-Lost in the woods-
______________

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I-
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

   Saturday, December 31  

New Years Eve!

Well, it's new years eve resolution time! I hate resolutions, really I do, almost no one can ever keep them, and then you get to the end of Christmas the next year (usually kind of a depressing time in my mind anyway) and can only feel bad that you haven't done better on last years resolutions. Well this year at least I can say I fulfilled my main resolution, I got away from the pool. I remember sitting writing blogs at 5:30 in the morning just miserable to be there, thinking: self, we've got to change this. Maybe resolve isn't the most fantastic place in the world, but when I consider that I could still be chained to that front desk, I'm much happier here. I've met some really awesome funny people, the pay is better, I've got full time work, my lead and super are fantastic, and most of the whole negative vibe has settled in the basement. Compare that to where I was, and the only thing it had going on was the awesomeness of Janelle and a select group of coworkers. I may not be exactly where I want to be, but at least I'm someplace better till I get there.

I don't want to make resolutions again this year. I have my goals, and I'm proud of them. I can't wait to accomplish them, but I know they are things will take years of hard work, patience, and probably a lot of late nights working jobs that aren't me. They aren't things that I'm going to set out to do on January 1st, I'm already working toward them, so I'll just keep it up.

~ Take my Marine Biology course, and kick it's ass all around our estuaties, inlets, harbors and shores. Get more out of it than any other course I've taken, since I can concentrate on everything we learn. Impress the glasses of the new prof, make him want to hire me to work on projects this summer so I can see the sun.

~Walk more. None of this "I need to lose 10 pounds and exercise till I give up" crap which never works for me, just get out more, enjoy the air, escape from in front of a computer.

~Puppy fund. I've already talked your ear off about it, so I won't bore you again. I'm in no rush, I want to do it right, and have the time to spend on a very worthy puppy at the end. Huge commitment, serious life adaptation, unconditional adoration. Will help with the walking more plan, since it's much more fun to walk with someone, especially when they don't care what random thing you point out along the way. Yeah, I hope you already know I talk to my animals or I might seem weird now.

~Keep applying for the jobs that I want, even though they never call me back. It's frustrating, cause I usually find out that it's because they hired interally, or just rehired someone who already had the position, not just the easy let down. If I wasn't good enough, that would be one thing. But to find out I'm considered, but don't get it for a reason like that, it's a rain cloud on my hopes. But then, if I don't put myself out there, there's no way anyone will take the chance and hire me. So I'll keep trying. People have to retire or go on maternity leave sometime right? When they drop the ball, I'll just be there to grab it and fight off anyone who wants to steal it from me.

   [ posted by T~ @ 12/31/2005 02:35:00 a.m. ] [ ]

Saturday, December 17

As a swimming instructor and lifeguard I used to party and partake in some drinking. First I drank with my elders, who were my supervisors, chiefs, head guards. Then as I got older, and I drank with my coworkers, the other guards, my supers, and some of the instructors that started working that I took under my wing and looked out for. After a while, I became the chief, program director, and supervisor, and while drinking with my peers, saw my sweet little instructors or junior instructors in training and giggled with them as they were excited they were drinking and their boss/instructor saw them. That made me feel kind of old, but these were younguns, that really shouldn't have been out drinking, and I was the fun boss that would tease them about it and give them an extra break the next morning. Now the ultimate has come to pass.

Out with friends on a pub crawl tonight, I being the responsible employee drinking water, come chin to forehead with a rather familiar baby face that I can't put a file to. How do I know this kid, and why does his childish pout look so familiar? He's taller than me, so I assume that he's close in age, maybe school? Maybe work? Maybe red crosser (we cover the globe)? Nope, not at all. He's 19. Hmm, that's kind of young, not really an age group that I'm close with other than peoples younger siblings. . . . wait, *does the math* Holy crap. I thought this kid swimming lessons. Like, little kid swimming lessons. When I was 15. He would have been 9 or 10. He was one of my first favorites, he'd always pout when he had to do laps, but would do them when I told him we'd play a game when he'd finished. I'm glad I was sitting down when I figured it out, or I would have fallen down.

Ok, so maybe this isn't terribly significant to all of you, but to me. . . starting out as one of the youngest instructors and guards hired at the beginning, I feel pretty mature for 23.

   [ posted by T~ @ 12/17/2005 06:50:00 a.m. ] [ ]

Thursday, December 15

The Ness of the Loch

   [ posted by T~ @ 12/15/2005 01:54:00 a.m. ] [ ]

Wednesday, December 14

Well, I've decided to stop pulling the fuzzies from my winter boots in honor of a post.

First off, happy birthday to Nathan, you made it to the big 2-3. Keep it up luv. I'm at work again, and I'm not entirely sure how I'm going to get home. They've started sending some people home so that they won't need to drive in the snow storm, but my shift change is working from home, so I just have to pretend like I'm invincible. Again. I made it home last night, but today I didn't even take the van. I relied on my dad. He's a pretty good hero when you need him. And my fantastic neighbor shoveled out my driveway for me, even if the van's still in it. I hope they don't take the cabs off the road, or I'm screwed.
I've spent most of the day with my jaw locked. Isn't that one of the most annoying things ever?!? You can't open your mouth wide enough to get food in neatly, and every chew you make hurts. Should have been a smoothie day, but I was too busy. I'll have soup for dinner anyway. Does anyone know what you're supposed to do if this happens? Does it mean that you're lacking in something? Keep me up to date on these things people!
As for the new job front.... she's pretty quite folks. Anyone looking to hire an enthusiastic and adaptive Biology person, ya'll just let me know. I will soon be proficient in the study of marine Biology, so keep that on your dossiers as well. I really wish I could put all the stress involved with that business behind me so I could deal with all the wonderful stresses of . . .
CHRISTMAS!!! Has hit with a vengeance this year. I have been tossed in to what seems to be a training Christmas boot camp as my mother does her normal Christmas thing. I never knew how much she put into the holiday, but I know that in my family it wouldn't happen without her. It's exhausting. I refuse to put a tree up at my place, but I'm willing to string lights on the rubber plant. That's as far as I will go, and the cat will still probably find a way to electrocute herself. I work the 24th backshift, so I can sleep till afternoon, then go out for church and family and what not. I have the 25th off *yay for always having sundays off* and my schedule for the rest of the week doesn't change. Theoretically, this means that I will have NewYears off, but knock on wood, I'm not going to jinx it. I wish I had money. I'd go shopping. But then I'm sure I'd buy more crap to fill my house with that I really don't need. Maybe it's good that I've got no money, I have less things to dust. It does make it harder to save for the puppy fund though. Donations accepted: cash or paper money preferred.

   [ posted by T~ @ 12/14/2005 07:14:00 p.m. ] [ ]

Tuesday, December 6

Just listening to the poeple around you when you're working can totally change your state of mind. As I'm listening to the guy behind me bark orders at an obviously incompetant joe on the other end of the line, it's made me just feel miserable. He's screaming at him now. I think he broke something. It went snap. Little scared. I understand where he's coming from. It makes me really want to get a job elsewhere. I don't think there's a job anywhere though where you can get away from the idiots. I also almost understand why some people start drinking at our age, and don't stop for quite some time.

   [ posted by T~ @ 12/06/2005 11:41:00 p.m. ] [ ]

Friday, December 2

Really, I don't torture my kitty. She does it to herself. 

   [ posted by T~ @ 12/02/2005 11:05:00 p.m. ] [ ]

My cat's so nice, she gives visitors presents.

It was funny, she really did. Tried to send Mo home with a plug cover in her shoe. She was sneaky about it too, the humble little kitty she is. I had to ruin it all because I didn't want Moira to put her foot in on a half eaten crunchy bug or worse. Quite the hospitality that cat has.

Cats really are somewhat amusing things to have in your home. No two are the same, they talk to you when they want something, have the most interesting methods to wake you up from sticking a paw in your ear and wiggling it around till you have to move, to causing calamity in the farthest reaches of your home, forcing you to investigate the mysteriously caused crisis, and always keep you guessing on whether they love you to death, or are merely tolerating your presence.

The things we do for our pets.

   [ posted by T~ @ 12/02/2005 03:08:00 a.m. ] [ ]