At a Crossroads

mental rambling....

There are moments in our lives when we stand perfectly balanced at the crossroads, knowing one step in any particular direction will forever change everything. It is a scary place to teeter at. Fear can have us balancing right there at that spot for an indefinite amount of time. Hoping that if we don't breath too hard, we won't fall. But often the step in one direction or another isn't of our own volition. And sometimes... sometimes we have to gather our courage and just leap into the fire, knowing our past will be burnt to cinders, leaving a wasteland.

You never know right then, at that moment if you've made the right choice. Chosen the correct path of action. But it is action. And it is by choice. When you look behind you and all you see is unhappiness, then you know its time to deliberately take that step and move forward... in an entirely new direction.

Stomp! Stomp! Stomp!

Men!

AUUUGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!

That's it.

I'm becoming a lesbian.

I'm serious.

Or androgynous. One or the other.

Don't mind me.

I'm just... BANGING HEAD ON DESK... a tad bit... KICKING THE WALL... annoyed right now.

Pffft.

I'm getting myself to a nunnery henceforth and forthwith and ... and... gonna as soon as i find a nonreligious one.

geeeeeez

sometimes i talk too much. decided against advisability of that last post and deleted it. besides - it made me sound stoopid.

The age old battle

It isn't discussed often, because most of my friends are smart enough to know when to leave a sensative topic alone, but almost everyone close to me is aware that I am just a touch insecure. Probably no more than most average women. I'm not sure. I haven't passed out the "how insecure are you" survey. Yet.

Luckily for me it is balanced by having an ego the size of a small country. It seems to work out in the wash. But there is a rather large part of me that does an eyeroll and wonders if people don't need to get their eyes checked when they say i'm beautiful. Sure, I appreciate the compliment and it makes me feel good but I can't dismiss that voice inside that says "hello, Miz Freckle-face - Michelle Pfieffer you ain't."

And time partnered with gravity isn't making overlooking those inner insecurities any easier. Gravity meet my boobs... we'll be waging war in the gym every day now for the rest of my life. Looking in the mirror at boobage that is definitely not as perky as it used to be, i suspect that gravity will ultimately win that battle. The bitch.

And wrinkles? When the fuck did wrinkles creep up next to my eyes? I woke up one morning earlier this year and they were just THERE. Came out of nowhere like ninja assassins and took up residence. Fortunately I have found some lotions that help beat them into submission, but doesn't erase them completely. I see them. Yeah... just waiting to dig their crevaces deeper into my skin. Bastards!

Oh, then there is our lovely friend cellulite. I'm pretty sure i spend wayyyyy too much time glaring at the backs of my thighs in the mirror. The cellulite vanishing cream - totally useless. Cellulite laughs in its face.

And don't get me started on tummy pooch. I already know that bitch is situp resistant and the only way to beat her is with a surgeon's knife. Yeah - someday... when i have the extra cash. ~wincing in advance~

I truly admire women that can age gracefully and honestly maintain a "i don't give a fuck" attitude. But in my case, I had limited resources to begin with, so I'm not going down gracefully.

Beautiful? Not hardly. But i'm fighting like an enraged Amazon to maintain what i have for as long as I can.

Itchy Skin

what is it that provokes a sense of discomfort and the itchy need for change?

i find myself being overly sensative lately, distrustful and impatient.

maybe it is nothing more than wanting things i can't have and gnashing my teeth at myself for wanting them.

in the past, when i would get very itchy skin and fall under the weight of needing drastic change, i would pack up shop and vanish, reappearing with a new face and making new friends.

fortunately or unfortunately, depending on how you look at it - that is no longer an option.

i've got friends now that i've tied myself to in ways that cannot be severed so quickly, easily - nor do i want to let them go... i don't think i could even if i wanted to. (I think my inner self came up with that plan to outwit me so i could no longer run like a skittish coyote or chicken shit.)

So my skin itches and i strain against invisible bindings with no discernable way of relieving the itch.

i need to do something though... some small change... something.

One Door Closes and Another One Opens

I have always detested that saying. Mostly because someone always says it just as a door is being slammed in your face. Despite my dislike of the assinine platitude, it sometimes proves to be true.

Lately it seems I've been dealing with a number of doors either slamming shut or quietly being closed, locked, and barricaded. The most recent hit me in ass as I was unceremoniously tossed out. What can you do? Shit happens and sometimes we never find out why. (I try not to press my ear to the door once it has been closed in my face.)

You dust yourself off, mentally come to grips with reality and then take a look around. Because you'll never notice a new door cracking open if you're huddled in a corner having a pity party. And usually the new door has absolutely nothing to do with the old ones... it is just a possible path to a new direction.

Sometimes, that is all we need.

Shoooeeesssssss

Bagful of Worry

I feel like an extraordinary number of my close friends are dealing with serious health issues lately. I don't know if that is a normal part of growing older or if the percentage of healthy people suddenly coming down with dire illnesses is rising overall.

I got an email last night from one of closest and oldest (as in number of years we've known each other) friends. I think he's about mid-forties now, has always been a health fanatic with a regimented daily workout, until some disks in his back collapsed recently and he had to have back surgery a month ago. During the course of THAT treatment they discovered that he has serious heart problem due to a defective valve. He has to have open heart surgery next month. Open freakin heart surgery!!!

He must have known I was going to go into fullblown panic mode because his message was packed full of reassurances that it was a good thing it was caught early, blah, blah, blah.

Open HEART surgery!!!!

Yeah. I'm mildly freaked. I lie. I'm totally freaked.

I'm carrying around a bag with me everyday that is stuffed full of thoughts and prayers for several people who i love dearly that are going through all manner of difficulties. I open the bag and pour my heart into it daily. It just got a little more crowded in there.

Feeling better

Being sick sucks moldy ass. Truly. Antibiotics are finally kicking in and I feel more like myself again. Working on stories and that also helps with my mood. Also during the photoshoot tonight, the members of the band playing kept winking at me. Since they were all hot to hotter - that helped with my ego. ~grin~

Listened to myself on the local radio show that I taped the other day (while feeling like a piece of moldy ass) and was surprised at how good and professional I sounded. I guess doing the weekly show has helped with my "radio persona". LOL! My voice sounded much smoother in the studio than i do in the call-ins. I sure do laugh a lot though.

Bought new shoes today - that ALWAYS makes a girl feel better. Two pairs of uber sexy stilettos. They are gonna kill my feet after ten minutes of walking in them but look totally kickass.

~happy sigh~

Shoes.

Friday Morning Blues

Maybe i'm morose because i'm under the weather. Dark, bleak thoughts keep trying to lay claim to me even though i keep shoving them away.

I'm an analyzer. I look for the subtext in everything and rarely take anything at surface value. This includes conversations with very close friends. I should qualify that I suppose... I don't do it ALL the time or with everybody. But often - yeah.

Sure, there are times I pick apart a conversation - go back over things said to me - and completely misinterpret what was verbalized, applying my own context and evaluation based on where I'm at or where i've been. But I'm also cognizant of that danger and apply a certain amount of self-caution when I catch myself peeling back the onion layers to try and figure out what is REALLY going on... what is really meant... what is really being said... and what was left unsaid.

Is that a woman thing to do? An artist's proclivity? Or just a freaky aspect of the person i am?

I can chew on a conversation for days. Usually it is one that has sent up intuitive red flags. I'll fray the threads and try to follow them mentally to the source, then bind them back to view them from a different angle. Do i ever wave these plucked shreds in the face of the person who coughed them up? No. Hardly ever.

I store them and wait.

Risk

The thing about risk is that it entails something that can be lost.

By the same token it also offers something to be gained.

The only way we learn about ourselves and grow beyond our self-imposed boundaries is by taking risks... stepping out of our comfort zone and taking chances.

Risk involving other people is usually even more... risky.

But sometimes well worth it.

ignore my bitching

i think i'm just tired and ready for some changes.
Whenever i get too snarly, its time to retreat and re-evaluate.

Limbo ain't an easy place to live in.

one of the reasons i find it hard to trust...

...is due to people that i allow near, begin to trust, and then discover that they are saying one thing to me and doing another.

Whatever.

Just don't bitch at me when i don't open up, when i act sceptical and when i begin to pull back.

Pffft.

Much wiser to stay two steps back and keep the walls firmly up and view the world with a cynically humorous eye.

Conflicted

I waste a ridiculous amount of energy on being conflicted. Sometimes it feels like a tiger pacing inside, unable to decide between door one and door two, or no doors at all. And yeah - i know i just totally fucked with Lady and Tiger analogy. Pffft. I like mine better.

I was thinking this weekend, that there is a thin line between illusion and disillusionment. I tried to come up with something clever using "dis," but it wouldn't come to me. Like so many other things lately, it remained just out of reach.

I'm looking for something, I guess, but I don't know what it is... which pretty much assures I'll never find it. Or maybe it is just that there have been a few too many disappointments lately. I'm normally an optimistic person, but recently my otherside - the dark, sceptical one, seems to be manning the helm.

Maybe i just need to pick a fucking door and damn the consequences.

As if I could ever do that.

untitled

i will not drown in darkness

not again

no matter how seductive

the dark sighs of despair

i'll hang on

to every fragile step

i've made

that crushed ghosts beneath my feet

and moved me ever so slowly

up this glass mountain

slippery with angry tears.

Reflecting

Was chatting to a friend last night about the changes in my life, in my attitudes, in how I've grown in the past half year - ironically returning back to my original self which had been lost for so terribly long. He called me a "free spirit" and said i was rediscovering that part of myself. It startled me because it has been a very, very long time since anyone referred to me as a free spirit.

I know I used to be. I used to be creative and fun and confident. Oh, a lot of people think I am but they only see the facade that i've become very good at projecting. I do good fake. I always have.

But i realized something last night during that chat, I AM moving gradually toward a happier place within myself. I am living less in fear and more in hope and anticipation. To those I trust, I have begun to relax and share more... trust more. This is a good thing. That i've begun to trust even a little in people again is a huge step forward.

and sometimes...

...people you were once connected to are best left alone as memories.

Trying to revisit the past can rip away the illusions and reveal there was really nothing substantial after all. Then... even the lovely memories are taken away, replaced by bitterness.

..................

Luckily for me I am quite adept at slamming that shit behind a door and locking the sucker up tight so i never have to think about it again. Defense mechanisms are a great thing.

Sunday babble

It is kinda amusing to me that even though i've mentioned this Chatter spot to a group of friends, the only peeps who checks over here regularly (at all) to see what is going on in my head are G and Rob. Maybe it confirms the inaneness of my thoughts? ~grinning~

The flipside to that amusement is that it really is sweet to have a place to just let thoughts flow without worrying about perception, image, agendas, blah blah blah.

I can let my random self run around like the wild child it is. Wahoo - tangent hell - here we come. ~snickering~

Did a photoshoot at the riverwalk farmer's market yesterday morning. It was like a little street fair with booths, produce and plants. Very quaint and delightful. And the fruit was freakin awesome. Made me ponder what we give up for the sanitized, easy access produce that grocery stores provide. Sure, the fruit had bugs in it and had to be thoroughly cleansed when i got it home - but damn - it was the sweetest blackberries and strawberries i've eaten in years. We've become so comfortable in convenience that we forget what we sacrifice for that ease. 

Connections

We make all sorts of different kinds of friends in life.  We have the friends that have known us forever and have traveled down the road of life with us. Whether we keep in touch frequently or infrequently - we know those friends have proven by still being there that they can always be counted on and the friendship has survived the test of time. They tend to be a very small, very select group and they know shit about you that can make you cringe. But the same goes in reverse.  :P

Then there are the people we meet that we have an instant connection to. They may not be life-long friends but they play a powerful role in our lives and again, we know intuitively - they are along for the long haul. Whether we talk to them daily or sporatically - they "get" us and we hold them near and dear to our hearts. This is probably the rarest type of friendship and on of the most precious. There aren't that many people out there that you KNOW will stand beside you no matter what. There aren't that many people that will love you unconditionally. 

Then we have the friends that are more than acquaintances due to the amount of affection shared. This is the more common kind - they are the meat and potatoes of our social circles - whether it is online or in so-called real life. We hang out with them, we share experiences, we have fun together. They don't get to see into the dark corners of our soul that often, if at all but they lift us up and make us smile.

We also have aquaintances that we call friends, especially in networks like facebook and blogging - we rarely chat but delight in them when we run across them. They are like our party pals. There is never any exchange of anything significant but we love to wave and hug... and move on.

Finally we have the friends who aren't really friends but strangers who lay claim to friendship. We never talk to them, don't know who the hell they are and wonder where the fuck they came from. This is almost exclusively a facebook friending phenomenon. Now to be fair - in some cases - these strangers do become aquaintances over time through their persistance, and even in some instances real friends. But that instant connection isn't there so it takes time.  

Oh - i forgot one... friends who aren't friends at all but enemies in disguise. I don't think i have any of those... but i hear they exist. Online and in real life. No - i take that back... i can think of a few people in "real life" that smile and make nice to my face but then curl their lips and say shit behind my back. But then, i don't consider them friends at all.

fuck it

that is all i have to say today.
just fuck it.

Pet peeves

there are a few things that annoy the crap out of me and make me grouchy. some of them make no sense but they cause me to feel contempt or irritation nonetheless.

Top of my list today is people who indicate they want to talk yet don't respond to emails. i know, i know - i'm soooo guilty of that myself at times. but it doesn't change the fact that it is one of the things that will cause me to slap up walls and take two steps back. I seem to be doing that a lot lately. Taking quiet steps back from some people.

One of biggest peeves is people who spit. Generally this means men. Who spit. Outside. In public. On the sidewalk or ground. Hacking up a giant loogie and letting it fly. Makes me CRAZY.

Waiting. I'm not so good at it. Waiting in lines, waiting for phone calls, waiting for a movie to start.... just waiting. I have so many bazillion of things to do that WAITING... just sitting there makes me gnash my teeth and sometimes will frustrate me so much that i just walk off.

There are more of course but i think that is plenty of bitching for today. Big deep breath. Ahhhh - i feel better now. :P

ummm.... wow.

playlist... to be added to

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KiISAo-k74s LINK

Reminder

Mantra to self: It's not all about you. It's not all about you. It's not all about you. It's not all about you. It's not all about you. It's not all about you. It's not all about you. It's not all about you. It's not all about you. It's not all about you. It's not all about you. It's not all about you. It's not all about you. It's not all about you. It's not all about you. It's not all about you. It's not all about you. It's not all about you. It's not all about you. It's not all about you. It's not all about you. It's not all about you. It's not all about you. It's not all about you. It's not all about you. It's not all about you. It's not all about you. It's not all about you. It's not all about you. It's not all about you. It's not all about you. It's not all about you. It's not all about you. It's not all about you. It's not all about you. It's not all about you. It's not all about you. It's not all about you. ..... why the fuck not?

Just Enough...

It is funny how vacations make you glad to come back home. I mean, I didn't want to leave the beach - it was great fun and more relaxing than anything i've experienced in way too long... but i was so very, very glad to pull into my driveway this afternoon. If the condo had been extended another day, i most certainly would have stayed longer - but it IS nice to come home and have a day to collect myself before hitting the work world running on monday.

I loved the 2 mile walks on the beach i did each day, with company and alone. Different experiences. Alone I found myself being more fanciful with my environment. A dead tree washed ashore became bones the ocean had vomited forth. The sea foam which undulated like a living creature reminded me of the legends of mermaids and how they became foam when they hit the shore. I could see how such myths were born. The snakey weaving of sand that blew in ocean-like waves about an inch above the compacted sand base fascinated me. And the sun breaking threw the storm clouds and setting the water aflame had me frozen and basking in the amazing visuals.

Living in the city, i think we sometimes forget these amazing things that can been seen when we step out of the concrete and onto the sand. I feel reconnected ... maybe just a little... but the thread that ties me to the planet is definitely more vibrant than it was before my trip to the beach.

Eeep. I'm how old?

There is something slightly insane about the madcap gaiety surrounding birthdays. We're all wahooing and singing out in joy at being one year closer to the finish line? Normally, i detest my birthdays. Completely, thoroughly abhor them and try to slink past them will little or no fanfare.  I decided this year to turn over a new birthday leaf and jump into the whole "Yay me!" shenanigans with both feet. I figured I might actually enjoy the day if i did. But i woke up this morning with the exact same "aw fuck, it's my birthday again" thought. Only it's a little worse .... because I danced around with the happy face the last several days, so I have to now keep it firmly in place ALL DAY and hope it does crack my makeup.

Sometimes I am my own worst enemy. yay me.

Yesterday i survived the governmental nightmare which is the DMV so i could renew my drivers' license. It was Service Line Hell. Window two said "express renewal." I waited there until they told me i had to go thru window nine first. Window 9 sent me back to window 2, which had me fill out paperwork and then sent me to window one where i had to pay and then wait for window four which didn't need to see me after all and told me to wait for window three where i finally collected my brand-spanking-new license. I had to confirm all the info was correct at window four though before they would let me leave. I staggered out of there grateful that i don't have to do it again for ten years.

Vacation Countdown

I haven't taken a vacation in about three years and haven't been to the beach in fifteen. I don't think I've been this excited about a vacation in like...ever. 

My sister is already there with a friend and from what i hear much shopping has already ocurred. Bitches. Can't believe they went shopping without me. :P

The scramble to get work wrapped up so i can get the fuck out of here has been muy loco and i keep having to make lists of things i can't forget to do... like renew my driver's license which expires tomorrow. Ooops. I ran down to the DMV yesterday but of course they had just instituted new hours and were now closed on mondays, effective yesterday. Groan.

I'm planning on making this my catchup year, where I take off more time to just fucking enjoy life. Heading to Savannah to meet up with a close friend at the end of the month. Going to Santa Fe in July or August to revel in the arts, and then meeting up with friends at an arts festival in North Carolina in October. If I can swing the money I also plan on popping over to LA in December or January and visiting friends there. Hopefully next year I can make it over to europe. 

Yup. I have lots of lost vacationing to make up for. 

Starting tomorrow. And it is funny, i usually dread birthdays but this year, because of the beach and promises of copious amounts of alcohol (WTF is Swampwater anyhoo?) i'm actually looking forward to it.

Retail WTF?

Between racing from office to home today I popped into one of the upscale clothing stores thinking I would "quickly" (ha!) purchase either a haltered swimsuit top or haltertop bra so i can wear the absolutely adorable halter sundress i bought last week. 

I walked in and the store was dark inside with only a few lights on. I asked if they were open and they said "yes, yes, of course." Hmmm. Okay. Put new meaning to fashion shopping in the dark.

Browsing through racks and racks of gag-inducing swimsuits I discovered that anything I liked didn't have my size. The days of carrying more than one item in a popular size are apparently over and gone. In the midst of desperately seeking swimsuit, a saleswoman approached and offered to help. I told her what i was looking for and that I didn't think they had anything that met my needs. She insisted that she could find exactly what I wanted. I shook my head and strolled away, looking one more time in case I had missed something suitable. (heh. swimsuit pun.) 

The next thing I knew, the woman, who had that half-crazed look in her eye that commission hungry sales people can get, was shoving an armful of swimsuits into my arms and dragging me to the dressing room.  Now, i don't know if she was trying to butter me up or was just a poor judge of size but half of what she handed me was two sizes too small. What remained was either hideous or mislabeled by a delusional manufacturer. One single piece actually fit. It wasn't exactly what I liked since it had a funky black and white pattern all over it... but it might have worked. Except for one tiny problem. Now I know my boobs have gotten less...endowed... because my everyday bras can testify to it. However, this particular bikini top somehow made me look like i was sporting Double-Ds. 

The saleswoman asked me if everything was okay and i responded that i found one that fit but the way my breasts spilled out of it was pretty obscene for public wear. I stepped out of the dressing cubby so she could see. 

"Looks great!"

"Ummm... my boobs..."

"They're lovely! Will that be Mastercard or Visa?"

After removing the top and letting her drag me to several more racks, I regretfully (not) told her that I just didn't see spending money on something that would get me arrested. I beat a hasty retreat for the lingere department, thinking I'd have better luck with a bra. I was immediately pounced on by another (very prissy) saleswoman who wanted to know where I was going.

"Lingere."

"You can't."

"I ...ummm... it's right there. I need a bra."

"Our systems are down. Can't you see the lights are out? Let me walk you to the exit."

I asked her why the hell the swimsuit department had just spent an hour trying to sell me a swimsuit if they couldn't actually SELL me anything. Heehee. The look on her face when she stomped off toward the swimsuits was priceless. 

So, no cute halterdress going into my luggage tomorrow for the beach. Damn.

Needed a Place

I needed a place to just post STUFF.

Without worry of image, or relevance or even making sense.

This place is really for me to just unload at. If you decide to hangout here let me know and i'll add you to the links.

Just don't expect anything profound here.

For example... i made myself real food again for dinner. I am so impressed with myself.

Tonight it was baked chicken breast, with cucumber salad, sauteed portabella mushrooms and fresh cantalope.

That shit rocked!

Why is this a big deal? Because i have the worst eating habits on the planet. I'm the queen of one meal a day. Or I was. The personal trainer convinced me to give up my evil ways.

Cooking is still something I would rather not be bothered with but I'm doing better.

Yup. So that is it. My happy moment in the kitchen. Heh.