Here I am!

I know I'm nowhere to be found lately. I just can't keep up with this world and its crazy ways. That was simply for dramatic effect. Anyway, I actually started a post on my computer a few weeks ago, but realized I never posted it.

I'm not going to say much of significance right now, but I'm here to say I should be able to pick up the pace soon. I need to summarize the entire month of November and the first half of December.

I'm almost to work, but I have a headache I can't seem to shake (for weeks now). Today might be a half day.

Hope all is well, and thank you all for being awesome!

I'm trained for this.

Well, I'm on MARTA. I didn't miss the train on this glorious Monday morning, so I consider that a sign of good things to come.

I had a good weekend. Friday night I met some old coworkers for dinner because one of them (SS) was celebrating a birthday. Then several of them came to watch me perform, which was fun.
Wow, that guy's suitcase is huge.

On Saturday I went to a family birthday get-together. We had burgers, and they were delicious! Then we watched my cousin's soccer game, which I really enjoyed. Go Abbey! It made me wish I still played.

Then I went and had pizza with KS. It was a lot of fun!

I then went on a hunt for the glasses I lost last weekend, but I was not successful. I ended the day seeing 50/50 (Me? Movies?) with AM and RE. I would recommend it. Humor combined with illness is right up my alley.

Yesterday was a lazy day. I did exercise, but I also slept in excess. The Falcons won, and Drew Brees was amazing for my fantasy team!

I ended the weekend with Italian food and Yogli Mogli while talking Mission: Creative with ES.

Well, I'm one stop away. Hope everyone has a nice Monday!

Got a leg up

Good morning!

So, first and foremost, let me address that yesterday's high in Atlanta was 86, and tomorrow it is 58. The lows this week are dropping into the 30s. WHAT IS THIS?

Well, this weekend was pretty eventful. I'm going to post this picture before I give any explanation.

Yep, that's my leg hanging out of a window. On Sunday, we filmed a video for the theater, and I had to play a goth teenager sneaking in through a window. This picture just cracks me up; I can't imagine what neighbors were thinking.

In the Fantasy Football department, I'm still in first place. Mwahaha! Ultimately it won't matter what place I get, but I'm having fun. Winning is always fun!

I went to the doctor yesterday, and it went surprisingly well(ish). I got the flu shot, and I woke up a little achy. The flu shot deliverer was amazing, though. I honestly had no clue she had given me the shot. That may also reflect on my attention span.

Speaking of shortened attention spans, I better get going. Thank you to a lot of folks this week.

Day = Difference

This post is going to be therapeutic, so read at your own risk. I have a lot on my mind.

I have been thinking a lot about the difference a day can make. It actually makes me think about my friend Kathy who died last year. When she was diagnosed with cancer (on top of having CF), her Facebook profile had the line (or a very close iteration): "What a difference a day can make." Her life was transformed in a single day -- the day she found out she had leukemia. Her life changed in that very instant. Most change throughout life is gradual and can't be pinpointed to a specific moment. It's like, all of a sudden you wake up one day and realize that a transformation happened so slowly that you don't even recall how you got where you are. Then, there are other changes that happen so instantaneously that you can't possibly process the information as quickly as necessary.

A nurse I knew died last week from stomach cancer. She had no advanced warning, but went to the doctor complaining of stomach pain and found out that a) she had cancer, and b) it had spread to her entire body. She died three weeks later. I find it nearly impossible to grasp the concept that she was in a hospital more days than not, yet was unaware of the cancer.

Moments like these remind me exactly how precious each day is. It's so easy to get lost in the concept of the future -- living for it, preparing for it, dreaming of it. Sometimes we get so focused on the future that we lose sight of today. I realize I'm not making any never-been-heard revelations here, but this has been weighing heavily on my mind and heart over the past few weeks. No, we shouldn't get so caught up in today that we make reckless decisions that jeopardize the future. However, we also shouldn't harp so much on the future that we deprive ourselves of the things that bring us today's happiness.

Each day is meant to be cherished.

____

Disclaimer: Blog posts like this annoy me sometimes, but I wrote it for myself. So STEP OFF!

La-dee-da. Dee-da.

Good morning!

I have a pretty bad headache. I also didn't sleep well at all. So, things are cheery on this Monday morning!

Well, it's time for some random updates!

House: REPAIRED! Complete! These hardwood floors are pretty slippery, so I need to get a pad to go under this rug before I fall and hurt something/someone.

Improv: Tons o' fun! I've been performing at least one show almost every weekend, and I'm having a blast.

Braves: Although I should probably omit this topic, the Braves' playoff hopes came down to the final game, and they lost it in extra innings. To the Phillies. I know. Man, it was tough to watch such a promising season turn sour so quickly. Braves 2012!

Fantasy Football: Well, I'm hesitant to write about this since my opponent has two players in tonight's game, but... As of last week, I was the only undefeated team in the league at 4-0. I guess it pays to rely solely on the statistics and/or recommendations. Tonight is going to be way too close for comfort.

I'm about to manage to make myself late, so that's it for now!

Love and happiness!

Surprise!

So, guess what! My house is 95% repaired. Aside from one painting thing, it's like it was (but better) before that soggy day at the end of May. It's like a surprise party every time I walk in the front door and don't get stuck on the floor.

Side note: I'm not a fan of people who make it impossible to sit [in the empty seat] next to them on the train. Yes, lady, I'm talking to you.

I performed two shows on Saturday night, and it was a blast. A patron asked for my autograph after the show, so that was a fun first. Great shows and great audiences!

Well, I'm the proud owner of an undefeated Fantasy Football team. I had the highest score in the league this week. The Falcons (Turner and Gonzalez) deserve a lot of credit for my success.
It's almost time to make the rainy walk to work. Happy Tuesday, world!

I'm bloggin' on the train

That title is to the tune of "Singin' in the Rain."

Well I was excited to get home yesterday to see that I had no floors or furniture. One would think that would be a disappointment, but when you've been in limbo since May, it's relieving! Progress!

The downside of that is that the glue from the hardwoods is so sticky that it was hard to walk. I'm not saying "hard" in comparison to the norm; I'm saying it took a lot of leg strength to pull your shoes off the floor. I got more of a workout cooking macaroni than I did on the treadmill yesterday. Then I sat on the counter and washed the dishes. True story.

My Fantasy Football Team won its match and had one of the higher scores, although not the highest. I thought Drew(!) Brees was going to earn me a trophy for the highest-scoring player this week, but then Tom Brady had to go out and pass like a cyborg. Next week!

One more stop. Happy Tuesday!

Put me in, Coach!

Well, I performed two shows this weekend after a short hiatus, so that was fun. I felt a tiny bit rusty, but it was nice to be back. Something fishy happened on Friday night! (A creepy-eyed photo is going to be somewhere in this post, but I'm not positive where it will land.)

I'm playing Fantasy Football for the first time this year, so today is a pretty pivotal day for me! My QB (Drew Brees [Team Drew!]) played on Thursday night and scored more points than projected. I'm excited to watch the Falcons today; my Fantasy team is counting on them!

PODS delivered my unit yesterday, and it's the first physical symbol of progress! The work begins tomorrow and will hopefully be done by Friday. I can't believe I've been waiting for this since May. Hooray for hardwood!

I want a latte a latte.

Off to conquer the day (and the Bears)!

Dairy products

So, I started antibiotics today to fight off whatever I may have had. On the instructions, it mentioned not taking it two hours before or after eating calcium-rich foods, like dairy products. I can't name a time I've ever gone four waking hours without dairy, so I apologize to the medicine in advance.

After all those long months in a disaster of a home, the repairs are about to begin. None of the credit goes to the insurance company. In the past, I would have recommended my insurance company, but instead I'll recommend not having a lame water heater. Much easier!

Adios for now!

Cherry cough drop

Well, here I am waiting on the train. I was a minute late for my respective train, so I'm not going to get to work at the time I planned. As I sat down, I dropped  my granola bar on the train station floor, so I'm having a cherry cough drop for breakfast. Champion!

I spent much of the weekend on the bed, the couch,  sleeping, or sleeping on the bed or couch. I kept feeling like I was coming down with something, but then I'd feel fine the next day. Friday night was the end of that, though, where I shivered my way to a 102-degree fever. I'd never say I got to feeling awful, but I never quite felt right all weekend. I was supposed to perform on Saturday night, but had to pull out of the show.

Train alert! Hope everyone had a nice (yet rainy) Labor Day!

A change will do you good

Well, I started my new job today. It's crazy to take the life you've known for so long (2 years, 8 months to be exact) and venture down a new path. Today was exciting -- meeting new people, learning new stuff, exploring a new building, etc. Yes, the information overload can be quite exhausting, but I know I'll be in good hands. It's funny because I'm resistant to change in some respects, but I love it in others. Cheers to new beginnings!

The biggest adjustment for me is the routine I'd come to know. Interestingly, though, I'd come to know a life without much routine. So, lack of routine was the routine. When I was working at Emory, I was in the office three days a week and at home the other two. Also, the start and stop times were very flexible in that some mornings I went in at 7 and other mornings at 9. That being said, it's crazy knowing that I need to get up at the same time each morning. It's good, though, because I think I was able to better regulate other areas of my life (like exercising, sleeping, etc.) when my days resembled each other. I didn't quite accomplish the exercising feat this morning (no surprise there), but I'm hoping to get in a quick workout in the morning.

I was at the beach last weekend and had a great time. The weather was beautiful, the company was amazing, and I just enjoyed every minute of it. As I've said many times before, the return-to-work-from-vacation day is usually about as tough as they come. It probably didn't work to my benefit to get home around 8:30 p.m. yesterday, so I imagine tomorrow might be a bit easier than today energy-wise. I also didn't drink any coffee today. What is the world coming to these days?

I guess it's off to bed if there's any hope I'll work out in the morning. I hope everyone had a wonderful Tuesday!

Whatever!

I just saw the coolest clock ever. All of the numbers are randomly piled in the bottom corner, but the hands are still on a time -- just without numbers. On the face of the clock, it says "Whatever!" I love it! It literally made me laugh out loud.

Onto other things... I went to the Braves game last night and got a Dan Uggla bobblehead. It is awesome! It doesn't exactly look like him, but it's still cool. The Braves won a good game off of a solo HR by Chipper Jones. I don't make many predictions in baseball, but right when he came up to bat, I said, "I feel like he's about to get a solo homerun." Two pitches later, he knocked one out of the park, scoring the only run of the game. GO BRAVES!

I've had a pretty productive week between cleaning, going to the doctor, exercising, etc. It's amazing how much you can accomplish when you're not working! I feel like I would get a lot more done if keeping up with myself was a full-time job. :-) Do I usually use emoticons in blogs? Oh wait, I haven't been blogging regularly enough to know the answer to that.

I just ate some pancakes and bacon and it's 12:40 p.m. Yeah, you know it!

I really want to publish this post so I can take the "W" key off of my keyboard to see what's making it difficult to press.

Lately I've been really happy. Busy, but happy. I worked really hard over these past few weeks to leave Emory in the best shape possible. Although it was a lot of work, I feel good about it.

Well, I hope life is treating everyone well. A friend from CF camp, Megan, died this week, so she's learning what it's like to breathe easy. It's just a reminder that life is precious and that there is plenty to appreciate.

Love to all!

Chapter: Closed

Well, I know I've been MIA for record time, but I've had some exciting stuff happening...

First and most significant, yesterday was my last day at Emory. I met some great people there, so saying goodbye was hard. I had a great run there, though!

What else? There is so much to cover that it's difficult.

I went to the Braves game last night with my uncle (TH), my sister, and KS. The Braves came from behind in the ninth inning to win. They even let it get down to a full count with two outs before scoring the run to tie and the run to win. It was an amazing game! Those nail-biters are stressful, yet so much fun!

I'm standing in Starbucks right now waiting on my latte. Got it! Delicious!

As far as big things go, insurance is still dragging their feet, so my feet are still walking on no floor. Pretty frustrating, if I do say so myself, but I've learned that it's not worth stressing about because they're going to take their precious time.

Well, my friend (MV) should be walking in any minute now, so I guess I'll post. I promise I'll be back soon!

They call her love, love, love, love, love

Hi. Allow me to reintroduce myself.

Well, I've been all over the place lately! I was in Florida from Saturday to Saturday, so that was cool. I went to the beach with my parents, one of my uncles, and two of my friends (AH and AM). We had a really great time. I wasn't feeling super and the mosquitoes were attacking me like I was the last person on the planet, but I laughed more than I have in a long time. I want to go on a permanent vacation!

On Sunday, I went and performed improv at a camp in North Carolina. We performed two 45-minute shows -- one for grades 2-6 and one for grades 7-9. It was pretty refreshing to perform for such young audiences; they seemed to have a great time!

Last Saturday night I went to my first drive-in movie (with KS). It was a lot of fun! We saw "Horrible Bosses" and "Bad Teacher." They were pretty entertaining, and we ate a lot of cheese!

I've had a headache all week. What's up with that?

Well, all of a sudden I feel like I'm going to fall asleep typing, so I guess I'll shut the good ol' eyes.

Sleep well, world. Have some crazy dreams!

Take out da papers and da trash

Greetings!

There's not a ton I care to share, but I figured I'd stop by since it has been so long. I've been staying pretty busy lately. It's been quite exhausting, but I've enjoyed it for the most part.

My floor still isn't fixed... and by "not fixed," I mean that the contractor hasn't even started replacing it. Basically I'm in insurance limbo right now -- hovering between my homeowner's insurance coverage and my condo complex's master policy. I probably sound more intelligent than I am, but I'm just kind of waiting for the proper person to say that the work should begin. It's been almost two months without floors (Can you believe that?), so I'd be lying if I said I was in an extreme hurry at this point.

What else? My sister got engaged, so that's exciting! I'm going to be her maid of honor. I'm not sure how all of this wedding stuff works, but I'm very happy for her and know that she's found a keeper. This is how we do it! She got engaged just before the Braves game on Friday, July 1, and I went to that Braves game, too (with KS). I can't believe I've been to so few games this season, but it was good to put another win in the books!

I'm hopeful that some positive change is on the horizon. CHANGE!!!!!!!

Well, I'm pretty sleepy, so I'm going to hit the hay. In summary, life has been pretty good, but I know that I've put some important things on the back-burner. I intended for them to be very temporary, but it feels like it's going to last a bit longer than I anticipated. Everything will work out, though; it always does.

In closing, I'm lucky to know so many wonderful people. Life is good!

Five-hundred twenty-five thousand...

It's so weird because it feels like I just wrote in here, but I guess it was almost a week ago. RIDICULOUS!

Well, last Thursday I went to a CF Foundation event called Chocolate with KS. It was a pretty cool event. I met a friend with CF who I'd been talking to on Facebook, so that was neat. I also got to see an old friend from CF camp, so I enjoyed that. It was kind of fun getting all dressed up and what not. FANCY!!!!

Friday night I performed some improv, and it was a ton of fun. I was supposed to be in both shows on Saturday, too, but something went wrong body-wise. I was feeling a little off before the show, but then it got worse as time progressed. I was really nauseous and felt like I couldn't move. I ended up having to sit out the second half of the first show and the entire second show. My parents (LOVE THEM!) drove my car home because I was really disoriented. Strange. I fell asleep the second I got in bed, and I slept almost 12 hours. I woke up feeling groggy on Sunday, too. I've had some periodic back pain, so I'm wondering if the good ol' kidneys are rebelling again.

Saturday afternoon I went to a wedding shower for my friend AC. It was nice because I got to visit with people I hadn't seen in a while. Ahh, we are growing up!

Yesterday, I saw RENT! I had never seen it and wasn't all too familiar with the story, but one of the guys from the theatre (KH) was in it. I have to say that it left me speechless. It was entertaining the entire way through, and it was a really meaningful story. The cast was so amazingly talented. WOW!

Today was Monday, but it went pretty well as far as Mondays go. The contractor is finally coming out to my house tomorrow, so I'm hoping we can get these repairs going as soon as possible. This inconvenience has lasted WAY longer than I expected.

Well, it appears to be bedtime. I love sleeping!!!!

Horsing around

Happy Tuesday!

Well, I'll go ahead and get my venting out of the way first. Way back in March or maybe April, the ENT scheduled allergy testing for today. I had to discontinue some medications and what not for a week to prepare for the appointment. I took half of a day off work for the appointment. Per usual, I got my appointment reminder phone call on Friday. After riding MARTA down to the appointment, I walked in and the receptionist was like, "Oh, that appointment was rescheduled for Tuesday, June 28 at 9:00 a.m." I was like, "Umm, what?" She said, "Oh, the allergy nurse is on vacation this week." I'M GLAD I CAN READ MINDS. NOT. So, needless to say, I'm not a happy camper. High five on failing.

In other news, the Charley horses are running rampant (AKA galloping). I am literally on the verge of horsing at all times. The weirdest occurrences today were in my hands and in my chin. Yeah, for real. I have been feeling horse-free for the last couple of hours, so I'm hoping this spell is about over... I've never experienced anything like this.

What else? This morning, after I'd been at work for a few hours, I went to Kroger and got biscuits for me and KQ; I had a craving. I also had a major disappointment because I went to two different Krogers, and they didn't have sushi made yet. SIGH.

It's almost my mom's birthday. Happy birthday, cutie! I love you!

I've been pretty inspired to write lately. I haven't exactly pulled the trigger yet, but there is a lot of material brewing. "Brewing" sounds pretty creepy more often than not.

I exercised yesterday morning before work, but I was pretty unsuccessful this morning. I did go up to the fitness center, but I just couldn't make it through. I was feeling a little off-kilter, and I kept thinking I was going to cramp up. Tomorrow...

Well, I guess I'll call it a night. The next several days are gonna be BUSY!

The Braves won tonight. GO TEAM!

CHARLEY HORSE!

Hey!

Man, last night when I was sleeping, I got the worst Charley horse in my leg. There's not a lot that makes me feel as out-of-control as a Charley Horse does. INTENSE!

Let's see... I came back to town on Wednesday; I was at the beach. My cousin and I flew back, so that was an adventure. Airplanes are pretty freaky, but it's not as bad when the entire flight is 42 minutes. The taking off and landing parts are what creep me out, but I remained pretty calm.

I was also in the newspaper on Wednesday. The CFF is hosting an event on Thursday, and the paper came to my [ransacked] place for an interview. You can access the article here. Celeb! I'm excited, too, because it mentions Drew's Crew!

So, the total fishing count for the beach was 12 sharks and 14 non-sharks. The sharks were so cute! I won't say that next year when one of 'em bites my leg off, but I liked them!

Yesterday I ate some funnel cake! I went to a festival and it poured! I don't know why I'm typing so many exclamation marks.

My floor and walls are still MIA right now, but I'm going to get insurance on the horn tomorrow for an update. It's a little frustrating that it's been almost a month since the fiasco and no repairs have been done yet, but I'm hoping we can get the show on the road this week.

I'm about to go to sleep. It's early and all of that, but I'm exhausted! I met KW at Starbucks this morning because I had to work on some stuff for the CF center communications plan. I got a lot accomplished, but I'm still not quite done.

I'm going to get up and exercise in the morning. MARK MY WORDS!

Shark Bites

Hi!

Yesterday my dad and I caught a shark in the ocean. He was so adorable! He felt exactly like I thought he would. He was about the size of a Shark Bites fruit snack. I LOVED HIM!

Mondaaaaaaaaay.

Hello, fedora

So, I've been wearing a fedora last night and today, and it's pretty fun. People look at me like I'm very important. I mean, I am, but they don't necessarily know that! :-)

This week had its ups and downs. I got interviewed for the paper for something CFF-related, so that was cool. The estimator came out to look at my condo-in-shambles, so hopefully the repairs will be started within the week. By Wednesday, it felt like everything was falling into place.

I actually sent a text that said things were "falling into place" and put some Easy Mac in the microwave. I then heard a weird series of noises, walked into the kitchen, and saw that the microwave was lighting up blue inside. No, there was not any metal or aluminum inside. So, the microwave is on the fritz, which is unfortunate since it's my method for cooking nearly everything.

Hash browns are good, y'all.

Peace out.