from the hills of TN

I'm in Dayton with Joy experiencing for a brief moment what life in a college dorm is like. I'm in a cave underneath three lofted beds. A blanket with a Don Quixote print lines the ceiling of the cave. The walls are papered with newspaper. There are more photos in this room than I've seen in a long time. The colors and pictures seem like they should cause sensory overload, but somehow they don't. It gives a very pleasant, homey feel. I can't imagine sharing a room with two girls. I can't imagine sharing a bathroom with 50 or 60 girls. In some ways I feel like I missed out on a lot not living in a dorm when I was in college. In some ways I'm glad I didn't. The situation here is appealing in that Joy and her roommates are very good friends. They share things and help each other. This would really suck if you didn't like your roommates though. You can't get away from them.

Elisa has been taking good care of me today. She painted my finger and toe nails earlier, and has been fetching me ice to try to keep my foot from swelling. Yesterday we went to Pocket - a place I've heard of for years, but never visited myself. We had to walk about 20 minutes up a trail, along a big creek. Then we climbed down the bank and sat on a huge rock in the creek for a while. It was really beautiful up there. I can imagine that it's really nice when it's warm and you can swim in the water. Instead it was cold and we entertained ourselves by knocking the icicles off the rock faces we passed.

Last night we did two things that made me laugh because of how terrible they were. First we went to a student's senior recital type thing. It was called her cabaret and involved singing and dancing. I was amused that at a Christian college her songs were about drinking, smoking, drug use, cheating, murder... just to name a few. The dancing was alright, but the singing not so much. I feel kind of mean for disliking it so much, but I can't help it. We left at the intermission because Joy was peeling her fingernails to distract from the pain.

The next plan for the evening was to go to a dance party. This seems like fun; I really enjoy dancing with Michal and Joy (even though I can't really dance right now). We spent forever getting ready as girls tend to do. They put on their heels and bright make up, and I tried to pretend I wouldn't be the oldest person by 6 years. When we finally showed up to these people's house (an hour late) there were five people there. One girl was wearing a red polyester jumpsuit with a belt. Another showed up in a blue wig, spiderman house shoes, and all manner of ridiculousness in between. We were offered tea, coffee, or life water! I've been to a lot of parties, and never in my life have I been to one where they didn't even have a soda. The music finally started (after we dragged half the party away from the video games) and it was all kind of music I can't even describe except to say that I might have enjoyed it if I were on some really strong drugs. One guy was jumping around with feathers in his hair, paint on his face, and later we discovered - paint on his chest. Joy finally got control of the music and started playing some hip hop and it got better for about 10 minutes. Then I decided it wasn't worth losing sleep for and we went home.

Michal and I are getting ready to drive back to Atlanta now.

I'm working on a dream

It's a beautiful day outside and I'm downstairs camped out in my cave. I'm very tired. I'm always tired these days. I don't think I realize how much energy one's body uses healing itself. I get out of breath walking up stairs. I sleep for 12 hours, wake up for 12, then sleep 12 more. I think I believed that once I could dress normal I should be able to act normal and have been wearing myself out trying.

I got my foot unwrapped on Wednesday. It looks funny and gross. It's really skinny, and I have to wear this sock thing that squeezes it and makes it look even skinnier. The skin looks really, really tan, but in reality just has two weeks worth of dead skin built up on it. I know it's gross. I'm the one that has to live with it. It's also still bruised and a little swollen. I've had more pain in the last few days than in the last two weeks. I can shower, which is great, but the water falling on my skin hurts. I should also mention that I'm a big baby and have been feeling very sorry for myself lately.

I had to wait until today to drive, but I did earlier and it was trauma-free. I bought a pair of men's house shoes on sale at TJMaxx for $3 so I wear one when I drive. It's the cherry on top of the extreme sexiness I have going on lately.

I'm going to a Valentine's Day banquet with my mama tonight that benefits a place that provides adult day care of Alzheimer's patients. I'm supposed to be taking a nap so I can save up the energy to drive to Newnan and back.

There was a plane crash last night and everyone died. It's always a huge reality check and very sobering when something like this happens. I don't worry that it will happen to me or anyone I know, but it does remind me of the brevity of life. My heart breaks for the loved ones of those who died.

I'm going to try to sleep so I can be in a better frame of mind for the rest of the day.

Looks like somebody's got a case of the Mondays

Two more days and my life with be much closer to normal. I'll be able to shower without worrying about getting my foot wet, and I'll be able to drive. Not being able to shower is more of a nuisance. I can't get ready in a hurry, and I don't feel completely clean after taking a bath. Not being able to drive is terrible though. This weekend I was fortunate enough to have a Patricia Drive friend, Chasity, come in town, be my chauffeur, and keep me company. My parents and Jonathan have also been very nice about taking me places, but it's still hard to go back to being dependent on other people to go anywhere. It's not like I can walk anywhere either. So I'm looking forward to Wednesday and hoping I get the all clear to drive.

At my doctor appointment last week I was amused to see my new foot. I've always had skinny feet, but having the joints on either side of my foot straightened up has taken my feet to a new level of skinny. It felt like I was looking at someone else's foot - except my second toe is still ridiculously long. He said everything is healing well. I saw the xrays and locations of the pins. It's all very fascinating.

I've been looking at graduate programs around Atlanta. Georgia State has a communications program with an emphasis in mass communication. Not sure if this is what I want. I'm not sure what I want period. I need to go ahead and sign up for the GRE and start studying for that.

Something I've been thinking about and haven't been able to figure out - I don't know what to do when I feel that people I love are unhappy and I can't do anything to help. We all have friends and family who have problems - money problems, relationship problems, personal problems - that only they can do anything about. Or maybe they can't even do anything about them. How am I supposed to live and act knowing they aren't happy, and I can't do anything about it? I wish I could fix things. I wish I could make someone never be lonely or never have to worry about money. But obviously I can't. So what am I supposed to do?

It's a beautiful day outside. I love winter in Georgia because of days like this. I'll be going back home today, and I'm looking forward to getting a little bit of normal back. I sure do miss my mama's cooking when I go home though.

regaining mobility one crutch at a time

I'm amazing myself tonight. It's past 9pm and I'm sitting up and awake. When J left I was actually standing up and could hug him properly. Last night I was passed out at 7:45 whether I liked it or not. The night before I slept through the entire Super Bowl party I went to, and then came home and slept all night. I'm also proud of myself because I've managed to take a bath every day since Sunday. It isn't easy with the whole bag and tape wrapped leg hanging out the edge, but having dirty hair is worse so I suffer through it.

Every day since Sunday I've left the house at least once, and it's getting easier each day. When we went out Sunday I almost threw up from motion sickness, and then slept the whole time I was out. Yesterday J decided to torture me by taking me to a shoe store. Later we met up with TanJoe for supper, and I barely remember any of it. It took all my energy just to get the food from the plate into my mouth. Conversation wasn't even an option. Tanya did bring me the second crutch which has made a huge difference. Today we saw "The Tale of Despereaux" for fifty cents each at the theater in Fayetteville. Then we stopped at Starbucks for some coffee (maybe the reason I'm still awake).

It's funny the way people feel so free to talk to you when you have crutches and/or a boot on your foot. Nearly every store I've been in someone has started telling me about their foot surgeries, broken ankles, hammer toes, broken shins, months on crutches - and I haven't even been a gimp for a week. In Starbucks today a lady sitting across from me told me she had had two surgeries on her foot. She named the doctor that did her surgery. He isn't mine, but he is the partner of mine. She sat there for a while knitting across from J and me. Then she told me I had the cutest hair cut. As she got up to leave she came over and said I had a contagious smile and asked J if he was going to marry me and that he should cause I was so pretty. I think she must've known that the sweatpants and mismatched shoes were getting to me and I needed a little pick me up. We made sure to remind her that looks weren't everything and that he might marry me if I can stay clean for more than a month or two. Oh, and if we can get that whole homicide charge cleared away.

People are so much fun.

After that it was off to the grocery store where I was advised by the cashier that I needed to come up with a better story (surgery is evidently quite dull). By then I could feel my toes trying to swell out of their stupid wrappings and came home to some good, home cooked food.

What a busy day... :-D

Staring at the ceiling

I'm lying on the couch listening to davefm with my pops. He's babysitting me this morning. I'm getting tired of lying down all the time. I got up earlier and sat in a chair at the table but it made me so tired and kind of light headed. I've backed off on the ice today and am sticking with keeping my foot elevated. I can actually feel my foot now. Sometimes I'd rather not.

There are probably very few things more boring than a play by play of how my foot is doing, but there really isn't much going on in my life at this point. The highlight of my day so far was Peter's 25 Things list on facebook. Started my day off with a laugh.

I had a weird dream last night. I was with a bunch of fancy people and we might have been doing a movie. Not sure. I knew the outcome - something was going to explode - and even though I wasn't going to be hurt by it somehow I still didn't want to do it so I made myself wake up. I feel like absinthe was involved, but am not sure how. I'm sure it's the drugs that makes me dream such things.

I really want to take a shower/bath, but I have to save up more energy for it. Charity and Tanya came over yesterday and brought lots of books, movies, and goodies. I'm trying to figure out how much my mind can handle right now. Or maybe I'll just go back to sleep for a while. It's kind of amusing that I have to plan my day around a bath and a Super Bowl party. I can't bathe too late or I won't have any energy for the party. If I bathe too early I'll get bead head again from lying around half the day. What a dilemma.

This is enough pointless drivel for now.

Progress report

I'm not sure why, but I keep waking up really early. Maybe because I keep going to sleep early. The Percocet isn't having the desired "knock me out every time I take it" effect, but when it gets close to the evening it starts to. I fell asleep mid-text last night.

When I woke up yesterday I could feel that my foot had started to swell - I guess from going so long without ice. I was also started to get feeling back from my heel up to my arch and it wasn't good. The drugs and ice were helping with that until I decided I needed to bathe last night. I think all the activity - and the anesthesia continuing to wear off - made it hurt again. (Sitting in the bathtub with one foot hanging out the side isn't as comfortable as it may sound.) When I went to sleep last night I could distinctively feel my second and third toes when they were touched, but nothing on the first one (can't get to the others). I've managed to use the desk chair as a wheel chair which keep the weight off my foot (and keeps everyone around me amused).

All in all I've been doing very well. My mama is feeding me so well. Grits, eggs, and cheese for breakfast. Homemade minestrone soup and rolls for lunch. Southwest chili, cornbread, and salad for supper. If you're ever going to be an invalid I highly recommend my parents' house. Plus she's good company (and my daddy when he's home).

Jonathan came over in the afternoon to amuse me, though we mostly sat here on laptops next to each other. He babysits so my mom can go do her errands :-) My flowers are continuing to open up more and more every day. They're roses, lilies, and astromelia all in shades of yellows, oranges, and some dark pinks here and there. Pretty much as close to an indoor sunset as you'll ever see. He hung around until I started to drool on his shoulder ;-).

Tanya and Charity are coming to visit me today, and maybe Jersey later. I have to say, this is exactly what I needed. I do look forward to when bathing and going to the restroom aren't such a mission and when my foot doesn't have to be above my heart all the time, and I hope the pain stays under control, but all in all, life is good right now.

The deal with my foot

I'm not sure what woke me up, but now I'm awake. I took my percocet, hauled myself to the bathroom (no small feat), and am now wandering around the web. I'm not sure but it feels like I might be starting to feel my foot again. I hope not. I'm not ready for the pain.

Yesterday morning I had surgery on my right foot. I have bunions (which aren't as gross as they sound). It's a genetic problem where the bone structure of your foot spreads out across your toe joints. This can happen with the first joint by the big toe causing the big toe to turn inwards toward the second toe. Evidently it can also happen with the joint of the baby toe as well (it did on mine). I've been reading a lot about them and some say the toe turns inward first causing the bump on the outside of the joint, others say the bump pushes the toe inward. Whatever the case is, it becomes very painful over time. Shoes stop fitting right and life in general becomes a bit miserable. To correct it they cut open the side of your joint, push the joint back over to the next one, and pin it there. Sometimes they have to remove parts of bone that build up over time. Joy has had this surgery correcting both of her and has had good results. Tanya also had surgery last month and seems to be healing well.

I've always had really bony feet so I didn't even know there was anything wrong until I went to the podiatrist for something else. They told me I had them several years ago. I didn't believe them (what an obnoxious patient), but as time went on my feet started hurting more and more. I'm on my feet all the time as it is, but it started to get bad enough where I went back to the doctor.

After working hard last year to pay off some other debts, and getting as much traveling in as I could, I finally got the right foot done yesterday. So far so good. I've been lying on the couch at my parents' with my foot above my heart as much as possible. Yesterday while I was awake we had to ice it for 30 minutes, then take it off for 10 minutes - the whole day. It helps my foot not swell as much, which will help it heal better. I'll be lying down, doing the ice thing, for the next 2 days. After that I should be able to be a little more mobile, but can't drive for 2 weeks. I have to go back on Wed to make sure everything is fine. They'll rewrap it, and put my air boot on (I think).

I'll be out of work for at least 6 weeks. I'm really excited about it. The last few months have been really hectic so I'm excited to have forced down time. I'm looking forward to being able to catch up on real life and get to know my friends and family again. I have some writing projects I want to do, and want to use this time to start preparing to take the test to get into grad school.

I think I"ll try sleep again.

Currently reading: My Little Blue Dress By Bruno Maddox

Something about Syracuse

The long and winding road has brought me to Syracuse, NY. My room is finally warm enough to take my scarf off. I feel like the town is underneath a big sifter. I'm hearing stories of 10 inches of snow, but hopefully I'll be headed back to Atlanta before it gets too bad. I don't like winter. This morning on the flight back from Flint, MI I wore all three pairs of socks in my suitcase so my feet would stop aching from cold.

I'm having surgery Thursday morning. I'm really looking forward to it. I'm tired of my feet hurting all the time. I'm also tired of being on the go all the time. During the first three days there's a ridiculous icing regimen that will keep my foot from swelling, and since I'll be on patron and perc and can't think - or just percocet - I'll be staying at my parents' so my Mama can take care of me.

This time a week ago I was touring the Atlantis at the top of the Palm in Dubai. Previously we had toured the Berj Al Arab - the 7 star, sail-shaped hotel, gone on a dune buggy desert safari, seen many expensive malls, visited the gold souks, haggled over pashminas, and eaten far too much.

I got up at 4:30 this morning and am now in a daze trying to stay awake until a reasonable time. I'm thinking 7 sounds good. Tomorrow is a 4am wake up, then no more suitcases, wake up calls, cold airplanes, grumpy passengers, reduced rest, and navy polyester for quite a while. I'm loving it.

To start my 29th year off Jonathan took me to Chima, a Brazilian steakhouse. I'd never been to one before and it was even better than I had expected. Not only did they bring you every kind of beef, there was also salmon, yellowtail, chicken, and pork. There might have been more but I was full and had to make them stop bringing food. The eating and celebrating continued with the family the next day. The dark chocolate cake wasn't square or round. It was different and outside of the box - what we're hoping for the coming year.

Currently reading: One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich By Alexander Solzhenitsyn

On the shores of the Persian Gulf

I have no idea how long I've been in Dubai. I can look at my watch but there's a 9 hour time difference and I can't tell if it's am or pm back home without too much thought. They say when it's light here it's dark there, but who knows. All I know is that it's Friday here. Thursday was about 5 hours long. We went to sleep on Wed night around 11pm on the flight. When I woke up we were about 2 hours away from Dubai and the sun was about to set on Thursday. The flight was wonderful. We got business elite, ate, slept, ate again, and were here. Not a bad way to pass 14 hours. It was interesting that if you watched the moving map they would regularly show the direction and distance from Mecca.

There is such a variety of people here. I have seen a few completely covered women, but there are a lot of westerners and a lot that are only partially covered. It seems that some women are thinking if you can only see their faces then they are going to make them look as good as possible. Their make up, skin, and eyebrows are immaculate. Some of the women have really elaborate trimming on their black coverings - sequins and beads - or have really flashy shoes and pants underneath. It's kind of an interesting combination. I wish I knew more of the rules of their culture so I could understand how it works.

Right now I'm sitting at the window on the 42nd floor of one of the many residential skyscrapers. I can look out over the Persian Gulf and see the island that is shaped like a palm tree. The weather is beautiful. Reminds me of southern California. We walked to a late breakfast and are now off to see a bit of the town.

the long drive south

Lying on my bed, listening to the radio, surfing the net it's hard to remember the stress of the beginning of this week. I feel fortunate to be at home.

After arriving in Joburg and spending the first night with Adri's auntie we drove south to Bloemfontein. I met Adri's mother, her husband, some of her relatives, and an assortment of animals - including a parrot who drank fanta and beer, ate human food, and could unwrap a chocolate. I spent a short night in a thatched roof bedroom before Adri woke me up at 4:45 to drive south. The time difference really hits you when you realize that people back home are still awake from the previous day and you're getting up for the next one.

We drove hours and hours through fairly arid terrain. Sometimes there were mountains. Sometimes there were sheep, cows, and ostriches. I saw plants that made me think Dr. Seuss had visited Africa and been inspired by them. We had breakfast at Wimpy - a South African breakfast favorite. I realized how American I am when I got annoyed by the people whose children ran around in public without shoes on. It's not that they can't afford them - they just don't see the need.

We made a little detour on the way to a place called the Valley of Desolation. We passed villages where the houses made my bedroom look large and you could tell who was doing better by whether they had an outhouse. By then it was very hot so we stopped for cornish pies and grapetizer. I nearly got hit by a car because I forgot the pedestrian never has the right of way. I also forgot about the guys who hang out in parking lots and "help" you park and watch your cars and expect you to pay them for their services.

In order to get to the Valley of Desolation you had to drive up a very narrow and winding road that didn't have guard rails. There was a lot of scrub, but other than that it was pretty dry and, you guessed it, desolate. It was a clear day and the view from the top was impressive. There were a lot of light brown mountains with odd angles. It made me wonder what was going on inside the earth to make them come up that way. I saw an English guy climb up on a few boulders piled high at the edge of a cliff and pose for a great photo. I wanted a similar picture, but I think it took me 20 minutes to work up the courage to stand up there. I was really far from the edge, but evidently I'm far more scared of heights than I realized. My heart was pounding, but hopefully Adri was far enough away where my gritted teeth look like a smile.

After nearly running out of gas in the middle of nowhere (due to a lack of gas stations) we finally made it to Port Elizabeth around 2:30pm. The long drive has worn me out so I'll tell the rest from there later.

the way across the pond

I haven’t been able to write since I left the US due to terrible internet connections, and now that I’m finally able to there is so much to write about.

I can’t remember the last time I was as anxious going to the airport as I was on Sunday. I had packed my bags (without the copious lists of previous African adventures), traded my trips, and done everything I could think of to prepare. Connecting in Dakar, Senegal had me a little concerned, as did being on an airplane for 19 hours. I haven’t done it in a long time and was wondering if I’d be able to. It’s also said that people get bumped off flying through Dakar due to weight and the flights being oversold.

I finally made it on the flight - missing business class by one person. In spite of my disappointment, I was pleased to find out the movies were free and on demand, and I was seated by the window next to a guy who didn’t smell, didn’t have a baby, and preferred sleep to anything else. During the flight leg of the flight (a mere 8 hours) I watched 7 TV shows and two movies.

During the 1.5 hour layover in Dakar, where they somehow managed to clean the plane with us still on it and do a complete security search, I was able to migrate to the front of the plane. Here I was treated like the queen I am, given breakfast, and a champagne glass that never seemed to empty. After that it was about 3am according to my body, and I slept the rest of the flight.

Adri and her cousin picked me up at the airport and we went to her aunt’s place. Just on the drive to the house I was reminded of so many things I’d forgotten about South Africa. It takes a few minutes to get used to being on the opposite side of the road and the car. Stop lights are robots. Stop signs are stop streets. Trucks are bakkies. You don’t buy a soda at a gas station. You buy a cool drink at the petrol shop. The walls and fences that surround every house were also a harsh reminder of how rough it is down here.

I made it through a nice dinner and conversation about the family, rugby, and cricket (there was a huge match coming on at 1am they were going to get up to watch) before washing the last 24 hours of grime off and passing out. There was a fierce African rainstorm that helped me sleep solidly through their night (my afternoon and evening).

We’re headed to the beach in the morning so I need to try to sleep now. I’ve been trying not to get too adjusted to the time here, but it leaves me tired all the time, so now I just sleep whenever I can. More to come.

On the last day of Christmas

It's hard to believe that Christmas is over. I hate how, in an effort to get time off after Christmas, I work all the way up to Christmas thereby missing out on the festivities and cheer. I'm going to try to do things differently next year.

It was a very nice Christmas though. I got off work Tues and headed to the homestead to spend the night. Michal was stringing popcorn, Mama was making pies, Peter was chatting to his friends online, and Joy was blessing us with loud Christmas music. Michal made me cry when she lost the thread off of her needle and didn't realize it until she had threaded a small pile of popcorn straight off her needle and onto the floor. She was amazed at how smoothly it was falling down the thread. :-) J got sent on a trip Christmas eve which meant he was able to spend Christmas day with us instead of sitting ready reserve at the airport. We had a nice breakfast around noon when everyone woke up, and then a scrumptious dinner later when we had room in our stomachs again. I missed having Christine, Scott, and Israel with us, but Christine mailed their presents and that's what really matters :-P.

Yesterday I slept as long as I could, then went out into the crowds to shop with the family. I'm not much of a shopper anyway, but after Christmas is a miserable time to be at stores. I've never seen so many people out. I rediscovered that the younger four children have as different of fashion taste as possible. Peter is always dissatisfied with my plain, comfortable choices. I'm shocked by Joy's wild and bright selections. Michal is 12 yrs younger than I am so I don't expect to like the same things as her. This is why I don't buy clothes for anyone.

After surviving that I headed to the TanJoe manor for pizza and hanging out with TanJoe and Jamie. Tanya's foot seems to be healing well, and gives me hope for the future. She has become quite a graceful hopper.

I decided not to leave for South Africa until Sunday. The flight today had space on it, but there were a lot of standbys and it's hard to tell where I fall on the list. There are only a few on standby tomorrow, and after the month I've had an extra day at home is a beautiful thing. I've been feeling apprehensive about the flight all week. I'm not sure why. I dreamed that I couldn't handle being on a plane that long (it'll take 19 hours to get there including the 1.5 hour stop in Dakar). The other thing that worries me is the thought of getting stuck in Dakar. Some people say they take on cargo there and I could get bumped off. This could be an airline myth... I don't want to find out. So in light of my apprehension I have put zero thought into preparation. I remember the first few times I went it seemed like I put weeks into preparation. I'm wondering if that was necessary, or maybe it was just because I was a novice. I guess I'll find out when I start throwing stuff in my bag later today.

I made some coffee just now using the Jones coffee maker for the first time, and I think I made it too strong. I feel like my head could explode. Is that normal? I'm so put out that I have a barista in my family and I still have to make my own coffee ;-).

I've been doing a pretty good job keeping my room neat. A few things have accumulated on the floor, but a load of laundry and putting the wrapping paper should return it to its previous state of neatness. I'm learning to enjoy it, thereby doing whatever necessary to keep it that way.

I'm off to pack. I'll probably be on a plane or in Africa next time I write (that thought actually gave me a little thrill :-D.)

Finally taking the time

I believe I have just finished my last night of work at work part two. I had considered maintaining a friendly alliance in case I need to work again once my foot heals, but after my experiences the last two week, tonight's being the cake-taker, I'm finished. I work too hard to be treated the way I was treated, and I'm sick of it.

I have worked every single day this month except the last two Sundays. I know there are a lot of people who work harder than I do, but I'm having a pity party right now so bear with me (or stop reading).

Once again I worked in a ridiculously large house. This time, though, the decorations were much more tasteful. I met a DL flight attendant of 37 years who told me she could've gotten me a job there last year. It's tempting to think of the destinations, but I still think not getting hired was for the best. I also think I need to get out of the service industry, but that's another rant for another day.

This week I did a 3 day on the 50. It was pretty decent, but a lot of work. I didn't think my voice was going to make it through that last 5 leg day. I was part of a lot of people getting home for Christmas, which helped me enjoy the trip. One of them was my cousin Neil coming home from UVA. I'm not sure which of us was more surprised to see the other when he got on the plane. It was fun though. A three year old boy told his mother he was going to marry me. We stayed mostly in the southeast for the entire trip and I was reinforced in my belief that passengers in the southeast are friendlier. They smile at me. They make small talk. They acknowledge my existence. It's crazy.

Thursday I got my chipped tooth fixed, and for some reason when I went in there I didn't think about the fact that they would have to numb my mouth. Shots in the mouth make me miserable. Four hours later my mouth was still numb, and because my tongue and throat are already retarded I nearly suffocated on some waffle fries when they kept falling onto the numb side of mouth and getting stuck. My tooth looks beautiful though.

My other excitement for the week was my haircut. It had been a long time and my hair was getting out of control. I love the feeling of a fresh, short haircut.

Last night I did a Montgomery nap. It was about as good as a nap can get. We were on time. I got about 5 hours of sleep. We left there at 5:45am and before we had even taken off a guy started throwing up. I had been warned that he wasn't feeling well so I gave him extra puke bags. He told me he had eaten too much. Honey, does this look like my first flight? How many people eat too much at 5am on Saturday? Do you think I don't know what a hangover looks like? Right... Regardless of his reasons, I have a soft spot in my heart for pukers. He managed to throw up 2 more times before we landed in Atlanta 26 minutes later. I think it's a record.

Tomorrow I get to see Joy, and Peter, J, and Jamie will be home when I get back from my three day. I'm looking forward to it. I still haven't really been able to put any energy into thinking about going to South Africa, even though it's in less than a week from now.

Tomorrow is going to be a good, work-free day.

PS. My room has been clean almost all month.


Currently reading: Treasure Island By Robert Louis Stevenson

The sky is falling

As I left work tonight I saw a shooting star. On the drive home I saw two more. I had also seen one last night. I was starting to think there must be something afoot in the skies. Jamie suggested aliens. As I unpacked my stuff from the car I saw the most brilliant shooting star I've ever seen. I gazed at the sky a while longer and saw 3 more within two minutes. Evidently tonight is the Geminid meteor shower. I wrapped up and went back outside but the cloud were already starting to move over so I didn't see any more. I feel really fortunate to have seen so many beautiful shooting stars/meteors. Though, on nights like tonight I do wish I lived farther away from all the city lights.

One of my favorite memories as a teenager was getting wrapped up in pajamas and blankets, taking a carton of ice cream and lying on the Louis' driveway in the middle of winter to watch a meteor shower with Jenny.

I did work part two last night and tonight. Now that I've paid off my loan I find it extremely difficult to go to that job. Especially when I'm missing all kinds of holiday fun. Last night we had a Christmas party at a ridiculous house. I need to find a way to convey the general oddness of the people there. No one was outright weird, but there were so many little things that made me laugh inside. It's interesting to be invited into people's homes and be the silent observers of their parties and lives.

The hostess last night had about 10 prescription bottles on her kitchen counter, and I have a feeling she had taken all of them. She wore a black sweater and pants outfit. It had gold thread woven throughout. The pants were stirrups. There were odd leaf-like pieces of fabric sewn across the chest and shoulders with huge gold grommets randomly attached. I was amazed that someone who seemed to have so much money could still be dress so ugly. She wandered around the house looking like she had just woken up and wasn't sure why we were there. Every available surface was covered in Christmas decorations. I started to count all the figures but after I got through about 5 feet in the living room I realized it would be too much. The area rugs were Christmas. The slip covers for the chairs at the breakfast table were Santa hats. There was an entire Christmas village set out, as well as three or four other houses and trains. Every available post and banister had garlands and wreaths. Every other step going upstairs had a Christmas themed doll or Santa Claus on it. The yard had three different types of decorations, and the windows on the front of the house all hand some kind of light up word in them. Its making me tired just thinking about it.

Last night I stayed up late talking to Matt who skipped through town, and today I went to Kathryn's Kara's three year old birthday party. It's been a crazy weekend - and it isn't over yet.

A nice break from the cold

I guess all good things must eventually come to an end. My 23.5 hour overnight in Key West has been extended by a couple of hours due to bad weather in Atlanta, but it looks like the plane is finally on the way down here. The bad part is that it looks like we'll be getting to Albany, NY sometime early tomorrow morning.

The last day has been delightful. The weather is amazing. I spent a few hours on the beach earlier. It was really windy, which I love (except when I'm trying to read a newspaper - but I guess that's what I get for trying to read the paper on the beach). The water is full of seaweed which is kind of gross. I had a good time watching the kite surfers or whatever they're called. I also went for a run with my FO. It was the first time I've ever run with someone that I was in better shape than :-D. The rest of the time I've been enjoying my beautiful suite. I think I could live here (in this suite) all winter.

The plane has finally taken off from Atlanta so I'm going to start getting ready.

I've reached that point

The one where I've been cleaning and sorting and throwing away and now I'm sitting on the floor surrounded by things that have no home.

As I look around I see:
- a wallet I don't currently use but holds all my cards I don't use on a regular basis.
- expensive eye drops
- lotions from multiple hotels
- two wooden foot massagers
- a pint glass (okay, that goes in the kitchen)
- a water bottle off the plane
- the remote for my fan which has now been replaced by my space heater
- a cd some guy gave me on a plane
- chapstick, chapstick, chapstick
- scissors
- Tinkerbell change purse
- red scarf I started knitting for my Grandma
- black scart I started knitting for myself
- empty camera case
- camera
- individual packs of Starbucks coffee
- pot holder a passenger knitted for me
- Q-tips
- key for disassembling my bed
- flavored cigars someone gave me
- papers I need to do something about, but can't right now
- my external hard drive
- wax strips that don't work
- wax in a pot that doesn't work
- extra sunglasses

This is giving me a headache, but it has given me a better view of what to do with some of the stuff. Somehow when you write down that something doesn't work, it makes you see that regardless of the fact that it cost $7, you should throw it away. I just started listening to the cd. It sounds like the woman is in a lot of pain. I wonder if being cluttered and messy is something that is ingrained in my DNA - something I'll struggle with my whole life - or if it's something I can eventually change for good. I guess I'll only know if I keep trying.

This is your captain speaking

It's a good thing someone around here is willing to take responsibility and check on our planes/flights. I woke up around 4 but have been postponing actually getting up as long as possible. Finally around 4:30, after I'd checked everything else online, I decided to check on our flight before getting in the shower. Yesterday we had joked about getting snowed in until later today so we wouldn't have to work 5 flights. Turns out someone took care of it for us. Our plane is [sick] and won't be well until around 3 this afternoon. I then called my captain, who in turn called flight control to confirm these shenanigans.

So now that I've been asleep since 8pm I don't know what to do. I woke up around 9pm feeling extremely confused. I thought it was morning and I had overslept. I looked out the window and could only see white so I thought there really had been a blizzard. There was a missed call from scheduling. Turns out I'd only been sleeping for an hour and they were calling because on behalf of another flight attendant who wanted me to contact her about trading my trip.

And that's all I have for 4:53am from Grand Rapids. Over.

Baby, it's cold outside

Snowflakes the size of oyster crackers have been falling, off and on, all day here in Grand Rapids. It seems they should have closed the airport or called in the National Guard by now. That's what we'd do in Georgia anyway.

After almost two weeks of not working this week has brought me soundly back to reality. It seems all I've done is work, with a little time at home for sleep at night. It has been a very productive week though. I have 30:49 flight hours for the week. With the airlines cutting their schedules for the last few months it's been really difficult to get the number of hours I'm used. It would be easier if I didn't have another job, or if I was willing to work every weekend, but I'm hoping and praying that if I'm persistent I'll come up with the hours. I spent the entire afternoon today in front of my computer refreshing our open time pot. This is where all the unassigned trips go, as well as the trips other flight attendants are trying to drop or trade. I managed to get a few things, but it took the whole day.

I went to the foot doctor yesterday before work and scheduled my surgery for Jan. 29. This adds to the pressure of getting more flight time this month. I'm not too worried though. I have to do everything possible, and make sure my priorities are in order, but in the end there is only so much I can do. I'm not willing to give up everything just to get more flight time. I'm not giving up my trip to South Africa or Christmas with my family :-).

When we arrived in GRR I saw a man that I had met on a flight from Toronto earlier this year. It was a bizarre coincidence. Thankfully his was a smiling face, and I'm always happy to see one of those.

I finished "Three Cups of Tea" the other day. It's a book about a mountaineer who has made it his life goal to build schools in rural Pakistan and Afghanistan in an effort to improve their world. I wasn't completely sold on the writing style. There were too many three syllable adjectives. I felt it silly to describe water in the Himalayas as "alpine blue". But it is a great story and helped me view that part of the world from a completely different (better) perspective. He has been working there for over a decade and the book explains a lot about what their countries are like geographically, the politics and religion (including the Taliban), and what the lives of regular citizens look like (before and during the war). Reading books like this is one of my favorite ways to learn more about a different place. Plus, this man is doing really courageous, heroic things for the women and children there.

I'm hoping to get over 8 hours of sleep tonight. I've been struggling to stay awake since we got here around 3, and since I have to get up at 4am now is an acceptable time for bed. I thought I had gotten over the cold I had around Thanksgiving, but it's either still here, or I have something else bothering my ears, and it's been making me feel nauseated on my flights. Add tiredness to that and it's difficult for me to be a cheerful, happy flight attendant. So now I sleep.

Currently reading : Ancestor Stones By Aminatta Forna

I've got sunshine on a cloudy day

It was raining when I woke up this morning.

It's still raining.

I don't mind because it's warm rain, and the sound is soothing.

I worked at job part two tonight. It was a good night. It was a 50th birthday party in a very ritzy neighborhood. There was an open bar which made the crowd amusing. My coworker was good to talk to.

I'm sleeping on a new mattress tonight. I've been sleeping on a passed down futon mattress for a while now. It was flat and hard but better than my other mattress which I called my taco mattress. It sunk down in the middle and swallowed me up. I feel like Goldilocks - not too soft, not too hard. This one is just right.

I'm going to go enjoy it now.

You'll be wrapped around my finger

It's Thanksgiving Eve.

I feel like I've done a lot today, but most of it has been planning and organizing. Though I don't have much to show for it physically it gives me great satisfaction. I bought a new planner so I can begin organizing next year. I'm not really sure why I like writing all my activities down so much. Maybe I'm afraid if I don't write them down my life will go to pieces. I do know that if I didn't write them down I'd pick up a trip that conflicted with my other job, someone's birthday dinner, a dentist's appointment, or something of the sort.

I've been reading back through my blogs and found one from 9.26.06 where I was thrilled to see gas prices in the low $2.30s. I paid $1.67 the other day. It's a far cry from a few months ago.

I can't get rid of this cold. It's affecting my ability to write a complete paragraph in under 20 minutes. I have sneezed at least 592 times today.

I got new contacts this morning. I can see better. I now have toric lenses in both eyes.

I spent a long time this afternoon talking to Christine about things I could make to take to Thanksgiving tomorrow. She amuses me. I think I'm going to make a broccoli salad that I saw on one of the food blogs she subscribes to.

I feel very tired for no reason.

Yesterday I worked for the first time in 10 days. I just did a round trip to South Bend and to Jacksonville, NC. It wasn't bad, but I'm glad I have another 5 days before I fly again. I'm spoiled.

All my younger siblings are at home. I'm going to go see them soon.

I also have to get the ingredients for the broccoli salad.

I need to go out and get in Thanksgiving mode. My life is so good. It'd be a shame to forget that for one second.