Lazy Circles

Ever had one of those days ...

... when good and decent people get bad and unexpected news?

... when something you read in passing triggers a really painful memory and you can't control your reaction to it?

... when technology is not your friend?

Welcome to my day!

All I want to do is go for a power walk to clear my mind, but my current leg brace prevents me from doing that.  A power gimp walk just wouldn't be the same. (I also want to throw my laptop out the window into the Bricktown Canal, but that isn't an option. Don't think our insurance covers that type of water damage...)

So, instead of the power walk, I'll do some power quad sets, weight shifters, step overs and whatever else my physical therapist wants ... because I'm determined to get my life back to some semblance of normal because it hasn't felt normal in a really, really, really long time!

Now, life isn't all that bad. A friend and colleague announced that a new little one will be joining the world in December.  What a blessing!

I'm going to see wonderful, dear friends in Dallas this weekend at a co-ed couples baby shower and good times will definitely be had.

Sometimes you just need to type it out, focus on the good instead of the bad and enjoy the lemonade you've just made from your lemons.

Long time no blog ...

OK ... I'm a slacker in the blogosphere ... so much has happened since my last post, I thought I'd give a status on the latest in LAB Life ... and, since this is the busy festive season, I wanted to let everyone know I may just wait until 2010 (or twenty-zen, as a friend called it) begins to start providing regular random musings ... so, if you don't hear from me before then, have a safe, magical, fun & blessed holiday season!

There's a delightfully quirky new man in my life, and he shall be known as R-Dizzle in blog world. I'm meeting his parentals in Arizona over New Year's.

I was supposed to have my other knee surgery next Tuesday but have wisely decided to postpone it until late April.  Hopefully, by that time, I'll be able to go down all stairs correctly ... not just the really shallow ones at work.

I have become a GLEEk as many of you have if your Facebook and Twitter feeds are to be believed.  Still think "Hate on Me" is my favorite, though "Gold Digger" is the one I find myself singing.  Volume 2 of the soundtrack comes out next Tuesday ...

Decided to host a brunch at my house to see some friends and to make myself tidy up my house.  Now, if I can just think of a good reason to tidy up my car ... Pearl's Sonic peppermint addiction is just a wee bit on the messy side ...

Managed to demote myself from Co-President to Secretary for one of my volunteer boards. I'll be rethinking some of my extra-curriculars in the coming months.

I did join the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Oklahoma Board recently, and I'm excited to help out such a great organization.  Some of you may hear more about this from me in the near future ... learn more about BBBS and consider making a small donation to help give a deserving kid a better chance for future success.

That's all for now, as I must run and get gussied up for the company holiday party.

Happy! Happy!

When did I become ...?

Growing up, I used to spend a couple of weeks each summer with my aunt and uncle in Houston.  They had a 30-ft. sailboat, so we spent a lot of time at the Houston Yacht Club.  Driving from their house in Seabrook, which was close to my uncle's job in NASA administration, my aunt, who was a concert pianist and owned a piano studio, made me listen to either classical music ad nauseum or NPR. I. Hated. Both.

Maybe I hated them because they made the drive seem longer.  Maybe I hated them because my aunt couldn't quite hear it when the station got all staticy.  Who knows? I just remember that listening to talk, talk, talk and Beethoven, Mozart, Chopin made me awfully antsy in the backseat of her Lincoln. (I don't remember what we listened to in my uncle's Camaro, but I'm pretty sure it was much cooler.)

Fast forward to the present:  Now, what do I listen to every morning, most evenings, even occasionally on the weekend?  NPR.  And, if I'm in my car at 6 p.m., I turn over to the classical station to catch BBC News and catch a song or two.

I am not a fan of talk radio ... don't really care for the drama. NPR is different.  It's reporting. It's calming. It's actually quite random and interesting.  So, if you don't listen to it, I do recommend it.  If you do listen to it, I do recommend supporting your local station with your dollars.

Now I wonder ... When did I become an adult?  When did I become my aunt?

Back to Reality

I am not a fan of reality television.  Never have been. Doubt I ever will be.  However, I have been spending some quality time watching HGTV's House Hunters and House Hunters International. I like the latter, because I love to travel and enjoy learning about how the locals live in exotic locales.  I like the former, because it reaffirms how lucky I am to live in OKC where you can get a lot of house for your buck.

While I am going to be selling my condo in the near future, this post isn't about real estate. 

I am not known for my decisiveness, and I like the idea of having a "professional" help; so I'd like for there to be a Nice Normal Educated Male Hunters show for me and my single friends. But, I can't decide if the "professionals" should be professional matchmakers or good friends.

I know that in this world of all things online, this is basically what every online dating site is about.  But, you know what, that's not really my style. I admit to having tried it, but the filters are not great.  I mean you can chat with a hysterical guy who likes to travel, but then you find out his education and profession leave a lot to be desired. Or, you get winked at by a 52-year-old man who has a photo of himself from 1977 in a Speedo with swim medals around his neck.  Or, said swimmer e-mails you with the message, "I have no chance."  That swimmer is a smart one.

I know people who met their spouses online.  I know people who have had their hearts broken online.  I'm trying to pretend I'm a totally modern gal, who is OK with the impersonal nature of the whole business.  I think I am just old-fashioned. I hope the right one will cross my path or that a friend or acquaintance will introduce me to someone nice.

For now, I'm going to try to take care of me for once and be the best person I can be. My life has been filled with one storm after the other this year, so I'm due some blue skies.

(However, if you'd like to play online matchmaker, do let me know. :))

Third Week

Third Week is kicking my butt.

In a normal month, I have two standing board meetings during the third week of the month.  On the third Monday, I have Theatre Guild.  On the third Thursday, I have House Corp.  Both involve a trip to Norman.  I'm currently president/co-president of both boards.

That's my schedule in a normal month.  Apparently, August isn't a normal month. This week, which is Third Week, I did have Theatre Guild on Monday night. However, instead of having a break between evening activities, this Third Week has been power packed.  Tuesday, I got a mani/pedi, but then hit the road for Mustang, Okla., and a Convention video shoot.  Wednesday, I met a friend to catch up. Tonight, I have a trivia contest for charity. Tomorrow, I will be in Florida at a wedding rehearsal. On Saturday, I'll be Maid of Honor in a sunset wedding. On Sunday, I hope to be home.

Whew...I never realized just how much I need a down night or two to recharge.  If the weather cooperates, I may have some beach time tomorrow afternoon to make myself more beige and take a catnap.  If the weather doesn't cooperate, well, does anyone know the nearest Starbuck's location to Ft. Walton Beach?

Rain

I love rain.

I especially love the rain that comes with thunderstorms.  Maybe it's because I grew up in Oklahoma, where you do tornado drills in elementary school. Rain is cleansing. Rain is relaxing.

I lived in Scotland for a year, and it rained just about every day (except for those days I had people from America visiting me...then, blue skies...I mean c'mon!).  I learned to really not mind being soaking wet.  I learned to enjoy watching fireworks in the pouring rain and wondered why the Scots could pull off the amazing pyrotechnics in the wet but not bonfires. (Yes, my one-and-only experience with Guy Fawkes' - Bonfire - Night in the UK was sans bonfire.) Rain doesn't appear to dampen the Scots' spirits....or maybe its the spirits that don't dampen their spirits...

My dear friend S is getting married in Ft. Walton Beach on Saturday, and, for once in my life, I'm praying that it doesn'train. Or, if it must rain, let it be in the morning and not at sunset.  It's hurricane season in Florida, and this week there have been three tropical storms/hurricanes in the vicinity. Needless to say, it's been rather damp in FWB this week.

I don't mind if it pours on Friday, the day I'm supposed to veg on the beach to soak up some rays in my quest to not be the whitest person in the wedding party. I think someone can Photo Shop some color onto my arms in the wedding pics; so if the remnants of these storms just need to let it all out, let it be on Friday.

Everyone, please help me pray for blue skies on Saturday. S&G deserve a sunny start to their life together.

Real Estate Novice

I love my condo.  I really do. But, I'm thinking of selling it.

For those of you who don't know the story, I bought the book "Home Buying for Dummies" on Thursday and bought my condo on Saturday.  I didn't want a condo; I wanted a historic home ... wood floors, arched doorways, decorative fireplace, etc.  A condo was not what I wanted.  Thankfully, I had a realtor who knew what I needed.  As a single gal, who likes to travel and hates yard work, the gated condo with no yard was the perfect fit for me. Have I mentioned I didn't want a condo?  Yet, that's what I bought that sunny afternoon.

I've enjoyed the good (tax break!) and bad (#%&* heat pump) that come with home ownership.  I love having my own space to decorate (clutter up is more like it). My condo was what I needed at the time.

Of course, this was pre-Tilt-o-Pearl and pre-knee surgery...

Now, having a condo with all the living space on the second floor is not such a good thing with my old-lady knees.  While Pearlio can do some laps and use the puppy pads, she'd much prefer to use a yard instead.

So, I think I may sell.

I don't know so much about real estate and have some stupid questions. If you know the answers, please comment.

I need to get tile in my bathroom. Should I get my dream tile or merely nice tile?

Should I get new carpet?  Or, should I merely offer a carpet allowance to the buyer?  How much $$?

How much money will I get from a sale?  Do I get my down payment and mortgage payments to date back?  Kind of fuzzy on this and need to know to determine new price range...

I'm an intelligent gal, but time didn't allow me to do as much research as I normally would.  Sometimes, you must go with your gut.  I have not regretted my decision.  Just need some insight for my next step ...

Delays, Laughs & CornNuts

I was in Little Rock on Friday, the DFW airport/Phoenix on Saturday, Phoenix on Sunday and Vegas on Monday.  Whew...a change of scenery does a body good, even when it involves delayed and canceled flights and way TOO MUCH time in DFW airport...thank you, American Airlines...

The great thing about being out of your normal world is the chance to experience new things and do some super fantastic people watching.  So, I thought I would share some of the new experiences and sightings I had on my trips.

• Aaron Neville (of the Neville Brothers) strolling through DFW

• Mean Pig BBQ in Cabot, Ark. (Soon to be featured on "Man vs. Food."  If you're ever in the Little Rock area, be sure to make a visit and at least try the baked beans.  De-lish!)

• The most thorough airline safety briefing ever on a US Airways flight from El Paso to Phoenix...that Sully guy made an impression on his company...

• Joshua, our very educated waiter at Prado, who provided us with the history of the 5th generation cocoa beans that were imported to make the perfect Pot de Creme au Chocolat that ended our scrumptious meal

• Experiencing life with a newborn, two rowdy, precious little boys and their wonderful parents...strangely energizing...who knew?

• The best fruit/yogurt parfait on Earth during brunch at The Phoenician (Seriously.  Everyone should put lemon curd in their yogurt.)

• Too much skin (If you're just hopping in the car to go to Happy Hour and just throw on some clothes, stay in your car.  I don't need to see the tattoos on your rump and other body parts through your ripped Daisy Dukes.  Plus, you really shouldn't have been wearing those in the first place.)

• Miss Anya telling me good things about my future

• Chocolate-Covered CornNuts...who knew they would add so much to a caramel sundae?

• Being tested for explosives in three airports (PHX has the coolest machine by far)

• Finding out The Killers will be in concert at Mandalay the night I arrive in Vegas for Sonic Convention

• Did you know that tattooing your elbow is apparently the latest thing?

• Too many fake body parts to mention

Despite the travel glitches (which Southwest Airlines more than made up for by getting me home early!), I had such a wonderful weekend.  "They" say that you should surround yourself with good people to make yourself better.  While this is usually in the business realm, it totally applies to your personal life, too.  I am so blessed.

 

 

 

Refreshment

Professionally, I am feeling rejeuvenated. I spent yesterday on a Sonic visit with a franchisee who hasn't forgotten what's important in life...taking care of people. Everyone from his business partners to the crew members at his drive-ins share this mentality...that if you take care of each other and your customers, they'll take care of you. Sonic franchisees and operators are some of the hardest working people I know. I love when I get to spend time with the people who are on the frontline of the Sonic brand every day. Being around them energizes me; and, since my life hasn't been normal in a couple of months,I sincerely hope it gives me the oomph I need to get over my current lack of motivation. I never realized how much an unsettled personal life can impact your professional life, until things became so unbalanced. Though my trip yesterday resulted in me getting home around 2am this morning, it was totally worth it. Now, I am back at the dreaded DFW awaiting a flight to see a dear friend. Her outlook and advice always inspire me. I am looking forward to some personal rejeuvenation as well.(And I pray that the black clouds that have just arrived at DFW will go away by 10:15. Getting stuck at this airport for the second time in 24hrs will not do wonders for my happy vibe...though the people watching is quite choice today...) Disclaimer:This is my first post via my POS Treo so do forgive spelling errors & grammar boo-boos.

Weekend To Do List

Remember when weekends were a time of rest and a time of play?  Nowadays, it seems like weekends are the time we play catch up for all of the things we were unable to do during the week.

For instance, this weekend's list looks like this...

Saturday...

• Go to Sam's to buy flowers and some food for couples shower
• Go to liquor store to buy wine for sangria and a bottle for a b-day gift
• Go to grocery story to buy what I couldn't buy at Sam's
• Figure out what I'm going to wear to the couples shower
• Go by my condo to make sure I know what to tell the electrician on Monday regarding the breaker that keeps making my AC go wonky
• Get fitted for a bridesmaid's dress
• Decorate and cook for couples shower
• Co-host couples shower

Sunday...

• Go to church...contemporary or traditional?
• Consider buying additional b-day presents
• Wrap birthday presents and write in cards
• Organize info for a Monday board meeting
• B-day/Anniversary dinner for dad and dear family friends
• Finalize some work work

Whew...did I forget anything?

Does anyone see any time to just sit, veg and read one of the two books I'm reading (I'm Down  and Pride, Prejudice & Zombies)?

Thankfully, many items on my to do list involve good friends.  So, while this may be a busy weekend, I'll get the refreshment I need by having some good old-fashioned fun!