Of all the things.....

So, my first paid gig is tonight in Denver. I went out to dinner last night and thought to myself "I'll just change the strings on my guitar real quick when I get home and go to sleep."

But then an argument ensued!
"I don't need to change the strings- they'll stay in tune better if I don't change them..."
"BUT...I haven't changed them in months....what if I break a string while I'm onstage?"
"Might as well leave everything alone...just go to sleep"

This went on for a while when the -whatifibreakastring- argument won out.

When I arrived home, I proceeded to change the strings on my acoustic guitar. When I got to the low A string, something bad happened.....I BROKE THE F***IN' TUNER PEG!!!!!!

Before I went to therapy, I would have literally freaked out.
However, the P.T. (post-therapy) version of me calmly called my musical friend R to see if he knew what to do. He did! He laughed at me, and I laughed too. I asked to borrow one of his guitars when it dawned on me (DUH) that I have 2 electric guitars to choose from down in my basement.

I made him listen to me while I rambled about the pro's and con's of image with an electric and sound difference with an electric. After determining that it really doesn't matter, I figured this would be a great story to tell the audience..." those of you that know me may wonder why I'm up here with an electric guitar....that's because I BROKE my other guitar last night changing strings- who does this happen to?!?!?" I imagine laughter will follow- this is how it works in my mind anyway.

In related news, all the people I have met that have bought tickets to my show are just utterly fabulous! They genuinely want to see me play and see me do well. I can't impart how encouraging that is or how much that means.

You know you missed it- here comes Stonecipher's random ramblings:

I had an epiphany a few weeks ago, you may have read about it, I was making a lot of excuses for things and wanted to change.

I went and talked to a bunch of coffee houses a week or two ago- I now have a gig next Saturday at a Starbucks in town. My parents will be here then- this will be the first time they have seen me perform my own music.

I ordered sound equipment for the Starbucks show AND future shows...frustration with learning the equipment will ensue.

This past Friday my landlord, who is an independent music promoter, called me around 5 and asked if I wanted to open for Jonathon Edwards at the Rialto Theater in town. Of course I said yes! I played a 20 minute opening set then rushed up to Fort Collins for a meetup event that I kind of pushed aside to sell tickets to my concert tonight.

There are so many signs telling me that I need to be playing music...I'm listening.

Random II

Welllllll...where to start?

The past two weeks have been crazy busy. I was pretty dang exhausted by the time I got back from Nacogdoches. I mistakenly thought I'd have some time to relax when I returned- it was not the case.
This week promises to be interseting- I had a wine induced conversation on Saturday night that made me realize that I had been making alot of excuses for not doing things. It's amazing how when you have dialouges with yourself you can rationalize ANYTHING and you don't even realize it. It was not until I was questioned about my lack of action that I woke up (this is funny because I fell asleep directly after the conversation).

One of the things I was making excuses for was my music. I had nearly decided to let music go to the background(again)when I really thought about things yesterday.

Writing and playing my own songs is something I have been working towards for 10 years now. I came to the conclusion that I'm a little bit afraid of my music, that it will be consuming and take over everything. Isn't that how good music comes about though?

I have not been writing much since I moved, and I didn't like the open mic I was playing at and I suppose I was discouraged by those things. I let those things become my excuse for not fighting for my art. Normally if I'm not happy with something I will take steps to change it- I attribute my inactivity in this matter to fear.

After I thought about everything that I have been making excuses for and distilled my reasons for inactivity, I found that in every instance that fear was the root cause- fear of consumption, fear of disappointing someone, fear of inadequacy...and I decided I don't want to be someone who is afraid. Fear can inhibit and destroy so much, do I have time to live my life with fear holding me back? I think not.

It was a revelation of sorts.

The first step in changing my reality- tonight I went to 4 or 5 coffee houses in town and asked if I could play periodically. Most of the managers weren't there so I left my new very cool music business card (thanks Rose!) with the employees that were there- we'll see if I get some calls back.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

I had decided on two very important things a few weeks ago, one being that I WILL climb a 14er (14,000 + ft mountain), the second is that I WILL leaern how to ride a motorcylce.

I went hiking at Rocky Mountain National Park with a friend on Saturday, and I realize that I have a long way to go before I can climb a 14er- I can't freaking breath while hiking up inclines! I just have to get used to the elevation and I should be fine- I have great leg strength thanks to roller derby!

_____________________________________________________________________________________

It was dark by the time I left work today- that makes me sad:(

_____________________________________________________________________________________

I have a friend coming over tomorrow to play some music- I'm excited! We always have a lot of fun together and I could use some creative encouragment.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

I feel like something is going to happen soon, like when you wait for the next thunder clap during a storm- you know the thunder will come you just don't know when. In this case, I don't know when or what my thunder will be......


That's probably enough random babbling for now!

I'm going back to Nac!

Here's a heads up for all of you in Nacogdoches- I will be in town from October 26th to October 29th!

Ghost hunt

One of the meetup groups I'm in is a paranormal group. In order to keep my mind off of ferret surgery last Saturday, I went on a ghost hunt with the group. We took some EVP recordings and photos. One of the girls I was walking with got a good sound clip, which I will try and see if I can post. Overall, it was very intersting.
The first picture is of the 'man in the wall' Apparently the outline of the man has been painted over several times, but keeps appearing.
The second picture is of the first 'orb' I caught. The area along the railroad tracks is called the hobo trail because hobos would walk the tracks during the depression.
The third picture is by the old grain and feed building where lots of people good pictures of orbs, and at least 2 EVPS were caught and you can go listen to them here: www.paranormal.meetup.com/400/files
There's lots of history in downtown loveland, and apparently tons of paranormal activity!

Dealing with Ferret Surgery

I have known for a month or so now that my ferret Egan needed surgery. I finally went and had it done on Friday the 28th of September. The doctors were sure that he had adrenal disease, which was causing Egan to lose his hair, and the also suspected insulinoma, which is cancerous tumors on the pancreas.
When the surgeons went in, they removed Egans left adrenal gland, the left lobe of his pancreas, several noduals off the right lobe of his pancreas, an intestinal lymph node which they will biopsy, and they also biopsied some spots on his liver!
I was expecting to pick him up Saturday morning, but apparently my poor boy had vomitted and had diarrhea that night and when the doctors ran blood tests they found that Egan's red blood cell count was low which indicated some sort on internal bleeding. They figured that he had some stomach ulcers that were bleeding and that's what induced the vommiting.
Luckily the place I took him to was a teaching hospital and the have people there all the time, so I was able to visit him Friday after the surgery and Saturday morning. Sunday morning I was able to pick Egan up and take him home. He slept a ton until about Tuesday, now he is more active. The poor baby is on so many meditions- I feel bad about waking him up every few hours to medicate him.
I have been home alot lately because I have to medicate Egan at 7am, 3pm, 7pm, and 11pm. I come home from work everyday to administer his Sulcrafate, which he normally spits on me, then I go back to work covered in ferret medicine.
I have to keep Egan in a 55 gallon rubbermaid tub for another week and a half to minimize his movement- don't want his stitches to get ripped out. I'm under strict instructions to keep him in his tub, which is ok for now because he still sleeps alot, but next week may be a little harder on both of us.
I was a little bit of a wreck before, during, and just after his surgery. Overall, I think I handled the whole thing pretty well. I'm pretty worn out though- I've been staying up later than normal to administer the 11pm meds- and I generally stay up after that to take care of some things. I'm guessing it's less sleep+worrying that has me all worn out.
I guess that's all about that. He's doing great now- he's eating like a pig and pooping all over his tub!

Notes from the Road: Oklahoma

Picture of me driving through Kansas


Lets see....I left Loveland around 4 pm last Tuesday to start my drive to Oklahoma. I stopped in Hayes, Kansas that night. In the morning, I went to the Village Inn across the seat where it took nearly 10 minutes to be seated in a half empty resturant. The service was slow too, so as I sat there waiting for my food I was listening absently to the family behind me. It struck me as funny when the young boy asked "Dad- what's corn beef hash?"
and the dad replied "uh- that's something they eat in the south"
I was very amused by this.

Later that morning I passed through Ellsworth, Kansas. There's nothing really to note about the city except for that there is a Rascal Flats song called Ellsworth about Ellsworth, Kansas. I had the CD in so I played the song as I drove past.
Speaking of Rascal Flats, there is a song with this chorus:

'Cause when push comes to shove
You taste what your made of
You might bend 'til you break
'Cause it's all you can take
On your knees you look up
Decide you've had enough
You get mad, you get strong
Wipe you hands, shake it off
Then you stand, then you stand

For whatever reason, when the part about tasting what your made of played, I thought to myself, "why, I suppose I taste like skin.....or lotion"

It's a long boring drive- I get to be wierd.

hmmmm...I got to see OSU's Geology computer lab, which is awesome! They have 3D screens, and giant touch interactive screens and all sorts of fun toys! It was cool.

They day we worked was a 17.5 hour day. Luckily it went smoothly for the most part.

The funniest part of that day was a guy in a pick up truck asking " HEY! are y'all looking for worms?!"

Apparently, it is possible to herd worms with electricity...I guess our resistivity equipment looked like worm herding equipment?

As I turned to walk away from the guy, he said " hey, whats that pouch you have on your back, some water thing?"
I said it was a camel back
he then said he should get one and fill it with beer
It was freaking hilarious.

The ride back was pretty uneventful.
I got in this afternoon around 4pm.

I noticed the fee-rats were nearly out of treats, so I HAD to go get them some more.

Then I HAD to go to REI to get a decent atlas for the work truck. While I was there I HAD to get a bike rack for the Jeep! I plan on attaching my new bike rack and trying it out in the morning- WOO HOOOOOOO! It's going to be so much better than trying to cram my bike in the back of the Jeep- I only did it once- but it SUCKED.

That's all for now!

Random

So the last thing I was going to write about leaving New York:

As I drove out of the town that I was once supposed to move to, the Ace of Base song I saw the Sign came on, and I couldn't help but smile. Sometimes the universe has a way of letting you know that you're in the right place.
______________________________________________________________

I babysat for my bosses kid the other week- I went over about three, watched him, fed him, put him to bed, and took him to school the next morning.
It was fun, and I love kids, but it was very odd in that I felt like I had taken over someone elses life. I was totally aware how much I don't want a husband or kid at the moment. The thought makes me....I'm not really sure what I feel, but there are no warm fuzzy thoughts right about it.

Which brings me to this:
I think I probably just screwed up the semi-realtionship I'm kind of in. Since I feel like I don't want to be tied down, I think I'm subconsciously sabotaging what I have.

The guy I'm seeing, lets call him J, is unlike anyone I've ever dated. He actually has his stuff together- job, house, dog- and he's kind to me. Maybe I'm being anxious and over analytical, but I haven't heard from him today as is usual- and last night is when I think I probably said some wrong things.

If I did screw something up it serves me right- I should have waited longer. The thing is, I wasn't expecting things between us to get very far, and it turns out we get along pretty well. It seems like things kind of progressed on their own.

_______
So I ran in to a friend of mine today at the store, and she asked why I hadn't been to any group meetings lately- I told her I'd been traveling alot for work, and she kind of scoffed and made some content. later, she asked if I was playingn Open Mic tommorrow, and I said no, I'll be in Oklahoma on a job. She made some comment about me not liking Colorado and about not traveling. I was a little irritated. I moved to Colorado FOR THE JOB. I travel frequently with little notice.

I knew when I took the job that I was joining a small company that needed some extra effort to grow. I accept the fact that if I have plans that don't involve plane tickets that work will trump most things I have planned. I don't mind this. I became a geologist because I didn't want to sit behind a desk all the time. I enjoy my erratic schedual- most of the time.

I have had a few people make comments about the traveling and work in general...it may not be what THEY would like to do, but I enjoy it.

___________________________________________________________

My poor ferret Egan has cancer and he needs surgery. It seems like he has at least 2 or 3 types, so surgery is his best bet. It's going to be expensive. I don't think I could not do anything- for one of the cancers the only thing you can do is surgery, medicine is not an option.
I just have to wait until I'm in town long enough to take care of my sweet boy.

__________________________________________________________________

I went 4 wheelin' in the Jeep for the first time yesterday. J took me to a short trail about an hour away. Driving the 4WD trail was awesome, and when we got to the stopping point, the area was impossibly beautiful.

__________________________________________________________________

I just noticed I tend to write when I should be packing...luckily, I packed most of my junk this morning so there's not alot to do tonight.

If I want to go to bed early, I have to go finish rounding up my junk.

Next time I'll have NOtes from the Road: Oklahoma!

Notes from the road: New York

So I didn't drive this trip, but flying can be interesting too.

Tuesday morning, my boss pick me up and we drove to DIA to catch our flight to O'Hare. I ended up sitting next to this guy who kind of creeped me out. EVERY time I went to adjust my little air vent, he did the exact same. EVERY TIME. I don't know if he was just waiting for me to do it or what.
At O'hare, my boss treated me to my first shoe shine ever on my cowboy boots. They looked fabulous after they were all shined up.
The flight form O'hare to Syracuse was uneventful. I played Sudoku the whole way there.

The job was ok. Actually, I was kind of irritated most of the time because I couldn't eat on a regular basis and I didn't bring enough snacks.

One night I had to go down and move the truck, and as I exited the elevator I nearly ran over the guy standing there. As I began to walk past, he looked at me and said " Hey! How YOU doin?"
Disgusted, I walked past and heard him say a second later "woo hoo"
I was Pissed!
As I was coming back into the hotel I saw a guy in the parking lot standing there with a bag. The door I was about to enter needed a key so I asked him if he needed to get in that door. He replied "how you doin?" all while ogling me. I was inwardly rolling my eyes, but I opened the door anyway and began walking rapidly to the lobby. I was probably 10 feet ahead of him when He shouted " hey, do you know where to party" I said no, I had just gotten there, and kept on walking to the lobby. By the time I got to my guys to go have dinner I was livid.
I DON'T LIKE BEING LOOKED AT LIKE A PIECE OF f**KIN' MEAT!!!!!

I'll add more about the trip later. Right now I have to get ready to go out with a friend of mine!

Not quite a cinderalla story

Once upon a moment just like this, there was a girl who was supposed to be packing for a trip to a small town in New York for a job. Coincedently enough, that small town, lets call it Faraway, was once the town she would have moved to with someone she loved very much.

Unfortunatley, the move to Faraway never happened, and the boy she loved very much never really loved her back, and didn't want her to go with him. Interestingly enough, he never moved to Faraway either.

So after much schooling, it was time for the girl to move away, and you know what? The boy would not go with her. Not COULD not, would not.
So the girl and the boy she loved very much were no more after the girl moved to a state 1000 miles away.

Earlier today:

The girl had just come back from a camping trip with someone she liked, someone who she could talk to and was kind to her. Later after returning from the camping trip, the girl went over to the boys' house to use his washer and dryer since her dryer was broken. She found that the closer she felt to him, the more memories of the boy she once loved very much came swimming in with out mercy. With memories swirling like a tornado around her, the girl drove home with her freshly laundered cloths and wondered why....
and the wondering ached. Her chest felt heavy, and her eyes felt watery, and she pondered on how she would get through the New York job without being a complete emotional basket case.

She started to wonder if maybe she shouldn't see the boy she liked as much any more, because the memories of the boy she once loved very much held her hostage sometimes. She didn't like the feeling of being in the arms of the boy she liked while being tormented by toughts of the one she once loved very much.

The girl didn't know what to do so she decided to write about it in order to release some pent up emotions in hopes that she would somehow feel better before she got to the airport. Speaking of the airport, one of the last, strongest memories of the boy she loved very much was saying good bye to him at the airport. It was very hard, and she cried most of the drive back home.

Now the girl stares at the computer screen wanting so much to be able to let go of the boy she once loved, but can't. The girl doesn't know why she can't let go.

"sometimes" She thinks...
"sometimes it feels like the strings of our hearts are sewn together"

She knows it has to do with a traumatic event that happened to the boy right before she moved. She couldn't help but just BE there for him, and love him completely with her heart totally unguarded and open. After the move, the cold cold realization set in that he was no longer hers- she was no longer his.

She knows that no one will ever be like the boy she once loved, for people are all individuals, but she wants someone like him SO BADLY. Or does she still want him?
The jury is still out on that one.

The girl has no answers, only an aching heart.

For you, gentle readers, the girl would like to share a song she wrote...

NOT QUITE A CINDERELLA STORY

I left you at the station
then I drove away
with tears in my eyes
cause I thought you would stay

It is cold here
I could sure use the warmth
of your smile
but your miles away

Chorus:
We talked it over
but the shoe just wont fit
so when I call you
your standing there
with nothing to say

The first star of the evening
has just appeared
you know what I wish??
I wish you were here

The clouds are rolling in
it looks like rain
and I'm left
with nothing to say

Chorus:
We talked it over
but the shoe just wont fit
so when I call you
you're standing there
with nothing to say

Bridge:
The fire is dying
It could use some more wood
I would go and find some
If I only could, if I only could

Chorus:
We talked it over
but the shoe just wont fit
so when I call you
you're standing there
with nothing to say

Oh you're standing there
with nothing left to say


Now I must go pack for New York. I hope the day finds you in a better place than I am in at the moment.

To old friends- and new adventures!

To old friends--and new adventures!

That was the toast made at a fancy italian resturant Thursday night when some old college friends of mine flew into Denver. I hadn't seen them since their wedding in December, so I was excited to pick them up from the airport and eat dinner with them.

Seeing them made me realize how much I'm missing everyone else back in Texas.

Today was a bad day- probably had a lot to do with not getting enough sleep- but things just kept going wrong. On top of that, I called a few people in Texas, which made me sad, especially when I talked to a certain someone.

Last night was awesome though! one of the meetup groups I joined had a BBQ and jam session. There were quite a few musicains there, and they were fabulous to play with. I got alot of compliments on my music and I impressed quite a few people. I was especially glad to hear that so many of the guys in the group liked my original music- I always think that since I'm a girl writing about girly things that guys wont like it. I'm glad I'm wrong!

I'm trying to make some quality friends- people that I have things in common with and can actually hold a conversation with. I think I may have found someone like that last night, but we'll see how it all pans out.

I went roller blading yesterday morning down a paved trail by a creek. It was beautiful, but man am I out of skating shape! I think that was one of the first if not the first time I have skated since I quit roller derby earlier this year. I think I may have found someone to skate with...we'll see about that too.

This past week has been crazy! I went out every night, and was still able to function at work.

I hope I'll be able to spend some time with some of the new people I have been meeting this week.

This Friday I'm going to Illinois to see my family, so I'm excited by that, and a little bit anxious about driving myself to the airport and finding the correct place to park and all that. I have to get up EARLY to catch my flight....it should be interesting.

Now I'm just babbling...probably because I'm exhausted. I'm thinking sleep is sounding good!

~~~bb~~~
~~~~m~~~

So I went on a date

Yes, I went on a date. For the last week or so I had been kinda of dreading it because I didn't know if I was ready, but I figured I'd give it a try.

So, we went to a resturant called The Black Steer downtown. It was ok, the food wasn't great but the atmosphere was interesting. By the time we were done eating it was early, so I suggested walking to the lake. The lake is actually much more like a large pond, but it's pretty at sunset. The next logical choice was to go to the park across from the lake and play on the playground! The playground was cool- there were all sorts of things to hurt yourself on! At some point, after splashing water on my date from the drinking fountain, there was a little bit of play fighting, and then I had to shoulder check him(you roller derby girls should appreciate this!), and like most men, he was suprised that I could hit him that hard....ya know what...I didn't even hit him that hard! Mua ha ha ha:) We then walked back to my house, where I decided that we needed ice cream and that we should walk down to the store and get some. I like to walk- everything is close to my house! So then we ate some ice cream and talked some more and then he left.
Luckily for him he wasn't pushy- I'm very skitish about the whole dating thing and I probably would freaked out if he was.

My date was very easy to talk to, which was good because we talked about alot of different things and got to know each other a little but.

We met playing sand volleyball at at meetup group in Fort Collins, incase anyone was wondering.

So that was it. I'm most excited that we talked and he wasn't pushy.

~~~BB~~~
~~~~m~~~

Things that I believe

I thought I'd address some of the thigns I DO believe in:

~I believe the devine has both a feminine and masculine aspect- I believe in the Goddess and God- what you call them is unimportant~

~I believe in the power of positive thought and manifestation through your own will power- this is what makes magic/spells work~

~ I believe one should take responsibility for ones own actions- don't blame the world for your problems if you refuse to do anything to change~

~I believe love, when unconditional, is the greatest thing ever~

~I believe in the rule of 3- whatever you put out will return to you times 3. I try to be as nice and helpful as I can....this doesn't work all the time (I'm human)~

~I believe in random acts of kindness~

~I believe in donating to different causes- I can do this now that I have a job! It may be only a dollar here or there, but I like to think it helps~

~I believe people come into your life for a reason, and that everyone you come in contact with has a lesson to impart- if your paying attention~

~I believe that we are all more resilient than we give ourselves credit for~

~I believe that it is time for me to end this post:D~

I hope that whenever you read this, that your day is filled with wonder, kindness and beauty~

~~~Blessed Be~~~
~~~m~~~

I don't believe in perfection

I don't believe in perfection!

This is something I have been thinking about in the past few days...

There is always one misspelled word
One hair out of place
Some distance or depth the wasn't measured correctly
A piece of the plan that fell through

I think that the pursuit of perfection is insanity. I refuse to apologize when something I do isn't 'perfect'. I will learn from my mistakes and make the next project better- but never perfect. I believe the only entity that could possibly create something perfect is Mother Nature.

I just wanted to acknowledge my imperfection as a human creature and take resposibility for it.

~~~Blessed Be~~~
~~~m~~~

Yay for friends!

I have friends that are going to come watch me sing tonight at Avo's! Performing is always more fun when you have a cheering section :D

Personality Test

I took a personality test...here are the results.

If you hover over the colors you'll see what they mean.

Genuine Leader

I thought it was kinda cool.



~~~BB~~~
~~~~m~~~

Open mic at Avo's

I decided it was time, time for me to perform after the months I had been neglecting my fans.
Open mic was not what I expected, sadly. Anyone who had been to the open mic at Rita's in Nac knows what comraderie the musicians had with one another. It was a raucous, loud, and lovely atmosphere. There was an unstated rule, it seemed to me at least, that if you played, you stayed as long as you could to hear everyone else play, and that was truly something. Mr. Daniel did a truly wonderful job of operating the open mic at Rita's (perhaps i'm biased?)!!!!
At Avo's the crowd was very quiet, which is kinda cool, cause it seemed like they were listening, but for the most part the atmosphere felt.....disinterested? No one really talked or joked with one another. I saw a few musicians say hi to one another, but that was pretty much it. I noticed that many acts only stayed around for one or two sets before or after their own and left.
While I was pleased with my performance, I was disappointed with the overall experience. I'll have to try a different venue to see if the feel is the same.

~~~BB~~~
~~~m~~~~

Notes from the Road: Northwestern California

Ok....so this one will be more like a list instead of notes....
I have probably forgotten about 1/2 the things I had in mind......there's still a substantial amount of info for your reading pleasure....


-Wyoming has great rock outcrops.
-The Sierra Trading Post in Chyenne, Wyoming was thouroughly dissappointing.
-Idaho has basalt flows with nice columnar jointing.
-Somewhere in Idaho, we drove through a really bizarre fog like thing, my driving buddy speculated it was smoke, I thought it was dust....I think it ended up being really fine clay particles....very wierd.
-Pocatello, idaho has the super Wal-Mart of Ace Hardwares! They had tools AND camping equipment! It was 80 billion times better then the Sierra Tradin Post in Chyenne, Wyoming
- Somewhere in Idaho, our light connector for the trailer came loose (which is not good when your driving a trailer on a highway), and we dragged it for probably 200 miles. Luckily, my driving buddy is an electrical genius. It took us nearly 3 hours to repair. I say 'us' meaning he fixed the connection, and I ran for more parts and bought him coffee. We were about 15 miles from the Oregon border.
- Oregon isn't a good state to pass through. The default speed limit is 55. If you don't see a speed limit sign, the speed limit is 55. We were informed of this on our way OUT of Oregon.
- There are free range cows in Oregon.....we were drving a long, lonesome highway at dusk through free range territory. We came over a rise and suddenly there were 3 cows in the road. We swerved and dragged the trailer enough to slow us down for one of the lazy bastards to mosey it's fat ass off the road. All I remember is seeing the cows and reaching for the OH SHIT! handles. My drving buddy had enough adrenaline for the rest of the night after that.
- There is a lake in Oregon somewhere that smells like rotten eggs- this means Hydrogen Sulfide gas. I started to wonder if there was enough around to displace the oxygen in the air so that we might suffocate. I was tired and delerious by that point.
- We slept at the first hotel we could find about 2 hours from our final destination. After 3 hours of sleep, we continued to Cali.
-The actual work part of the trip was a blur- It was apparently it was one of the most difficult jobs Aestus has done EVER. Probably 'cause I was there...I'm known for inducing Xtreme field work.
- We had to get the trailer tires replaced before leaving Cali.
- As we were driving through the red woods, we lost our satellite radio, so I played my backpacker guitar in the truck...it was cool. My driving buddy liked it.
-There is a wormhole in western Oregon...one that makes time go reallllllly sllloooooowww. All I know is we drove all day but barely got anywhere. Finding a camp site was difficult that night. We drove 30 miles out of the way to a camp site in the MIDDLE OF NOWHERE...imagine our suprise when said camp site was packed...WTF!?!?
- I drank a bottle of wine that night.....oh my
-There is a road that goes from Oregon to Nevada where you don't see a town for 5 hours. Seriously.
- I don't recall much of Nevada, except for the hotel room with the jacuzzi...much needed
- The salt flats in Utah look like water...It's really cool, especially in the morning.
-Utah has some of the most inconsiderate drivers ever.
- For at least 50 0r 60 miles in Utah/Wyoming there was road construction. During the constructioin miles, we may have been going 10 MPH. It was fabulous.
-Wyoming has wicked thunderstorms! The lightning was absolutley amazing! I'm glad I didn't have to drive through all that, which I cheerily relayed to my driving buddy.
-Towards the end of the trip, I began to realize how important your driving buddy is. Luckily, we got along really well. The trip could have been truly horrible if we didn't get along.



That pretty much sums it up...I may go back and add more later if I recall anything else!

~~~BB~~~
~~~m~~~~

What's the deal with ladies in the bathroom?!?!?

Several times during my trip to and from California, I've had to wait an unusually loooong time to use the bathroom, specifically bathrooms with only 1 little toilet. I imagine that most of the time, woman don't need to be in the bathroom THAT long and that they're just messing with their hair. I just pee and leave because I'm assuming that the other ladies in line behind me have to go just as bad as I did and I leave any hair or makeup touch ups until I can get to the car and mess with the mirror on the visor.

Be considerate to your fellow ladies, pee and leave, just pee and leave!!!!!!!!


~~~BB~~~
~~~m~~~

Notes from the Road: NW California to come soon!

JEEP!

Isn't it pretty? Riding with the top down and the radio blaring is fabulously fun!

~~~BB~~~

~~~m~~~~

I have a jeep!

I bought it yesterday! I must post pictures soon!

I hate cleaning the truck!

I hate cleaning the truck....but that's what I just did! I washed the outside, took a vacuum cleaner to the inside, wiped everything down and took EVERYTHING out. I'm really hungry now.....

I tried!

I decided it was about time for me to find an open mic night to sing at. I found a place in Fort Collins that had an open mic that I thought started at 8. Well, it did start at 8, but sign up was at 7pm, and much like open mic at Rita's if you don't get there an hour early to sign up you don't play. I tried to find another open mic, but that didn't work out.
So I came home slightly disappointed, but there is an open mic on Thursday that I'll have to try. I figured tonight I'll do some recording and perhaps post some new songs on my myspace site.

~blessed be~
~~~~m~~~~

Knocked Up with strangers

Since I have gotten settled in, I decided I needed to meet people. I have been accomplishing this through www.meetup.com. It's a web site where you can create or join a group for pretty much anything in your area. So far I'm in 3- and one of the groups decided to do dinner at Old Chicago, then go see the movie Knocked Up. Dinner was preety good- 4 of us split a large pizza that was super tasty, I don't know about the other 3 people because they were at the other end of the table and I didn't get a chance to speak with them very much.

I really hit it off with a lady from Longmont- we had a way cool discussion about astrology and positive thinking. We're supposed to get together next Saturday...YAY!

As a person who doesn't watch movies that much, let me just say I really enjoyed the movie- I laughed throughout the entire thing!


Tonight I went to another meetup, but I had been to this particular group before and was pretty familiar with everyone. I'm so glad I have been able to get out of the house! If I'm alone too long I tend to think too much and get kind of depressed.

So, I have started meeting people- my next big goal is to go to an open mic...I haven't done one in months! Not since I left Nac:(

I have two other main goals- one is to order some plan tickets to visit my family in Illinois, the other is to trade in my truck for something smaller and more fuel efficient...I'm thinking a Jeep!

I know what your thinking- Jeeps aren't THAT fuel efficient...but they're better than what my truck is!!!!

~blessed be~
~~~~m~~~~

Little intimacies

I picked up T from the airport Thursday. I didn't realize how much I missed him until I saw him again. Since were supposed to be friends now, I had to supress the urge to do the things I normally would, like hold his hand, or kiss him. It struck me that I had taken these little intimacies for granted when we were together. I didn't realize how much a touch could mean when it had been absent for so long.

I talked to a friend of mine in Nac today, and wished we could go for tea like we used to.

Acknowledge the gift you have in your relationships while you have them. You never know when you may have to move out of state (or ....something)!

~blessed be~
~~~m~~~

Notes from the Road: Destination Wahoo, NE

I left for Nebraska on my 24th birthday around 5:30 pm. Eastern Colorado is rolling, and smells alot like manure, whichs makes sense since there were cows everywhere. As the sun set on the waving fields of grasses, the most interesting colors were made. To the north, the fields shone like a combination of silver and gold, sometimes they looked white. A few hours later I was headed for big storm clouds, but in the rearview mirror I could still see light in the west. The setting sun shone like an ember in the clouds, and had it not been behind me, I would have stared at it intil it completly dissappeared behind the horizon. The next event was the lighting storm to the northeast. I figured that I'd drive into the storm, but I never did. The lightning was fabulous.
When I crossed the Nebraska border, I noticed the distinct smell of raw sewage. I'm not sure where exactly the odor was eminating from, as all I saw was fields and trees. Also upon crossing the border, I was informed by a sign that Nebraska was the founding place of the arbor foundation. I was only driving to North Platte that night, and it was dark so I was lookoing hard at the highway signs to find my exit. For quite awhile, it looked like there was a Dr. Suess character on all of the highway signs- orange body with a yellow fro- think treasure trollish. Either later that night or the next day, I realized that the picture on the signs was a guy on a horse with a giant yellow sun behind him. It struck me as funny when I figured out what it was.

The drive from North Platte to Wahoo was uneventful, and I don't remember much from it.

There was a great little sandwhich hut near the hotel- I ate there everyday for lunch.

I found out that Wahoo was the largest manufactuerer of bombs during WWII. Apparently there were several mile long buildings that housed the bomb making activities. Those buildings are all gone now, replaced by fields of crops.

The drive back was uneventful, but enjoyable. I listened to the XM radio comedy station quite a bit

Notes from another state will find their way here the next time I drive to a job!


~blessed be~
~~~m~~~

Big Changes!

First blog! This is something I thought about doing right as I was moving from Texas to Colorado to chronicle my new life, but that just didn't happen due to the craziness associated with moving, starting a new job, and ending a relationship.

I graduated May 12th, started driving my truck with a UHAUL in tow on May 14th, and arrived in Loveland, Co in the wee hours of May 15th. I was lucky to have my boyfriend at the time helped me move. I can't put into words how much he helped me during that time!

I have heard that the stress of moving is second only to a death in the family. I didn't think it was that bad! By the time I left I was so sick of school that I was happy to pack my junk and git. The last few months of school were so busy I didn't have a lot of time to think about what I was doing....I only did what needed to be done. I think that is what saved me from having several anxiety attacks- I didn't have time to second guess myself.

Now I'm here in lovely loveland. I assembled a shelf tonight that I had ordered about 5 weeks ago and as I was putting my knick-knacks on it, I started to realize that the duplex was becoming home- not just the duplex.

I recently came back from a job in Nebraska, and as I drove I thought to myself "I need to meet some people!" I also realized as I was driving that the day I returned from Nebraska was Midsummer, or Litha the Pagan summer festival. One of the things I put on hold while pursuing my masters was my spiritual side, and I vowed to get back when I could. So, combining these two thoughts, I jumped on the internet to google midsummer festivals around the area. I ended up finding a local Pagan group through meetup.com, and decided I would be brave and go to their festival. I was pleasently surprised! Everyone was super nice and welcoming, and I was so glad to get a chance to talk to someone who wasn't my boss! Now I think my boss is great, but it's good to socialize with others.

I joined two other groups at meetup- one is a paranormal group, and the other is a singles adventure group. Let me address the single thing- T and I broke up the last time he left Colorado, which was about two weeks ago. Before he left the last time, he had been at my house for three consecutive weekends with a friend. While it was comforting to know he was in the state, it was hard to know that each weekend he was there was one of the last I would spend with him. It was also hard because I had just moved and didn't have much time on the weekends for myself. The day he left was really really hard. It still is some days I mostly try not to think about it. I have tried to rationalize the reasons why we wouldn't work, but the heart isn't rational. In my head I know why things had to be the way they are, but my heart still hurts. I have been in love before, but I can honestly say I have never loved anyone the way I loved him. I'm starting to get sappy and teary eyed....enough of this!

It's late, and I think I shall retire. I want to be rested for my first free weekend since I moved! I may ride my bike or hike. Later tomorrow I'm supposed to go to a bellly dance thing with someone I met at Litha...oh yeah- I started taking belly dancing lessons!

~blessed be~
~~~m~~~