Vacation

So people from work were asking me this past week if I was going anywhere during my Christmas vacation, since I was going to be off for a total of 10 days. Unfortunately, I have no big plans. I wish I had some wonderful vacation to brag about... "Yeah, I'm gonna go check out some Mayan ruins" or "I thought I'd swing by Stonehenge." But alas, I'm gonna be a lazy bum... probably read a few books, sleep in, that kind of stuff.

But there are a few things I plan to do with my time off. For one, my fabulous friend Victoria offered to let me shadow her for a day at the Cleveland Clinic. Lately I've been thinking about going back to school, but I'm not sure what to study. I have been in the legal field for almost 8 years now, so I could get a degree as a paralegal, etc. The other possibility I've been considering is the medical field. Victoria is a perfusionist, but I would never aspire to anything quite that advanced. I really don't want to be in school for another 6-8 years. But what she does sounds pretty interesting (I think the machine she is responsible for oxygenates the blood during surgeries) and it would be cool to get the feel of the hospital environment and meet the peeps she works with. I am definitely looking forward to my day with her!!

Also, I'm going to a hockey game with my wonderfully wacky friend Angie next week. Sometimes I just LOVE living so close to downtown Cleveland. Seriously, I can make it to any event (Concert, football, baseball, basketball, hockey, you name it) in about 10-15 minutes. Now, how many have I actually taken advantage of? Well, I'm not big on sports, but I've been to one basketball game (thanks to free tickets from work), a few baseball games, and plenty of concerts. This will be my third hockey game this year. Angie took me to my first game courtesy of a friend of hers (Kristin rocks!) that had 6 free tickets. Then Victoria was offered free tickets through a marathon she ran in. She gave me the tickets because she had to work (Sorry, V). Now Angie and I are going to a game this Wednesday. Another friend had won the tickets in a church raffle and was selling them for $10 a piece. Not bad for 10th row down by the goal. Maybe someday I'll get first row!!

Lets see... what else? Well, Cleveland converted Jacob's Field (now Progressive Field - yuck!) into a winter wonderland and I really want to go. They're calling it "Snow Days" and it costs $25 for admission to everything, or you can pay separately for ice skating and snow tubing, etc. I have a feeling that none of my friends want to fork over that much money. I think the tubing appeals, but the skating not so much. Although I suck at ice skating, I really enjoy it and wish I had someone to do it with :*( There's all sorts of pretty lights and trees and even a maze. It only runs through January 2nd, so if I'm gonna go, I better get my butt in gear! If I can't make it happen, I hear that Brandywine has snow tubing, so maybe my friends and I will hit that up. Hey, if you live in Cleveland you gotta find a way to enjoy the snow!!!

Then there's New Years Eve. What to do? I'm definitely going out! I have never ever gone out on New Years before and I'm excited about not watching the ball drop from home. 2010 really sucked for me, so I'd love to get all dressed up and usher in a new year. It would be kind of fun to get all Gothed out... kind of like a funeral for 2010. I could wear something that says "R.I.P. 2010" and wear one of those sexy hats with a black veil and dark lipstick. Oh yeah! You can see it, right?

We'll see what other mischief I can get into before I have to go back to work....


 

Jailbait

So the other day I was talking to this file clerk at work. He asked if I'd ever been ice skating. I said that I had, and that I'd like to try skiing one day too. He asked if that was an invitation. I said "No, jailbait - but thanks for asking." Mind you, he just turned 18 and I'm 29. He comes back with, "Its skiing, not sex!" and I replied, "If it makes me sweaty, breathless, and sore then it's close enough!"

Neurotic Raccoon

My mom calls my dad a neurotic raccoon... jokingly.... sort of. He just has little quirks. Like after locking the car he has to pull on the door handle in bursts of five. OneTwoThreeFourFive (pause) OneTwoThreeFourFive (pause) OneTwoThreeFourFive. Then around to the other door. "Dad, the car automatically locks!" Its no use. After pulling on the door handles he has to run his fingers along the top crease of the window. "Dad, its the middle of winter.... in Cleveland. The windows have not been rolled down." No avail. Back to the other side to repeat the process again. I shit you not.

But I can't judge. For some reason when I'm at lunch at work, I like everything on the table to be at right angles. My phone's askew? I must straighten it. When taking out my bookmark from whatever cheesy romantic novel I'm reading (yesterday I was reading "Grave Witch" - today I started on "Styx's Storm" ~~ on an aside, who wouldn't want a Fae boyfriend or a Wolfman? ) I have to lay it neatly parallel to my phone. Mind you, I can function without being this precise, but I don't like to. I won't go into a seizure of panic if I don't fix it or anything. I read somewhere that the little stupid things we do aren't a big deal as long as they don't take up more than an hour of our day. If you have to spend more than that on your little quirks otherwise you will lose your effin mind, then you might want to seek help. You probably have OCD. Another thing - I have a paperclip holder with a separator in the middle. I keep the little paperclips on one side and the big ones on the other. If one happens to travel over to the other side without my permission, I HAVE to take the naughty little trespasser back home. I just have to. Call it OCD or whatever you like. There will be no little paperclips dunking with the big ones. Not allowed.

Its weird how our brains work. I think I also (crave?) repetition. In the shower I wash myself in the same order, every day, without fail. Throw something extra in the mix and I get all confused. I might even forget to wash something. What? Throw a pumice stone in the mix? But where will I fit it in? After I wash my face naturally. Before or after I wash my hair? Shave my legs? Armpits? Ahh... so much to consider. Anywho, back to repetition. I heard a song the other day, and I liked it - A LOT! In fact, although I've never used the i-tunes app on my phone, I brought it up and downloaded my veeerry firrst soong!!! YAY! The song is called "Mercy" by Band of Annuals.

I love when I find a song that makes me stop and say "wow!". Makes me want to pick up a guitar and learn how to play. Makes me want to carry a notebook around to jot down deep meaningful song lyrics. Yeah.... so I listened to the song for about three days. Steady repeat. No joke.  It was so simple, soft, soothing yet sad, lullaballic (like a lullaby ~ I can make up words if I want to). I liked his voice, the lyrics (about a drifter), really everything about it. I was tempted to look up more of their songs, but I really hate doing that.

Every time I hear a song that makes me go "Holy Shit! That's good! I think this could change my life!" I hear another song and am vastly disappointed. How can you go from drastic life changing genius lyrics to a song about... I don't know... getting ass or brawlin in a club or drugs?? I mean really!? So I haven't looked up any more of their music because I don't want to be let down. Weird, huh? Thinking back, I asked my mom when I was about 8 or 10 if Santa/The Tooth Fairy were real. She asked me if I really wanted to know. I thought about for a good while.... and said no. I didn't want to hear it. Guess not much has changed.

So ~ when I finally make my venture to Alaska (like in the movie "Into the Wild" except by vehicle instead of on foot/raft) this will be the music I listen to: Matchbox 20, Rob Thomas, Breaking Benjamin, Jim Bianco, Concrete Blonde, and "Mercy" by Band of Annuals. Maybe some Anna Nalick and 3 Doors Down too, for variety. I just might let Elvis in too. We'll see.

Listen, enjoy, and repeat. Heavy on the repeat.

Facebook

If you don't want people to know your business, then don't put it on effin facebook. Thank you.