I Will Never Understand

I will never understand someone who complains about people who are so rude that they don’t answer their text messages – and yet, they themselves don’t answer the ones they receive.  Don’t they understand turnabout is fair play?  How childish.   One would think we weren’t dealing with adults here.

I have a friend whose girlfriend broke up with him and he is having a hard time dealing with it.  I understand that, I do.  Right now he is hating all women – lumping us into the same mold that he was complaining just a few days ago that women lumped men into.  I find it childish on his part that he won’t even acknowledge a text saying good morning.  He is sulking and everything and everyone around him suffers collateral damage.   Maybe I am too harsh but I have little patience for this kind of thing.  If he doesn’t feel like talking, he should text and say so rather than ignore my text altogether.  I am not his girlfriend – I am merely a friend…it won’t hurt my feelings if he said I don’t feel like texting today…what bothers me is the silent treatment.  I’m not the one who broke his heart.

I know, women out there are already making excuses for his behavior and probably think I’m being heartless.  But why should I put up with rude behavior? Seriously? It is called CONVERSATION and people have been doing it for centuries.  Don’t give me the rude silent treatment hoping I’ll get the message – open you mouth and tell me damn it.  I’m not fragile, I don’t break – I am not in kindergarten or so young that I’ll shed tears over it. 

When he feels better, he’ll start texting again as if nothing has happened – it has happened like this before.  I will say something to him about this behavior, he will apologize, and we pass it off as “just one of those things” and life will go on as if it were never interrupted.  BUT, it still pisses me off right now – GROW UP already! 

Insensitively Yours

Bummer, the one chick who seemed to have a level head on her shoulders just got eaten by Jaw’s twin Chops.  Guess that is only par for the course as it is always the level headed, not so cute girl, who gets ate up, butchered, or diced.  Can’t have someone who is too adorable know how to do anything but sit and whine for some masculine (ok, not in this movie) chump to come along and rescue them.  Unfortunately, the rescuer usually gets eaten – a small sacrifice on the throne of the more glamorous female.  Ah well, I’m not going to get into a diatribe of all that…we know my thoughts on the subject from previous posts. 

Went to visit my invalid friend who broke her ankles with her ladder.  She is in good spirits – probably much better than I would be in that situation.  She laughs at all the little immodesty she has had to endure as others help her go to the bathroom, walk and bathe.  She hopes to get a laptop in the next couple of days so then can at least get online to correspond and what not.

Had soup and coffee with my son – that was nice.  We had a good conversation talking about relationships and how difficult they can be.  Each time you put yourself out there, you bravely admit that you need others in your life – that you are willing to take a chance as friends or lovers.   So many of my friends are breaking up – some have been married for over 10 years only to find themselves being cast aside for younger models…not just women either.  It makes me quite happy to be single. 

Ah…Chops joins his brother in the big ocean in the sky…such a shame.  Why do the Jaws movies have to pick on Great Whites? They are such beautiful, majestic creatures. 

So my list for next year has begun.  So far, other than joining the gym, is scuba diving, moving, driving vacation, Utah in the spring, a visit to my niece in WI, and possibly learning belly dancing.  I’m actually hoping to get into kick boxing as well.  Might add to that list bungee jumping or rock climbing…not sure yet.  I’m not as young as I use to be…not sure I want to dangle on a rubberband or get rope burn.  I want to go to the Bahamas or Jamaica this year or early next (2011).  Guess we shall see what gets added or subtracted before the list is concrete on New Year’s Day. 

Going to let the dogs out for a bit – they are bothering me.

Mountain Lion in Iowa

OK, this really ticked me off and I have to write about it.  A moron who lives in Cedar Rapids came across a mountain lion while hunting for deer in Iowa.  He saw the lion sitting up in a tree minding it’s own business.  He called a friend to find out if it was legal to shoot one and, when he found out it was, he shot and killed it.  I fucking hate people like this.

Instead of thinking what a joy it was to actually SEE a mountain lion in Iowa – instead of being the HERO for notifying DNR so they could catch it alive and move it elsewhere – this asshole had to kill it.  Why? Because he could.  It is so very RARE to see mountain lions in Iowa – even rarer now since he killed this one, a female. 

I don’t like hunting unless it is to feed a hungry family.  People who hunt for sport, who just want to kill things, are just a few steps shy from being psycho serial killers in my opinion.  Yes, I know avid hunters and yes, I know they disagree with me – but that is their right just as it is mine to feel the way I do.  That lion was beautiful and all that asshole could do was shoot it. 

It is that old adage that just because we can do something, it doesn’t mean we should.  What a jerk – I hope everyone reads the article in the Iowa City Press Citizen and lets this dumb ass know how stupid he is.  Has he ever heard of extinction? It is caused by assholes like him who see something and just have to kill it.  Bastard.

Core

I’ve decided on joining the Core – I plan to sign up on Wednesday – maybe go watch a few classes so I can decide which ones I want to take, if any.  I think I could be in a lot better shape by my birthday if I start now – it is my Christmas present to myself.  It makes me excited – can’t wait to start buying new clothes.  I know, I know, I don’t really need new clothes – even once I get in shape – but I want ones.

I drank a Pina Colada earlier – it isn’t agree with me…maybe it was too strong.  I have 20 minutes until I go to bed.  The only problem with that is having to get back up to go to work.  Why can’t I be rich? Why can’t I be published? Well, because I never play the lottery and I don’t work on my manuscript so guess I can answer those questions myself.

Damn, I’m so very tired.  I have had 14 hours of sleep since Friday morning…that isn’t near enough.  I know several other people who have gotten less but I can’t go on much less than what I have been getting.  I need at least 8 hours of sleep everyday – going with three here, six there, four the next night with maybe a quick hour nap during the day is just not enough.

Oh well, I should be getting to sleep now instead of talking about how little sleep I’m getting. 

Another bout of nothing

Well, here it is Sunday night and I’m home from work finally.  The day went very slow – I worked on some work stuff and played some.  Next weekend I have a trainee so it will go a little bit faster maybe.  I got several reports ready for training – maybe I’ll have a jump on it this time so it won’t be so overwhelming.

I am very tired and hope I sleep better tonight.  My hope is to be in bed by 10pm – I can sleep in tomorrow as I don’t have to be to work till 11am so that will be nice.

You know, I really don’t have anything to share tonight.  My mind has been pretty blank all day when it comes to creative stuff.  I wanted to start researching places to stop on my driving vacation next year but I didn’t get to it.  I pulled up a US map and that was as far as it went.  I’m wanting to go around the east coast – maybe up to New Hampshire down to Virgina then back over to Iowa through Kentucky and what not.  I’d like to take I80 most of the way over to the coastline but will have to see.  I would only have ten days so would want to hit the highlights.

Right now it is all in the thinking stage.  I think I would leave my dogs with my son and, if anything, take Rocko, his big Boxer.  I love that dog.  I’m not sure he’d want me taking him but I sure would feel safe with Rocko riding shotgun.  Of course, then there is the issue of motels but there are several chains that allow dogs now so I would only stay with them. 

Anyway, really don’t know what else to write about.  My sister and I are going West in April so want to go East on my solo trip.

Gym Time

I’ve still been debating what gym to join – don’t seem to be getting any closer to a decision either.  I like that the Core offers a lot of different classes in addition to the exercise routines.  I could do kick boxing, yoga, spin, or weight lifting classes – one every day of the week if I wanted.  They have a sauna and a “women only” room that has exercise equipment in it for those days where the very sight of the male species leaves us wanting to tear our eyes out.  OK, it is really for when we feel crappy and don’t want to be in the public eye but the other sounded more dramatic. 

Another good thing about the Core is that it is about a mile from my house whereas Anytime Fitness is in Iowa City.  Anytime Fitness does not offer any classes but does have that whole flexibility thing going for it – plus it is $20 cheaper a month than the Core.  My coworker works out at the Core though and speaks highly of it.  {sigh}

• Well, it is my bedtime so I guess I will mull this over more tomorrow. 

How can it be bedtime already?

Today was a good day – it went fast due to having a coworker there to talk to.  Tomorrow I don’t have one so it will be slower but oh well.  Man, I’m tired and it is freezing in this apt. 

We are supposed to get freezing rain tonight – it was raining when I got home from work a mere 90 minutes ago.  Took the dogs for a walk and almost fell twice because they jerked me while I was trying to glide gracefully across ice patches.  Tomorrow is suppose to be worse – I have to drive into town in the crap.

Am thinking about joining the gym again – my coworker has a membership at the Core.  I added it up and if I went every day of the month, it would be $1.67 per day.  Of course I wouldn’t go every day but I need to think about it more.  Man I am so tired…

Work Tonight

I work for four hours later – get home, sleep for five hours and go back to work for 12. Now, I’m not necessarily complaining because I know there are people out there who do this just about every day. I’m just saying, that is what I have to do.

Going to finish a few things around the apt, take a nap and then go into town to see if my son wants to go for soup and coffee. If he doesn’t, maybe I’ll go shopping instead. I still have one, maybe two, more gifts to buy for him though he continues to protest about the money I’m spending. But I have saved up for this very thing because I haven’t been able to buy presents for him for about 10 years now – always gave him money which is so boring. So this year I saved and bought the big tree so I could fill it with presents for him. Of course, a couple of the presents he couldn’t wait for Christmas for so he has those already…I’m a pushover. It would have been excruciating for him to have to wait when he went with me to pick them out and knew he was getting them. I can’t do torture so he got them early but that is alright because there is plenty more under the tree…smaller stuff but still stuff he wants.

I could not find a proper tree topper this year – I spent hours scouring the different christmas websites, so I’ve put a plush puppy dog up there. It doesn’t look right, of course, but neither did the bare top so this will do until I can find something proper. My preference would be a polar bear that lights up – but would settle for a wolf, woodland creature, or even a mermaid. Whatever it is has to have white and blue on it to match the blue, white and silver tree theme. Christmas is only 14 days away – no doubt about it, it is going to be very WHITE outside. I have lights to put on the bush outside – was going to do it on my three days off but, obviously, the weather didn’t cooperate so maybe I’ll do that next week if I can.

I will say, you definitely learn where your apartment has sealing problems when you have a wind as strong as that one was the other day. I couldn’t stand near my front door without my feet freezing and I even had it blocked with a towel. The air conditioner, though covered on the outside, also allowed in a lot of cold air…good thing the heater was working.

Have the urge to bake – not because there is anything I want to make but because I love the aroma of hot baked goods. It makes the whole apartment smell so delicious, warm and welcoming.

The dogs love the snow but not the way it gets between their paw pads.  Bennie still is afraid to go out in it to go potty so he sticks close to the front door.  He has barely any fur on his tummy so I imagine it gets cold very fast for him.  Baxter is well insulated so it doesn’t bother him much at all – at least not for several minutes.  They romp around in the plowed parts when I take them for a walk but are usually both ready to come in about the same time I am.

My Christmas Letter

Dear Family and Friends –

Another year is coming to a close and I know we all have many blessings that we are counting. We are also praying for blessings, some are praying for miracles, as we look forward to what 2010 will bring.

The truth is, it will bring a lot of the same thing 2009 brought as we continue to plod along on the same path we did. Many of us are in jobs we tolerate but few of us love our jobs and can’t wait to go to work come Monday morning. We have family and friends we stay in contact with – ones who care about us and who we care deeply for. There will be children’s games, school, homework, etc., for those who have school aged children – ballet, tap dancing, and other classes for those who have pre-school children. We will rotate the tires on our cars, buy groceries, watch tv, and continue on that way for the entire year. There is nothing wrong with this – it is called LIFE.

No matter how exciting or adventurous we want our lives to be, there will always be the regular mundane chores that must be done daily, weekly, and monthly. Tomorrow we could go ski down a mountain, the next sit for three hours at a Laundromat doing laundry. There is no way around these tasks – we all must do them…they are the substance our days are full of.

As with everything in life, there must be a balance or our lives are out of whack. This year I challenge each of you to dream larger, set goals higher, love more, give of yourself more, seek out new friends and reconnect with family that has grown distant over time. Life is bigger than all of us – it is also way too damn short so make yours amazing. If there is something you’ve been wanting to do but keep putting on the back burner – let 2010 be the year. Be unconventinal, break some rules, try something new…

We are a remarkable group of people – capable of fantastic things! Never sell yourself or your life short! Next year, let each of us do a Christmas letter that is so full of exciting things we’ve done, dreams we’ve realized, and new loves/friends we’ve met that we have to use both sides of the paper!

Merry Christmas!
Love, K

The Storm

How fierce the wind flies across the brow-beat meadows,
how much it does whine as it sluices through the weary land.
One could almost believe it was attempting to scour away
the dubious sloth called humanity.

Jubilant snowflakes fill the voids between the last blades of grass
soon there will be none left as far as the eye can see. 
All the bare trees will be suffused in fanciful white gowns–
ballerinas dressed for the party that begins around midnight.