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.
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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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~~~