Autumn

We've had an unseasonably warm (during the day) fall so far, but it gets cool in the evening so it's actually quite perfect.

I went to Goodale Park down in the Short North to take some pics the other day. I think I need to upgrade my camera, but I did end up getting a couple of nice shots.

Really?

I'm losing weight. And it's easy. And I'm not even really exercising. I'm more active (walks in nice weather, walking a little faster than usual when I can, and sprinting to the gate to which my flight has been changed).

I literally just stopped eating foods that are bad for me and eating correct portions. But really I've changed the way I think about food. Food is sustenance. It's not for pleasure. It's not a social event. And I know that I don't have a sense of moderation, so I choose to abstain from foods that are bad for me.

And the weight is falling off. I'm not at the weight I want to be, but really I just feel like I've licked my weight problem. I'm not in an unhealthy relationship. I've got a great job. I have great friends and family. And I'm happy.

And I don't weigh myself. I know that I get obsessed when I weigh. I just don't care about numbers. I just like that I had to buy new jeans and a couple of shirts.

So there you have it...losing weight is easy. Just find your happy place in life and rethink your relationship with food.

Contemplating

Yeah...I haven't posted in a while. I've been a wee bit busy.

So I got a new job (not the one for which I had originally applied). I'm coordinating the new-hire training for the eastern region of the US for the telecommunications company I've worked for since 2005. It's fun, challenging, and will look good on a resume regardless of what I end up doing when I grow up.

The job requires a lot of travel, and surprisingly I like it. After being told that I can't take care of myself and the unspoken expectation was that I would not be able to survive on my own, I'm surviving and, dare I say, thriving.

And I've been single since February, but doing okay. Probably better than okay. I like being single, and always said that it would take someone special for me to settle down. That's probably more true now than ever before. Life is too short to spend in the company of those who don't appreciate you for you. Right now I'm happy to be surrounded with good friends and while I am open to dating, I don't really have time for a serious relationship right now. And I'm reevaluating what I feel about relationships and question my ability to get everything I need from one person. When you free yourself from the expectations that society places on you, it frees you to get what you need from whoever can give it to you. I could probably have great sex with one person but not be that compatible with him as far as dating goes. And I might meet a great guy that I like to spend time with, but who doesn't really do it for me in the bedroom. Why should I have to choose one over the other?

That's pretty much where I am right now, still taking it one day at a time and figuring out what I want.

Limbo

Hmm...Sunday afternoon around 4 PM and I'm sitting in my friend Liz's TV room while her boyfriend tears apart his "man den," all in the name of spring cleaning. Liz is in her bedroom with her cat Grendel, probably taking a nice nap.

I'm sitting here contemplating the future. Over the last week I've moved all of my belongings to a storage unit, save the things that I use every day, and I'm currently living in Liz's guest room. It feels weird to be 35 years old and so out of sorts. I've applied for a job that, if I get, would take me back to Missouri. I haven't lived there since I was 20 years old. Not only have I applied, but I've had three good interviews, the last with the VP of the division where I would be working. A third interview is kind of the holy grail for this company; they usually send one candidate to that interview, at the most two. And since I'm being considered for two different locations, statistically speaking there is a good chance I'll get an offer. But they're dragging their feet and I'm not good for waiting for things like this, especially when so much rides on the decision. If I get the position, I'll be moving to Missouri and will need to find a place to live. If I don't get an offer, I'll be staying in Columbus until I find another job in another state. Yes, I've decided that it's time to move on and try something new, somewhere new.

But in the meantime, I'm very much living in the moment if for no other reason than I can't plan very far ahead right now. I'm typically not much of a planner anyway, but the older I get the more I like to have a plan, even if it's jotted down on a napkin in chocolate.

So...I'm waiting. And not very good at it.

Better Than Lever 2000

see more pwn and owned pictures

Karma

Well...Christy is right. Karma is real. I pointed out her ginormous herpes simplex outbreak on her lower lip last week. Now the Universe is biting me in the ass--this evening I noticed a second head growing out of my neck. It's like I have a conjoined twin who is a very late bloomer. I got a straight pin and was going to do a little surgery, but I'm afraid I'll puncture my jugular vein and get a Darwin Award. I still might do that tomorrow, but just in case I accidentally kill myself, I'm going to write a suicide note blaming people I don't like so their lives will be marred by eternal guilt and self-loathing.

Not Sure If Anyone's Reading...

It's late, the wee hours of a Monday that begins a week I'm dreading a bit. The Steelers won a Superbowl in which I had little interest. No one I knew was having a party, so I spent the evening curled up in my oversized leather chair watching a game I cared little for.

I turned 35 on Thursday. Not a "milestone" birthday, like 30 or 40, but more important than 34 was or 36 likely will be. Truth be told, it was disappointing. On Friday night I met some friends for dinner at The Pub. It was a small group of seven of us, and it was a nice time. But it was noisy and so crowded that you felt guilty for staying any significant length of time. Saturday I only left the house to buy dog food and Sunday Dale cooked breakfast for us. It was low-key, if not boring, weekend.

Tonight as I lay in bed reflecting on the weekend, I wondered why this birthday felt so subdued. It wasn't because I didn't have a party and it wasn't because there weren't gifts (Liz got me gift cards for Bonefish and iTunes). If you can picture a kid left at summer camp having a hard time adjusting suddenly bursting into tears sobbing, "I miss my mommy," that might sum up how I feel.

On my birthday, I miss my mother. When I was a baby, I'm sure my mom reached down and put her finger into my hand and I squeezed it, much like Dale's niece Katelyn squeezed my finger last week. As I look at my hands, I wonder if my mother knew that my little hand would grow big and eventually wipe away tears shed for her. Probably not; I seem to be the only person morbid enough to harbor those kinds of thoughts, and they're probably better kept to myself. But tonight I can't seem to do that.

I remember looking at my mom's hands during the summer of 2007, as she was dying of cancer. I noticed her middle finger was crooked and I then looked at my hands and noticed my middle finger was crooked, too.

"Look, Mom, we have the same hand," I told her. My mom took my hand in hers, for one of the last times and said, "That makes me happy."

It makes me happy too.

New Domain & New Babies

It's been a while since I've posted, but I'm making an effort this year to have more of a presence on the web. To that end, I'm hosting my blog on my domain, which is www.aslguy.com. The URL for the blog is http://blog.aslguy.com. I'm still figuring things out, but hope to update regularly.

Speaking of new things, Dale's brother and sister-in-law brought twins into the world today. While they were born a bit small and premature, we have every reason to hope that they're going to be fine.

Car Repair Update

Okay...my car was "done" today. But it broke down when they were delivering it to me. Having had enough with this repair shop, I called Geico and told them I wanted my car towed to Honda East to be fixed properly, period. So the repair shop towed it to Honda East. The repair shop is paying for the repair as well as my rental. Geico is authorizing two hours for Honda to go over my car with a fine-tooth comb to identify any other areas where the repair shop might have cut corners. And Geico is investigating the repair facility once I get my car back to see how they could fuck this up so much.

I did visit my car Monday and it at least LOOKED okay, minus the missing trim pieces that they were waiting on.

Car Repair Update/Rant

Okay...I'm NOT happy. My car was supposed to be done on Wednesday. Then they call and say Thursday afternoon maybe, but definitely Friday. So I arrange to be off Friday afternoon, get a coworker to agree to drive me to the repair facility, and get excited because I'm going to get my car back. So today I called to confirm and left several messages with both the insurance adjuster and the repair facility. A little before the close of business, the repair facility calls me to tell me that a part they were waiting on didn't come in, so it will probably be Monday.

Un-fucking-acceptable.

My rental coverage is going to run out before long and I want MY CAR back.

If I don't get good news tomorrow, I'm filing a complaint with the Better Business Bureau, Geico's CEO Office complaint line, and will probably have to go a little Julia Sugarbaker on both Geico and Ohio Autobody Repair.

Weekend

This weekend felt like it went by SO fast.

Friday night after work, Dale and I met Liz and Eric at the Rusty Bucket for dinner. After that, we went home and chilled. Saturday Blythe and I went to Christy's house to cheer her up and keep her company while her husband took her mom back home. Then that night, Dale and I met Blythe, Justin, Andrew and Sherry at the Winking Lizard to watch the OSU game. Today we met Liz, Eric and his friend Cassandra who is in town from Texas at Creekside for breakfast, then it was napping, a haircut, Panera and TV tonight. And tomorrow is back to the grind. :-(

I need two more days off.

CR-V vs. Deer

I was driving home after work on Tuesday and hit a deer. It's always been a fear of mine, but I never really thought it would happen on an interstate in the city. I was not injured. My airbags did not deploy. But the preliminary estimate is at $6800 but they haven't even began tearing it down to see what mechanical repairs will need to be made. That number could climb substantially.

Here's the damage:

A Year Ago

If a year ago you had asked me what my plans were for the following Saturday, I would not have been able to tell you. As a rather impulsive, fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants kind of guy, I've always had a rather myopic view of life. Last year was even more so, as my entire world hinged on my mother's terminal illness and impending passage. I won't recount the experience now. In fact, I haven't even been reliving it as much in my mind as I had anticipated. While I don't believe that Time heals all wounds, it does make life sufferable in the wake of loss.

The last year has been an experience like nothing I've faced. A year of unimaginable sadness and profound grief, as well as realization, hope and love.

Losing a parent is one of those things that you don't understand until you've faced it yourself. It's like a lifetime membership in a club that no one wants to join, but whose members are a comfort to each other. And when a new member joins, the collective feels their pain all over again.

Tomorrow marks the one-year anniversary of my mother's passing. My sister and I wondered if we would get a sign. Hers was a hummingbird (mom loved them) flying into her garage while she and her boys were going into the house from the car. Mine was different. I haven't seen a monarch butterfly all summer, but...

I interpret phone calls into American Sign Language at my part-time job. I went all year without hearing my mom's name while on a call. Her name is fairly unique, and I would have remembered. But this week I heard it Tuesday night, Thursday night, and during an unexpected shift Saturday evening.

I miss you, Mom.













"Don't cry because it's over. Smile because it happened."
~Dr. Seuss~

Noodles & Company = Epic Fail

I really want to like Noodles & Co. The food isn't bad; it's the service. I would say that six out of ten times that I've eaten there, they get my order wrong. This is at the Polaris location AND the location on 256. I've ordered Tuscan Linguine with sauteed spinach. They forgot the spinach and wanted to bring it to me on the side. I made them remake it. I've ordered Pad Thai TWICE and asked for it without sprouts. Twice they've given me sprouts. Today the manager came out and said it would be just a little while longer, they put sprouts in it and were remaking it. So they bring me the remade dish and guess what...there were sprouts in it. I picked what I could off and made the best of it.

The employees piddle around, trying to look busy. They move slowly. They don't hustle, or seem to be interested in getting things done.

Don't go. Save yourself the frustration.

Movie-Goer Etiquette

Dale and I went to Easton AMC to see "Hancock" last night. While the movie itself wasn't that bad, the experience was horrible. People do not know how to behave at the movie theater.

If you're going to go to a movie, please get there on time. And by on time, I mean at least 10 minutes early. There is nothing worse than watching a movie and knowing the inciting incident is unfolding on the screen, only to see a group of seven or so teenagers come strolling in giggling and looking for a good seat and discussing their options loudly.

You're probably thinking it could be worse and you're right...it got worse. People were taking calls during the movie. And probably about 10 people kept flipping their cell phone open to text during the movie, their screens lighting up the theater like giant rude fireflies.

I hate rude people.

Independence Day

It's turned out to be a good holiday weekend so far. I had to work Thursday evening doing video relay, but the call queue was pretty light. I didn't get to see Red, White and Boom, but maybe next year. Actually I did see a little of them. When I got off on Broad Street, I could see a little them in the distance. I did listen to the soundtrack on WNCI, and I teared up a little bit. Dale's brother Joe is a marine and did two tours in Iraq, but made it home safely. I am so grateful for that, and it pained me to think about all of the men and women who didn't make it home, and how the Fourth of July, which always was so celebratory, now has a very sad undertone.

Today we're going to Costco to get a few things for Dale's family, and then we'll stop by out there and drop it off. And I have GOT to clean my bathroom.

New Look

I updated the look of my blog. I thought maybe if it were more interesting, I might be more inclined to blog. Time will tell. This current theme might only be on here for a few days, since I"m not in love with it. But I will eventually come up with something I like.

Carpenter Ants

Don't let the cartoon fool you; carpenter ants are not cute or cuddly. We've had a little infestation. The occasional ant is not unusual, but when you walk into your bathroom and find five of them in toolbelts going over blueprints and planning a jihad, it's not a good thing.

Orkin came and the ants are now slowly dying of poison. Better living through chemicals (or a slow painful death through chemicals). Is the glass half empty or half full?

Happy New Year!

Dale and I had a low-key NYE. For the second year in a row, we've gone to his friends' house, Gary and Angi. They're what I call Dale's "camping friends." They don't hang out much except in the spring - fall, when they camp a few times. When not camping, they stay in touch via phone and email.

Their daughter Dena was there, and the five of us hung out and played Wii all night. Last year we played pool and darts and listened to music.

Santa visited our house a couple days after Christmas and brought us a 50" plasma HDTV. The picture is AMAZING. I also got Dale an iPhone for Christmas, because he kept hijacking mine and it was the only way to get mine back. Merry Christmas to me; I got my phone back.

Tomorrow is back to the daily grind and the Holidays are completely over. I'm a little bummed, but also a little relieved.

There's Something I've Yet To Do...

As the Christmas season draws to a close, it feels like there's something I need to do. Something I'm forgetting...but I'm not forgetting. I remember what it is I should do; but I'm unable to. Yesterday and today I've had the desire to call my mom and tell her about Christmas. How good it was to see Roger, Karen and their families. Of course she's not home, and her cell phone number has been reassigned. I know this because I texted her last night, in case there are text messages in the afterlife. I texted MERRY CHRISTMAS MOM, I MISS YOU to her cell number. She texted back WHO IS THIS? Of course it wasn't her, but a very surprised US Cellular customer. I replied that the number had been my mom's, who had passed in September. They replied with condolences.

Last Christmas was the first Christmas that I was with Dale and his first Christmas with my family. Mom wasn't feeling well, so I wasn't expecting much fanfare. To my surprise the house was completely decorated and she had baked every kind of candy and cookie I ever remembered her making, including buckeyes. In hindsight, I think she knew that it would be her last Christmas with us. With hindsight's clarity comes regret, though, and if I had known it was her last Christmas I can think of a thousand things I would've done differently.

Merry Christmas, Mom. I miss you.