Base Camp, Night One

I figured I'd record our travels to the inlaws over Thanksgiving, since we are actually 'roadtripping'. We decided to take the Great River Road north to Central Il, stopping at the local winieries along the way, and then cut due east across Il and In to the in-laws.

Today, we left the house a little late - didn't actually get on the road til around 10am, and by the time we fueled the cars and ourselves, it was closer to 10:30.

So - we drove, taking 51 most of the way north, cutting through Henning and Dyersburg and Ripley and a bunch of other little towns on our way to Hickman, Ky. We saw a sign for the Miss. River, early on, but once we realized that it was a 30 mile round trip out of our way, AND didn't have a ferry, we stayed on 51 instead.

In Hickman, we took a ferry across the river to Dorena, Mo. From Dorena, we took a closer look at the map, and realized that taking 61 north would keep us on the River Road, vs taking Yahoo's directions and staying on the major roads. So, after taking 102 to 105 t0 60W, we finally ended up on 61 - the first time we saw the vaunted River Road signs, too.

We made it to Cape Gieraduee (horrid spelling for a lovely little French Settler town), and upon realizing that 1) it was the biggest town for a while and 2) we wouldn't make it to Ste Gieneveve in time to visit the winieries, we decided to stay here overnight.

We tried the waterfront, but it reminded us of small, dull towns - the street was rolled up at 4pm, and half the shops looked permanently closed. Luckily, we found the visitors center, and scooped up some information about lodging.

We scored a hotel room, made a Target run for a few supplies, and then went back to the room for a little relaxation before dinner.

The hotel we were in offered a 20% off coupon for a nearby restaraunt, and the menu doesn't look half bad, so that's where we'll be going for dinner.

So far, I've enjoyed myself amazingly. I've never taken back roads on PURPOSE before, and it's an entirely different slice of America we're cutting through. The trees are lovely in their fall colors, and the corn stalks that are left are the most breathtaking shade of sunsilk gold ever.

The occasional 20MPH zones do drive me crazy, but I still prefer them over the times when we intersect with an interstate and the speed limit is suddenly 70MPH - I'm ENJOYING going slowly.

Today was totally not supposed to turn out this way - but I'm enjoying it. There really is no rush, and we have MORE than enough time to do all the things we want to, and even if we run out of time, guess what? We can always come back and do it again - I wanted to see the Indian Mounds, anyhow - and I knew we couldn't do it this trip.

I doubt that we'll spend any night sleeping in the car, even though we came prepared for that - I think it's a bit cold, personally.

I'll add pictures to it later tonight - we left the camera in the car.

Oh, and I think my period started today. Mrumph.

Oh my, oh my, oh my.....

So....I registered for the conference in Atlanta. It's seven hours away, so I'm debating driving vs. flying.... I'm going to have to rent a car either way, as if I drove, the hubby would need a car (assuming he doesn't have one by then) and if I fly, I'd need a car in Atlanta. Though, driving in Atlanta? Ick, ick, ICK. 

Holy Shit! I'm SOoooo flying - there's a round trip ticket for 150 bucks! I think I would want to take Thursday and Friday and Monday off - I could get in the city on Thursday, have fun, relax, do some stuff, then attend the conference Friday - Sunday, then fly back on Monday, and be back to work Tuesday.  I need to figure out how much vacation time I have.

*grin* I'm excited - I will go out clubbing, and have loads of fun - alllll by myselllfffff!

And yes, I'm sure I will see Jc. And maybe another one of mah boys. I haven't been BACK to ATL since I graduated - this should be sooo much fun. Memorriiiess...

Tertiary

So - the main players were: Myself. Paul. Erika. Phil. Luis. Allison. John. Sanjay. We allworked together, and for everyone excpet Paul (who lived there) it was our first time in Geneva. Paul worked at the site, and he was a wee bit of a party animal, so he took it upon himself to take us out and show us a GOOD time on the town.
We started as soon as we got off of work - around 7:00pm. Our first stop was to a lovely outdoor cafe - the drink of the night for the main players was rum & coke (diet coke for me!), and we started out with two or so drinks here. The cafe was in Old Town, so we were surrounded by old buildings, cobblestone streets, and lots of hills. After finishing the drink, we walked down the hill toa little bar/ resturant type place that sold tapas. We cohntinued to drink here - along with a WEE bit of food. After we ate, westayed there and took over a large section of the bar. Yet another thing that I thought was GREAT about Ge. - all the bars had real seating areas - with cushy chairs and couches that simply INVITED you to sit down and to get to know your neighbors - very nice. So - we sat there and ate and chatted until it was dark outside - which would have made it around 9:30pm or so. As we left this place, we walked by a stand that sold a lovely collection of postcards. I promptly snapped up several, figuring that I would not have to find anymore. Our next stop was barely a block away, and it was a basement bar. Once again, there was GREAT seating, and they had REALLY good music. The DJ was spinning mainly american R&B/HipHop tunes, and was mch better than any of the DJ's I've heard here (as in in Indy). We started getting into trouble at this point - when we opted to buy an entire BOTTLE of Bacardi instead of ordering it drink by drink. We finished off the bottle - that would be 1 bottle of rum divided by 8 people - and ALL of us had at LEAST 3 drinks before that. And oh MY - the bartenders do NOT pour light! We started feeling nice and light and loose, and we traisped off to yet another dancebar, but we lost two people - Allison and her husband John. They decided that they were a wee bit too old to keep up with us young lushes. We left them regretfully, and went to the next place - which was down a couple of hills and up a couple of hills and around the corner. It had to be around midnight at this point - maybe a little earlier. So - we get to the next bar and the FIRST thing we do is order yet ANOTHER bottle of Bacardi - now being divided amoung 5 people really as one of us (Erika) doesn't drink much (read at all, but we twisted her arm!) Luis, Paul (who at this point of enibriation was being called Pablo) and Phil all smoked - and me being the substance freak that I am, I HAD to taste one. Okay - why did noone ever tell me that cigs give you a FIERCE brain rush, or is it just me? ONE cigarette, and I felt like I had drank that entire bottle ON MY OWN. So - being wonderfully tipsy, and having ust watched Luis salsa with this cute Italian girl - I decided it was time to boogy my way onto the dance floor. OH. MY. GOD. I wanted to start singing Nelly - I've never been to a club that felt more like a HOT HOT basement party EVER. The fact that we actually WERE in the basement helped - but there felt like there were HUNDREDS of people down there. I danced myself damn near sober :(, and once I took a break, Pablo was ready to move on. We left, and we waited outside for Phil and Luis who were inside macking. I was hot, tired, and semi-sober, so I plopped my tail on the street. Erika, Sanjay & Pablo proceeded to give me the third degree about my dancing style (I get buckwild - I know I'm only dancing, and I let the men know that I'm ONLY DANCING - so what's the harm, eh?) We (being the loud Americans that we are) were being - loud. Apperently we were loud enough that the Swiss Police came to tell us to keep it down as it was 3am(!!!!) and we were surrounded by sleeping people. One of the interesting things about Ge. is that it's not really zoned. Bars are next to (or under) apartments and stores and schools. So - truly, we were in a MOSTLY residential neighborhood that happened to have a fabulous dance club in it. So - the boys finally came out - and we started heading to other bars, trying to find a stylish one that would let us in. Since we thought we were JUST going to bars - two of us had worn sneakers, and that caused a problem dress-code wise. We tried four different places, before one FINALLY had mercy on us and let us in. As we wandered around, I found a stall that was still open that sold PEACE flags. On of the first things I noticed in Ge. was that many of the apartment balconies had rainbow colored flags with either Paix, Peace or Pace on them. I found only ONE - with Pace on it, and promptly brought it. It had to be around 3:30/4am at this point - and MOST of us were still going strong. Luis and Sanjay were both getting worn out - and this last club had these BIG LONG Couches. Naturally - they BOTH went to sleep. In a club. Right NEXT to the dance floor. The poor things were EXHAUSTED. Those of us who were left standing then closed down the club (and half of yet ANOTHER bottle of Bacardi) - by the time we left, they had turned the lights on for us.
We left around 5am, and went to get something to eat. The very thought of food made my rum filled stomach do some very interesting flips, so I opted out. Pablo then suggested that we walked to the lake and wathc the sun rise - which was going to happen in another hour or so. On our way to the lake - poor Luis simply had enough and collapsed (read - passed out) onto the ground. We refused to just LEAVE him there, and when hand tugging and general noise didn't bring him off the ground, we took tougher measures. I straddled his waist and began to tickle him (he's VERY VERY ticklish) and Phil (who happens to be a good friend of the very straight Luis) sat on his FACE! *laughs* That popped him up - and we finished our walk to the lakeside. We sat, ate, chatted, tired to keep Luis awake (me and Pable were really the only ones still going strong) and 'watched' the sun rise. I say 'watched' because it was so dang cloudy, we never really SAW the sun rise, it just got lighter and so we KNEW it had risen. We finally gave up on seeing the sun really well and caught cabs back to the hotel. I walked back into my room at 6:53am. I had woken UP on Friday at 6:30am. I haven't been awake for 24 hours straight in YEARS, and I can never remember feeling quite so good at the end of the 'day'.
At some point during the night - all those lovely postcards vanished. *sigh* I'm going back (YAYYY!!!!) in July, and I will be SURE to get more and actually send them out.
The rest of the week was actually rather dull! We worked, went out to a great Thai place for dinner one night, and managed to close out the hotel bar EVERY night. Those of us who were leaving Friday morning tired to duplicate Firday night on Thursday, but since the Ge. people had to go to work the next day, we ended up back at the hotel at a very decent hour of 12:30am.
I had wisely packed Thursday afternoon before we went to dinner, so when I woke up a mere 15 minutes before the shuttle left for the airport to catch my plane, I was rather calm - tired as HELL - but calm.

I really can't wait to go back. Heh. I'm going to see if me & The Boy can duplicate a night like that here - I'm sure it's doable.

Secondary

I've never truly considered moving out of the US, but having stayed in Geneva for two weeks (though I must admit - had I been there for the G8 riots I MIGHT not be saying this) I could REALLY see myself moving to Switzerland. The city was GOREGOUS - imagine (if you can) NYC - but! spotlessly clean, no-one living under the poverty level, polite, and a disgusting low crime rate. Toss a lovely lake in the middle of the city and surround it by historail buildings, and voila! You've got a good idea of the general atmosphere of Ge.
The flights over were good - we tried to get an upgrade, but the dlight was overbooked, so we settled into coach. Luckily, both me and my coworker are short, so that didn't bother us too much - but the FOOD!! This is my first time taking a really long trip in any level other than first or business, and now I TRULY understand the comments I've always heard about airplane food. *gag*.
After getting settled in, the four of us who were on that flight met some of our other coworkers in the lobby and went out to dinner. Three of them became my hanging buddies - sadly enough I have to wonder if it was because we were the only young people of color there. Eh - there was Luis, Phil, Erika & me. We managed to close down the bat almost EVERY night that we were there - except the first Saturday night (we were busy doing other things) and in general had a really good time. *laugh* I think that I may have made some work/outside work accquaintences - I got the most EXCELLENT compliment of being referred to as a biatch the last night I was there, and that's REALLY saying a lot.
I truly enjoyed 8 out of the 9 days of work that I had there. I think I did more learning and gained a greater understanding of what the hell we are doing in those two weeks than I have in the past 2 YEARS. It's a shame that more people can't go to the AA's... they would learn so much. I like the Swiss work day as well - they come in between 8:30 and 9, take an hour lunch, and leave at 5 - like logical, normal people do when they work for a company that really respects the work/life balance. Our days tended to be longer than their's - we tried to be there by 8, and usually didn't leave until 6:30 - 7pm.
The evenings TOTALLY made up for the long days though. Ge. is about a spit over a hill away from France, and so the food is VERY french. However - the city is SO very cosmopolitian, I saw almost every ethinicity of food represented there was, and had some of the BEST Thai food ever the second week there.
As I was there, I realized something rather interesting - I'm a REALLY social person. I LIKE being out with people, talking, flirting, connecting & all that with new people. It's - FUN. But I still haven't figured out how to generate that same kind of energy without HAVING to be forced together....
The first week, while I wasn't taking notes or listening intensely, I was looking for things to do in the city. I kinew that I would be ableto take Wednesday 'off', and I figured that I should go out and see a little of the city on my own. I figured that I would be out WITH people for mostof the weekend, and I knew there were some places that I wanted to go that they might not have been interested in. I decided to got to the Plain Palais flea market, the Patak Phillpe museum and a Gallery of Contemporary Photography.
The day, I geared myself up, armed with dirctions, adresses, bus schedules, and a little Berlitz book on Switzerland I found in the Indy airport. I LOVE riding public transportation - and love it even more since I know how driving is! I was able to shameslessly gawk or simply withdraw into myself. It's a very nice abdication of responsibility. I made it to all three places - I'm such a touchy feely kinda girl! I was rubbing my hands over EVERYTHING in that flea market - I loved being able (and almost EXPECTED) to handle all the goods. It took me about 3 hours to get through the whole place, but all I left with was a small bag, two saris, 3 pearl bracelets, and a french-english dictionary. About 90% of the people I met spoke passable english - but I thought it would be a useful thing.
The Patek Phillpe museum was STUNNING. The top two floors of the museum were all historical watches - and MAN! If I could find watches like that NOW I would be overjoyed to have a collection. They were all (at least the small ones) more jewelry than watch. And the colors! Oh - the enamel glittered in blues and reds and greens and they wer eaccented by tiny delicate paintings and gold and diamonds. *sigh* SO beautiful. I rushed through the last floor - after seeing THOSE beauties, watch after watch on a plain band were rather dull.
The Gallery was cool - it was a VERY small one with a photographic library upsatirs. They only had two exhibits - one was a series of self portraits - one taken every day ofthe year. The other exhibit was a collection of images of shrines - the impromptu kind that pop up all over the US anywhere someone dies ina car accident or a shooting or something. Both of the exhibits really made me THINK about what I percieve to be art - I really enjoyed both of those exhibits, yet I know that if the idea had come to me to take either of those type of pictures - I would have immeadiately dismissed them as not being artistic enough. After looking at both of those, I went upstairs and browsed in the library - I was deeply regretful that I do not read french, otherwise I would have purchased several of the books there.
It was close to 7 by the time I left there, and I wanted to get back into the hotel in time to catch SOMEONE going out - after all of that time on my own, I was really looking forward to hanging out with people who understand my english. I can't even remember where we went - some resturant (I can only DEFINITELY remember where I went on the first Thursday and the second Wednesday) - and then we closed out the bar AGAIN. What is it about young people in a mixed group, iof you get enough time & alcohol in us we ALWAYS start talking about sex? I refuse to believe that it is just THAT much on our mind! Or maybe it's just ME! *laughs* I truly believe there are some things that you should NEVER know about people you have to work with. But - it was LOADS of fun.

Okay - I'm almost out of characters, and I neeed to go to bed - so I'm going to have to save the outrageous doings of the weekend (during which I lost all my postcards, and tickled a passed-out coworker) for tommorow's writing.

Initial

Wow.... it's been how long (close to a month) since I've written last? And by written, I mean a REAL entry.

For the high level overview: 3 normal planes rides to Geneva, 1 week in Geneva, 1 outrageous weekend in Geneva, my first cigarette, 1 more week in Geneva, 3 normal plane rides home, 1 weekend of grilling, 1 week of my 'real' job, 1 wedding worthy weekend, 1 mad spate of redecorating, 1 dress purchased, several fabulous days with the light of my life, 1 purchase of a membership, 1 wonderful thrift store trip, several more random barbequing episodes, the Witches Meeting, my first visit to an Irish Pub...and I THINK that's about it.

Now - we all know the devil is in the details. I'm working on a pictoral tour of my trip (including the COOLEST toilet I've EVER seen), but I'm dragging my feet about resizing the hundred odd pictures I have ONE by ONE so that I can put them on a webpage that loads before the next day. Until I finish that - I should write down the trip (though I doubt I'll ever forget it) shall insure that I don't miss too much. I took several travelouge style notes, and took some memory jolting pictures.

So - lets follow A'ishah, shall we?

Who wants a postcard from Switzerland???

Yup - I'm sending em out. I've only been here a day, and really - it's a LOVELY place. And, it looks like I will have a couple of chances to get out on my own, so I'm excited.

Email your snail mail addys to me at greengoddess@jazzyblue.net, and I'll send em out.


Au Revoir!

Departing

I don't get nervous/excited/anxious until the day of. It's almost standard procedure for me - no matter how long (or short) I have until a major event I don't really FEEL anything until the day of. I might mentally worry or fret, but the physical/emotional is totally calm. It's rather nice...

I could barely stay in bed long enough to write my morning pages today - I was intensely eager to get going. First I took the cats to the kennel - and I can't BEGIN to tell you how guilty I felt as I left them. I don't know why - but oh I felt (feel) so bad about having to leave them in a kennel. From this, I have just confirmed that it will break my heart to have to leave my kids in daycare.
After that - I ran some last errands, picked up my shoes, and got some batteries. GOt home at noon, and cooked, ate and cleaned. I'm done packing, and I just have to sit on my hands and wait until 2 when I'm going to call the cab.

My only worry is that it has been SERIOUSLY storming - tornado watches and all, and I'm hoping that they will clear out before 5 - and that they are not going west. Cuz if I have to rearrange my flight, I'm going to get a verrrah bad feeling about this trip. Eh.

Is it sad that I have an entire bag that is soley for my shoes and pocketbooks? I think I would be more traumatized if THAT bag got lost than if my clothes got lost. I hate buying shoes - I have wide flat feet, and it's rare to find a pair of CUTE shoes that fit and are comfortable. So each pair of shoes I own (and it's only like 12 pairs) is VERY valuable to me, as they are each treasures. The clothes are easy to replace.

I have to get my pilates tape back from my coworker when I get back - I'm getting back to that point I was at in HIGH SCHOOL where the everything on me is proportionate to a size but my belly. In other words - if my belly was a wee bit smaller, I'd be like a perfect 16. I lose weight from my tummy last and I don't know if I will EVER have a flat tummy since I've had a round tummy since birth, no matter how skinny the rest of me was. So - I'm going to have to start doing some intense belly toning to offset the extra fat that is there.

I've also noticed something changing about myself - I'm no longer ashamed of my body. Like if I wear something that touches my belly occasioanlly - I don't really feel the need to hunch over, or suck in, or conceal it - i just accept it. It's part of my body, and there's really nothing wrong with that. It's not like I'm talking about flashing my cellulite - but just coming to terms with the shape I'm in and not feeling like I should conceal myself from others for the sole reason that I'm bigger than most of them. I think I'm actually becoming COMFORTABLE with who I am. It's sad that I had to lose weight for this to happen... but still.

1:14....

Stylin'

So - I'm going to go and buy some CLOTHES!! WHOO HOOO!!!

Okay - I'm going to need at least 7 unique outfits that can be combined with each other, plus 3 weekend outfits, plus 2 travel outfits cuz I KNOW what I wore to get there I'm not going to want to wear to come back home.
I plan on going home today and ravishing my closet to see what in there is in any sort of professional looking condition. I feel like I can get away with looking half-asssed at work in the US, but I think that I should look A LOT more professional going to meet these new people that I'm going to be working with. In other words - 2 WEEKS of pantyhose. Oh my.
I was in Walmart and I tried on a 12/14 jacket. I could put it on, but I could't button it - however I know that a full 14 might fit, and a full 16 will definitely fit, so that's cool.
One of my favorite shows is "What Not to Wear" (both the UK and the US version). I told Corey that if he ever feels the need to sign me up for one of those "Makeover" shows, I won't be the least bit upset at him. In fact, everytime I watch WNTW, I start to drool just THINKING about having 5K to spend on a whole new wardrobe.

I'm going to go home tonight and figure out what I can wear and what I'm missing - like I know I need a nice black blouse and a pair of nice black heels and maybe a pair of brown ones - and put together a list so that I can take it with me to the store tomorrow night. It's really high time that I do this, since every warm day, it takes me close to 45 minutes to find an appropiate outfit to wear. *sigh* I plan on keeping all of my sweaters from this past winter just in case I end up being pregnant during the winter time. I don't plan on getting pregnant for at least another few years, and by that time I should be small enough that they can be ready made maternity clothes.

This should really be fun.

Whoosh

I just deleted a very whiny entry about my impending two week trip to Switzerland, because really - what good does that do me? Instead - I'm going to handle this in a more adult manner. I'm going - at this point there is no way I could get out of going - but I can determine how I'm going to react to going.
Yes, I'm going to have to spend a good bit of money that I really didn't PLAN on spending - but the clothes I need anyway, and the cat's shots they need, and the kennel fees - well I'll just have to suck those up.
So - I've got a free weekend in SWITZERLAND!!! What should I do over the weekend? The site might set up a few suggested weekend trips, but I don't HAVE to go on those trips. And I've no problem striking out on my own - so I need to see if I can get any ideas of what to do. I've now got several errands to run - I need a guide book, and some clothes, and shoes. *gulp* I'm asking for an extension on one of my credit cards. I don't get paid until next Thursday, and I definitely need a lil extra moolah - and I don't want to use the 'specific' card.

Whoo. I think I'm just a little overwhelmed is all - I totally didn't expect to go, and to have to get ready for a two week (international) trip in a little under 4 days is well - overwhelming. And I don't think that I will really get excited until I know that everything is settled, and hell... that most likely won't be until I get on the Chicago-London branch of the trip.

Eep.

I just found out I'm going to Switzerland for a WEEK. Oh my.

Loser

I never thought I would have the patience to reall lose weight. I'm definitely a child of my times - I want it right and I want it NOW. But - this time, I've managed to stick with it - which is actually relly exceptional for me.
My weight loss has slowed down A LOT - I'm losing about a pound or so a week - some weeks I actually lose two. Going from dropping 4 pounds in a week to 2 is a bit of a shock, but - it's the little things that keep me going.
Last night, I fit back into my graduation dress - which is a 16W. In 8 months, I've gone from a 22/24 to a 16. That's FOUR dress sizes. Wow. The odd thing is that - I honestly can't see it. My clothes are getting bigger, I really need to buy all new bras, my undies are getting bigger - but I can't/don't really SEE myself as any smaller. Even my coworkes comment on the weight I've lost - and it actually kinda scares me that I don't really look any smaller to myself in the mirror. I wonder at what point will I be able to look in the mirror and think 'Wow. I've REALLY lost a lot of weight'. Actually - I think that maybe taking a picture would be better.
That's what catapulted me onto the path of I 'HAVE' to lose weight - a picture. Last March, me and Corey went on a trip to St. Louis, and while we were there, we had someone take pictures of us in front of the Arch. I looked at those pictures when I finally got them developed (Mid April) and I was HORRIFIED. I was HUGE - a walking embodiement of being big as a house. It took me a few more months, but finally I just buckled down to it.

Eh. Rambly, rambly entry.

It's friday! I get to see my light tonight! :) :) Too many hours left..

Cold

Winter always stirs conflicts in me, since i can't decide between liking the season for it's beauty or hating the season for the inconvinence it always causes.

I drove to KY to visit with Corey this weekend, despite the wetherman's threats, and the fresh snow that was falling as I left the house on Saturday. I drove slowly, secure in the fact that I have a car that is almost as heavy as a small SUV and has all-wheel drive. The road conditions weren't too bad - and as I got further from Indy, they actually became clearer.
It was gorgeous - the whole drive there. The sun was slowly peeking through the colds and the world was pure dazzling white. A single strip of dark gray marked the road, and the occasional spots of a colored car going west were the only bits of color that I could see. It took me almost 2 hours to complete a trip that is usually only 1 hour & 15 minutes - but the visual entertainment made it go by almost as fast.

Our weekends are always good - always way too short since we try to pack a week's worth of interaction and catching up on sleep and running errands into a mere two days - but we coexisist in such peace that our mad dashes don't seem to be quite as irratating as they would be if we were doing them alone.
He loved his early-birthday gifts (as I knew he would) and we didn't even mention Valentines Day to each other. We came to a happy agreement on that holiday our first year together, and I don't think that we have mentioned it since.

My trip back home is always longer than the trip there - both mentally and timewise. I leave on Monday morning, and the only thing that I'm looking forward to at the end of the trip is arriving at my warm house and being greeted by the cats. The snow that swooped through the midwest did a nice job on the roads and I found myself driving a very cautious 30mph most of the way to work. The trip bavk took close to three hours - but the only thing more beautiful than fresh snow in the moonlight is fresh snow at dawn.
I hated every moment of my drive back - the lack of speeding while I drive always gets me down - but the COLORS...some of the palest pastel blues and pinks and greens I've ever seen were reflected in the snow as the sun made it's slow ascent behind the clouds. The highway was mostly deserted, and I would look in the rear view mirror and see nothing but slowly lightening darkness behind me.

It's a horrid horrid season - but it's an amzingly pretty one at the same time. I truly wished that I had a good digital camera with me - I would have stopped several times.

Of course - I wouldn't have gotten OUT of the car. There is nothing pretty enough for me to suffer winds in the single digits. Nothing.

*Yanks on hair* AGGGHHHHHH!!!!

Okay. I’m about to really go ape-shit over here… so I need to put together a calendar.


June 15 – get paid
June 15 – make arrangements for driving classes
June 15 – apply for passport.
June 18 – July 6 – Take driving lessons
July 6 – Aug 1 – Test drive cars
July 9 – Decide whether to give Apartment 30 day notice
July 13 – Get paid (a Friday!)
Aug 6 – Take driving test
Aug 7 – buy Car
Aug 8 – 14 – move (possibly)
Aug 15 – Get Paid
Aug 20 – go to Spain
Sept 3 – Return to Indy.

Hm. Actually not too bad after all. By the time I want to get the car, I will have saved up enough for insurance (no doubt) and (maybe) deposit and the like on the apartment.

So… what worries do I have?

1) That I won’t find an apartment that I like for a good price.
a. Well… that can be handled by getting a short lease somewhere (anywhere) safe & cheap so that I can afford the car…and then I can move again in January or March. I don’t HAVE to have something precisely perfect right away.

2) That I won’t like the car or it won’t fit me right
a. Well… that is really a minor worry placed in my head by someone else. *shrugs* To me a car is a car… a device to get from point a to point b. As long as it gets me there safely, and doesn’t eat up shitloads of gas… I think I will be happy.

3) That I won’t pass my driving test.
a. Pshaw. I just included that to acknowledge the fact that it might happen. After I take these classes, that will really be the LAST thing that I am going to stress over.

4) That I won’t get my passport on time.
a. Well… It tends to take 6 weeks. If I get the application in next week, that gives me almost 8 weeks to get it back. And since I’m doing this through the company, that reduces the worries even more.

5) That I will have serious money crunch issues.
a. Well…lately I have been having the absolute best of luck/chance/blessing when it has come to money. I’m not sure how long this will last, so I am just doing the best with it that I can. Also, as I have a relatively immediate need/desire for ‘extra’ money, I will be much much more aware about saving and keeping my grubby fingers OUT of my savings account. Also, while I am in Spain, I will be totally on the company dollar, so that will be less money that I am spending.


What kinda threw me for a worry worry fret fret loop was the fact that I found out today that I AM going to Spain…even though I had been told for the past few weeks/months that I would NOT be going to Spain. And since the time that I would be going to Spain is about the same time that I wanted to move I was a little worried. While it does cramp my style a LITTLE… *shrugs* I’m really not going to stress it… now that I have it laid out all nice and pretty on paper.

*sighs* No more stress.

Stay Jazzed.