Ever notice how it's always quiet right before something big is about to happen? I'm sure you have. And that can be both before an actual storm brought to us my Mother Nature or before all hell breaks loose in your life.
We're supposed to get a huge snowstorm tonight. I'm home today on one of my 'mental days off' and it is so quiet outside. Maybe it's always like that in the suburbs, but it seem like everything is insanely still and dead silent.
I guess we'll see what this storm brings us tonight!
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Monday, January 28, 2008
I'm beat!
I just got back from another trip to FL (for work - not fun). I gotta say, it hit me last week pretty bad... I'm burnt out!!
It's not so much just the traveling, but what I'm doing when I travel... deal with the same people, on the same issues, over, and over, and over again. It gets tiresome. So this week I made sure it was a quick trip - as close to a day trip as I can get (only one night, instead of three nights, in a hotel). Okay... that's a start.
The next step... take a few mental days off of work entirely!! I'm doing that later this week. I'm taking Thursday and Friday off to just chill and catch up on my life! I'm behind on doing things around the house, I've dropped off the face of the earth with some friends (at least I feel like I have), and i just need to get away from the grind!
Normally, I'd never take PTO days unless I had good plans for them - like a trip somewhere. Well, at the beginning of the year when I realized how much I have to use (and the fact that I even lost a couple of days last year since they don't roll-over), I decided "F- it!" I have the time to use, so I'm going to use it when I want 'just because.' So long as I have about a week at the end of the year to go see the family for the holidays, I'm good. I'll plan other trips accordingly, but I'll still have some days to use, and I'm going to do just that. No guilt for taking time off... just do it!
So here's to using your PTO for 'mental days'... it's for your own sanity, dammit!!
It's not so much just the traveling, but what I'm doing when I travel... deal with the same people, on the same issues, over, and over, and over again. It gets tiresome. So this week I made sure it was a quick trip - as close to a day trip as I can get (only one night, instead of three nights, in a hotel). Okay... that's a start.
The next step... take a few mental days off of work entirely!! I'm doing that later this week. I'm taking Thursday and Friday off to just chill and catch up on my life! I'm behind on doing things around the house, I've dropped off the face of the earth with some friends (at least I feel like I have), and i just need to get away from the grind!
Normally, I'd never take PTO days unless I had good plans for them - like a trip somewhere. Well, at the beginning of the year when I realized how much I have to use (and the fact that I even lost a couple of days last year since they don't roll-over), I decided "F- it!" I have the time to use, so I'm going to use it when I want 'just because.' So long as I have about a week at the end of the year to go see the family for the holidays, I'm good. I'll plan other trips accordingly, but I'll still have some days to use, and I'm going to do just that. No guilt for taking time off... just do it!
So here's to using your PTO for 'mental days'... it's for your own sanity, dammit!!
Thursday, January 17, 2008
I get to sleep in my own bed tonight!
Okay... so I'm home for about 24 hours right now. Actually, it's about 26 hours.
Sadly, traveling the way I do makes me get very excited about spending the night at home, alone, sleeping in my own bed. You never realize how comfy your own bed truly is until you only get a couple of nights a week in it, and the rest of the week you're hotel hopping. Some of those beds are harsh! :P
So yeah... I'm back on a plane tomorrow night to go to one of those very rare weekend meetings in Florida. Granted, with the weather coming into Indiana this weekend, I'm not really going to complain. Though it's that much harder to come back to when it gets real cold here.
Well, I do need to stop procrastinating and go repack my bag for tomorrow. I can do that in my sleep anymore, but it's still just a pain to do in general. If only I had a large sum of money that I could plop down and get myself a Florida home. Then I'd never have to pack for one of these trips again (unless I wanted to). That'd be cool.
Sadly, traveling the way I do makes me get very excited about spending the night at home, alone, sleeping in my own bed. You never realize how comfy your own bed truly is until you only get a couple of nights a week in it, and the rest of the week you're hotel hopping. Some of those beds are harsh! :P
So yeah... I'm back on a plane tomorrow night to go to one of those very rare weekend meetings in Florida. Granted, with the weather coming into Indiana this weekend, I'm not really going to complain. Though it's that much harder to come back to when it gets real cold here.
Well, I do need to stop procrastinating and go repack my bag for tomorrow. I can do that in my sleep anymore, but it's still just a pain to do in general. If only I had a large sum of money that I could plop down and get myself a Florida home. Then I'd never have to pack for one of these trips again (unless I wanted to). That'd be cool.
Sunday, January 13, 2008
No more football :(
So football is over. For me, anyway.
College football is well over, with Auburn's last game back on New Year's Eve at the Peach Bowl. We beat Clemson. A good way to end things. Auburn is always good football to watch. And I was even pretty thrilled that, once again, an SEC team whooped up on Ohio State for the title, even if it wasn't Auburn that did the whooping. Last year, we were the National Champion's only loss (I HATE the Gators). This year we don't have that claim to fame, but we still gave them (LSU) a good fight in the regular season.
On the NFL front, my Jaguars ended their season yesterday with a loss in the second round of the playoffs to the Patriots. At least it was a good team to lose to - they are undefeated this year. But it still bums me out. I so badly want to see them in the Super Bowl. They've made it as far as the AFC Championship game (against the Titans), but that was many years ago. If we can keep up the momentum from this year, though, and increase on it some more next year, we have a pretty good chance. I just hope no one does anything stupid in the off season (trades or otherwise).
So football is over. I don't know what to do with myself now. That's my sport of choice to watch. I guess NASCAR starts soon, and then my Cubbies start back up in the spring... but in the meantime, I guess it's truly time to hibernate.
College football is well over, with Auburn's last game back on New Year's Eve at the Peach Bowl. We beat Clemson. A good way to end things. Auburn is always good football to watch. And I was even pretty thrilled that, once again, an SEC team whooped up on Ohio State for the title, even if it wasn't Auburn that did the whooping. Last year, we were the National Champion's only loss (I HATE the Gators). This year we don't have that claim to fame, but we still gave them (LSU) a good fight in the regular season.
On the NFL front, my Jaguars ended their season yesterday with a loss in the second round of the playoffs to the Patriots. At least it was a good team to lose to - they are undefeated this year. But it still bums me out. I so badly want to see them in the Super Bowl. They've made it as far as the AFC Championship game (against the Titans), but that was many years ago. If we can keep up the momentum from this year, though, and increase on it some more next year, we have a pretty good chance. I just hope no one does anything stupid in the off season (trades or otherwise).
So football is over. I don't know what to do with myself now. That's my sport of choice to watch. I guess NASCAR starts soon, and then my Cubbies start back up in the spring... but in the meantime, I guess it's truly time to hibernate.
Friday, January 11, 2008
Fate has an odd sense of humor... (part 2)
So why is it that everyone can't be happy at the same time?
After a long period of time of being shut out and put down, one person finds happiness only to stand by and watch a friend that seemed to have all the happiness in the world, lose it. That's not even right.
On the same token, have you ever noticed how hard it is to have all aspects of your life on the upswing or peak? There always seems to be something going down or completely trashed in your life. It may be a minor item, but it's always something.
But I guess on the flip side, there usually always something on the positive in your life, no matter how bad the rest is. I know for me it's always been my family and I'm grateful for that.
After a long period of time of being shut out and put down, one person finds happiness only to stand by and watch a friend that seemed to have all the happiness in the world, lose it. That's not even right.
On the same token, have you ever noticed how hard it is to have all aspects of your life on the upswing or peak? There always seems to be something going down or completely trashed in your life. It may be a minor item, but it's always something.
But I guess on the flip side, there usually always something on the positive in your life, no matter how bad the rest is. I know for me it's always been my family and I'm grateful for that.
Monday, January 7, 2008
Fate has an odd sense of humor...
So I was thinking... Fate has an odd way of doing things. It always seems to be the case that as soon as you stop looking for something, you have it practically dropped in your lap. Often, what you were looking for was in front of you the entire time. Or, what you're looking for just comes at the most inopportune time for you, where it just seems impossible to work it into your life. Sometimes it even comes from the last place you'd expect it to come from.
Now, life seems to work in a combination of the above. Sometimes just one thing, something all of the above, but rarely none of the above. I think it's most interesting when it's all of the above though - makes for more of a challenge. And what's life without challenges?
But it still makes you wonder. Why does fate like to play some many games? Anyone who knows me probably knows that I'm a big believer in fate. So I'm not knocking the idea of it. But it's so crazy to look around at your life, as well as others in your life, and wonder how you all got put together, especially when you come from so many places (geographically and philosophically). I think it's true that people come into your life for a reason, a season, or a lifetime, the the later being the hardest to come by and the most valuable for the same reason. But it doesn't make the first two any less important. They're just there for different reason.
Oh well. Enough philosophical thinking for a Monday. This could just all be in my head. I am a bit of an oddity, myself. :)
Now, life seems to work in a combination of the above. Sometimes just one thing, something all of the above, but rarely none of the above. I think it's most interesting when it's all of the above though - makes for more of a challenge. And what's life without challenges?
But it still makes you wonder. Why does fate like to play some many games? Anyone who knows me probably knows that I'm a big believer in fate. So I'm not knocking the idea of it. But it's so crazy to look around at your life, as well as others in your life, and wonder how you all got put together, especially when you come from so many places (geographically and philosophically). I think it's true that people come into your life for a reason, a season, or a lifetime, the the later being the hardest to come by and the most valuable for the same reason. But it doesn't make the first two any less important. They're just there for different reason.
Oh well. Enough philosophical thinking for a Monday. This could just all be in my head. I am a bit of an oddity, myself. :)
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
OMG it's COLD!!
Okay... so when I left the house this morning, it was 2 degrees Fahrenheit! That's it!! And the windchill was something crazy, like -17 degrees! It is just ridiculously cold out! It still hasn't reached double digits in for today's temp, and its 1:30pm! My hands are still trying to thaw out from this morning!
And you wonder why I always travel to south FL... or anywhere south, for that matter. Granted, they're hitting record lows there, too... but it's in double digits, at least!
And you wonder why I always travel to south FL... or anywhere south, for that matter. Granted, they're hitting record lows there, too... but it's in double digits, at least!
Tuesday, January 1, 2008
Happy New Year!
Happy New Year!! I hope 2008 rolled in as a good one for you last night!! Mine did - Auburn won the Peach Bowl in OT against Clemson just before midnight. Great way to start 2008! :)
Looking back at 2007, I must say, I had a good year. I went on trips as far west as the Cascade Mountains in Oregon and the deserts of Phoenix, as far south as work would send me in FL, and of course a wonderful trip to New York City in November. Not to be forgotten are my little trips in between to see the Cubs play in Chicago and as close as the Speedway on the west side of Indy (which, for me, is a drive!).
Throw in all the great times with friends on the weekends and the extra family time I got because of my work travels, and I have to say, it's going to take a lot in 2008 to top 2007. But I'm willing to try. :)
As a year end review, here are some pictures to show some of the good times in 2007.
The 'blizzard' in February - that was a lot of snow to shovel through!
Danyelle, Erica, and I at the Indy 500.
Releasing the balloons before the Brickyard 400
... View from Toomer's Corner after the win. :)
Linda, Karen, and I in NYC.
Looking back at 2007, I must say, I had a good year. I went on trips as far west as the Cascade Mountains in Oregon and the deserts of Phoenix, as far south as work would send me in FL, and of course a wonderful trip to New York City in November. Not to be forgotten are my little trips in between to see the Cubs play in Chicago and as close as the Speedway on the west side of Indy (which, for me, is a drive!).
Throw in all the great times with friends on the weekends and the extra family time I got because of my work travels, and I have to say, it's going to take a lot in 2008 to top 2007. But I'm willing to try. :)
As a year end review, here are some pictures to show some of the good times in 2007.
The 'blizzard' in February - that was a lot of snow to shovel through!
Ah, scenic Oregon! I really enjoyed going out there for work .
Danyelle, Erica, and I at the Indy 500.
Releasing the balloons before the Brickyard 400
A surprise visit to Palm Bay to see my niece and nephew.
Wendy and I at the final 2007 home Cubs game at Wrigley Field.
Auburn verses Vandy game.
... View from Toomer's Corner after the win. :)
Linda, Karen, and I in NYC.
The Bow Bridge in Central Park.
Brooklyn Bridge.
Phoenix, AZ - Summit Trail.
My own little Christmas Tree...
So that's it for now, I guess. I hope 2008 will be a good one for you and I hope the best for you... I know I'm looking forward to this year. :)
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