Life After Retirement

I've been struggling with what to blog about lately. I either don't feel like I have anything particularly amusing and/or horrifying to report, or, I feel like my brain is a big jumble of possibly interesting things that I can't seem to organize into coherent, witty, stories.

So, I guess this is Life After Retirement. I don't really want to share too much about my job on here, but I will tell you that it is going very well and that it is still feeling good to be working again (and to be spending money on shampoo without intense guilt again). Plus, there has to be something that I can tell my followers (you know who you are) without them saying: Yeah, I knew that already, I read about it on your blog.

"What about life outside of work?" you ask. Wait, there's life outside of work?? No, totally kidding. Life outside of work mainly consists of weddings, friends, friends having weddings... and ah, that's about it! Again, just kidding. In all reality my time is mostly consumed by thoughts of my upcoming move. I've organized all of my possessions in my head so many times that I'm starting to like myself a little less and I'm still debating about cable (can I live without basic-rape-me-in-the-ass-$50-cable??) and internet (no rape-me-in-the-ass-$60-internet? = THE HORROR!). Other than that, I'm enjoying time with family and friends - visiting, moving, staying - and occasionally having nightmares about doing laundry (seriously). Speaking of laundry, Carly just called and she, Becky, and I have a date with margaritas, so I best go finish my laundry so I can partake!

That's all for now. Once things settle down a bit and Summer starts turning into Fall (something I'm actually looking forward to this year) I plan on getting back into my old blogging ways, forever entertaining you with new photos and quirky observations while you waste away company time ;)

Quote of the Weekend

Burns: "So, why haven't we found any girls to date? What's wrong with us?"

Me: "...Well, you open your mouth."

The LAST Ohio Visit??

The Ohio crew will be invading Wisconsin in just a few short hours (or if I get everything done and have time to twiddle my thumbs, it will be a few long hours!). Timmy keeps threatening that this may be their last journey to see us, which I know/hope is crap.

After all, who else would make you do ridiculous stunts like: "Let's see what happens when we put the camera on a timer and all jump into the shot from far away!" OR

"Let's pretend that Emily is injured and she needs me to push her around the store in a cart!" (Disclaimer: Alcohol may have been a factor in both of these scenarios)

I can't believe it's already been a year since your visit last Summer ...or a year since I bawled my eyes out the day you left. I wasn't sure when I'd see you guys again, we always used to have a plan worked out for the next drunken get-together by the end of each visit. Luckily, now I realize that even though our futures have become more and more uncertain with our lives ever-changing, one thing I can count on is that we'll never be able to go too long without the crazy, wonderfulness that exists uniquely in this Wisconsin-Ohio bond.

CAN'T WAIT TO SEE YOU OHIO, HOPE YOU BROUGHT YOUR DRINKING SHOES AND PARTY FACES!!

Preoccupied

We ran into a Crack Epidemic during Saturday breakfast this past weekend. No, I didn't just take the picture to make fun of this guy (I took the picture because I thought it'd make excellent blog material!), in all honesty, I just happened to have my camera with me to take a picture of Carly and I enjoying one of our old favorite traditions -- Hungover Chili's, before Carly leaves us :( and this just happened simultaneously right outside our window. I just couldn't resist. At first you wonder how he couldn't feel the breeze, but ya' know I got to thinking about it yesterday and I think I can understand how one might not notice. I was running around like a crazy person after work: shopping, loading/editing/sending pics for my Bro, rollerblading, doing laundry, jewelry repairing and possibly hair dyeing, which made me think... I could totally see how your butt crack could be out and about and you wouldn't have a clue, it really only takes being preoccupied to forget to care that girls could be giggling in their sodas about your nakedness.

So, Rock On Butt-crack Man! Life is complicated.

HIT AND RUN!!

I think it's good to value your possessions, although, when you really do it fucking sucks when something like this happens to one of them. I had a lot on my mind today when I was walking out to my car to visit my Pops before his surgery, so you can understand why I was visibly upset to find my car like this.
My eyes well up fairly easily when something is sad, but when something is frustrating the dams break and I'm a gasping, shaking wreck of a girl. Frustration is beyond my control, much like the events which usually trigger it. Luckily, after an initial outburst I can return to being fairly calm. It hasn't been easy today, still, I'm getting there.

I've done my own small investigation and I have a suspect vehicle. I also left my contact info with the closest bar and just mere moments ago I finally received a call back from the police (5 hours later) who are actually going to come out and take my report -- I SERIOUSLY CANNOT BELIEVE IT!

So, yes, I am starting to feel better, though, I'd still like to kick the shit out of someone/thing. My poor Cammy.

Freaky Fantastic Future

I know I've said before that I'm used to thinking of The Future only in terms of how many days I have until my beer supply will need restocking. Most "adults" look at me with mild curiosity, and a dash of...pity? when I tell them this. I bring this up because, I signed up for health insurance today!! (<-- the exclamations are to signify the squeaky/psychotic voice I must use when saying this). Health insurance is great, I am...pumped? to have it provided as a benefit of the new job. HOWEVER, now I'm having to learn all about income continuation insurance (for when I become deathly ill, or require major surgery) and life insurance (for when I croak!) and blah blah blah when you have a spouse and dependents! Um, I know I just got my first Real Job, but now suddenly I'm married, have children, getting into car accidents, and then dying? You would think my Risk Management background would enable me to analyze these things in a rational manner. HA! As you can see, that is not exactly the case. Lots of things are exciting about growing up: having my own place with a balcony, constantly being spoiled by my friends & family, enjoying being in a real relationship, and YES having a Real Job. I guess, sometimes it all seems to be happening so fast - one minute I'm 18 and clueless, and the next I'm talking about paying for my own funeral. Here, I'll say it for you "Welcome to the Real World, Steph!" Neat.

You never know what you'll find

It was rather hard to get out of bed today, so I didn't bother for quite some time. I was reading my new book "Social Blunders" still unwilling to change locations when my parents called and bribed me with food. Since I got my first Real Paycheck yesterday it wasn't so much the freeness of the food as it was just the simple thought of filling my belly that got me going.

I began searching for my new favorite find -- a beautiful gold, flat, snowflake/ornamentesque, earring that I turned into a necklace pendant and attached to my Grandmother's gold chain. I couldn't find it in any of my standard locations and was close to tearing my room apart when I forced myself to leave as my parents would be wondering about me and my hunger was approaching a dangerous level. Upon meeting my parents, I told my Mom about the missing necklace and how it always seems like I lose my favorite finds. I'm good about holding on to (and locating) just about every belonging I've purchased, but my most precious finds, I lose! Life has an interesting sense of humor.

I kept thinking about the necklace on the walk home. I was scanning my surroundings, per usual, perhaps hoping to discover a new find that would make up for the current loss when I found a whole person -- my boyfriend from high school. He looked basically how I remembered, and totally different, and the funny thing is that he was wearing the exact same KORN t-shirt he was wearing the last time we spoke, when we were 17. That shirt made it undeniably him.

He was on the phone at the time but instantly recognized me and caught up with me a few moments later on his bike. Turns out him and his girlfriend live on the same street as me = frickin' crazy. He asked what I'd been up to since junior year of high school and we caught up on some things: jobs, life, prison time. It was nice, and a little surreal.

After I got home (and called Sarah and Tiff to report, of course), I resumed searching for the necklace. I did a ton of organizing, cleaning and digging around and obviously it's always in the last place you look, because why would you keep looking once you found it?? I found my beautiful necklace in my glasses case, a perfect place to put something.

The best part about finding things is that you might find something totally unexpected or something that is exactly what you were looking for. Either way, it never fails to surprise me.

Missing Mikey

Michael Dick, where are you?

In case it isn't obvious, Mikey and I are wearing our pants way high with our shirts tucked in, on purpose, to look like giant geeks. I had so much fun just now, with the "slideshow" folder option going back and forth between these two pictures. It's only been a couple of weeks, but it feels like forever, and I'm seriously Mikey-deprived.

(Pssst Mikey, I'm going out tomorrow night with my main goal being some solid Mikey action. I could use a few laughs and we've got some catching up to do too, buddy.)

M: Yeah! You're totally right Steph.

S: Seriously.