Archive for travel

I think I’ll be fine if I’m covered in wine…

August 23, 2009 at 8:08 pm · Filed under life, travel

The first time, we were on our way to Seattle and had stopped in Tuscon for 4 days to visit my travel companions’ friends.  We left Tuscon later in the day and got up to Flagstaff around 9pm on New Year’s  Eve and we could have stayed overnight and gone the next day, or we could keep driving and spend the night somewhere in Utah.  Since I was the only one who hadn’t seen it, the choice was given to me and honestly?  I was just ready to get to my new home.

The second time, we  (a different “we”) were heading to Florida from Seattle.  We had already been to Victoria, B.C., Portland, San Francisco, and Las Vegas.  We made it to Flagstaff and planned to spend the night and go the next day.  When we woke up the next morning there was something strange outside:  six inches of snow covered anything that stood still.  Both of us had learned to drive in Florida and lacked the knowledge of how to handle a vehicle in the snow.  After talking to some of the locals about the roads out there, we decided the safest thing to do was to not risk the drive.  We headed straight to Phoenix instead and spent 5 days there with family (theirs, not mine).

When I got the official go-ahead for my Tempe work trip, I immediately google-mapped how long it would take to drive up there: 10 hours.  What?  It was only 5 hours to get to Vegas… I didn’t understand.  I decided to do more research on wikipedia and it turns out that 10 hour drive?  That was to the north rim – the south rim gets more visitors and it was only 4 hours (give or take).  That was do-able!

But then there were fees to get in, and fees for tours, and… wait… what’s this?  You can take a day tour from Phoenix?  Someone else to do all the driving AND you get to learn something?

This, my friends, is how you do the Grand Canyon for the first time.

I took a million photos, I walked a generous portion of the Trail of Time (from Yavapai point to El Tovar), and… geeze. There just are no decent words to say how incredible it was.  I started to feel bad that I didn’t get to experience this before, when I was with other travelers… but, to be honest, I think it was a good thing for me to have walked the bit of the South Rim by myself.  It was peaceful and serene. 

And I finally got to go.

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Not bad… not bad..

December 31, 2008 at 8:56 am · Filed under daydreaming, debt, dreams, exercise, family, holidays, interior design, job stuff, knitting, life, love, motivation, travel

I knew I had one of these “resolution” posts floating around… so I checked it to see how I did for 2008.  All in all, not too shabby.  I do remember making a list half-way through the year of things I wanted to do by the end of the year and one of those items was to finish knitting a pair of socks and that SO did not happen.  Oh well.  At least there’s this:

- End the year with less debt.   Well, I can’t say this happened… but I certainly have a better idea of what my debt is – that counts for something, doesn’t it?  I also managed to get my cell phone to stop ringing with debt collector calls by changing my phone number.  heh.

- End the year with less fat.  I haven’t seen PJ since I’ve been back from my trip…  I did weigh myself this morning and I weigh exactly the same as I did last year on the first… does it count that I haven’t GAINED fat?

- End the year with less angst.  Much less angst-y about certain family situations.  Though, I have flown off the handle about relatively calm emails… I guess it means at least I’m not willing to be a doormat anymore.

- End the year with a nest-egg.  I do have one of these, though it might disappear once I have other dental work done in a couple weeks.  UGH.

- End the year with the same job I had at the beginning of the year.  I’d like this to continue through 2009 as well…  I totally enjoy working here and want to stay on for a while longer!!

- End the year having seen my paternal family.  Been there, done that… twice!  It sucks that it was done once for going to a funeral on my maternal side of the family, but… it reminded me how nice and caring they all can be!

 

As for 2009… here we go:

1. I’ll take the NCIDQ and pass it, first try.

2. I’ll end the year with less debt – for real.

3. As mentioned above, I’d like to end 2009 still at the job I’ve started it with.  Retail = never again!

4. I’d like to go to Ireland for a week.

5. I’ll visit my mother.

6. I’ll get my weight back under ___ lbs.

7. I’ll knit a pair of socks.

8. I’ll NOT have “ex-sex”.

9. I’ll upgrade my apartment (as in, get out of the studio… still waiting on word for that 1 bedroom.)

and finally

10. I’ll continue to do things because I want to do them, and not care what other people think or how crazy they seem.

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Pepper Spray!

December 30, 2008 at 11:01 am · Filed under family, funny, rants, stupid, travel

When I was back east I went to the Yankee Candle Factory in South Deerfield, MA.  This used to be a nice excursion to take because the candles were cheaper to buy there than they were to buy at a local Hallmark or Bed, Bath, and Beyond.  Now… not so much.   Where I used to be able to get 18 votive candles for 20 bucks I now paid 18 dollars for 12.  Pih on that, I say!

Anyhow, part of my mission while I was there was to get this Reed Diffuser for my mother.   My mom likes beach-y scents and I had bought her some candles of this scent once before and she really enjoyed it.  My sister had bought mom a diffuser for her birthday but she knew she’d need another one soon.  Anyhow, I obliged, made the purchase, plus some other candles, and called it a day.

With my candle purchases, and my yarn purchases at Webs, I had planned to mail a box back to myself so I wouldn’t have to check a bag at the airport.  I thought (and was proven wrong) Jetblue charged for checking a bag, but still… it seemed silly to check a small box when I could just mail it back to myself. 

However, with the power out in my hometown and the roads being hazardous all the way around, I never made it to the post office.   I figured with some creative packaging I could manage to fit the candles, mom’s gift, and the yarn in my carry-on after all. 

I was prepared for some static when I hit security at Logan Airport because I had purchased a pair of scissors at Wal-Mart and even though I had tucked them way in the bottom of my carry-on, I wasn’t sure if they’d let me through the gate with them or not.  So, when my bag was pulled aside, I shrugged and figured I wasn’t going to be able to knit while I was on the plane… What I was NOT prepared for was for the security guy to pull out the reed diffuser and tell me I couldn’t take it on the plane because it exceed the liquid limitations for carry-on items.   Sure, I could have checked my bag, but I was already running a little behind and I seriously have a fear of losing my luggage!   I allowed them to confiscate my mom’s present, and told the security guy he should give it to his wife for Christmas, as it’s a really nice, clean smell!

Ok, real quick, let me just say how stupid I thought it was that they confiscated the present, but didn’t say anything about the scissors in my bag, nor did they say anything about the brand new, full-sized bottle of hairgel I had not in my suitcase, but in my open purse carry-on.  But, whatever… I exceeded the liquid limitation and they took it. 

Fast forward to Christmas Eve.  I’m getting ready to go to the theater to see Jersey Boys and I decide I want to take my cute little Asian-print purse with me to the show, as I don’t need to bring a whole hell of a lot with me.   I remember that said little purse is still in my suitcase, as I never unpacked the small outside zipper-thingies and I brought it with me to MA.  I take out the purse and open it up to stick my wallet in it when I realize there is something in the purse.  I reach my hand in and you know what I pull out?  Pepper spray. 

Let me repeat: There was pepper spray IN MY CARRY-ON that went through security in Chicago, and again through security in Boston. 

PEPPER SPRAY.

Did TSA confiscate this?  No.  Of course not.

Did TSA confiscate my mother’s Yankee Candle Reed Diffuser?  Yep.  They sure did!

Freaking pepper spray got through security.  Twice.  I’m still shaking my head in disbelief!

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Every time a bell rings, an angel gets its wings…

December 23, 2008 at 9:53 am · Filed under anxiety, family, holidays, life, travel, worry

I haven’t really had much to say as of late, as it seems like everything in my life has revolved around the freaking weather.

I went to New England earlier in the month and got caught in a monster of an ice storm.  It knocked the power out of my small town for 4 days and they’ve continued to be pummelled by snow ever since. 

My mom, on the west coast, has been experiencing her share of snow too.  And me in the middle?  Well, it’s snowing right now and plans to do so for a while longer, if that says anything.  I keep threatening to move to Mexico as Florida is simply just not far enough south.  This is usually the time of year I love to see snow – I’m not usually fed up with it until January/February, but I’m feeling very Bah-Humbug lately.  Actually, it’s not even that – I feel like the holidays are already over anyhow because I went to visit my family at such a weird time.

I did want to share the mass quantities of driving I did while I was back east – I did this in the 2 days before the ice storm hit… I’m glad I did make the trip to western Mass when I did… I got to see the home of yarn.com (Webs), and I hit up the Yankee Candle factory.  My suitcase smelled really nice on the way back home.  Anyhow, here’s what my Tuesday and Wednesday looked like:

Tuesday was aprox 147 miles, and Wednesday was aprox 171 miles.  For someone with anxiety when it comes to driving…  that’s a whole lot of area covered.

Then, on Thursday I spent the day with my dad and had Lobster, Steamers, and passed out on his sofa.  I went back to my aunt and uncle’s place and that night the storm hit.  We spent Friday heating up water on the gas grill outside so we could have hot chocolate and I curled under 5 blankets and read Eclipse, the 3rd book of the Twilight series, by flashlight.

Anyhow, I’ve been back for a little over a week.  I managed to knit a pair of fingerless gloves for a coworker for our secret santa exchange and while knitting I listened to the 4th and final book of Twilight.  I’m contemplating a move down the hall from my existing apartment into a larger one, and I’ve got my oral surgery coming up this week. 

I’m rather bah-humbug and lonely all wrapped into one emotional mess.  This year has been so fabulous, I don’t want to end it on a bad note so I’m trying to work through the emotional crap and focus on the good.  It’s harder than it sounds.

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A lot can happen in a week

September 15, 2008 at 12:07 pm · Filed under Alzheimer's, anxiety, Chicago, dating, daydreaming, family, job stuff, Josh, knitting, life, love, motivation, nostalgia, pisces, self esteem, travel, weight

I looked at the calendar today and noticed there is exactly one week left of summer.  I noticed some of the trees were starting to change colors last week, and the weather is certainly cooler – I just, for some reason, am not ready for the official declaration of it being autumn and no longer being summer – or maybe I am.

I think much of it has to do with this spring/summer being one of the best since I moved to the city – remember last year when I was almost wishing not to have a job so I could take advantage of all Chicago had to offer int he summer and then I did lose my job and it sucked?  Well, this year has proved that I can in fact have my cake (job) and eat all the good Chicago-ness too!  Let’s take a look at what good times were had, shall we?

In April I got to go to Florida for the first time in 4 years.  I spent time with Ginny, went downtown.  I spent time with Josh, went to the beach.  I drove down A1A through Cape Canaveral and saw the house my mom and I rented once upon a time on the beach.

In May I met Jen Lancaster at a book signing (ok, “met” is a strong word…  I got my picture taken with her (said photo will be used as a good ‘before’ photo when I lose a bunch of weight)).  Andi graduated and had a birthday which meant dinner with her family and drinks with the gals from knitting group.  We also met Jemaine and Bret after the Flight of the Conchords show (2 more pics also for the before book) and I won tickets to see KT Tunstall – again.  Beth had a birthday at the end of the month and she and I had AWESOME seats to Avenue Q!  We chugged champagne before walking in the theater to see naked puppets.  Our knitting group also had the first of the BBQ’s at Beth’s place on Memorial Day.

June had some mixed feelings, but from the bad came some good.  Elizabeth had a birthday bowling party which was pretty darn fun and a few days later I got my first and only spinning lesson (spinning as in spinning yarn).  I was in a “mood” when I was with the girls, and 2 days later my mood worsened when my great aunt passed.  The good of her passing was that she did not suffer and I’m sure she’s happy to be reunited with her husband.  I also got to go see my family back east and though it was rough circumstances, it was still very good to see them.  Playing cards with my aunt, uncle and cousin still sticks out in my mind as one of the more fond memories of the week.  Neocon was also this month and despite ending a friendship after having the liquid courage of free martini’s, the martini’s were still a plus for the month!

In July we had our second BBQ at Beth’s for the 4th and then Chicago Summer Dance started.  Adrienne and I spent quite a few weekends down in Grant Park learning how to do various dances.  One of the better nights of dancing also involved us catching the fireworks from Venetian Night and ending up at the Intercontinental Hotel where we had the best Creme Brulee ever.   Jody and I took a Monday off from our respective jobs and went to Hurricane Harbor at Six Flags.  I still give her a little grief for not braving any of the slides with me, but we still had a great day on the Lazy River and the wave pool. 

August started with Lollapalooza.  I still say I’m unsure if I’ll go again next year, but I’m sure come April ’09 I’ll be buying a ticket for it anyhow.  Just before Lolla, I met Matt, which brought along some interesting dates/hanging out times throughout the month.  Even though he’s lived in/around the city all his life, we’ve still managed to go to places that are new to both of us.  We attempted to watch Blues Brothers during the movies in Grant Park, but we got rained out!  Boo!  I also fufilled a 4-year wish to be in a sailboat on Lake Michigan during August!  Next year I want to see if I can get in with a crew and learn how to SAIL the boat – riding is one thing, but the whole process of throwing the sale up and steering just looks like so much fun!

And this month.. Well, I went back to Florida and instead of running around to see EVERYONE I hadn’t seen in 4 years I instead planned on seeing only Ginny and Josh.  I was lucky to see Kristin too, and to go to Cassadaga to get a reading.  I went to the beach again and helped Josh shop for some stuff for his new place.  I treasure tete-a-tete time with Josh – it should happen more often.  I gave blood for the first time in my life last week (and my arm is still sore from it).  Over this past weekend Matt and I shared a 100$ wine flight that included wines from 1960-something and 1908!  This week we’re going to go see Batman on the Imax screen and Wednesday we’re having our first (and perhaps only) flying trapeze lesson.   I’ll be going back on the Points system for real (thanks to Jody joining it too – personal support rocks!) and I think on Friday I’m going to go to a Dar Williams concert on my own. 

And then it’ll be the weekend and Monday it will be fall.  And I’ll be ok with it because, well, that was one hell of a summer… but next year’s will be even better, right?

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Rock you like a hurricane…

September 3, 2008 at 10:42 am · Filed under anxiety, life, reading, travel

I’m off to Central Florida to hopefully NOT play with Hannah… or Ike… or Josephine.

May this trip be successful work-wise, and panic-attack-free on the personal aspects.  It should be fine: I have far less people to see this time around as the whole trip is really revolved around Ginny and Josh.   Oh, and the Atlantic Ocean too… I hope she’s calm enough for me to take a swim.

(I’ve managed to own New Moon (the second Twilight Series book) for 3 days now and I haven’t opened it.  I hope it makes for good plane reading.)

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The great unknown.

August 26, 2008 at 9:48 am · Filed under anxiety, Chicago, dating, daydreaming, family, job stuff, life, love, meditation, pisces, questions, travel, vague, worry

“What do you want?”

A simple question with a very complicated answer.  Made even more complicated when you have two different ways you think you want your life to be and the sheer terror of choosing the wrong path leaves you feeling incomplete and uncertain.

In what I am now calling my “therapy sessions” (really they are calls to my bff in Florida), we discussed this whole want business and I came to a couple conclusions:

1. I still have a strong pull to the northeast.  When I do imagine my life in the grandest of senses, I’m living somewhere either in Mass or Rhode Island – but within a couple hours of my paternal family. 

2. This pull makes me feel guilty in a sense that I’m not feeling a pull to move to the northwest to be with my maternal family.  However, I also realize that maybe the reason there isn’t a strong pull is because I am on the phone with my mother on an almost daily basis already and because there is strain with the rest of my family there.  It’s not that I don’t want to resolve said strain, but it’s more like it’s just easier to avoid conflict than throw myself into it, if that makes sense.

3. I don’t know what this pull does to what I should be doing with my so-called love-life here in Chicago.  If I’m not planning to leave the area for another couple years it would make sense not to get involved with someone, but what if it happens?  I mean, it’s super easy to say, “I can’t see you because…”, but could I be turning down experiences I should be having?  What if I move to say, Boston, and I’m miserable and want to come back to Chicago?

4. The big answer to “What do you want?” cannot be put into words right now, mostly because of that dual-path thing.  In the simplest of terms, one path has me married with children, the other path has me working a fabulous career and traveling the world.  It’s not to say there’s not a happy middle, but… one does make the other less likely.

When I said I was seeking clarity and a chance to be introspective on my upcoming trip to Florida, BFF was quick to point out that was exactly what I was looking for last time.  What he doesn’t realize is that I FOUND some clarity during my last trip.  I realized not all men are scum-sucking pigs and there are men out there who are truly faithful.  Hell, if I hadn’t gone to Florida I wouldn’t of had the guts to speak my mind when things needed to be said.  I’d still be sitting here, pretending that it’s ok for me to be walked upon.

Maybe this trip will help me solve the answer to the biggest question on the table – What DO I want??

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Same Difference?

July 25, 2008 at 9:34 am · Filed under anxiety, daydreaming, life, love, meditation, motivation, nostalgia, questions, travel, vague, worry

I pose a question to the general public out there – is there a difference between “I wish I had…” and “I regret…”?

 

This being a crazy emotional month, I keep saying things like “I wish I had done X differently…” and to me it sounds a little too regretful.  I mean, had I handled certain situations differently my past would not have shaped my current in the way it has.  Who’s to say life would have been better if I had done some of the things I’m pondering these days?

The ultimate goal is to never regret… but yet you learn lessons by doing the things you do… so what is the difference and how do you stop dwelling on the steps you took before?

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I have a dream, a song to sing…

July 23, 2008 at 8:12 am · Filed under dating, daydreaming, debt, dreams, exercise, job stuff, knitting, life, love, Maui Marathon, motivation, travel, weight

It’s been a long time since I’ve actually sat down and figured out what it is I want to do with my life because for the most part, I like to think I’m living it.  A few minor (maybe major) changes to be made, which is why I think it’s time to come up with a couple of lists. 

Short-term goals (before year’s end)
1. To be at a weight that doesn’t start with the number 2.
2. To come up with a plan for managing my debt (be it actually filing for bankruptcy or paying one card off at a time) AND STICKING TO IT.
3. This sounds trivial to some, but I want to finish knitting a pair of socks for once!

Long-term goals (before I turn 35)
1. Pass the NCIDQ so I can “officially” be a “Designer”.
2. Run and/or walk the Maui Marathon.
3. Visit Ireland (specifically for the Aran Islands).
4. Visit Spain (specifically to see this Calatrava building).

The major one I’d like to throw into the mix, which is out of my control, is to fall in love and eventually marry.  It makes me a little sad when I actually think I may end up being a woman who never bears a child, but then I remind myself that things happen for a reason and let’s face it – I haven’t run into anyone who would have been good father material in the past.

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LIVE and learn.

June 20, 2008 at 8:44 pm · Filed under Alzheimer's, anxiety, family, life, love, motivation, nostalgia, travel

What a roller-coaster of a week.  Most if it I can’t even talk about here because I would say the words, “bat-shit crazy”, in regards to how I was feeling, far too much.

Buried my Great Aunt.  I held back sobbing tears, but did cry when I first saw her at the wake, and then when I was handed a crucifix and a rose to place atop her coffin at the services.  I also cried when the funeral procession took a left turn down the street I grew up on, which was also the same street she lived on for so many years. 

Spent time with the other half of my family.  Sitting at a table playing cards with my aunt and uncle and youngest cousin was both fun and funny.  It made me realize that the idea of moving back east someday? Not such a bad plan.

I’m emotionally drained, but I’m making a vow to myself to get out this weekend and to do a couple specific things in my apartment.  If there’s one thing this week taught me it’s that I need to live.  And I need to make sure that this life is the best life it could possibly be.

I leave you with a photo of a photo of my Great Aunt and I at her 90th Birthday party.  She was well, and I had one chin. 

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