Midnight in Good Old Oregon

Well, Washington actually...I'm five minutes north of the Oregon border at my sister's in Vancouver for a few nights. I just rounded out three nights and four days in Salem where I stayed at Robin's brand new house and ate too much everyday with she and Aimee.

While in Salem, we managed to get in a great girl's night with nine of us (thanks to Gwyn, Delainie, and Louise for doing the footwork to make it happen...so much fun!). My favorite part of the night was toward the end when a guy who knew Wes (who witnessed the tail end of the girl madness) commented, "It's awesome to see a group of people out genuinely having fun together...like, you guys actually all like each other. Most of the time in a group like this, people are putting up fronts and acting like they're too cool, but you guys look like real friends." Very true.

Well, I'll offer up a quick Good and Not So Good. It's definitely been a long time:

GOOD:

The weather in Oregon while I'm here...seventies and eighties everyday with clear skies. No rain. Yes, no rain.

Smokefree establishments: We managed to find three different places to go on Saturday night that were smokefree. Going back to Robin's to fall into bed not smelling like smoke was great.

Rogue Wave: Wait, let me say that again...ROGUE WAVE! JB, they're the best gift of music you could have possibly given me. I love them. They are just a perfect band and have completely satisified my need for new music. Listen to them people. You will like them.

Justin: Yes, Justin gets credit here for supporting me in turning down that job a couple weeks ago, then quitting it, AND THEN going on an 11 day trip back home, without him. Did I mention that Sarah means princess? Some days it REALLY shows. Oh, he's also been working on all kinds of house chores while I am gone, so thanks again. I do have relocation chores to do while I am here too, but it's all pretty painless when it's surrounded by several of my friends and family members.

NOT SO GOOD:

My intermediate sized car rental is a PT Cruiser. I just can't say I love the ride, style, or gas mileage much and really thought I was going to get something more car shaped. But it has been getting me from point A to point B no problem, so I think I will survive another week in the bright red thing.

Allergies: My allergies have transformed into a crappy cold. Pretty annoying. The valley has been walloping me the past few days. I've got allergies in Ohio, but not this bad.

Joblessness: Probably not a word, but I kind of need to get a job again when I get back to Ohio. I still dislike the job market there, and my sister suggests that I just get my stuff together and start freelancing. That would be pretty ideal for this girl who likes to write a lot. Someone just needs to kick me until I actually try to get something published.

Alright, go listen to Rogue Wave. I'm going to bed.

Four More Days With Psycho Bird

To the left is my new friend, Psycho Bird. PB, as I will call him, has been terrorizing our house for the past few days. He dive bombs the family room windows, sits tapping repetitively on this window. I don't know what we did, but PB looks a little pissed off (click on the picture to get a closer look). I am guessing that too, because he has unloaded quite a bit of his unmentionables on the ledge of this window. Anyone ever had a 'friend' like PB before?

In other news, only four more days until I head home for almost two weeks. I'm really looking forward to the trip. I wrapped up my job on Friday, so I am officially on vacation until I land a new position. I wouldn't mind that being sooner than later. The weather here in Ohio seems to be beating Oregon's right now...sun, sun, and more sun. Hopefully that rain will exit for the entire time I am in town.

I've added in a pic of Maggie for all to see. She is getting big. She unfortunately has no real interest in catching that frisbee in the pic with her, but plays a mean game of keepaway from Bailey. She grabs it and runs around the yard taunting him with it. Pretty cute. Bailey's pretty patient with her.

Alright, see most of you Oregonians in a few days. Can't wait!

Help Plan My Trip and Have Some Trix

Well, my sister called me after my last post to make sure I was okay. Apparently my tone was a little short and angry. In response, yep, I am fine. I just occasionally have a hard time when I have to be around stupid people. By choice, I try to limit my interactions with stupid people. But since I don’t live in a box, I will always have to DEAL with it right?

In other news, I am still trying to figure out a good time to come home. It seems like Memorial Day weekend and the surrounding time is pretty open for everyone I want to see, so it may be toward then and then some of June (as Jess has requested me to be home for her birthday). Let me know people.

So, I am quitting my job right before I leave for my trip. As some know, the current gig’s human resources department wouldn’t agree to a fair amount of vacation in my first couple of years…who can survive on one week a year for two years!? A quote I love: “Life is not work. It can’t be. It shouldn’t be.” Maybe the social service industry spoiled me, but I can’t sack up and live with no vacation. What is with the crappy American business vacation expectations anyway? And maternity leave? People, we can’t settle for it!

Okay, no more complaining. Here is some stuff that I am really excited about right now:

1) Trix cereal dropped the fruity shapes and converted back to round puffs of fruity goodness. Seriously folks, this is important to a cereal connoisseur like me.
2) Frisbee golf…We have an awesome course 2 miles from our house. It’s such a fun thing to do when the weather is nice. Speaking of…
3) The weather has been GREAT here. The trees are all blooming, the grass is green, and the sun has been pretty constant. A nice change that makes me realize I can handle living in Ohio.
4) My neighbors know that my name isn’t Susan now. We went to a get together at their house on Friday night, so the alternate name was blown. Well, I actually didn’t mind being Susan, but oh well.
5) Maggie is only 17 weeks, but already 30 pounds. She is virtually house trained too. Pretty smart puppy so far.
6) My trip home to Oregon! I may have to be a bit of a TRIPZILLA and plan a lot instead of flying by the unscheduled seat of my pants like I usually do. Anyone want to go to Seaside for a day?

That’s all for now.

A Rant Before Bed

So, everyone has heard the guy who says, "I'm kind of a prick" or "Some people don't like me, but screw them." The statements tend to be uttered by narcissistic assholes who people grumble about all the time and wish would just go away. They're the 'one uppers' at all the get togethers, the ones who have to chime in on everything, the ones who have a track record of making friends who they think they're 'tight' with, and then losing them pretty quickly. They clearly have characteristics that need changed, but won't do it...no, it's just not in the 'prick' code of ethics to admit one's faults and actually, gulp, try to better themselves.

Not that these 'pricks' didn't before, but I've decided that they just irritate the shit out of me. Why would you be proud that you are a prick or that people don't like you? Are these guys just too above the world to care that they make everyone else's lives less enjoyable.
I often feel like telling these guys, "Yes you are an absolute prick. Now shut the f**k up and swim to the island where all the other pricks are and compete for one another's attention until the last 'one up' causes a big brawl that leads to all your untimely deaths."

Ahh, I feel better. Now repeat the rant with 'girl' in place of 'guy' and 'bitch' in place of 'prick' if you feel that I have unfairly attacked men tonight. There are definitely female versions who are just as bad.

Nacissism, ugh.