boots in less than 10 minutes. Success. We were both much happier after that. LOL 

Then we met up with BF’s college roomie, Bernie. No problem finding him, but instead of just popping into a nearby pub, he wanted to head to a different part of the city to find this one place he’d been to once before. He ended up getting us a bit lost and we were walking for a long time. I tried extra hard not to whine or get upset (BF noticed and thanked me later) but I suggested we make a couple stops on the way to this “magical” bar to have a drink or two at other bars on the way. That way I could warm up and get a drink here and there, and we made it into a pub crawl/scavenger bar hunt.  LOL   The roomie kept apologizing and consulting his phone to try to locate the place. HA! We finally got there and had a chance to unwind. It was great that BF got to catch up with Bernie, they hadn’t seen each other in at least 6 years I think. Good stories… plenty of “remember when…”  Ha! We ended up leaving at the perfect time and managed to catch the last train back to the parents’ house. I was pooped and crashed immediately when we got back. Too. Much. Walking. But YAY for new boots!  :D

YS’s BF came over. BTW (have you heard/seen anyone refer to “by the way” as “bee tee dubs”? They do it here. Little bit annoying and a little bit fun. I can’t decide if I like it).. sorry, tangent. YS’s BF… I’m pretty sure he’s gay. I’m 99% sure. They’ve been together for years, first relationship for both. Hoping she doesn’t get her heart broken when/if he comes out ever. Or hope I’m wrong about him being gay.

I had asked BF about maybe walking to the neighborhood pub for a bit that night for pre-NYE socializing, and he seemed passably interested in the idea, but we ended up just staying in. We definitely didn’t want to brave downtown. Had awesome dinner of crab legs and lobster. BF’s parents had started arguing in the kitchen while they were cleaning up, so the “kids” all bailed on helping basically. BF went to “his” room, which was directly over his parents’ room. They ended up keeping him awake until almost morning due to the loud arguing. Thankfully I didn’t hear anything from my room and slept until about 11am, but I felt bad for him and wished that he’d snuck in with me for a cuddle and some real sleep. Poor guy.

Slept wayyy in (again) and read a romance novel. Bee tee dubs (hmm… still kinda weird), located 4 errors/typos in the romance novel. Ha! Go me!  

BF’s online game had been hacked overnight and all his game “money” and equipment/gear had been stolen/sold for real life money. I have no idea how that stuff works, but apparently it’s big business. LOL He submitted a hack ticket and the game guys reset his stuff though, so it ended well. Though either BF was still a little tipsy from the night before/wee hours of morning to escape the parents’ fighting, or he started drinking before noon. When I went back downstairs we were all getting ready to go out for dinner. We were leaving in about 30 minutes and BF hadn’t showered, it had been over 24 hours, possibly closer to 48 hours since his previous shower. Ew! His mom told him to shower, then went up to get ready herself. I tried to nudge him, but he got rebellious and didn’t want to shower… that’s when I realized he was drunk. (He’s not obvious when drunk so I have to look for behavior changes, like rebelliousness). This is when he started being a jerk… which is unusual for him, even when drinking.

For the first time since I’ve known him, he got quite rude and nasty to everyone around him, including me. I couldn’t say, look, or do anything right without some comment from him that night. He verbally attacked his brother at dinner because he took offense when BF took YB’s bread right off his plate. In the fancy restaurant, BF retaliated by calling YB a “douch” (As in feminine hygiene product. Is that how it’s spelled?) and “fat”… not in his “indoor voice”… and was generally annoying to everyone else on purpose. I got really irritated, but kept reminding myself that it was temporary and would be different when he sobered up… and that it was most likely a side effect of the atmosphere in the house, his lack of sleep, and the booze. I tried not to take it personal, but it was embarrassing and hurtful.  When we got back to the house BF thankfully went pretty much straight to bed. I stayed up and packed up all our stuff while he slept. I didn’t want to risk running late for our flight in the morning.

At the airport we had a few minutes while waiting to board, so I reminded BF of Sat night and all the things he’d said and done. He immediately felt terrible, apologized to me, and then sent a text to his brother to apologize to him too. I have a feeling BF and I might talk some of it out (like about his parents fighting) in the next week or two, but I’m not going to push it. He’ll talk to me when/if he wants/needs to. I’m over his awful drunken behavior… now I’m just concerned about what’s going on with him. We got back to our normal routines right away, and it feels really good to be back home.  :D

In other news…

I don’t know about you, but I’m feeling a complete lack of motivation work-wise now that I’m back. I have work stuff I could be working on, but apparently I need to feel the pressure of an upcoming customer visit or a deadline in order to get motivated. I’m totally not a self-motivator. This of course plays into job #2 in a negative way too, since that side project is 100% based on self-motivation. Fail. Like last night… I planned to vacuum, do laundry, Wii Fit, and start organizing the office by filing and shredding paper… but instead we sat, ate, drank wine, and had a 30 Rock marathon. Doh! I’m the same way with a “to do” list. It gets too overwhelming so I avoid, but if I get a fire lit under my rear I feel so accomplished when I can cross things off the list. I have a conference this weekend that I’m hoping will get me motivated in terms of job #2. Time to get focused and pay some bills. Wonder if I could find a way to get BF motivated career-wise too… hmmm.   

The anxiety I feel in big cities is part of the reason I moved to a smaller, slower, coastal town. The pace and population of the big city was too much for me… it was fueling my stress and anxiety levels. I’ve chilled out so much since moving here, you have no idea. I like the city for a visit, with a confident guide that knows the city well, it’s a nice vacation type of thing… but when I’m on my own in a big city it makes me panic. Like my outgoing and extroverted persona… it’s just a ruse. I’d much rather be at home in quiet with a book and a snack. But I know that’s counter-productive for a social, healthy, and well-rounded life… so I fake/force the fun extrovert “me” for my own good. Shhh… very few people know this about me. LOL

After an extended vacation, I think most of us experience a phase of non-productivity. While some people enjoy their careers so much that it becomes their life (in a good way), most of us (at least in my opinion) enjoy those vacations so much because it’s a release from the stress of basic daily responsibilities, deadlines, meetings, etc… the mind, body, and soul can just rest without worry… and I think that can be as addicting as some drugs.  :P   Since I think you might be in this rut with me, I feel I should remind you that you enjoy your job, you enjoy teaching young minds, you enjoy working programs that save lives, and you enjoy the flexibility and travel benefits that come with your career. And remember that there is plenty of time to make subtle changes (or even a major one) to your career direction since we’ll most likely be working for another 30 years.  LOL  :P  So much can happen in 30 years… and we’ll make the most of it. Baby steps… and appreciation for all the great things about our lives are our daily fuel. I’m in the process of convincing myself of this right now.

Or shall we run away to somewhere tropical/coastal together and open a scooter rental? 

Psst... I Think We're Being Followed

Hi Smarts!

Holy crap, what a busy week so far. Sorry for the delayed response. One of the unfortunate side-effects of paying the bills, yanno.  :P

Excuses, excuses… I know, I know.  (Note: This reply has taken several days and several attempts. Start, stop, continue the next day… LOL)

First thing first, I feel we need to welcome our very first follower, the lovely “FreeFlying” at  Tickets For Two . I found her blog thanks to Blogger’s “Blogs of Note” a while back and have really enjoyed the tales of her adventures as a flight attendant, and the fun travels she and her hubby experience. I encourage any other readers that happen upon our blog to check out her blog also… enjoy.  :D 

The weekend was ok… have I really not replied for 3 4 5 days?!  ::smacks forehead:: 

No big whoop weekend really. The hair appointment went fine, the hair is still pretty much the same… but a little darker (black “low lights”) and thickened up the bangs a little bit. I’m still in debate mode. Right now it’s very Milla Jovovich from Ultraviolet…

but I’m thinking of going a little more Catherine Zeta-Jones a la Oceans Twelve (I think)…

What do you think? Too short?

Or I could grow the bangs out, but keep the color, and be standard CZJ…???

Or maybe somewhere in the middle like Sandra?

I really do still love the dark color. I don’t think I’ve ever really felt comfortable as a blonde. My personal preference is brunette, then redhead, then blonde last. Maybe I’ll shock everyone and go white/silver decades early for kicks.  :P  LOL 

Who am I kidding, I’m much too pale to pull that off…. Right?  Hmmm…

I digress…

The rest of the weekend… you know, I’m not even sure I really remember it at this point. What the hell did we do?  Oh well, I’m sure it’s not that big of a deal if I can’t even remember. Probably more errands, housework, workouts, and lazy couch time. I did have energy and wanted to go out and play on Friday, but BF was beat. Then Saturday I was tuckered out.

This week has been so busy at work. And I’ve been at the gym in the evenings. I was going to do some shopping, but it’s unusually cold here right now, especially when the sun goes down, and I’ve chickened out so far. But I have to do some shopping tonight no matter what because our Cheesy Christmas Sweater and Secret Santa exchange is tomorrow… and in true procrastinator form, I haven’t bought anything yet. In fact, I just started my Christmas shopping yesterday… online.  LOL 

We have our company Christmas Party planned for tomorrow night. I’m so excited. Everyone that works here raves about the awesome party they have every year and I get to witness (and partake) in the awesome this year. Hope I win an amazing raffle prize!  :D  And the work peeps will get to meet BF. YAY!

Did I tell you that my boss is the same age as me. I didn’t realize. She’s one of those really motivated and smart people that know what they want and just go for it. I’m so in awe of that. I realized I could be on a similar career path had I made the effort to excel when I started in this industry over 8 years ago… but I didn’t. I still don’t have that motivation. LOL  Think it has to do with the work itself?  Or personal motivation characteristics?  I’m leaning toward personal characteristics… since I’ve never really been a “motivated” person in any field/hobby/event.  But I’m secretly hoping I just have yet to find my career muse. 

Oh yes, the scarf is beautiful and goes with my other things fabulously. Good job!  :D  Thanks again.

I love that you have “serious” young professionals with fun hobbies and interests. It’s Melrose Place meets Big Bang Theory.  LOL 

How was Christmas Party Part 2 last night?  Did those rowdy Tower 2 folks cause a ruckus again?  LMAO!

As for your latest challenge, I choose to believe that there are kissable guys out there… but that maybe you didn’t notice them because you weren’t thinking about them in that way. Passing someone on the street… or seeing someone in a bar/restaurant, you could be distracted by your friends, your phone, creepy acrobatics in Dundas Square, etc… this assignment is an effort to get you to keep your attention on the possibilities around you. I know because I’m so guilty of this myself. My shy and introverted nature has me often avoiding eye contact with men in social situations, at work, at the gym, and even just walking down the street. Is it any wonder I met BF online?  LOL  But since you’re not doing the online dating, we have to change your tactics a little bit. And frankly, I think your method is the one more connected with the real world in a positive way. But I’m still to chicken to interact with IRL people initially.  :P  So, keep your eyes open… and ever decent guy you see/meet, ask yourself what it might be like to kiss him. I’m hoping this will trigger your flirt response and make for a couple of interesting stories, at the very least.  :D

Irony. For you and I, I encourage never growing up. Let’s play, and travel, and have new adventures… hopefully sans enfant.  For BF, I’d like him to grow up just a tad. Is that a terrible double standard?  The difference is, you and I are at secure places in our professional lives and in a financial perspective. I feel like he’s a bit behind in these regards and could stand to catch up a little… then we can play together, knowing that we’re responsible children.  :P   Oh BTW… Miranda reminded me that Porter will bring back their flights to Myrtle Beach the end of Feb, so she and her BF are planning to come visit in March/April sometime. I’m hoping to hear more news on this within the next month or two. This would be a great option for you too… Myrtle is a short drive from me and would be an ideal alternative (cost and time-wise)!  Think about it… and think about next spring.  ; )  I enable encourage not growing up.  Ha!

And yes, I wholeheartedly agree that you should be making new friends… fun friends… out-on-the-town friends. Do it!!

Ok, I have a barrel of laughs stack of work awaiting me, with a deadline… so I better get to it.

Tell me about your week so far… and Christmas Party Part 2!  :D   Oh, and I think you should also address your latest “brand” project… love to hear updates on that too.

Almost-TGIF!!

Sassy

Retch, Recycle, Run, Recipe, Relocate, Rx... and Remember

Hi Smartypants,

LOL! Knew it. I knew you wouldn’t enjoy the cold for very long. I don’t envy you the cold or rain… that sounds disgusting. But I’m still glad you’re back.  : )

Hahaha… that’s too funny that they’re not working Saturdays now in India. What is Diwali? Guess I could Google it.  :P  How did your “back to normal” weekend go with the gals? Hope you had plenty of chocolate yumminess to set you straight.  What other (planned or unplanned) trouble did you get into? I need details.

I think the eHarmony ads are cheesy because it’s what the marketing directors, actual commercial directors, producers, and company big-wigs want. The couples may be real, but the produced and edited version comes off the wrong way in terms of “realness”… know what I mean?  And you’ve got us all wrong. We’re in fact the cheesiest and most ridiculously adorkable couple that makes you want to vomit in your mouth a little. For realz! We’d be the cheesiest couple on TV ever, and we wouldn’t even have to try. We’d be so spectacularly lame, the viewers would actually doubt that we’re a real couple. Case in point… we were driving home from the recycling drop-off on Saturday and it was all sunny and lovely, and we’d just done a socially conscious thing (it’s shameful how little they do here… it’s all voluntary and sparse), and I was with my awesome BF that loves me and puts up with my silly “lets drive across town to try to locate this mysterious recycle plant for funsies” whims with a smile and nod… and on the way home I blurt out “I’m so ridiculously happy right now. I’m not even PMSing and I’m effin tearing up with this weird and uncontrollable joy right now BF… I love you so much. ::sniffle::” To which he pauses and replies “Awww GF, I love you too baby. Shoot, now you got me tearing up… You’re so pretty. ::sniffle::”

Sick right?!  I know!!  I wanna smear chunky peanut butter on my own face right now in punishment because I’ve turned all Hello Kitty, when I used to happily be badass Catwoman. WTF?!  LMAO!

Agreed! I will have to get something fabulous for my boss lady from NYC. (putting it on the list now)

And while NYC during the holidays is supposed to be all awesome with the skating, and the snow, and the massive crowds of people huddled together for body heat gathering in merriment while watching their fingers turn blue the ball drop… I think it’s safe to say we’ll most likely be indoors in the evenings, maybe drinking Irish Coffee, Hot Apple Cider (spiked of course), Hot Buttered Rum, and Hot Toddies by the fire… and watching the ball drop on TV.  I’m sure I can convince BF’s sisters to support this plan… and his mom. His mom loves me… and would MUCH rather be sipping on an Irish Coffee, I’m quite sure of it.  LOL  Maybe we’ll hit the city around lunch time when the sun is out and shining.

Latest updates from this weekend: 

~ We ran on Friday. I’m getting better in terms of breathing and distance, but I’m going to have to make more effort to get out there a couple more times a week, I’m still REALLY slow. Like Betty White is mall-walking circles around me. Once or twice per week isn’t enough to jump start this plateau. Question:  My shins are hurting a LOT when I’m running. Is this a “new runner” thing? Or should I get new shoes? Some other trick to stop them from hurting?

~ I cooked something. On the stove. From a recipe. A vegetable. Weird, I know. Mom picked up fresh veggies from a Farmer’s market for me, so I had a giant zucchini to eat somehow. I found a really easy sauté recipe that I happened to have the other ingredients for. It was a smashing success. YAY!

~ Much cleaning and organizing was done… however, much more is needed. Could you even imagine if he had actual household “stuff”?  LOL  

~ BF's mom would like BF to take his cat back. It's currently in her basement (since she's allergic) in NYC. LOL  So we discussed it and I agreed that IF kitty gets a clean bill of health from the vet, AND BF agrees to keep its nails trimmed, AND we set a limit on how long we're willing to deal with the in-fighting before we find a new solution (1 month)... he could bring his kitty home when we return from the holiday up there. Yup, you heard right. It will soon be the 2 of us... and the 3 furry ones. ::gripping my hair in anguish:: "What have I done?!" Pray for me.  LOL 

~ I’ve already mentioned the Goodwill and recycling endeavors.

~ And I don’t know if I’ve told you this before, but BF had an old root canal go bad at some point last year. He cracked his tooth into pieces when he bit down on just a regular piece of gum right before we met. I got him to go to the dentist a couple months ago to deal with the remaining pieces, but he just now decided to finish the extraction. So this morning, he got the remainder extracted and had some minor surgery (a post implant). I then got him home and picked up his Rx this morning before finally making it to the office a little after 11am. He’s resting up now. I’m curious to see how he acts when I get home. Whiney sick boy. Stubborn manly-man. Or loopy on the happy pills.

In place of Remembrance Day, we have Veteran’s Day here on Thursday.  If I can find one, I’ll sport a poppy for my homeland vets. Least I can do when I’m spoiled and won’t be at work… I have the day off. I’d do more, but I have an appointment that day. I’ll tell you about that after I know how it goes.  : )

Anything fun planned for this week?

Sassified!

Dancing Mops and a Wahhhmbulance

Smarts!

So… how long has it been since my last confession post?

Bah… the cold makes me shiver, and my nails turn blue (literally), and my nips hurt, and my nose runs, and apparently… I get a smidge cranky.  :P  When I’m cold here, I of course am very dramatic as I express my level of coldness. And to this day (today in fact) I get made fun of for being from the land of the north and yet being such a whiny baby about slightly chilly weather. I tell them I was kicked out, but I don’t think they believe me. Fact is, I ran away because I refused to be cold another year. I am the tap-dancing penguin from a land of singing penguins. I am the short-haired black sheep in a herd (flock?) of fluffy angelic sheep. I am the tick jumping around in the cold looking for a warm host to attach myself to. Gross… I may have taken that one analogy too far.  LOL  By the way, it’s cold here today. Not as cold as where you are, but cold for my tastes… my desktop weather-tracker says 61 degrees… which is 16 where you are. Not cold, I know. But cold when you consider it was in the high 70’s just a couple days ago. ::whine…sniffle::

Ok, I won’t get on your case about the latest flirting assignment because I can understand the various mood killers that were present. I don’t think crying babies (or loud children in general) put anyone in a flirting mood. Plus, when one is in the middle of a coffee craze, it’s probably best not to flirt. The sleepy/cranky aspect may put some off, or the wide-eyed manic on a mission would scare even the most charming of gents.

Your Bollywood Bash is just what you needed to depart India with fond memories, India needed to redeem itself after the lack of sufficient dancing and drinking at the wedding. LOL  And thank goodness for hair care. Do something fancy with it this week just to remind yourself you can. I would kiss my straightener at first sight if we were separated that long.  

Big news is that I only have 6 vacation hours remaining for 2010, but I approached my boss with a plan for my hopeful Christmas holiday. You may remember that she said no to my original vacation request on my crap day of planets not being in alignment last week. So peep this… I’m salaried, so basically it’s a “comp time” situation where extra hours from one pay period can be applied to another pay period within the same year (if handled delicately), so the annual salary doesn’t change. I provided a timeline with my intended “extra hours” for the next 2 months in an effort to cover the hours I’m hoping to be out-of-office (it only comes out to 3 working days thanks to the way the weekends and holiday days fall this year… yay!). She listened, reviewed the timeline visual I printed out, and approved the idea… with a caveat. We’re combining Plan A (“Comp Time”) with Plan B (laptop/commute) in case anyone questions the “new girl” having more than her fair share of vacation time. So I’ll work the extra hours now, and then take my laptop with me on vacation and just check my emails and whatnot as needed, that way I’m (and Boss lady too) less susceptible to “unsavory” office characters and/or customers causing drama. So excited!!! NYC for Christmas and NYE this year!!! YAY!  We’ve already booked the flights. LOL  I just bought a super cute coat, and I have plenty of other winter gear thanks to my past trips up north and my awesome shopping skills. So it shouldn’t be too bad… at least, that’s what I’m telling myself. Why do I abhor the cold so much anyway?  :P

Saturday we headed over to BF’s apartment to “finish” the packing/cleaning/move. I had anticipated just loading up some boxes and wiping down the kitchen & bathroom. Two hours, tops.  However, when I arrived I discovered that he’s as good a procrastinator as I.  He’d been over there for two days earlier in the week, but apparently got distracted with his computer and assumed the packing would magically happen on its own. Boys!  ::forehead smack::  Side effect of being part of the Fantasia generation? Possibly. Who wouldn’t love dancing pink hippos and mops coming alive to do all the packing and cleaning with the wave of a wand? LOL!!  It took us a little over 4 hours to finish packing and cleaning his one-bedroom apartment. Not exactly how I planned to spend a beautiful Saturday afternoon, but we worked well together, were efficient, and managed to not argue over any of it.  He’s no slouch (at least not when the Warden is standing right in front of him. LOL). He saw me scrubbing the bathroom and decided to go to town on the kitchen… he made that ol’ stove shine. Then back at my place, he consolidated the pantry stuff, put dishes away, etc… I love it that he doesn’t expect me to do all of it. He also apologized for not getting more done on his own, thanked me for helping and doing such a great job, and took me out for dinner.  : )

Then, after hours of packing and cleaning… we unloaded all the stuff from our cars into the house, and quickly crashed for a 90 minute nap. We were supposed to be headed to the beach for a party, but we were wiped out! We ended up showing up almost 4 hours “late” because I needed to shower and wash my hair and put my face on… and after only a couple hours of socializing, we ended up crashing at the beach house. The drive home was too much to comprehend. Have you ever been that tired?

Oh, and we seriously felt like an eHarmony commercial on Sunday morning. We woke up and sat on the giant porch swing facing the beach so we could feel the breeze and listen to the water. Our party hostess’s mom was up and about, and sat with us on the porch. I can just picture how cute we looked cuddled on that porch swing as she asked us “so, what’s your story? How did y’all meet?” BF jumped right in and said we met online, that we just clicked right away, and sunshine and butterflies and whatnot…  : )  Did you just throw up a little in your mouth due to ridiculous amounts of adorkable? I know, so sorry… LOL

The remainder of Sunday was planned as rest and relaxation… and cleaning… and organizing. As stellar procrastinators, we didn’t feel like unpacking on Lazy Sunday, so we compromised and decided to do 15-20 minute stints of “work” in between episodes of our latest “Heroes” marathon.  LMAO!  We actually got a lot done… it was like sprinting through chores to get us back to lazy time faster.

We both totally forgot that it was Halloween… earlier in the week, I think my neighborhood asked all the kids to “trick or treat” at the pool house so they weren’t wandering around… over-protective parents abound.  LOL  I’m such a Grinch, I’m not a fan of the giving out candy because the only kids I get at my place are 12-15 year olds that aren’t even wearing costumes. Fail! No candy for you.. I put a note on the door saying we didn’t have any. HA!

That’s too funny that you talk about Halloween in Dubai as being weird due to flip-flops and Christmas coffee cups. That’s what it’s like here too. Just earlier this week we were in shorts and flip flops, but that doesn’t stop southerners from going nuts over the more “winter” holidays. One girl I know LOVES Christmas and immediately put up her Christmas trees (yes, plural) as soon as October was officially over (aka: 12:01am, Nov 1^st).

So I’m now blissfully cohabitating with BF.  Knew it would happen one day…. 30+ is my lucky age(ish) apparently. Now I have even more purging and organizing and whatnot than I had last week. Oy vay!  I’m making great effort to let some of BF’s little “quirks” go… it’s not easy for me. Turns out I’m pretty possessive of my place and things… but I keep reminding myself that I have to share, and if something is important, I try to explain why… calmly. No huge issues yet. It’s a process to combine 2 homes, but I needed to purge a bunch of old junk & clutter anyway… so this is a great time to do it. If I could stop procrastinating long enough to get organized, I like to think I would be a lot like you in the office Tetris sense. I like drawer organizers, and filing cabinets, and paper shredders, etc… we have 2 desks, a small file cubby, and some organizers in the closet. Just purchased a couple of storage bins. And need to purchase some closet shoe hangers and whatnot. It’s a process. I’ll get there… eventually.  LOL

In related news, we were up late talking Monday night because he’s officially moved-in now and he needs to try a little harder to not get slack. He left his socks in the middle of the living room for 3 days… I know I have to let the small stuff go, but I hate repeating myself, and I hate that I have to ask him to pick up after himself. He stepped over those socks about 15 times (right in the path between the living room and the kitchen)…  I waited to see how long it would take him to pick them up, and finally yesterday I caved and pointed it out. Socks, open cupboards, glasses/water bottles multiplying… he’s actually pretty good at a lot of the general stuff. And he’s learning to use the clothes hamper, and fills & runs the dishwasher, and he’s started soaking the pots/pans instead of leaving them to dry with food all over them… he’s learning. It’s the repetition and obvious stuff that kills me, because I feel like he’s just being lazy/slack… and I’m still pretty possessive of my place/space so it feels like he’s disrespecting my stuff. I know I need to chill a little over that crap. And hopefully he’ll keep up after himself, and we can meet somewhere in the middle. It’s a learning process I think… and as long as we’re communicating and not accusing/insulting… I think it will work out ok.   : )   He doesn’t want me to feel like a maid/his mom… and he knows I don’t want that either. We’ll see what develops. It’s a little funny because he thinks it’s a little annoying that I would be so picky about socks… I had to explain to him all the little things I’ve “let go” over the past month in an effort to not sweat the small stuff… so he could really understand how much I’ve been trying to be more relaxed and bend in this relationship thing. He had no idea. I had to explain he’s not the only one trying to make changes to adapt to “couple” life.  LOL  We had a good talk and I think we’re on a good path… 

BTW: I got here at 7am twice so far this week! Already trying to work extra hours for Christmas… but OMG I’m hurtin’ today. Mornings are soooooo not my thing. I hope he appreciates what I’m putting myself through in order to celebrate the holidays with him.  (I’m just being a tad dramatic, shhh… )  I’m just tired today.  :P  Is it Friday yet?  Nope, damn! It’s only Wed…. and I’m running late for my torture session at the gym. ::pout…whine…whimper::

Sazzzzzzzy

You're Shhloshed, And I Love It

Shhhmarts!! Love it!!

Question: How can you be a “bit sloshed”? Sounds a little like an oxymoron to me.  LOL  So cute though, you’re too cute when you’ve been drinking and posting.  : )  I’m thrilled you got to let loose and redeem India on your fun-meter. 

No worries, Smarts. Of course I understand where you were coming from. You paid for a great tour and instead were treated poorly and didn’t get your money’s worth respect/fun/food-wise. It’s crappy. I’d stick up for you even if we weren’t buds.  : )  And seriously, so eff’d up that the tuk-tuk guy and everyone else charges you more because you’re a foreigner. WTF? Have you tried to negotiate lower… like at a farmer’s market or yard sale?

And if you do happen to run into John Abraham, I suggest faking a hurt ankle over wasted/passed out. Better in terms of attractiveness and consciousness. LOL  I’ll have to add some of his movies to my Netflix queue so I can witness what all the fuss is about. I have a feeling pictures just aren’t enough in this case.

What? You played wing-woman to a 23-yr old local? Am I in the Twilight Zone? Has the world gone topsy-turvy? Where were his hottie friends? Why didn’t he take you to a better bar with more guys? Do they have sports bars there? Are they into sports? Would it be cricket and soccer (football)? Gah! I have so much to learn.  LOL

Hope you have a chance to rest and relax today. Maybe hit a beach, or a pool, or get a massage… something relaxing. I saw all the amazing pictures you posted online. Fantastic! Sorry, I was a bit of a commenting fool.  LOL  What’s next on your adventure?

In news from the states, I had a great day work-wise yesterday. And I think today should be pretty productive. Plenty to do, and apparently I’m doing a pretty good job. Go me!!

Moment I’m not looking forward to today:  have my annual gyno appt at lunch, these always stress me out. Thank goodness I have a great doc with a fantastic and friendly team. I just hate waiting 2 weeks for the test results. I’ve been “normal” for about 5 years now, so that’s encouraging… but until I know for sure, I’ll be on pins and needles waiting.

And… we’re not going to FL this weekend. BF’s work trip got changed and he’ll be here for the Halloween party. YAY!  So that dilemma got solved for me. Now we just need to figure out costumes pronto. Eeks!  :P

Also, I’d forgotten about this before… but I have to confess to inappropriate flirty behavior. On my FL trip to last week, the gals and I  were poolside and sippy. I may have taken a few aerial shots of me in my teeny bikini. I sent a couple to BF, but his BB sucks and he didn’t get them. I was also playing on FB and conversed with an old “friend” via comments about my FL trip. Then sent him a pic msg of one of the aerial bikini shots. I should not have done this. I blame the booze. But everything is groovy. He complimented the pic, and we left it at that. I had my girly bits covered in the picture, and we kept the texts PG-13, so no harm done. But I still feel bad about it. Thoughts?

BF and I may be running tonight. Wish me luck, it’s been over a week.  :P  And random info… I’m craving sushi.

Shhhasshy

Shaking My Head At Myself

Smarts!

Ha! OMG, your reply as super fast and awesome. I know you weren’t ignoring my post (or me for that matter), and I love that you don’t take my whiny attitude and finger-pointing personally… because you’re totally not self-centered or rude. Seriously. You’re busy, and important, and doing your thing several hours ahead of me and in an unfamiliar land. We straight yo! But I love you ever so much for your awesome reply. Thank you!

You are right of course, I was being redic! amount of cry-baby over teeny-tiny and silly stuff. I love dad, I really do. And I shouldn’t pick on him, or the corsage, or the dancing, or the camo… but I’m a brat. I can’t help myself. He is a sweet guy overall. And I will stay in touch. But I know it will always be a slightly strained relationship with him… I’ve accepted it. C’est la vie. You can’t pick your family. And it could be worse. Consider me skooled and appropriately chastised for being such a brat.  :P 

And ya! Screw making extra effort to keep in touch with random aunts and uncles that stay MIA.  Booyah! (P.S. Yes, I know it's oh-so-wrong to start a sentence with "And" but I write how I think, so that's what you get. It's not grammatically correct... it's just instant. Ha!)

Dude! You know my mythical fictional hypothetical future wedding wouldn’t be like that. We’ve already discussed this. My big day would include a week long party with 10 of our besties at an all-inclusive tropical party before I get hitched on the beach... barefoot. This would also be convenient and appreciated by BF since he is the same height as me barefoot and the pictures would look weird if I were wearing 3 inch heels. It would be the anti-taken-over-by-out-of-town-relatives-and-swarmed-by-too-many-people silliness wedding. You know this! I don’t do traditional. There may be tequila and/or sake shots in the ceremony. Take that, Traditional... how do you like them apples?! LOL!

For awesome blog anonymity… perhaps I should create a new email account with a new profile for this blog. That way it’s not related in any way to my other blog home for the besties that know me well. Sociology experiments are the b0mb! What-What!   :D  I’ll look into that. Brilliant.

I don’t know what email/profile you’re using for this blog, but I think it’s different than your personal and well-known one for friends, correct? That’s why you’re the “smart one”. You know, a part of me hates being secretive, I'd love to say whatever the eff I want and really own it… but due to my job that requires security clearance, nosy family, and slightly drama-prone “friends”… I’m thinking it’s safer in terms of being as real and honest, when it comes to speaking our minds and getting that cathartic feeling we both need, as possible. Think our future followers will understand?   

I’ll get back into the running thing soon. It really wasn’t all that bad. But I have a training session tonight, and drinking prospects tomorrow (and I think we can agree that running and drinking don't mix). Perhaps Sat morning before my huuurrr appointment I can squeeze in a run (and shower!)… and maybe Sunday morning before the food-fest. We shall see.  : )  I’ll try not to disappoint. Perhaps you’ll have to give me a Run Scavenger Hunt in return for my Dating Assignments. That way I have to provide you with run “results”… what do you think?  

WTF?! Work on Saturday? What are they smokin’ over there? Do you at least get Monday off to make up for it? There has to be some sort of barter system on that. That’s just unacceptable. You better party it up tonight and tomorrow to make the most of the super short weekend.

Randomness: You know, I don’t often find myself attracted to Indian men… but the bi-racials aren’t half bad sometimes… then again, I’m only referencing the two bi-racial Indian men I know that happen to be 1) a former model (judge on Tyra’s Supermodel - Nigel Barker), and 2) an actor (the guy from Heroes and Covert Affairs - Sendhil Ramamurthy). Oh, scratch that... I don't think Sendhil is bi-racial. I think both his parents are from India, cool! But Sendhil IS married to a Polish actress named Olga and they have 2 kids (I'm Googling as I type) - bet they are super beautiful! Even though I’m sounding slightly racist right now (shh… I’m totally not. I love all people, and have a particular fondness for “halvsies” because they’re beautiful) your assignment is to locate at least one good looking “native”. Don’t worry about personality. We’re just going on looks here. And he can be a local celebrity, singer, actor, whatever… I’m curious.  ; )

Keep that karate chop primed and ready… and enjoy the beach!  :D 

I’ll be doing BDay celebrations for a gal pal on my Fri evening, hair and comedy show on Sat, and food-fest on Sunday. Jam-packed with awesomeness!

(still slightly round and Midol-poppin’) Sassy!   :D

You Asked For It: Vacay Novel

International Smarty,

I’m in my office, counting down ‘til 5pm. Ok, maybe closer to 4pm. This new job is great… they all like to leave early and the weekend is celebrated as it should be. Which is fine for me because I eat in for lunch often and always make my hours. Yay for not committing fraud. At the old job I was typically working longer than I should have been because there was just too much to do in one day. Plus, getting to the new office an hour earlier than I’m used to is starting to get easier. I think I like this job change. But I still have that nagging urge to travel more. I still think I need to focus on my next career path involving more travel… I don’t see vacations being enough to hold me over anymore. Now I just need to start looking for those opportunities…

Don’t worry… you’re not to blame for my job antsiness (I’m making a new word) at the moment. This job was a good move for me and I plan to make the most of it, but I knew it would likely be a short-term fix to lighten my stress and workload in order to give me some time to think… and look. You were right, I needed to get out of that old environment. It was suffocating me.

LOL… I don’t think I’ve ever eaten red meat on a regular basis, other than the jerk patties in high school and maybe a taco here and there. I’m just not a fan. I’ve tried steaks, roasts, hamburgers, you name it… I’ve tried it. But I didn’t like any of it. I just have an aversion to red meat for some weird reason. In addition to this, since I eat it so rarely, when I do eat red meat (in meal-sized portion) it hurts my stomach. Guess it’s not so easy to digest without practice.  LOL  But I get by just fine on chicken, fish, pork, lamb, etc….  no worries.  :D  And can I get a hellz-YA for feta cheese!! Mmmmmm!

So, I guess since I’m so late to the music download game I’m going to have to pay for my downloads, huh. Bummer. I feel wrong about being a pirate… yet at the same time it’s oh so right (and free) that way… ARG! I’ll figure it out. Maybe I’ll ask for iTunes gift cards for Christmas this year.  LOL

Send me a list of your favorite jamz. I need some fast tempo music for my workout mix… I’m thinking you might have some since you’re a fan of Guetta.  : )  Where the heck did I put that iPod anyway? Hmmm…

OMG! Could you imagine a tropical Christmas and NYE in NYC?! My brain might explode. Wonder if BF will have his new job by then and be able to get some time off for the holidays. I can’t imagine they’d be doing much work-travel around that time… but if he gets hired/rented out for non-company stuff that might be a logistical problem. Wish they’d hurry up and get him on with the partner company position already! …for several reasons…

Agreed. I can’t get wastey-face around my co-workers and/or boss either. Never have, and hopefully never will. In fact my office-mate and I were just talking about that not 5 minutes ago. We have some music on and are having a Friday Dance Party in here (ok, it’s just chair-dancing) and he goes “Just wait for the Christmas Party. You’re gonna rock out.” To which my reaction was to rub my temples and quietly repeat “Don’t drink too much at the Christmas Party. Don’t drink too much at the Christmas Party. Don’t drink…”  [office-mate chuckles]

Holy crap! Wildlife!! I love seeing wildlife in its natural habitat. I got excited on my trip up north when I saw a chipmunk. Stopped what I was doing to watch it run around for 5 minutes.  :P  Not as exciting as giraffes no doubt, but I would have “SQUEE’d” like a little kid if I’d seen those beauties in real life. Not the same here… it’s more like an “EEEK’s” when I see wildlife locally. Alligators, possums, “Palmetto” bugs (aka: giant ass roaches), etc… though I have seen dolphins, manatees, and some really pretty butterflies, dragonflies, and moths up close here… I know you wouldn’t think moths are pretty but there is this one giant green one… I think it’s in the Lunesta commercials that is ginormous and so pretty in real life. Wonder if I can find a picture…  ::pause for web search::  Ok, found it. Here’s the one in the ad, and what it looks like in real life.

Details from my trip? Well ok, you asked for it. Are you prepared for my whine-fest. I love my dad, I do, but we’re so insanely different I have a hard time believing we share DNA sometimes. Here are the highlights:

- he volunteered to my aunt that I would stop at her place (on the way to my hometown) for a visit, then in trying to locate me to tell me he’d volunteered me, he called mom’s house and asked her if there was another way to reach me (I don’t have the details on this conversation yet, should get them tonight)

- at dinner the first night, I was over the bitching about their crappy former neighbor one minute after the story started, but they both went on about for over an hour… and dad got so heated about it he started to reenact his heated conversation with the neighbor to me, as if I were the neighbor… in a restaurant. I had to politely ask him to lower his voice and stop talking to me like I was the neighbor because he was drawing so much attention and I didn’t need to feel his anger for someone else.

- I invited dad to be my “date” to the wedding, and gave him several days notice… but the morning of, he was unaware that it meant “dressing up”. He thought his very-“Members Only”-looking jacket would be suitable. I had to explain it would be appreciated if he could find a tie and suit jacket.

- dad had another one of my aunts that works at a flower shop make a corsage for me to wear to the wedding. I have no idea why, and felt awkward about it, but he and my aunt were really excited about it… so I was polite and appreciative-sounding, and wore a wrist corsage to the wedding reception. I know it’s a sweet thought, but the only time I’ve ever even heard of anyone wearing a corsage was to prom. Am I wrong?  

- it was sweet that dad wanted to dance with me at the reception, but I’m sorta glad it didn’t happen (just too busy with pictures, talking, etc)… he’s too emotional for me and I would have hated a cryfest scene in the middle of everyone. I might regret missing the dance later, but it’s just so awkward between us and I know he would make me cry and get all emotional in front of everyone… and it wasn’t my wedding, so I didn’t want that.

- at breakfast the next morning he was wearing more camo than anyone I’d ever seen (shirt, vest, hat, etc) and he wasn’t even planning to hunt that day. It’s his regular wardrobe. Including the camo “Git R Done” hat… with the lettering in bright yellow.

(like this... but without the confederate flag)

- also at breakfast, he asked when I was getting married and expressed an interest in having grandchildren soon. Seriously. He said it out loud just like that. He didn’t make any comment when his GF asked what BF looked like and I hesitated before saying he’s interracial and that dad wouldn’t be a fan… it’s a good thing BF is half Irish apparently, that “saved” him somewhat. It’s the only thing dad said about it. Thank goodness he’s not black ‘cause I don’t know if dad would have been able to fake happy in that case. (Note: dad claims he’s not racist, but based on past events and conversations I believe he’s very “opinionated” on this stuff, and thus I have never felt the need to send him any pictures of any of my former BFs, no matter their race.)

- dad wants to take BF fishing (which consist of driving at least an hour to some remote bush river, sitting on a two-man boat for hours – very quietly, getting bit by mosquitoes and black flies, baiting killing and cleaning your own catch, and finally heading home 6 hours later)… when I told dad that BF would most likely not be interested in said fishing trip he ignored me and my knowledge of these fishing days (and BF’s personality) and said “I bet he would. We’ll see.” He never listens to me.

- he volunteered that I would stop back at my aunt’s place on the way back out of town also, and upon my arrival there, I came to learn that dad and his GF told my aunt that I would be back to visit again soon. No idea why they would think this… I said nothing of returning anytime soon… I was vague, talked of traveling the globe (elsewhere) for the next two years at least, and described how expensive and difficult it was to get up there this time. It’s just like him not to listen and assume I’m going to do what HE wants. Arg! So I had to explain to my aunt that no, I would not be returning within the next couple years… sorry.

Good thing I was only there 2 days. Whew!

The thing that really bugs me is that I barely heard from dad for several years after I left when I was 14 (all of high school mostly), I made the effort to reconnect with him about 6-7 years ago, and have only ever gotten a call/card at Christmas and birthdays intermittently since I was 14. He hasn’t contributed anything to my adult life, and will never come here to visit me. And… I haven’t seen or heard a peep out of any of my aunts or uncles on his side since I was about 12/13… so why is it such a “reunion” now? Why do they act like we’re sooooo damn close. I barely know these people and don’t expect to hear from them ever again… except maybe getting a Christmas card. I can’t stand the level of one-sided expectation they put on me.  ::hmph!::

Seeing the bride was great, watching her get married and meeting her new hubby was awesome, but I didn’t really have a whole bunch of time with her. And her parents and big brother didn’t recognize who I was until about an hour into the reception. They faked it well through the wedding and first part of the reception, but it was good to see how happy they were when they found out who I was.  LOL  I also only knew 2 people that weren’t in her immediate family… so conversation was fairly limited in terms of “old friends”.

The drive back to the city wasn’t awful because I remembered to buy a couple CDs (zero radio for at least 6 hours except for one country station and one Christian station (with fuzz)). The full drive was about 8 hrs when I hit the city limits, so I was wiped out when I got back to Toronto. Sun hadn’t quite set yet… so it was about 8:15 when I reached the 401, then the GPS (thanks God for that!!) sent me on a slight detour to get downtown. I thought it wouldn’t be too bad, but at that hour, with the sun setting… my vision is not the greatest… and one way streets… I got a little turned around. Wouldn’t have been so bad if there wasn’t traffic. Eventually I made it back on the right path (GPS voice: “recalculating”). However, when I got back to the car rental place, I had to locate the correct underground parking garage (fail – entered the wrong one), and the correct entrance (on Front, not Bay), while avoiding one way streets (epic fail!).

A little after 9pm I was getting really confused and frustrated and called my aunt to let her know I was running late due to oncoming panic attack and would most likely be at least another 30 mins before I was headed toward the Finch line. I think she could hear the panic in my voice because she said she’d pick me up downtown and would be right there.  LOL  I found the right entrance to the right parking garage about 20 mins later… and it was then that I realized in all the chaos of navigating downtown, I completely forgot to fill up the gas tank. By the time the Avis guy was checking in the car I was just ready to either cry my eyes out or rip his jugular out, so I just took the extra fee. The half a tank of gas cost me about as much as the entire weekend rental. Eff! But I’d had it. I was exhausted and couldn’t function anymore. My aunt was great, but we had a minor miscommunication when she got downtown… apparently she isn’t used to one way streets either. I ended up crossing the road twice with all my luggage before we got it right.  LOL 

We got back to her place around 10pm. I let BF know I made it back safe… and he let me cry my eyes out due to frustration and exhaustion… and only chuckled at me slightly. I lost a contact. There’s still some debate about whether or not it’s lodged behind my eye currently. And I passed the eff out.

Made it to the airport ok, no issues… but accidently packed a gift for mother from another aunt (hand soap or something) in my carry-on that ended up getting confiscated. Oops. Took the next day off to just rest instead of going to work.

Ok, that’s enough reminiscing… I’m getting depressed. LOL  But I’m sure you had a laugh, a sniffle, and possibly understand my crazy mind a little better now. Lucky you! Ha!  

In weekend news, I’ll be doing "the bonding" with mother this evening… drinking and art galleries can be a fun people-watching adventure. Especially since mother has a habit of not looking where she’s walking, and the streets downtown are a cobblestone, brick, and stone plate nightmare for a woman easily distracted. Saturday I have a work#2 event (that appears as though it will be quite profitable so far. Yay!) and a birthday dinner at a sushi place that night. I’m hoping Sunday is nice and quiet. Oh crap... I need to do a little birthday shopping tomorrow morning for Sat's bday dinner too... haven't done that yet. Zoinks!

Travel safe my friend. And send pictures dammit!!!! :P

It's after noon... can I have a drink now?  ::sipps-sip::

Sippy Sassy