Back to it

I have been such a slacker this week. I got back Tuesday night, but have not been on here or even bothered to down load my vacation pictures yet. Stay tuned, I am hoping to get to it over the weekend.

Reality really does bite doesn't it? I miss Tybee.

Within 2 hours of getting back to work, I found out as of April 2 I will be working 12-14 hour days, THROUGH the EASTER HOLIDAY WEEKEND on a project that just two weeks before we had scheduled to be completed by the end of April. Now it has to be done over Easter and of course I am going to be working through the company holidays. What a load a cr*p.

Am I surprised? No. Disgusted? Yes.

I am trying not to get upset about it; it won't do me any good and there's nothing I can do about it. One thing is for sure, it's the last Easter Holiday I will ever work.

Moving on...

Spring has marched into North Carolina with a vengence. The NC I left is not the one I came back to post-vacation. It's absolutely beautiful here. The trees are bursting with colored buds- whites, yellows, reds, pinks.. it's really amazing. The colors are different here than in Missouri, Ohio, or California.

The Magnolia trees I think are my favorite. There are absolutely everywhere! I have only seen one or two in a place before- but here everyone has some; we have one right outside the bedroom window and it's covered in huge pink blooms. Everythings greening up in a hurry, like it's a race. I feel so excited about it!

This winter we only really lost the leaves on the trees, we have a lot of pine trees and they stayed green, the grass lost a little color but was still green, and some flowers kept their blooms over the winter. It's nice when everything doesn't just die. I am really appreciating the spring show I must say.

The weather has been great; it's been in the low 70s since I got back, today and for the weekend it is supposed to be about 80. So happy, tired of taking a jacket.

This morning Rob and I are taking the foon (dog typhoon) to the MS Walk; we are walking 5 miles this morning for fundraising. I think it's going to be great; the dogs are going to love it I am sure.

Speaking of, I better get rolling.

Pre Vacation

The Pre-Vacation was quite possibly the best idea I have ever had. I had a fantastic time. I needed it. Got back last night, and tomorrow morning I head out for Savannah. This rocks.

I posted some of the pics I took in the photo album. I managed to make it out to hike in the White Tanks on Thursday and then Friday Joe and I headed up to Sedona and did some hiking. We climbed Cathedral Rock too; after climbing in the White Tanks the day before I thought my legs were going to give out. The view from up there was just as spectacular as I remember.

The AZ Beer Festival was Sat and we hooked up with Johnson and his girlfriend, Elizabeth. I fantastic and drunken time was had by all.

Sunday we topped it off with a Spring Training Game in Peoria to see the Mariners and the White Sox. Great game. The highlight of it had to be this lady, who walked in dressed in pink with a matching stupid pink straw hat, who sat her ass down directly in front of us and popped up her umbrella!

Amazing. I wanted to ask her what it was like to be the only person sitting in the lawn seats. What a stupid b*tch. If she was hiding from the sun under an umbrella (uh lady, it's Arizona) what was the point of the stupid pink hat? She sat there blocking the view until we all complained and they sent over the volunteers.

The first time a guy talked to her, she just put the umbrella behind her. It took a second volunteer insisting that she put the umbrella down completely for her to actually do so.

The irony of this is not lost on me. 400 people sitting in the lawn or something like that a the stupid b*tch with the umbrella plops her *ss in front of me.

So maybe the karma for this came back to me, because if you can believe it I had the entire row on my SW flight back home completely to myself. I didn't know any airline flew with empty seats anymore.

The whole flying thing went pretty well. I was actually pretty amused to walk through security with my carry on back and my little TSA approved plastic baggy with my chapstick, eyedrops, and hand santizier.

Stoopid.

Whatever. Bring on St. Pats. Phil arrives this afternoon and tomorrow we are on the road.

Let the games begin!

Minimum Acceptable Shit-Together Requirement

Maybe I am not as jaded as I thought.... because sometimes people still manage to surprise me.

Without a doubt, I don't always feel like a grown up. Honestly, I hope I never do. But you know what, at some point we all have to get our sh*t together. Some people are more together than others and most of us embody the concept a little differently. Sometimes were are walking a fine line, sometimes we go over the line and come back, and some people are just born with their sh*t together.

But at some point in your life you have to grow up enough, or have your shit minimually together to the point not being a f_cking douche bag don't you? I mean, come on. I am sure that there is no hard-fast rule on this, but cr*p I think when you are looking down the barrel of being 30, it's time.

We all deal with people who don't have their sh*t together professionally, probably daily, right? Okay so that is part of the job. But in your real life (the life outside of work) you only have to deal with people like that if you continue to humor them or allow them entry into your life.

So I am annoyed and it's my fault. I have allowed this to happen. It's time to take stock. I do that once in while, like Spring Cleaning. Puts things into perspective, time to reassess. I am no longer willing to deal with people (outside of work) who are complete f*cking disasters or walking douche bags.

Done.

It's all in vain

I can finally breate. It's over. The project that I have been fully immersed in for the last two weeks and completely controlled by for the last 7 months is done and signed.

*Deep Breath*

It's nice, I finally have my first feeling of accomplishment at this place; as painful as it was, it's done and it's over. At least for a while, they are planning a phase 2 in about 5 months. It'll never happen so I am not worrying about.

On the negative side of this, this was actually the least painful working project I had on my plate. The others are really spectacularly large steaming piles of failure. Oh well. Technically I don't really have to care until after March 2; and even that is subject to debate.

I am still exhauted; I put myself through hell. Working 13 hours or more a day, missed a lot of meals, for the meals I did catch I ate complete crap. I can't believe my heart didn't stop from the breakfast biscuits at Bojangles.

Man, the look on their face's there when you roll in about 5:30 am on like 5 hours sleep for the 10th day in a row and order a Egg and Cheese Biscuit-- don't you want chicken? No. No chicken? Sausage? No. Bacon? No. Just cheese and egg PLEASE! ARRGGH!

I ate a salad yesterday at lunch to celebrate and I thought my body was going to reject it. I went to the gym and I thought I was going to pass out. I feel SO unhealthy.

And the best part, it might get better between now and March 13, but starting March 14 I am going to eat nothing but seafood and plastic cheese and drink nothing but Jack Daniels and beer. (I can almost taste the Sweetwater). So whatever good I do for myself in the meantime, it's all in vain.

And I cannot f-ing wait.

Brilliant

I am still here. I fell off the planet these last couple weeks, but slowly I am clawing my way back on. I have worked I think 140 some hours in the last 12 days. I feel like hell. I barely know who I am or what I am doing. This morning I actually have a few hours this morning that I don't have to be at work, so I am kicking around the house trying to remember what it is like to be human.

This crazy project will be officially over by tomorrow morning, barring no unforseen bullsh*t, everyone keep your fingers crossed for me. The plan is for me to only have to be in long enough to get the run report done and out for approval; then I won't be holding it any product from being shipped, it'll be everyone else and that I am fine with.

It's been an interesting couple of weeks in the midst of the madness. Among other things, I have decided it might be time for me to choose a different career path, I think I have had enough of this one. I used to love what I do, but in the 7 months I have been at the new job, I dread it and it's been making me physically ill. Bad sign. Not sure where to go from here, but it's time to consider it.

I have also been feeling the desert calling me. Been going on for a few months now, and it's been getting louder and louder. It cannot be ignored. This project has been so painful, I have decided that I am willing to give my air rage recovery another try. Not traveling for buisness, pleasure only and we'll see how it goes.

Last night I jumped on line and bought a round trip ticket to Phoenix. My @ss is out of here. I am going back to the desert to see The Joe Show and do some pre-vacation warm up drinking at the Arizona Beer Festival. Ahh. I can almost taste it. Been like 2 years now since I made it back. It's time. I already feel like this is EXACTLY what I need. I am going to some Spring Training Games, going hiking in the White Tanks, and maybe I'll head up towards Monument Valley or Sedona. It's time.

Jumping on a plane or taking off at the last minute has always been my thing and the air rage and the job BS has taken it away from me. And the air rage is part of the job thing, so I think it's time for me to take it back.

And no, I am not flying Delta. F*ck Delta.

I'll be back on the 12th, so I can spring Master P from RDU on the 13th, so the main attraction can begin on the 14th.

This whole pre-vacation idea is f*cking brilliant isn't it?