I woke up Saturday feeling a little groggy from the night before. I wasn't surprised that I moving a little slower than normal that morning but a cup of coffee helped to get things going. While normally I would have more time to sleep on a Saturday morning, especially since I wasn't working every other Saturday anymore, but I had made a commitment to work the food pantry one last time before I left for California. So, at ten that morning I set out to open and serve food for the last time. It was great to be back there after being away for several months. I tried to scale back my involvement a few months ago and give up my responsibilities to others, so it was good to see that everything seemed to be running smoothly. We were busy at first, as is usual, but then quickly died out. That left us time to sort through new donations and make sure the stuff on the shelves was up to code. We did have one last client come in shortly before two so even though there was a bit of drought in the middle hours but it shows that being open for that amount of time definitely helps the clients get down to the pantry.
While all of this was going on, apparently Jeff one of the owners of the company I worked for and host of a party being held at his house that afternoon changed the time of said party from 2ish to right after work or noon. So, several people arrived right after work and I would say that by two, as I was leaving the pantry, everyone had arrived. Dave and I left my house and of course we hit traffic on the way down there. Now it seemed odd that there would be that much of a jam in the middle of a Saturday afternoon, but sure enough when we wanted to get somewhere relatively quickly we were mired in a sea of rubber and metal. It was cool because by the time we arrived at Jeff's house the party was already rocking. One of the other managers brought her dog and when we tried to play horseshoes the dog tried to catch them. When we tried to play bocce, the dog chased our balls around. This then ended our attempts to play any games, at least game that required tossing things into the air. It was good food, good drink, and great company. All in all it was a great way to hang out one last time before heading west. Dave and I left there after eleven and headed home.
I thought that after Saturday, my eventful weekend was pretty much over and Sunday would serve as a day of rest, and possibly recovery, but there was one more surprise in store for me. I went to church and it was a typical service, my second to last at St. John's for a while, and during coffee hour Tom approached me. Tom had served on my discernment committee and has known me pretty much my whole life. He came up to me and asked if I was free to go to the Sox game. I was of course psyched to jump on this opportunity because it was the last game of the Yankees series and I had never seen the Yankees at Fenway so it was going to be my first Yankees game. I jumped all over it and he gave me the ticket. Score! Later that afternoon I threw on my jersey and made my way to Fenway via the T. It turned out to be an awesome game to see. The game was back and forth and we were down in the last inning. We had only two outs left in the game and in typical Sox fashion was able to tie it up and send it to extra innings. We didn't have to wait long as the Yankees batters were unable to do anything in the 10th and we were able to string a few hits together and score the winning run. The place went wild. Normally fans start leaving in the latter innings of the game, but on that night the park was still packed. As I rode the empty trains to Alewife I thought about the amazing weekend I had and the amazing people that helped to make it happen. This upcoming weekend will be my last in Waltham until November, while I don't expect it to be as exciting I do hope that it will good.
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
What a weekend...Friday Night (11 days and counting)
It has been three days since my last post, and the only thing I can say is...what a weekend. I knew, even on Friday afternoon that this past weekend was going to be something special. What I didn't know was just how awesome it really turned out to be and it all started on Friday.
Friday started off just like any other Friday would. While I was running around taking care of my errands during the day, my friend Dave came up with a somewhat brilliant idea. For that evening, he wanted to get all dressed up, all fancy like, and head out to a dive bar type place where we would totally be overdressed and certainly look out of place. After he told me this I thought about it for a moment and wondered what was the motivation behind this desire. Was he interested in getting dressed up, since we never really go any place that would require more suitable attire than my usual t-shirt, shorts, and flip-flops? Was he seeking attention from others by being in a dive bar scene and being totally overdressed and thus extremely noticeable? Did he just think it was a funny idea? Regardless of his motivation as my departure time approached I threw on my Sox jersey and shorts and flip-flops and met up with Mike and went over to Brewer's. The other aspect of Dave's plan that got me thinking was his choice to go to Brewer's. Now don't get me wrong I love going there, in fact they know me there but it isn't exactly what I would call a dive bar. If you are looking for a true dive bar you only have to walk along Moody or Main Streets and you will find many a gin joint that would have been a better fit than Brewer's. While Mike and I sat at the bar waiting for Dave and Jaime, his wife, to arrive we were wondering how disappointed Dave would be to see that I had not really conformed to his plan. I chose the jersey because Friday night was also the opening night of a three game series against the Yankees at Fenway. In this case, my support of the Red Sox took priority over my support of Dave.
While I had been a little concerned about disappointing Dave and possibly ruining his evening, it turned out to be just fine. Dave and Jaime arrived about thirty minutes after we did and sure enough Dave was dressed up though not exactly to what I had expected. Perhaps he too realized that not only was the weather not conducive for wearing a long sleeve shirt, but that it might have been a little much to go out like that. He was wearing a button down with shorts and dress socks pulled up his legs. He wasn't formal but he was a little more put together than me. Regardless of what he was or wasn't expecting he was in a great mood and the evening went very well. He was generous with his resources to ensure that we all had a good time.
By the time I came home it was around one in the morning and it was a good night. Now one might thing that it would take something pretty awesome to top that evening, but little did I know the shenanigans that were awaiting me the next afternoon and evening.
Friday started off just like any other Friday would. While I was running around taking care of my errands during the day, my friend Dave came up with a somewhat brilliant idea. For that evening, he wanted to get all dressed up, all fancy like, and head out to a dive bar type place where we would totally be overdressed and certainly look out of place. After he told me this I thought about it for a moment and wondered what was the motivation behind this desire. Was he interested in getting dressed up, since we never really go any place that would require more suitable attire than my usual t-shirt, shorts, and flip-flops? Was he seeking attention from others by being in a dive bar scene and being totally overdressed and thus extremely noticeable? Did he just think it was a funny idea? Regardless of his motivation as my departure time approached I threw on my Sox jersey and shorts and flip-flops and met up with Mike and went over to Brewer's. The other aspect of Dave's plan that got me thinking was his choice to go to Brewer's. Now don't get me wrong I love going there, in fact they know me there but it isn't exactly what I would call a dive bar. If you are looking for a true dive bar you only have to walk along Moody or Main Streets and you will find many a gin joint that would have been a better fit than Brewer's. While Mike and I sat at the bar waiting for Dave and Jaime, his wife, to arrive we were wondering how disappointed Dave would be to see that I had not really conformed to his plan. I chose the jersey because Friday night was also the opening night of a three game series against the Yankees at Fenway. In this case, my support of the Red Sox took priority over my support of Dave.
While I had been a little concerned about disappointing Dave and possibly ruining his evening, it turned out to be just fine. Dave and Jaime arrived about thirty minutes after we did and sure enough Dave was dressed up though not exactly to what I had expected. Perhaps he too realized that not only was the weather not conducive for wearing a long sleeve shirt, but that it might have been a little much to go out like that. He was wearing a button down with shorts and dress socks pulled up his legs. He wasn't formal but he was a little more put together than me. Regardless of what he was or wasn't expecting he was in a great mood and the evening went very well. He was generous with his resources to ensure that we all had a good time.
By the time I came home it was around one in the morning and it was a good night. Now one might thing that it would take something pretty awesome to top that evening, but little did I know the shenanigans that were awaiting me the next afternoon and evening.
Friday, August 5, 2011
We can build it, we have the technology...(15 days and counting)
I have decided to submit today's edition a little earlier than normal because I will be heading out with my friends, as is usual for a Friday night, and I am not sure if I will have the motivation to log on and write something after I get home. Today has been a busy day. From the very beginning it has been relatively nonstop go go go to try to begin tying up some loose ends. It is all stuff that needed to get done so it is good to have finally checked off some items off of my list.
After waking up I had to take my brother to work. This has become business as usual. When I stopped working I had thought that I need not wake up early anymore, however I have now assumed the role of chauffeur for my brother. It isn't like it is a terrible burden but nevertheless it is a bit of a pain traveling through some serious traffic to drop him off in the morning and pick him up n the afternoon. I dropped him off today and I decided to drop my car of at my trusty repair station, by far the best one in Waltham, and have the car checked to make sure it is ready for the trip. I thought that they would take a few days but I just heard from them a short time ago that it is ready. I am pretty impressed with the guys at the shop. I am also curious about how much the parts are going to cost me. I used my old company and when I called to find out how much it was, I was told to call the owner. I am not sure what is going on but I am thinking something absolutely amazing is about to happen.
After walking home from the repair shop, I immediately headed to my room to take on the third phase of my four phase master plan to clean and organize my room. While everything has been going to my plan, my mother doesn't quite seem convinced that everything will be done on time and in order. I spent two hours going through all of my books on the shelves, sorting through what I wanted to keep and those that should be donated. I also dusted all of the books and shelves, there was so much dust it was kind of gross. When all was said and done I had a box and a bag full of books to be donated and a room that is but a shell of its former self. It is good to see it all in order.
When I was done with my room I went out with my mom to do some errands. I picked up my new eyeglasses. I haven't had new frames or lenses in about six years, so needless to say my old frames were so beat up it wasn't funny. There isn't much change in my prescription but it is cool to have new frames for the new chapter in my life. We went to the library, we went to the AT&T store only to find that my mother has no ability to use a smartphone though she could use to keep organized, we went to look at air conditioners and finally to Costco to look at flat screen TVs and the all important, milk.
The rest of the day has been catching up on other stuff that required my attention. It hasn't been a day of great importance but still a necessary day in the grand scheme of things. Let's see what tomorrow brings.
After waking up I had to take my brother to work. This has become business as usual. When I stopped working I had thought that I need not wake up early anymore, however I have now assumed the role of chauffeur for my brother. It isn't like it is a terrible burden but nevertheless it is a bit of a pain traveling through some serious traffic to drop him off in the morning and pick him up n the afternoon. I dropped him off today and I decided to drop my car of at my trusty repair station, by far the best one in Waltham, and have the car checked to make sure it is ready for the trip. I thought that they would take a few days but I just heard from them a short time ago that it is ready. I am pretty impressed with the guys at the shop. I am also curious about how much the parts are going to cost me. I used my old company and when I called to find out how much it was, I was told to call the owner. I am not sure what is going on but I am thinking something absolutely amazing is about to happen.
After walking home from the repair shop, I immediately headed to my room to take on the third phase of my four phase master plan to clean and organize my room. While everything has been going to my plan, my mother doesn't quite seem convinced that everything will be done on time and in order. I spent two hours going through all of my books on the shelves, sorting through what I wanted to keep and those that should be donated. I also dusted all of the books and shelves, there was so much dust it was kind of gross. When all was said and done I had a box and a bag full of books to be donated and a room that is but a shell of its former self. It is good to see it all in order.
When I was done with my room I went out with my mom to do some errands. I picked up my new eyeglasses. I haven't had new frames or lenses in about six years, so needless to say my old frames were so beat up it wasn't funny. There isn't much change in my prescription but it is cool to have new frames for the new chapter in my life. We went to the library, we went to the AT&T store only to find that my mother has no ability to use a smartphone though she could use to keep organized, we went to look at air conditioners and finally to Costco to look at flat screen TVs and the all important, milk.
The rest of the day has been catching up on other stuff that required my attention. It hasn't been a day of great importance but still a necessary day in the grand scheme of things. Let's see what tomorrow brings.
Thursday, August 4, 2011
You can't always get what you want...(16 days and counting)
...but if you try sometime, you just might find, you get what you need.
I heard that line while I was in my car on my way home from dinner this evening. The dinner was great and it was good to spend time with that person before I head out to California. As I was driving home the song came on the radio, it is by far one of my favorites by the Stones, but it got me thinking about want and need and how the grey areas that surrounds that differentiating line can lead to interesting places within our lives.
The things we want in our lives and for our lives, can vary greatly from the genuinely good intentioned like family, a home, and a good job. Our wants can also take on another form that is geared towards our senses of pleasure and our desire to "feel good" which can in turn consume us. There is nothing wrong with wanting, as long as it flows along with the first line of wanting. However when our wanting leads to desire in things that are not ours we begin to covet, which will poison the mind and corrupt our actions.
On the surface the things we need can be very, very simple. We need food. We need water. We need shelter. We need clothing/protection from the elements. These are the basic needs that must be fulfilled for any human being to survive. Those needs are purely for survival, but what about the needs that makes our lives worth living, make our lives something more than just survival? We need community, a place where we belong. We needs friends to walk with us on our journey to God. We need suffering and loss, to make us stronger and keep joyful miracle life in perspective. Most of all, we need love. It is the love that we find in this world that will sustain us and lift us up. It is this love that helps us heal from our brokenness. It is this love that allows us to forgive those who transgress against us. This love goes beyond Eros, but it is the love that is truly unconditional, agape. That is the love that we all seek and yearn for. To know we belong to something bigger and better then ourselves makes this life more than just survival. Love may not be a basic need to survival, but I ask you this, have you ever seen anyone lead a happy and fulfilling life without love?
The question I often ask God is, am I getting what I want or getting what I need? The beauty of it is that in the heat of the moment what we get may be the very opposite of what we want, but in the bigger picture it may be exactly what we need. I know that when it came time to find out what seminary my bishop wanted me to consider I wanted it to be outside of New England. I was thinking New York City but never did I think he would want me to go to Berkeley, California. While I was psyched that I got what I wanted in getting out of Boston, I realized that this may very well be what i need. I wonder if my bishop, who has known me for years and has been witness to both my ups and my downs, somehow knew that given all of my current life situation heading to the complete opposite end of the country would be in my best interest. That would be pretty cool if he picked up on the same vibe that I was running with. However, there have been plenty of times when I didn't get what I wanted. I have been searching for a while for something that seems to continuously slips through my fingers like sand. Every time that I feel like I have found it, something invariably pops up and it slips away. Perhaps my time on the left coast will help lead me to find what I want and need.
I heard that line while I was in my car on my way home from dinner this evening. The dinner was great and it was good to spend time with that person before I head out to California. As I was driving home the song came on the radio, it is by far one of my favorites by the Stones, but it got me thinking about want and need and how the grey areas that surrounds that differentiating line can lead to interesting places within our lives.
The things we want in our lives and for our lives, can vary greatly from the genuinely good intentioned like family, a home, and a good job. Our wants can also take on another form that is geared towards our senses of pleasure and our desire to "feel good" which can in turn consume us. There is nothing wrong with wanting, as long as it flows along with the first line of wanting. However when our wanting leads to desire in things that are not ours we begin to covet, which will poison the mind and corrupt our actions.
On the surface the things we need can be very, very simple. We need food. We need water. We need shelter. We need clothing/protection from the elements. These are the basic needs that must be fulfilled for any human being to survive. Those needs are purely for survival, but what about the needs that makes our lives worth living, make our lives something more than just survival? We need community, a place where we belong. We needs friends to walk with us on our journey to God. We need suffering and loss, to make us stronger and keep joyful miracle life in perspective. Most of all, we need love. It is the love that we find in this world that will sustain us and lift us up. It is this love that helps us heal from our brokenness. It is this love that allows us to forgive those who transgress against us. This love goes beyond Eros, but it is the love that is truly unconditional, agape. That is the love that we all seek and yearn for. To know we belong to something bigger and better then ourselves makes this life more than just survival. Love may not be a basic need to survival, but I ask you this, have you ever seen anyone lead a happy and fulfilling life without love?
The question I often ask God is, am I getting what I want or getting what I need? The beauty of it is that in the heat of the moment what we get may be the very opposite of what we want, but in the bigger picture it may be exactly what we need. I know that when it came time to find out what seminary my bishop wanted me to consider I wanted it to be outside of New England. I was thinking New York City but never did I think he would want me to go to Berkeley, California. While I was psyched that I got what I wanted in getting out of Boston, I realized that this may very well be what i need. I wonder if my bishop, who has known me for years and has been witness to both my ups and my downs, somehow knew that given all of my current life situation heading to the complete opposite end of the country would be in my best interest. That would be pretty cool if he picked up on the same vibe that I was running with. However, there have been plenty of times when I didn't get what I wanted. I have been searching for a while for something that seems to continuously slips through my fingers like sand. Every time that I feel like I have found it, something invariably pops up and it slips away. Perhaps my time on the left coast will help lead me to find what I want and need.
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
We have a route...Part II (17 days and counting)
Another crappy day of unemployment. However I was a bit productive today, in that I went through all my clothes in my dresser and closet. I cleaned out two and a half trash bags full of clothes, shoes, and other items I would never wear or use. I went to go pick up my brother from work this afternoon and I decided that I would swing through the Goodwill trailer in Lexington. Sure enough, as I pulled into the rear of the building where the trailer is tucked away, there was no one on duty and the door was locked. Just my luck. While there was a sign that discouraged "after hour" drop off, I needed to get rid of this stuff. I couldn't very well just drive around with bags of donations so I left all of the donations under the trailer and took off. Should it rain, at least everything would be protected. Anyways, let's get back to the route.
Wed. August 24th: After taking a whole day off to rest and refresh ourselves, we will embark on the second half of the trip. This half will probably be the most intense, first for the undiscovered country that we have never laid eyes on and for the long driving hours that will be necessary to get to each of our stop off points. We will leave St. Louis and drive the whole stat of Missouri, from the western border all the way across to Kansas City and then head north to Lincoln, Nebraska. This will be a haul.
Thu. August 25th: We will leave Lincoln and head clear cross the plains of Nebraska and into Wyoming. Our stop for this evening will be somewhere in Cheyenne. I think it would be cool to be able to find a place where we can just pull off the road and roll out sleeping bags. It would be so amazing to see the stars in the clear, open skies that aren't polluted by the city lights. I really don't want to bring a lot of camping gear but I may bring some just to have available to use in California. Either way none of us have been to Wyoming so everything should be pretty copacetic.
Fri. August 26th: From Cheyenne we will continue heading west on I80 and head towards Salt Lake City. I am actually kind of excited to see the Great Salt Lake and SLC. I am hoping that we will be able to get there with enough time to see some of the city. I would very much like to see the Mormon temple in the center of town. I found always found Mormonism to be very interesting especially since it is so different in structure and tradition from my own Episcopal tradition. It will be a long trip to get there from Cheyenne but I think it will be totally worth it.
Sat. August 27th: Upon leaving Salt Lake City we are a little over 750 miles away from Berkeley and it would take over twelve hours to get there, but we have one more stop...Reno, Nevada. This truly will be one of the more interesting stops. It is kind of fitting for our last night on the road to be in the great state of Nevada where anything goes. Though Reno is a little more toned down version of Las Vegas it is nevertheless a city rife with temptation. The question is can we resist the call of the roulette table or the quarter slots?
Sun. August 28th: When we leave Reno, hopefully with all of our possessions, we are but three hours out of Berkeley. We will have a short ride so we can pull into Berkeley with plenty of time to unpack the trailer and drop it off at what ever U-Haul place is closest to the school. By the early evening I will have traveled across the country in eight days and unpacked and ready for orientation to begin.
All the work that I have been doing over the last there months will help make this trip an amazing opportunity for spiritual growth and personal freedom. By the end I hope that I will be ready to begin the newest chapter of my life, seminary.
Let's see what tomorrow will bring...
Wed. August 24th: After taking a whole day off to rest and refresh ourselves, we will embark on the second half of the trip. This half will probably be the most intense, first for the undiscovered country that we have never laid eyes on and for the long driving hours that will be necessary to get to each of our stop off points. We will leave St. Louis and drive the whole stat of Missouri, from the western border all the way across to Kansas City and then head north to Lincoln, Nebraska. This will be a haul.
Thu. August 25th: We will leave Lincoln and head clear cross the plains of Nebraska and into Wyoming. Our stop for this evening will be somewhere in Cheyenne. I think it would be cool to be able to find a place where we can just pull off the road and roll out sleeping bags. It would be so amazing to see the stars in the clear, open skies that aren't polluted by the city lights. I really don't want to bring a lot of camping gear but I may bring some just to have available to use in California. Either way none of us have been to Wyoming so everything should be pretty copacetic.
Fri. August 26th: From Cheyenne we will continue heading west on I80 and head towards Salt Lake City. I am actually kind of excited to see the Great Salt Lake and SLC. I am hoping that we will be able to get there with enough time to see some of the city. I would very much like to see the Mormon temple in the center of town. I found always found Mormonism to be very interesting especially since it is so different in structure and tradition from my own Episcopal tradition. It will be a long trip to get there from Cheyenne but I think it will be totally worth it.
Sat. August 27th: Upon leaving Salt Lake City we are a little over 750 miles away from Berkeley and it would take over twelve hours to get there, but we have one more stop...Reno, Nevada. This truly will be one of the more interesting stops. It is kind of fitting for our last night on the road to be in the great state of Nevada where anything goes. Though Reno is a little more toned down version of Las Vegas it is nevertheless a city rife with temptation. The question is can we resist the call of the roulette table or the quarter slots?
Sun. August 28th: When we leave Reno, hopefully with all of our possessions, we are but three hours out of Berkeley. We will have a short ride so we can pull into Berkeley with plenty of time to unpack the trailer and drop it off at what ever U-Haul place is closest to the school. By the early evening I will have traveled across the country in eight days and unpacked and ready for orientation to begin.
All the work that I have been doing over the last there months will help make this trip an amazing opportunity for spiritual growth and personal freedom. By the end I hope that I will be ready to begin the newest chapter of my life, seminary.
Let's see what tomorrow will bring...
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
We have a route...Part I (18 days and counting)
After many months of little to no details about the actual road trip to California we finally have a tentative route west. The trip involves eight days, seven of which are driving, with one in the middle to rest my car and ourselves. Overall I think that this will be a very good trip across the country which will allow us to see parts of the country that we have never seen before. I am looking forward to all the new sights, the way people interact in other parts of the country, and of course the food. This will be intense.
Sat. August 20th: We will hopefully be departing Boston somewhere in the early hours, possibly 7:00 or 8:00AM. From there we will trek out I90 to I84 and then wiggle our way north of NYC to get over to I80. In a perfect world we could then just ride I80 all the way to Berkeley, though that will not be our destination. After driving seven or eight hours we will arrive in the Danville, PA area sometime in the late afternoon/early evening. This first day of traveling, I think, will be the most difficult for me because for most of this first leg, I have already travelled before. Now I have never been to Danville or the middle of nowhere PA, which is where Danville is, but nevertheless knowing the unknown roads of states I have never been too looming ahead will overshadow this first part.
Sun. August 21st: We will leave the Danville area in the early morning and make our way to Ohio. This is where things get a little fuzzy. My original plan was to stay in the Akron/Canton region of northeast Ohio. This was done specifically so that I could provide the opportunity for her to come and see me one last time. While I have been reluctant to the idea I thought that I would at least provide the opportunity for the meeting to happen, but we have been talking so rarely and grown too far apart that I am beginning to think that this is no longer necessary. If I do decide to continue with my original plan then we will stay there, otherwise I hope that we can make it to the other side of Columbus. I just don't know if there is any benefit to making this happen.
Mon. August 22nd: We will leave Ohio, hopefully once and for all, and make our way to St. Louis, MO. I have been to St. Louis once but didn't spend enough time to really see it. This leg will be a long haul as we clear across most of Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois to reach St. Louis sometime in the early evening. This could be a tricky leg in that if my meeting does happen then there might be some serious processing that will need to occur. What I am looking forward to after this leg is done is one day off.
Tue. August 23rd: We will spend the whole day in St. Louis staying with family/friends of Jeff and, again I forgot her name. This will be good for us to take a break and for my car to take a break.
I will post the rest of the schedule tomorrow.
Sat. August 20th: We will hopefully be departing Boston somewhere in the early hours, possibly 7:00 or 8:00AM. From there we will trek out I90 to I84 and then wiggle our way north of NYC to get over to I80. In a perfect world we could then just ride I80 all the way to Berkeley, though that will not be our destination. After driving seven or eight hours we will arrive in the Danville, PA area sometime in the late afternoon/early evening. This first day of traveling, I think, will be the most difficult for me because for most of this first leg, I have already travelled before. Now I have never been to Danville or the middle of nowhere PA, which is where Danville is, but nevertheless knowing the unknown roads of states I have never been too looming ahead will overshadow this first part.
Sun. August 21st: We will leave the Danville area in the early morning and make our way to Ohio. This is where things get a little fuzzy. My original plan was to stay in the Akron/Canton region of northeast Ohio. This was done specifically so that I could provide the opportunity for her to come and see me one last time. While I have been reluctant to the idea I thought that I would at least provide the opportunity for the meeting to happen, but we have been talking so rarely and grown too far apart that I am beginning to think that this is no longer necessary. If I do decide to continue with my original plan then we will stay there, otherwise I hope that we can make it to the other side of Columbus. I just don't know if there is any benefit to making this happen.
Mon. August 22nd: We will leave Ohio, hopefully once and for all, and make our way to St. Louis, MO. I have been to St. Louis once but didn't spend enough time to really see it. This leg will be a long haul as we clear across most of Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois to reach St. Louis sometime in the early evening. This could be a tricky leg in that if my meeting does happen then there might be some serious processing that will need to occur. What I am looking forward to after this leg is done is one day off.
Tue. August 23rd: We will spend the whole day in St. Louis staying with family/friends of Jeff and, again I forgot her name. This will be good for us to take a break and for my car to take a break.
I will post the rest of the schedule tomorrow.
Monday, August 1, 2011
Unemployment sucks...(19 days and counting)
So I have just finished my first day of unemployment and I must say that it really sucked. First and foremost I slept like absolute crap last night. I'm not sure if I was so excited about not having to wake up early or my brother's spicy chili but I was getting up every few hours and I was not rested this morning. It kind of reminded me of Christmas when I was younger. I would always find it hard to fall asleep and then I would keep waking up all the while trying to fall back to sleep so that morning would come more quickly. If that was the case for last night then I really screwed myself over because I wanted to sleep in but couldn't. Not to mention I woke up at 6:00AM anyways so it was a crazy night.
This morning I had to drive my brother to his second official day at his new job. Since he is not currently in possession of a driver's license it was my responsibility to get him to work on time, which of course we were. After I dropped him off I flirted with the idea of continuing north to Woburn and drop in on Dave at his new warehouse. But I decided to head home instead where I promptly parked my butt on the couch and began to watch Sportscenter. After watching an hour of that I decided to make it a movie Monday because I went into today hoping to do absolutely nothing. I then proceeded to watch two movies and fall asleep during a third.
What I realized that while this has been a very lazy day I feel worthless and like I missed out on something. I guess I had become so used to the same schedule and routine that now that it is all over this new found freedom kind of sucks. My fear with this unstructured time is that I will do nothing and before I know it the days will have slipped by. My plan for tomorrow is to sit down and sort out some of the long range goals and necessary tasks that will help me be prepared for my trip. I have 19 days to really tie everything up so that I can have that clean slate in time for the trip. I am looking forward to having dinner tomorrow with some friends. There is also a great opportunity Thursday night and I am looking forward to what that may bring. I am hoping something very good.
This morning I had to drive my brother to his second official day at his new job. Since he is not currently in possession of a driver's license it was my responsibility to get him to work on time, which of course we were. After I dropped him off I flirted with the idea of continuing north to Woburn and drop in on Dave at his new warehouse. But I decided to head home instead where I promptly parked my butt on the couch and began to watch Sportscenter. After watching an hour of that I decided to make it a movie Monday because I went into today hoping to do absolutely nothing. I then proceeded to watch two movies and fall asleep during a third.
What I realized that while this has been a very lazy day I feel worthless and like I missed out on something. I guess I had become so used to the same schedule and routine that now that it is all over this new found freedom kind of sucks. My fear with this unstructured time is that I will do nothing and before I know it the days will have slipped by. My plan for tomorrow is to sit down and sort out some of the long range goals and necessary tasks that will help me be prepared for my trip. I have 19 days to really tie everything up so that I can have that clean slate in time for the trip. I am looking forward to having dinner tomorrow with some friends. There is also a great opportunity Thursday night and I am looking forward to what that may bring. I am hoping something very good.
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