Here Comes the Sun....

It has been a very grey week. It has been brightened with a couple of bits of news, though. First, Little One made straight A's on her report card. This is quite an accomplishment for her as she struggles with math. Let me say rather that it hasn't come easily for her and she really had to work at it as opposed to other subjects that are much easier for her to grasp and master. Also, I had my annual review yesterday at work and they recognized and rewarded my efforts. In this economy, I am even more thankful for having not only a job, but one that pays well and that I enjoy. Being respected and appreciated makes it that much sweeter.

And, late in the afternoon on Thursday, the sun is beginning to burn through the clouds. The forecast calls for some showers in the morning tomorrow, then sunny skies and a warm weekend.

The Unavailable

I have been this person. Emotionally unavailable. Withholding myself from others, especially those who love me or tried to love me. And in some ways I am attracted to people who are unavailable, perhaps secure in the knowledge that when things go South that it was inevitable, and not someone rejecting me.

But what the hell do I know?

Home Again, and Back to the Routine

The ride back to our corner of the Deep South from Carolina wasn't too bad. Although it was a cool, grey day, the rains left us alone until we were safely home and unpacked.

Pupps was generally docile, with online occasional bouts of crankiness. We stopped a little too frequently for my taste, but I needed a lot of coffee to keep my eyes open and to drive with some measure of skill and safety. Pupps also needed frequent stops, too.

More later

Road Trip

Friday, Pupps 2.0 and I picked Little One up from school and headed out for parts east.

We hit the Georgia welcome center and let Pupps stretch her legs and water the grass. Little One was asleep in the back seat. We made good time through Atlanta and made it by to see the ex-in-laws. Soon it was bed time. I didn't sleep well at all, my back was giving me fits from driving.

Saturday morning we were on the road early and had just crossed into the Palmetto state when the heavens opened up. It slowed us a little, but we made it to my sister's house just fine.

We've had a good visit. After brunch in the morning we will be off on the road again, headed back home.

Sleep, Sleep, I know I'm only dreaming....

My sleep schedule is way out of whack. There are several things that contribute to this that of which I am aware:
- drinking too much water in the evening. In an effort to drink all of the water I have been suggested to, I have to get up a couple of times a night to void. (Isn't this an exciting post?)
- my aching back
- medications. The meds make me sleepy sometimes, and then I fall asleep when I get home, then get up late at night, and then try to sleep some more, etc.
- keeping the TV as company. I have read that this is a bad situation. I generally am not watching it, but I like the noise. Maybe I will switch to the radio channels on satellite. At least it will be dark in my bedroom then.

And it appears that all of these issues (excluding the back) are within my control to change. Looks like I have some work do.

Roam if You Want to....

Lines from another song that I have enjoyed for a long time (Roam, by the B-52s). The album this was on was released in 1989, my second year in college. And I enjoyed my college years immensely - and intensely.

In the summer of 1989 I had worked in Washington state as a firefighter with US Forest Service. I made the trip by driving from the Deep South to way out West. I loved the drive, the scenery, the people, the dawns, and the sunsets.

As a child we moved a fair bit, and I have never quite lost the wander-lust that was instilled in me. Moving brought a sense of loss, leaving friends and familiar surroundings; but it also brought a sense of adventure. I can't thank my folks enough for raising me that way. I still want to roam today.

As an adult, though, my desires to travel and be a free spirit are tempered by the realities of my daily situation have thus far prevented that. In the last two years I uprooted my daughter. She has handled it okay, even though we only moved about a fifteen minute drive from the old place. She changed schools and moved away from the only home she had ever known. She still gets melancholoy at times. The needs of my daughter for stability (or perhaps it is just a desire) and my need need for financial stability have keep me in one place.

This is further complicated by the fact that I want to be close to the NQEW (not-quite-ex-wife). Not that I have any desire to be around her, but that I want my daughter to be able to see her mother. My mother lives about ninety miles away, and while that is not next door, it is close enough that she often helps out as a sitter, when illness strikes, and for family gatherings. I also have my social network here, however limited it is. And my job, which I really enjoy and it pays me well, is here.

So I don't roam much anymore, even though I want to get out and see the world and experience it more than I have for a while.  It's time to start planning some weekend getaways, I think.

I Don't Like Mondays....

Perhaps you recall this song from 1979 by the Boomtown Rats. Anyway, I like Mondays, generally. Now this may seem to be going against the grain of the American working class of which I am a member, but it is true. I like the routine of the work day as much as I enjoy the freedom of the weekend.

I like my job. It is not without its frustrations and bureacracies, but generally I think that work I do is important to the company. I am working on some large projects with team members from across the organization and even from across the globe. I think I am well compensated. I have flexibility with my schedule to attend functions with my Little One at school, work from home as needed, and occasional business travel.

I also enjoy the comraderie of the workplace; the buzz around the coffee maker, the communal nature of an open office and collaborative work.

So I am enjoying my Monday, firing off emails, reviewing project timelines, updating executive management, coaching employees, and debating with colleagues.

Sunday Morning Comin' Down

Well, not exactly. There was nothing to 'come down' from, save two glasses of cabernet. This morning I had an appointment at 0745 with the Red Cross. I waited for them to open the doors so I could do my pheresis donation, but they were running late. I was already pushing my schedule because I had to pick Little One up from her sleepover. So, after waiting about 10 mintues I left.
I stopped off at the local quickie mart and purchased the Sunday paper. When I got home I put on some water for a cup of tea, and in a few minutes I was sitting on the patio enjoying the first morning of spring. It was pleasant. My herbs are all planted now, and I surveyed my 1/10,000th of an acre (comprised of 2 window boxes, three small round pots and one larger one).

I had to pick Little One up by 1000, so I headed out to far side of town to collect her. Her friend from school had a sleep-over at the Embassy Suites. There were about 8 littles girls, two moms chaperoning, and the birthday girl's 3-year old brother. The hotel, I think, is one of the nicer national chains. This facility is probably not more than a few years old, and was clean and bright. But the clientele on a Sunday morning wandering the lobby and into the restaurant were a sight to behold. I haven't seen that many pajamas on people in a long time. Seriously? Let's remember we are in public, people. The restaurant looked  like a Shoney's on  a bad stretch of interstate after a convoy of teamsters had stopped to fuel up at the buffet.

There were a number of Georgians at the hotel. Apparently the hotel had served as the resting place for the UGA Gym Dawgs, at least informally. There were a number of folks in their UGA attire and a few ladies that looked like co-eds. I didn't see any ladies that had the build of Division 1 gymnasts.

Now, I am home with Little One and Pupps 2.0. Little One is settling back in, making some maps and talking very rapidly. Pupps is alternating between gnawing on a raw-hide stick and her Puppy Love pillow.
It is such a gorgeous day I foresee a trip to the park this afternoon,

Saturday Night in the Land o' Jud

It is the final weekend of Spring Break. Not for me, but for Little One. She spent the week at Mom o' Jud's (MOJ) house. I met MOJ halfway between our residences, and then Little One and I ran some errands.

Little One is at a birthday slumber party tonight. One of her school mates is having a pool party at a local hotel (they have an indoor pool). After I dropped Little One off in the late afternoon, I drove down the road and wandered around the indoor double-decker halls of commerce with lots of other consumers. I spent a few dollars on birthday cards, but that was all.

I made it home at about dark, ate a sandwich and cracked open a bottle of cabernet. After a couple of glasses and a little web surfing, a text message rattled my phone to life. A work associate was letting me know she was bored. I found this a little odd. I have known this gal for some time, but the total of our interaction has largely been chats around the coffee maker and going out to lunch one day about a month or so ago.

This lady is my age, single and likes to dance. She is not unattractive, and has striking Incan features. She shared with me that dancing is one of her passions. Now, I have my own hobbies and interests, and dancing is good exercise and I can certainly understand why some people like dancing. I, however, am not one of them. First, I suffer from the White's Man Dancing Curse - no rhythm and the only steps I know are tripping over my feet and stepping on my partner's. Secondly-fourthly, most of the places where people gather to dance are open late, have music that is waaaayyyy to loud and enough cigarette smoke to make Big Tobacco put another quarter in the jukebox.

So, I declined her subtle hint that she would like to go out. Heck, it was almost 9 PM. A little late to be going out on Saturday. (If you are under 40, you may be scratching your head trying to make sense of that statement. Try and follow along, despite how odd it may sound.) I told her maybe if she wanted to go around and see some sights one weekend afternoon maybe we could get a group of folks and go. Then I went to bed.

I was roused from sleep about 2 1/2 hours later. Unable to quickly return to slumber, I potted some plants I had purchased at Home Depot this morning and played with Pupps 2.0. Now I suppose I will unload the dishwasher and clean something until I get bored enough to fall asleep again.