Things Change.
I've neglected this blog for far too long. Besides my own lazyness, I can also attribute my recent lack of posting/visiting to big changes, good and bad. But all is stable now and hopefully I'll be back to posting regularily soon.
I've missed you my dreamlets! Please forgive me.
Back To Life
Two whole weeks have passed and my self-imposed vacation is now coming to a close. Monday morning (7:00 am to be precise *groan*) I'll be working a mindless job in a bland office delivering documents to different departments. I've visited the office, it's huge. Maybe I'll get some exercise, that would be a miracle. Two weeks ago, my intentions were to work out at least three times a week. Needless to say I've not only refused to work out, I've also refused to get out of bed before noon. My sleep issues have been solved at least. I think spending the better half of two weeks asleep has caught me up completely on all the sleep I didn't get over the last six months or so.
I don't mind so much having a job that requires no brain power what-so-ever. Before I get back to my real career I'll relish in being able to go home at a reasonable hour, get paid regularly, and while I'm not so naive to assume there will be no office politics, I am looking forward to not having to bend to the whims of a raving lunatic of a boss. Ah, yes, these next few months will be my working vacation.
This vacation has not been entirely a loss. The first week my boyfriend Ryan took off work to prepare for, and subsequently celebrate his 27th birthday. Friends from far and wide traveled great distances to join him during this time. We slept in every morning, went out for a breakfast bloody mary, went back home to nap, watched movies, went out to eat, visited with friends, played darts. It was lovely. The birthday party itself was so much fun I promptly forgot bits and pieces. I do remember the bill for the two kegs though, ouch! Ryan takes his birthdays quite seriously. In preparation, he grew out "the lemmy" (see: Motorhead) and transformed his home into a multi-level bachanalle. The basement was reserved for loud music and dancing, one keen observer did point out the tv above the bar that was playing porn, the entire time. Eh, well. I spent most of the party upstairs at the Karoke Championship. $10 enters you into the contest, you choose six songs and then you are voted into the next round via the xbox game, Karoke Revolution. I got into the second of three rounds (too much beer makes Jess a little flamboyant) The final three contestants were judged by an applause-o-meter. Really, we had to rent this devise. The winner was a friend of Ryan's. He took home the championship belt (complete with rhinestones and a shiny silver microphone medallion) as well as the huge cash prize.
I remember not winning, I remember doing keg stands like a 18 year old co-ed, but I don't remember how I got a whopper of a bruise on my shin. I didn't notice it until the next morning. It's still there and it hurts! That will teach me I guess, I just wish I could remember exactly what I did to cause it so I can avoid that particular activity next time.
Good times were had, a few local celebrities showed up (that was weird) and a few people even threw down a couple bucks to help pay for the kegs. All in all, it was a great way to end my first week of vacation.
Now, this last week...................well, not as much fun, but still it's better than working.
Missing In Action
Sorry I've disappeared, these past few weeks have been pretty crazy.
To get everyone up to speed:
I've been dating a new boy, his name is Ryan, he's pretty cool.
I quit my job, or more accurately, I've submitted my resignation and I've been dodging re-negotiation attempts ever since. My new "temp" job will begin the second week of February, hopefully I'll find something within my industry soon.
My lease is up in August, if I can't seem to get a decent job by then I'll probably be moving to Chicago which is sad because I LOVE MPLS.
Yesterday I *finally* let go of the last man who broke my heart by getting another piercing. It hurts like a motherfucker, but not half as bad as he hurt me.
I may or may not have explained my heart-break protocol. Basically, upon letting go of hurt (usually guy related) I get something pierced. It's my own little ritual and I like it.
2006 Will Be My Year.
Happy New Year my lovelies, my dreamlets, and my good influences. You all have made my blogging so much more to look forward to and for that, I thank you.
Among a thousand other things, I hope in this next year I'll actually get to Spain so I can bug Cara in person. I hope to get my business up and running, I hope to find the perfect little flat in which to house myself and my three pests, I mean cats.
If anything at all, I hope 2006 will be a year of change and growth, professionally and personally.
Cheers to that!
It Bears Repeating.
Lately I've been writing a lot about my family, there are a few reasons for this. The holiday season brings out my sappier side, yes. But more than that I find that the older I get and the more complicated my life gets, it's my family who are my only constant. Friends come and go, no matter what I'll always have my family to pick up the phone or open their homes for me.
Back in 1988 my mother, aunts, my oldest cousin and my grandpa recorded a collection of Christmas music in the Old St. Ambrose Catholic church on the East Side of St. Paul. Songs ranged from your traditional Christmas fare like "Away In A Manger" and "Silent Night" to some traditional Italian Christmas Songs and to my personal favorite, an old Appalachian carol called "Judah's Land". They recorded it to cassette tape and printed black and white covers with a picture of them standing in front of the wood burning stove that sat in the living room of my family's first home.
In the liner notes my aunt Nancy wrote a letter to all of us grandchildren.
"We made this for you, our children who we love so much, so that you may always remember the joy our family took in creating music together."
I found my copy of the "Christmas Gift" as they entitled during a much needed closet cleaning. As an extra Christmas gift, I burned cd copies as I'm sure my sister and cousins have all lost theirs. Today I decided to listen to it while I ran some last minute errands. Everyone sounds so much younger, with the exception of my grandpa, who's always had a low gravely voice. I didn't hear it so much when I was younger, but listening to it now I can hear they were having so much fun. The last song on the tape is "Silent Night" and my mother and my aunts all delivered to us, their kids a personal "Merry Christmas". I could hear my mother giggling throughout this last bit.
While I'm happy to give these cds as gifts to my family, I have to acknowledge that this music might serve as a reminder and a comfort to us grandchildren when we loose our grandfather. No one is anticipating him leaving us any time soon. The man's 87 and in better shape than most 27 year olds. For example, this last May he out-walked the rest of the family while touring Rome. It's a sunny outlook but in reality we all know it won't last forever. This year's Christmas gift is a bitter sweet one but I give it in hopes that it's crackling audio will help all of us connect to him when he is passed.
Adventures In Singledom
A few weekends back my mother took me to see the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra. It was nice, we don't usually hang out just the two of us anymore. During intermission she asked me if I was seeing anyone new, I said no but I'm kind of interested in someone. I can't stand not knowing secrets, my mother is ten times worse. I caved pretty quickly and told her that I thought one of the guys from her AA group was good looking. Yeah, I'm desperate enough to ask my mom to set me up with one of her recovering addict buddies, that's fucking pathetic. But it gets better.
She looked a little dazed when I told her.
"There's just one thing about him you should probably know" she said.
"oh great" I say, "he's married. No, no, he's gay, that's it right?"
"no, no it's not that. Jess, he's also a recovering sex addict"
You can imagine my initial reaction was "yeeeeeeeessssss!"
Thank God I suppressed that and went directly into embarrassment mode. I can fake prude like nobody's business.
UPDATE
not good news. We did not get a nomination. I'm not at liberty to say, except our artists are CRAZY. They totally fucked it up and I'm pissed.
I'm ready for 2006!
I may or may not have explained my heart-break protocol. Basically, upon letting go of hurt (usually guy related) I get something pierced. It's my own little ritual and I like it.
