Traveling (a love story)

I can't remember which Jimmy Buffett song exactly it is, but the chorus is "I've got nomad feet and wanderin' toes" and whenever I hear the song, I really relate to it. 

Traveling out to the Pacific NW has been on my radar for years -- I wanted to see the Teacher again for ever and ever, but time, circumstance and cash flow were always out of agreement.  The Hex and I had even talked about heading out there but truly, by that time, I didn't want to cross town with him, let alone the country. 

After last year's mega travels between Indy and FM, plus other travels around, I had enough trips to get a free round trip wherever.  I used part of it for Mom's trip back in February (she needed out of Indiana more than anything else at that time), and at that same time, I booked my trip for Seattle/Jefferson.  Regrets -- only that I wish I'd spent a week at each location, wandering the countryside. 

Aside from Scully and the Teacher, I was able to reconnect with some college friends I hadn't seen in seventeen years.  Just like that, we were transported back to Nevada, MO and our shared college experience -- and those seventeen years vanished without a trace. 

This next week I'll be in Orlando for a day, visiting with the Sharkfamily (yeah!) and my Sissy will be here too.  Tomorrow I bid goodbye to my Auntie N and Uncle R, who have been kind enough to housesit and take care of the furry children while I've been gone.  Wednesday brings my Sissy and this weekend we travel up to Tampa to hang out with Dad and family.  Finally, next Wednesday is Sharkfamily Day at Disney.  :)

Then I take a couple of weeks off traveling, then to Indiana to see the fam. 

Nomad feet and wanderin' toes -- Indeed.

General Observations of a Week in the Pacific Northwest

Two posts today – one is general observations of my trip, the other is traveling in general.
General observations: in Oregon, you don’t pump your own gas. Seriously. The little guy comes out, gets your credit card/cash and pumps it for you. Apparently illegal to pump your own gas there – and let me tell you, I could not get used to it. I figured I’d cause an incident so I just waited until returning to WA to refill the tank. The Teacher wouldn’t stop for gas at Costco (closed on Memorial Day) and then when we arrived at the next station, she just sat there. I was like, WTF is going on? I certainly spend no extra moment of MY life at a gas station and here she was relaxing in the seat like we were at a spa. Guy comes up, takes the card and pumps the gas. Meanwhile, another guy cleans the windows. Bizarro.

Oregon and Washington are two incredibly beautiful states that I need to return to in the near future. I was able to see some highlights but nothing like what I would see if I had more time.

Although 15 years had passed since laying eyes on the Teacher, it was as if we had seen each other the week before. She and I have maintained our friendship through letters, emails and a very rare phone call – and yet we were right back there with it, hanging together as if no time had passed at all. Her husband, SOC (for Short-Order Chef), made a mean breakfast each day I was there and apparently does this each morning. Is this heaven? No, this is life at my friend the Teacher’s house. Nice. Jealous, yes I am.

My liver and my heart may need transplants thanks to this trip. I ate and drank to my heart’s content and now I think I had better make appointments with the doctor and the gym immediately. Regrets – none.

The Oregon coast is more beautiful than I had imagined, and I had imagined paradise. Awesome.

Sherwin-Williams received all their “green” inspiration from WA and OR. Literally, a million shades of green there, in various shades from super light to super dark. I was and am astounded by all the variations in green there can be in nature.

The Washington leg of the trip was just as awesome, with a trip to the Mariners’ game and downtown Seattle, to a really strange trip to Woodinville for winery tastings (in a warehouse district – near auto body shops (WTF)) and just relaxing at home with a movie (Dear John – a boo hoo’er if there ever was one).

Also on the trip, I met a very attractive guy. I won’t out him here, he knows who he is – and meeting him was a highlight. For the first time in a long time, I felt truly alive. If for nothing else, thank you, you sexy fucker you.  Amen.

Quote of the day

"Do we have to eat the cock and balls tonight?"

http://voodoodoughnut.com/menu.php

enjoy -- I did :)

LOST (and how six seasons changed my world)

September 2004.  Premiere of LOST.  Location?  Sister's apartment-over-the-bookstore, Warsaw, IN. 
I was staying at her place for work.  At that time, I had my own business and had just gone out on my own that spring.  Business was going well, life was good.  I was married.  Had one stepson.  It was the weekend following this premiere that sent me into therapy for over a year.

September 2005.  Premiere of LOST, Season 2.  Location?  My rented house, La Porte, IN.  I was separated from the Hex and trying to figure out my life. Still in therapy, still trying to figure out the next steps in my existence.  Lost?  I was, indeed.

January 2007.  Premiere of LOST, Season 3.  Location?  My rented apartment, Carmel, IN.  Divorce final one year earlier, I'm back living near friends.  New job.  New life. 

January 2008.  Premiere of LOST, Season 4.  Location?  My condo, Indianapolis, IN.  Two years post-divorce, still picking up the pieces of my shattered life. 

January 2009.  Premiere of LOST, Season 5.  Location? My condo, Indianapolis, IN.  Feeling better in year 3.  Dating someone good, enjoying our time together.

January 2010.  Premiere of LOST, Season 6.  Location?  My rented apartment, Fort Myers, FL.  New job, new life, new location.  Life is good. 

**************
LOST intrigued me from the very beginning -- names of characters were common to my political science background (Locke, Rousseau) and literature (Henry Gale, Sawyer). The backstories on each of these characters was rich, colorful and always had an angle. 

There were times in each of these seasons that I needed to cry about something going on in my life.  Each season had touching moments when my tears would flow freely, releasing the torrent of emotion I had bottled up inside.  Then there were the cheers -- when my characters did something incredible and I could share in their joy.  Some days, in those darkest hours, it was the only joy I felt all week.  While the characters were LOST, I was lost as well. 

Lost in thought

Have you ever found yourself lost in thought about your own life?  Maybe if one decision had been different, one movement different, how things may have been?

Not regret ... no, I don't live my life by regrets.  I try very hard to think things through throughly before I come to any decisions. 

This week, as I was lying in bed one morning before the alarm went off, I was thinking about people I've dated.  Given that I've written a few days ago that I wish I had someone in my life, this was something of an extension of that thought.

Distance and time away from a situation can often bring to light details which weren't quite there initially. 
Thinking about those I've dated since my divorce, many of the guys have been a mistake from day one.  They didn't fit my criteria of what I want -- they were, for lack of more pleasant terms, convenient.  Now remember, I said MANY not ALL.

If there is ever a bible verse appropriate to these thoughts it is: "for everything there is a season."  Some were right for a season -- and some were entirely wrong for a season. 

The right ones -- I'm glad we dated.  The wrong ones -- I'm glad we dated.  If for nothing else, sometimes the wrong thing is just the right lesson.  Lesson learned: Keep your eye on the prize.  I won't name the right or wrong ones ... those things are best kept close to the vest. 

With eyes firmly fixed on the prize -- I go forth. 

House Hunting in Florida

subtitled: Things To Do To Waste Your Time

On offer three on house three.  Believe it or not, there is a recession going on.  Oh, you didn't hear?  Huh.  Seems that the buyers in Florida didn't hear either.

I'm finding houses I like -- a plus.
I'm approved for a mortgage -- a plus.
Houses go on and off the market in moments -- a minus.

Not sure if House 3 is It per se, but it has potential.  I like what is there and could make it my own fairly easily. 

Now, for some crazy house hunting nonsense:

I've seen homes in APPALLING condition for 75K+
I've seen home in great condition for less than 100K
I've been in houses with three bedrooms and two bathrooms -- while two of the bedrooms and one of the bathrooms had a separate, outside entrance and no interior access to the house.
I've said "Oh Fuck NO" more times than I care to admit publicly.

No other news to report except I have the notion that Maestro is right.  You can get revirginized.  I'm fairly certain that will come to pass soon enough for me.  Not sure what I will do to celebrate -- perhaps wear white without snickering? 

Oh fer crying out loud.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/OPINION/05/07/welch.sex.pill/index.html

So a friend of mine posted this on FB.  Says he agrees with the article.

And yet ...

yet ...

(wait for it) ...

lives with his girlfriend (and her kids) with his son.  Set an example much? 

Ai yi yi.  Do as I say, not as I do.

Florida makes me laugh.

I only wish I had thought of this first.

House, no house, House, no house

The real estate market here in Fort Myers is just this side of crazy.

Lots of houses on the market and investors on the lookout. 

I found a house I liked, wanted to put an offer on it but would have been the fifteenth (yes, 15th) offer on the  property.  And the bidding went higher than I wanted to spend.

I'll keep you posted.  Right now, I'm in the apt until further notice.

Good grief, stop with the whining.

I generally like the secretary, ahem, administrative assistant in the office.  She generally is pleasant to talk to and decent enough at what she does. 

I also rarely ever ask her to do anything for me.

Today I asked her to fill out a FedEx envelope for me.  You'd have thought it was the motherfucking apocalypse.

It has taken ten minutes and counting.  And she's still whining.  There is going to be a throwdown by this afternoon if this shit doesn't stop.