The Cat is still in the bag!

It is Sunday night; the eve of work. I have a dreadful day tomorrow and I'm not looking forward to it. An all-day meeting downtown in the prostitute district where my company has a plant. Learning about things that I don't care about. I don't care about it because I have a secret that I can't tell anyone yet. My husband and a few select people know...but I can't say much here yet. I'll tell you more about it later...oh the suspense!

So, I went shopping yesterday! I went to my neighborhood Goodwill store and found some fantastic loot! I got a solid wood dining room chair, which I am going to paint black...for $5.99. I found three brand name tops that look like they haven't been worn and a little pot of flowers that match my living room! I love Goodwill!

Today I bought three bags of wildflower seeds that I am going to sew in the backyard on the little hill. This will mean less mowing for Boo and a safe haven for the local bunnies.
Did I tell you that I'm taking a photography class right now? On wednesday nights at the camera store. I've really learned quite a bit about the technical stuff.

Got some new running shoes today. I don't really run yet, but I'm working on it. Boo and I take the dogs for a walk around the neighborhood and we intersperse the walk with jogging. It really makes me feel good. I think I'd like to do more of it.
So, that's really all I can tell you this evening without letting any cats out of any bags. Stay tuned!

Note to Self and Everyone Else

See Archived Blog: October 10, 2007.

Squirrels were in the yard yesterday digging up the loot they buried last fall! But the little geniuses still haven't found the squirrel feeder I put up specifically for them with delicious ears of field corn. Go figure.

When City Folks Move to the Country

Girl's Night Out

Last weekend was the best time I've had in awhile, as far as girls nights out go. My two very best friends, K and C, and me went to Bloomington, IN for C's little sisters bachelorette party. C rented a couple hotel rooms not far from downtown Bloomington, brought snacks, rum punch and jello shots. Oh, she also rented a male dancer. He had the unique ability to do a handstand over you while removing a dollar bill from your chest...in a thong. Anyway, he really livened all the girls up and got them a little bit rowdy. I'm sure the rum punch helped too. So, two or three jello shots into the evening I piled into the minivan to go downtown to eat. We ate at an italian place and tried to get our waiter to shake his groove thing for us. He wasn't having it.
After dinner we all pitter patted our way around the square to the Bluebird where we were seeing a band called Sixteen Candles. If you are into 80's music at all, they are awesome. I was hammered and throwing all my dancing inhibitions to the wind. Hell, it was a friday night, out of town with my girls! We got back to the hotel around 3am. I actually wasn't hungover at all the next morning. I had to stop the car twice for my friend K on the way home to Indy. We're in our 30's now, I think her body was protesting. All in all, a really great weekend!

I have the scab to prove it!

I completely forgot to tell you all that last Thursday I was leaving a Catholic church after an appointment with the Parish Manager. We had been chatting about how my company could restore the tile and grout in his chapel and narthex. Let me preface this by saying that I am not Catholic and I'm am not sure about some of the things they do...for example...When we were in the little chapel there was a gilded cage at the front with a chalice (sp?) read: gold cup, sitting in the cage. As we were getting ready to turn around and walk out he did a little curtsey/bow to the cage/cup. I was a little uncomfortable because I had no idea what to do and felt like I might have inadvertantly offended our Lord by not bowing to the cage/cup. I probably made it worse by mumbling something about not being Catholic and we Protestants don't know about such things. So anyway, I had to go out to my car and get my square footage measuring dealie to measure the said chapel and narthex. I went out and came back in..measure the narthex first and the chapel last. I was all alone in the chapel and decided I'd better do a curtsey to the cage/cup just for good measure. So I did and it was fine but I still don't know what the significance is. Catholics feel free to leave a comment explaining this to me. So, here's the kicker...I've just curtsied and I'm walking back outside to my car. All of a sudden it was like I was pushed. It had been raining and the pavement was wet and my foot must have slipped off the edge of the sidewalk because I fell off the sidewalk and into the parking lot, dropping everything and landing on my hands and left knee. Of course I looked around immediately, nobody had seen me. Whew! But my knee hurt like an SOB and luckily my pants weren't ripped. I had asphalt gravel in my hands and I felt ridiculous.
I was just sort of pissed that I had just gone out of my way to curtsey to the cage/cup, and then something bad happened to me!
I'll just stick to my own religious beliefs from now on I guess.

Lexapro all around!

A question to ponder: If most of my co-workers and I take perscription anxiety/depression meds, and talk about it freely at work, do you think management would take a hint? High pressure sales, anyone?

Seriously, I need to figure out what makes me happy and do it. I have a new idea every week of something I could do, a business I could start. I've had an active imagination since I was a kid and I'm mostly an idealist. My family thinks I'm flakey because I job hop (two years is a real accomplishment). I am just a person that really wants to love what I do. I can tolerate any job for awhile..then I get out before it breaks my spirit. I feel guilty about it too. Why can't I just "buckle down" and stick to something. I like to think it's because I'm passionate. If there's no passion, I lose interest. My degree is a B.S in Communications with an emphasis in broadcasting. In college I worked at an ABC affiliate and actually had some on-air opportunities. But I moved back to my hometown upon graduation because of a guy. Stupid stupid stupid. I made a decision based on a guy. Yay me. Way to go.
I haven't used my broadcast training since then. I guess "sales" requires "communication" though.
So, this week I think I want to be a photographer. I have an eye for it but I lack some technical skills that would require some classes.
Or, I could try to make my "Mary Kay" into a career. I mostly just like to get my skincare at a discount though.
I've toyed with the idea of begging for any job at a tv station in this market to get my foot in the door. But the fear of not remembering anything I learned in college and looking like an idiot keeps me from doing it. This is going to sound brazen, but I'm a pretty good reporter and good on camera. I guess nobody will ever know because I'm also a big weiner.
So, if anybody has any suggestions for career options for a creative, ADD afflicted idealist, leave me a comment. Thanks!

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

Good morning one and all! It's early, dark and cold but I am still so excited about the Hall of Fame Induction ceremony last night. As a Hoosier (which means I'm from Indiana, in case you didn't know) I was so excited for John Mellencamp to be inducted. Yes, yes, I know some of you might think he's a pain in the ass. He even said himself last night that it's not cool and never has been cool to be a Mellencamp fan. I've never been one to be swayed by popular opinion, so I'm a fan.
If you haven't listened to his music in awhile, I urge you to give it a whirl. I enjoy the good rockers like Authority song (and completely relate to it) and What if I came Knocking (probably my favorite). But the gritty soulfulness of songs like Minutes to Memories, Jackie Brown, Between a laugh and a tear...those are really introspective pieces. They quietly demand that you examine your own life and purpose. Another favorite with a blatant message, "Your life is now." I adopted this as a mantra to remind myself that there are no do-overs, no rehearsals, no second chances. My life is what I will make of it right now. In this moment.
Then there are the popular classics like Small Town, Jack and Diane, Scarecrow....I grew up in a small town and these songs speak volumes to me. I long to be back in a small town, and these songs give me solace sometimes. They give me just what I need when the traffic is too heavy, the pace is too fast, the people are angry at strangers, the world is too complicated and I just don't always feel safe where I live. These songs take me back to my town where safety wasn't a concern, even strangers (and there weren't many) wave as they drive down a country road and the pace of life was slower. Slow like a Friday night football game and going to Waffle house for cheese sticks afterward, slow like a Saturday trip to the Dairy Queen, slow like a Sunday afternoon walking through the woods with my dog. His music stirs so many images, memories and emotions in me and it truly inspires me.
Yea, give it a whirl. Thanks John Mellencamp for your words, music and soul, you've shared it all. Congratulations on your induction!