So, back from vacation and back to work this past Thursday. My first day back was uneventful, but busy. After work, a group of us went to Alehouse for some co-worker bonding time. I didn't realize the people in my department were soooo funny. We had a great time.
Friday was a challenge though. My alarm went off at 6:03 like always, but when I finally opened my eyes, the clock screamed 7:04. I frantically got ready and ran out the door. Literally as soon as I came through the door, the bossman had lots of "fun" requests and questions/tasks/requests were coming from all over the place. It was a bit stressful and very tiring. I could not wait to go home. I wore my brand new favorite shoes, but later sadly regretted it. See, I bought 2 new pairs of shoes on vacation and chose to wear them back to back. I have several blisters and cuts into my feet. I stumbled my way home and walked straight into Ryan's arms.
We had our traditional, bad-mood eliminating snuggle time. We talked through my day, and tried to figure out what to do with our evening. One thing led to another and we were suddenly in a full-fledge tickle fight. A tickle fight which ended in a very unfortunate incident where I somehow hurt a muscle in my neck. For the rest of the evening, I could hardly move my arm, shoulder or head without angering that muscle in my neck. Then, after dinner, I had the mother of all stomach aches.
Blisters, neck pains and tummy aches and all. I took my sleepy ass to bed.
Saturday, August 25, 2007
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
Florida on my mind...
In true Daddy’s little girl fashion, I am here on this RV trip for my dad. This trip is the one thing, I believe, that my dad looks forward to every year. He wants the whole family, Jason, Jenn, Nina, Mom and Pop to be on this trip. He wants us to get along, see what nature the US has to offer and to have a fun time together, so much fun, that we all look forward to next year. Unfortunately for my dad, it rarely happens that way and each year, we all grudgingly pile into the van (this year it’s the RV) and get along as best we can.
Traveling with people can be a very difficult thing. You have to know a person well enough to know their limits, be courteous enough to respect those limits and patient enough to allow for your limits to be pushed every now and then. Sometimes you have to give a little more than you want to and look away from things that bother you. The more people you add to your list of traveling companions the more difficult it gets to keep everyone happy.
I reached my limit of patience about 2 days into the trip. I can tell by the insolent, impatient stubbornness that eeks it’s way into my voice and my reactions to my family. Every annoying act causes me to lash out in an irrational, yet unstoppable way. My mother, with her ever constant nagging and pushing, has been the most difficult to bear.
I’ve been trying in vain to find a way to balance the patience and unkindness with peace and friendliness. The obstacle is this, without Ryan, I am at my worst. When I leave him for days on end or on the rare occasion that he leaves me, my nerves become frayed. There is something about being around Ryan that calms me and makes me a nicer person. He helps to bring perspective to situations that would otherwise bring my temper to a hot boil. While its true that he can frustrate me to no end, he can also pinpoint the parts that frustrate me, walk me through them and talk me off the cliff. He also helps with the sexual frustration that has been building since last Friday. As independent and self-sustaining as I’d like to think I am, I really do need to be around Ryan to be at my best.
This morning has been the most difficult so far. No seems to understand that to close the door to the RV, you don’t have to slam it. Every step shakes the whole RV and every sound is heard. People come in (slamming the door behind them) shouting and stomping about at 6:45 in the morning is quite horrible. My mom complained about how hot it was in the RV (after she went for a f*cking run) and cranked up the AC to make it a chilly 65 degrees. My sister started in on how bored she was and my dad simply came quietly into the RV with his coffee to sit on the couch. He didn’t ask me any questions and he didn’t try to get me out of bed. Wide awake, I had no choice but to face the music. I plopped on the headphones, found a relaxing song and drowned it all out. To no avail. “Are you hungry?” “What do you want to do today?” “Are you hot?” “Are you cold?” Headphones do not seem to matter. I am now outside with the music as loud as I can stand, trying to center myself so that I am not an unbearable person for the rest of the day.
I’ve got an entire week to go before I can be back in Gainesville. The RV is getting smaller every day and the boredom grows thick. I have finished the book I was reading when I left and am now about 375 pages into my next book. I have one more book with me and thankfully there is internet. wish me luck.
Traveling with people can be a very difficult thing. You have to know a person well enough to know their limits, be courteous enough to respect those limits and patient enough to allow for your limits to be pushed every now and then. Sometimes you have to give a little more than you want to and look away from things that bother you. The more people you add to your list of traveling companions the more difficult it gets to keep everyone happy.
I reached my limit of patience about 2 days into the trip. I can tell by the insolent, impatient stubbornness that eeks it’s way into my voice and my reactions to my family. Every annoying act causes me to lash out in an irrational, yet unstoppable way. My mother, with her ever constant nagging and pushing, has been the most difficult to bear.
I’ve been trying in vain to find a way to balance the patience and unkindness with peace and friendliness. The obstacle is this, without Ryan, I am at my worst. When I leave him for days on end or on the rare occasion that he leaves me, my nerves become frayed. There is something about being around Ryan that calms me and makes me a nicer person. He helps to bring perspective to situations that would otherwise bring my temper to a hot boil. While its true that he can frustrate me to no end, he can also pinpoint the parts that frustrate me, walk me through them and talk me off the cliff. He also helps with the sexual frustration that has been building since last Friday. As independent and self-sustaining as I’d like to think I am, I really do need to be around Ryan to be at my best.
This morning has been the most difficult so far. No seems to understand that to close the door to the RV, you don’t have to slam it. Every step shakes the whole RV and every sound is heard. People come in (slamming the door behind them) shouting and stomping about at 6:45 in the morning is quite horrible. My mom complained about how hot it was in the RV (after she went for a f*cking run) and cranked up the AC to make it a chilly 65 degrees. My sister started in on how bored she was and my dad simply came quietly into the RV with his coffee to sit on the couch. He didn’t ask me any questions and he didn’t try to get me out of bed. Wide awake, I had no choice but to face the music. I plopped on the headphones, found a relaxing song and drowned it all out. To no avail. “Are you hungry?” “What do you want to do today?” “Are you hot?” “Are you cold?” Headphones do not seem to matter. I am now outside with the music as loud as I can stand, trying to center myself so that I am not an unbearable person for the rest of the day.
I’ve got an entire week to go before I can be back in Gainesville. The RV is getting smaller every day and the boredom grows thick. I have finished the book I was reading when I left and am now about 375 pages into my next book. I have one more book with me and thankfully there is internet. wish me luck.
Monday, August 13, 2007
okie from muskogee
I'm not sure what that song is really about, but every place we've been from tennessee to south dakota has had a sign, a song or something related to it somewhere in the building. It seems to be the theme for the trip.
We have finally arrived in South Dakota. It's been too long since my last shower and too long since my last snuggle with my honey. It's been quite an adventure getting here. The biggest highlight of the trip so far was just after we bumped down a small hill and promptly hard a very harsh metal scraping sound. The car towing hitch had come loose and we were no longer pulling the car in a very safe way, right in front of a green traffic light and a line of cars behind us. My dad and I jumped out to do what we could. We had to line the ball and hitch up, but the chains were still hooked. So, under my sister's direction my dad pulled ever so slightly foward and the next thing I know, the car is moving forward and the RV is moving backward, VERY FAST. I murmurmed a very panicked f*ck and held my ground the best I could. Thankfully, I got the car to stop and my sister got my dad to stop moving, so I didn't get pinned. It wasn't terribly scary, but it very nearly was an emergency situation for me. All my mom could say was, "Jenn! Watch your language!" Thanks, mom.
So we've arrived and now I'm getting ready to go for a swim. peace out.
We have finally arrived in South Dakota. It's been too long since my last shower and too long since my last snuggle with my honey. It's been quite an adventure getting here. The biggest highlight of the trip so far was just after we bumped down a small hill and promptly hard a very harsh metal scraping sound. The car towing hitch had come loose and we were no longer pulling the car in a very safe way, right in front of a green traffic light and a line of cars behind us. My dad and I jumped out to do what we could. We had to line the ball and hitch up, but the chains were still hooked. So, under my sister's direction my dad pulled ever so slightly foward and the next thing I know, the car is moving forward and the RV is moving backward, VERY FAST. I murmurmed a very panicked f*ck and held my ground the best I could. Thankfully, I got the car to stop and my sister got my dad to stop moving, so I didn't get pinned. It wasn't terribly scary, but it very nearly was an emergency situation for me. All my mom could say was, "Jenn! Watch your language!" Thanks, mom.
So we've arrived and now I'm getting ready to go for a swim. peace out.
Tuesday, August 7, 2007
new digs
I have never been a particular fan of that phrase "new digs", but it seems to float into the office a lot. When I first moved into the fish bowl, many of the frequent hallway traffic population felt it necessary to come in and ask how I liked the "new digs" and also tell me all about how it looked before I sat there. The first 10 times it was tolerable, but anything after that was downright insufferable.
I have since graduated from the fish bowl (yea!), right into the shark’s den it seems (boo). Truly, for anyone who’s been as obsessed with Discovery Channel’s Shark Week as I am, sharks don’t have dens, but who cares anyway? But I digress. I have made the official move, waiting on the promotion and not really holding my breath for the raise. I have been rather productive on this end of the office, mostly because there are more people to waltz by and think, “Wait a minute. Since when did crossword puzzles become urology-related?” So, with the new job comes new responsibility. I must be cautious about how much downtime I take from the daily grind. The upside is, now that I am forced away from my desk for lunch I have been taking lunch outside.
I have thus far managed to keep up with Dr. Important’s requests and stayed under the radar.
In other news, family vacation (groan) begins this Friday. Ryan has been making several threats to hide me in the closet until the vacation passes. I’m considering allowing him to do so. My little sister has been staying with me for the last few days, and I am nearly ready to throw her out bodily. Maybe it is just because I love my personal space and feel much better when I know I can live as comfortably as I like in my personal space. When the space bubble is invaded, my stress level shoots up. I am honestly not looking forward to piling into an RV with my family for 13 days, bumping along the road all the way to exciting South Dakota. We will be staying at an RV camp (good Lord, shoot me now) for approx. 5 nights before coming home again. I cannot think of one single exciting thing about South Dakota and I doubt the RV camp will be anywhere near any decent shopping, provided SD actually has decent shopping. I’ve seen Rushmore. I’ve watched their projection light show thing. I’ve walked through their museum and taken pictures beside their giant heads. Haven’t I paid my due respect? We have been taking these road trips since I was 10 years old, which means for over half my life, I have spent 2 weeks in a car with my family and I still speak to all of them. Hell, I even took a 14 hour plane ride to the other side of the world with just my temperamental father and rapidly aging grandmother. My dad is already planning the next 2 years worth of trips. My brother and his wife wriggled their way out of this years trip claiming something about getting married and not having vacation time for it. Well mark my words, next year, if I’m not married, I will have a comparable excuse. Maybe I’ll be living in another state by then and just won’t be able to go. Here’s hoping.
I have since graduated from the fish bowl (yea!), right into the shark’s den it seems (boo). Truly, for anyone who’s been as obsessed with Discovery Channel’s Shark Week as I am, sharks don’t have dens, but who cares anyway? But I digress. I have made the official move, waiting on the promotion and not really holding my breath for the raise. I have been rather productive on this end of the office, mostly because there are more people to waltz by and think, “Wait a minute. Since when did crossword puzzles become urology-related?” So, with the new job comes new responsibility. I must be cautious about how much downtime I take from the daily grind. The upside is, now that I am forced away from my desk for lunch I have been taking lunch outside.
I have thus far managed to keep up with Dr. Important’s requests and stayed under the radar.
In other news, family vacation (groan) begins this Friday. Ryan has been making several threats to hide me in the closet until the vacation passes. I’m considering allowing him to do so. My little sister has been staying with me for the last few days, and I am nearly ready to throw her out bodily. Maybe it is just because I love my personal space and feel much better when I know I can live as comfortably as I like in my personal space. When the space bubble is invaded, my stress level shoots up. I am honestly not looking forward to piling into an RV with my family for 13 days, bumping along the road all the way to exciting South Dakota. We will be staying at an RV camp (good Lord, shoot me now) for approx. 5 nights before coming home again. I cannot think of one single exciting thing about South Dakota and I doubt the RV camp will be anywhere near any decent shopping, provided SD actually has decent shopping. I’ve seen Rushmore. I’ve watched their projection light show thing. I’ve walked through their museum and taken pictures beside their giant heads. Haven’t I paid my due respect? We have been taking these road trips since I was 10 years old, which means for over half my life, I have spent 2 weeks in a car with my family and I still speak to all of them. Hell, I even took a 14 hour plane ride to the other side of the world with just my temperamental father and rapidly aging grandmother. My dad is already planning the next 2 years worth of trips. My brother and his wife wriggled their way out of this years trip claiming something about getting married and not having vacation time for it. Well mark my words, next year, if I’m not married, I will have a comparable excuse. Maybe I’ll be living in another state by then and just won’t be able to go. Here’s hoping.
Wednesday, August 1, 2007
summer of love
just a quick count:
# of engaged people I know: 5
# of weddings: 4
# of babies on the way: 5
i'm going to be sick.
# of engaged people I know: 5
# of weddings: 4
# of babies on the way: 5
i'm going to be sick.
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