No Pithy Phrase Indeed

It's year end again, and last week we lost a good friend at Fest to a stroke. Two strokes, actually. He wasn't even 50 yet. Brings things into serious perspective and makes a girl take stock of her life, top to bottom.

As such I've decided to make my resolutions prior to 1/1 in effort to keep them from floating off to that island of misfit New Year's promises. I'm making a serious effort to get our finances in order so I no longer feel like I'm on the brink of bankruptcy (we're not, but often it feels that way). The speed of pulling ourselves out of the hole depends on his work situation: if he get's one of the new jobs he's applying for...with an actual SALARY (and paid vacation!) we'll be debt free (except for the house, obviously) before I'm 32. That would make me happy. If the decent job is still a little ways off, well, it might not happen until closer to 35. But at least we're working on it.

In a similar line of thinking, I'm damn tired of being a 6' tall fat girl. And I've been feeling particularly guilty about the dog's forlorn eyes when he looks at his leash...therefore I'm determined to get in shape. REal shape: the kind where I can wear a bikini and not feel too ashamed. The kind where I can run 30 minutes and not die, and as a reward for the effort I'm finally going to go to that kickboxing class I've wistfully bookmarked on the internet favorites.

The most important one: I've started the book. I have a promise from my husband that we can relocate to my hometown (a miracle feat, actually, since I've been trying to move back there for six years but he wasn't interested). The catch? Of course there' s a catch...he won't move until I have a book on the shelves at Barnes and Noble. It's an incentive and a delay all in one: incentive to sit down and actually write the two book series I've had in my head and in a notebook for two years. Delay because even when I get it all down there's NO guarantee I'll write publishable work. He says I have talent (and as someone who reads the kind of books I want to write I value that opinion), but we'll see. I may have to argue that point later, but first I have to write it!

Therefore (however comma...that's for El) to keep me motivated and allow a certain amount of bitching about the process, I'm going to blog my progress in the writing process. Hopefully later I can blog (and bitch) about the agent and publishing process!! I may include the occasional feeling-sorry-for-myself workout or finance session, but the primary reason for this blog in 2007 will be to log my writing progress/woes/successes.

Here goes!!

Vacation Recap

We ran our asses off last week. Of the 10 days we spent in Florida, two were lazy beach time: the rest were either a frenzy of travel or a frenzy of sightseeing. The highlights? Swimming with dolphins at Discovery Cove and watching a Delta IV rocket launch from the beach outside our condo. Talk about convenient!

I don't think D was all that impressed by Sea World, but it's hard to be impressed by anything other than Shamu when you spent time earlier in the week in the water with dolphins in a private park. Universal Studios, however, was a big hit. :) I'm sure we'll be going back there soon, since we only had a half day in Islands of Adventure and he clearly didn't have enough time perusing Marvelworld.

Kennedy Space Center is, literally, AWEsome: inspiring awe. To get a sense of how small we are in the world I highly recommend visiting the Apollo/Saturn V building. At six feet tall I felt quite tiny next to the massive rocket.

The high point for me? That 1/2 hour I was next to a huge dolphin called Thelma, who graciously allowed me not only to touch her but gave me a (way too short!) ride. *sigh* There are times I think I missed my calling to be a marine biologist with dolphins and whales. Then I remember how my last whalewatching jaunt was more of a horrible view over the back of the boat of the OJ I'd drank that morning instead of any whales.

The first few years at Benfield I spent my vacation time in little day and 1/2 day dribbles all year long. I've come to the realization over the past year that I NEED a full week off at least twice per year just to stay sane. Re-evaluation of my life shouldn't just happen on birthdays once a year. Only getting away from daily bullshit gives me a chance to really figure out what the hell I'm doing and what I really want.

Ok, so I don't quite know exactly what I want yet. But at least I'm thinking about it instead of which bills are getting paid when...that's gotta be an improvement, right?

Snow Day!

Working from home is probably the best bennie to high-speed internet access and a job that is 95% Excel based. It's snowing like hell today in Minnesota: I'd say this is the biggest storm we've had all winter (as per usual, most of our year's snow comes in March, when it's SUPPOSED to be spring). And I'm not stuck driving in it: yay! I wish I could say the same for my sister, who hopefully is at work now...

Much news to report, I guess. In order of the best: The loafer (not possible to call the boy a roommate since he never acted like one: moocher yes, loafer, yes, bad example of the lack-of-motivation Pot can give a person: yes. Roommate? Nope. Anyway, he's gone. If I'd been a little less empathetic he would've been gone the day he flipped out swearing at me over the dog, but I was too pissed to even speak, and by the time I could again my "look at it from his point of view" thing had kicked in. Damn inconvenient sometimes, empathy. So I let him stay. About two weeks later he did the same thing to Dave. At work, over something stupid. Dave told him to get the hell out. Yay!

The wind is howling outside and snow is driving at the windows sideways. It's enough to make a girl wonder if winter is throwing out the last gasp today or truly unwilling to give up for spring.

And in complete random acts of writing: last night I gave my first belly dance performance at the Ammala School of Dance Hafla. I was a nervous wreck, and I loved every second of it. I'm completely hooked: I'm a level 2 dancer now and hope to practice enough to eventually move into level 3 and up. My teacher is an absolute inspiration (regardless of the fact I find her hot as hell) and now I'm starting to babble about it...suffice it to say, I guess, that I never thought I'd like performing in front of people, but that was just great fun all around.

Ok. I suppose if I'm going to work from home I should at LEAST get the main project done for the day. After that I'm home free! Ha, so to speak...

Roommates...oy

We acquired a roommate. Houseguest. Not really sure what to call him. But lately my nerves are fraying more than a little.

He stopped to stay with us for a couple of days before thanskgiving on his way from MN to Florida on his motorcycle. Let's not even get into the stupidity of thinking you have time to get from MN to Missouri in late NOvember without getting caught by at least one snowstorm. So when he DID get snowed (and frozen) in it started out as no big deal.

Except now it's been two months, and our relatively large house (for two) feels significantly smaller. He's ALWAYS here, because he has no money and so far hasn't bothered to get a job of any kind. He eats as much as my hubby (large LARGE appetite) and doesn't (again, no money) pitch in for groceries. He does take out the garbage regularly and do the dishes more often then either of us, and he does take care of the dog. However, when did our paychecks become his meal ticket? We don't charge him rent because he doesn't have his own room (he's in one of the offices) and sleeps on a couch. However certain other bills have gone up just by virtue of having an extra person in the house, AND becuase that person is home all the time. ELectric, for instance, and the said grocery bill. It's getting very irritating. Unfortunately, I can't really tell if I'm irked because it's January and I'm generally really restless this time of year (I've been looking for a trip to take for three weeks now, but we can't afford to go anywhere this soon after Christmas anyway) and frustrated in general, or if it's him. I suspect it's a combo of both, and that my hubby is also restless and cranky this time of year. So we're all on edge and bickering and I swear if this guy had a car instead of a bike I think I'd send him somewhere else.

*sigh*