Still here

It's been a while since I've been in here. I bet you thought I really did sell my things and run away, didn't you? (ha!)

Anyway...I have a problem. I work with a bunch of writers. We ask each other to edit our stuff...those are the rules. I may never get used to that part of my job. I've written intro's to newsletters that I've thought may need some tweaking, but when I get it back from the editing process, my voice has been completely stripped away from the piece. Yes, I can see how it's been tightened up a bit, and that's good, but it also sounds dry and bland. But I'm new there, so I just go with it. (By the way, how long do you have to be at a place before you're no longer considered "new"?)

Last week, I got a piece from a co-worker to edit, and even though I was buried under work, I took a few hours to work on his article. I know I'm not that great of a writer, but this thing was full of three examples for every point made. Lists of three everywhere. It was tedious, boring, and annoying...so I whittled those down. I chose the best from the list & went with it. I know none of this is making sense without some specific examples, but I don't want to take even the slightest chance that the writing or the writer would be recognized. I really like the writer...but after I spent all that time on the article, I get online today to look at it, and almost NONE of my edits were used. I wasted so much on that thing for no reason. Lists were added back in, and other sections were completely re-written. If you ask me, he should've just edited it himself. I had so much work to do last week, I was scrambling just to get it all done...skipping all my breaks, staying late, coming in early. To see my work completely disregarded when I didn't have time for it in the first place does not make me happy.

::: sigh ::: Now where was I? Oh yeah...selling my belongings so I can run away. That's right... Anybody want to buy a couple kitchen stools?

Have you ever...

...had the desire to sell all your earthly belongings (well, except maybe for a change of underwear), and move far away to find a new & improved, bright & shiny fresh-start life? I love snow, but I think I want to pack up the dog and the cat and head for somewhere with year-round heat and a beach. I've never lived anywhere near an ocean, but I'm longing to walk along the surf and feel the sand between my toes; to hear the cry of the seagulls overhead and to watch the pelicans dive for fish. It's just time for something new. It's time for a whole lot of new.

Is it just me?

I missed Grey's Anatomy last night. The holiday (which was a pretty good one, by the way) threw me off and I forgot what day it was. So, I just watched the episode online. Is it just me, or is this show getting more graphically bloody? Seems like every week, I'm listening to more of the show than I'm watching, because I just can't stomach the blood. The stories are still excellent, but seriously...if this continues, I may have to stop watching altogether. I'm all nauseous now. I watch tv for an escape; for relaxation; for enjoyment. Not to get all tense and nauseated. blech.

I have a movie to return to Blockbuster...maybe I'll exchange it for something fun and entertaining to clear my mind. Any suggestions?

have you ever...

...gone through the process of creating a profile on any of the Match.com-ish sites? If so, have you had any luck finding someone you actually liked?

I visit those sites every once in a while...just to see who might be out there. I only paid to join one once, and found the experience to be pretty depressing. I can be rejected for free. I wasn't happy about paying someone so that I could be rejected repeatedly for the next 3 months. It seems like most of the men my age are hoping that some perky little 20-yr-old will see their profile & fall madly in love with them. HA! And to them I say, "good luck with that."

Other times when I visit these sites, I read through the profiles and think...I don't want to kiss a lot of frogs before I meet a prince. I'm too old to go through this process. I just want the prince. When I saw my dog at the Humane Society, and our eyes met, I knew in an instant that this would be my dog...even though there was another family there before me that wanted to visit with him. I just knew. I want that to happen with one of these profiles. I want to look at someone's picture and just know. But honestly, there's just no way to tell much about a person from an online profile, and it feels really risky to stick my neck out there on the chopping block, close my eyes, and just hope and pray that no one's going to lower that ax again.

To further complicate matters, I've already met my match but he happens to be unavailable, which is a huge frustration and annoyance. But sadly, I compare every profile I read to him. No one else measures up...because no one that good needs an online profile to find someone. So, what does that say about my assumption about the men who are on there? Maybe my attitude about online "dating" is just skewed. Maybe.

my friend is a Robby Benson look-alike

I didn't write a post yesterday. Makes me want to give up on the whole A-Post-A-Day-In-November plan. I was just so busy all day.

We're buying a car from a friend for my daughter. It's an older car that needs a little work. Since I have a few vacation days, I had some time to invest in getting this taken care of. Yesterday was spent at the Dept. of Motor Vehicles...sitting...waiting...watching my hair gray and my skin wrinkle as I anxiously listened for someone to call my number. Then when it was finally our turn, they wanted proof of insurance before they'd sell us the plates. But, I talked to the insurance company, and they needed a purchase date before they could give us insurance. So...we were stuck in that annoying cycle of events. What I ended up doing is having the DMV simply switch the title over, then I ran over to the insurance office across town and gave them a purchase date so they could finished that application...then went back to the DMV, spent another couple hours waiting in line, and presented them with the proof of insurance so we could get the plates. It's been a tedious process. We went out last night to pick up the car & discovered a few problems...like stripped screws where the license plates should be attached, no oil in the car, a low tire, etc. A list of stuff that's hard to fix when it's dark and cold, so we decided to go home and wait until we could work on it during the day. I'll probably be going back out there in a few hours.

So...another day will be spent in pursuit of this car. But that's alright. These friends gave us an unbelievable deal on this car, and once my daughter has it I won't have to play the role of chauffer any more — which, mostly, I don't mind, but my car doesn't need the wear & tear. And my grown daughter (who is young enough to be struggling financially) won't feel like she has to rely on her mom to get around...which is not what a person wants to do when they're in their 20s. So, there is a light at the end of this relatively short tunnel.

On another note, have you seen Robby Benson lately? I just heard him on the NPR radio show, "Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me." He's got a great voice, and as I listened to him, I kept picturing this person. Dark hair. Blue, blue eyes. He's just got great coloring. I love that look.

So, I thought it'd be interesting to see what he looks like now. It was a little surprising. Still handsome, but ya know...hairier. And he adores his wife. How cool is that?! He mentioned it on the radio show, and he mentions it in the video on his website. She's his "best friend." In a world where it's so common to hear one spouse complain about the other, it is so refreshing to me to hear a man talk about how much he enjoys his wife. That is the kind of relationship I hope to find some day. I'm glad to know they really do exist.