My Grand Illusions

6,843 Miles

It's been a little over a month since I returned from a 3.5 week road trip that spanned exactly 6,843 miles. We drove from Texas up through New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, Canada and then worked our way back down South through Washington, Oregon, California with a quick stop in Mexico and then back home via Arizona and New Mexico. In total we visited 9 states and 3 countries in 3.5 weeks. Perhaps it will make sense that it's taken me over a month to even begin to collect my thoughts about this trip because it was just such an undertaking. This was less of a vacation than it was an adventure.

The temperatures we encountered ranged from the mid 20's (in Colorado on top of Pikes Peak) to 112 (in Arizona). We wore everything from thick wool socks and goose-down jackets to flip flops and shorts. Thankfully we drove in an extended van that we took the seats out of so we had lots of space to store all our camping equipment, food, clothing and bikes. (Thanks Mom and & Dad for letting us drive him around the world and back!) "Wally The Boogie Bus" did us proud and got us everywhere we wanted to go. He even made it big in Hollywood:

 
I've had a really hard time trying to organize my thoughts about this road trip because 1) it was really just so extensive in the places we went to and the the things we saw 2) it was more difficult than I had imagined 3) I selfishly want to keep all the details in my mind as a way to keep them sacred. This was a trip of a lifetime, really it was. I don't know that I'll ever have the opportunity to do anything of this scale again so that's why I decided I really must write a bit about this trip so when I'm 80 years old I can look back and read this post and take a vacation down memory lane.

On Sunday, May 29 Duvain and I set out as early as we possibly could leave. Unfortunately Duvain had thrown his back out the day before and was in a lot of pain so I was left to pack and load everything in car. I'd say I did a fairly good job considering I had to pack our entire lives in a car. Sure I forgot a thing or two but it wasn't anything we couldn't pick up on the way.

If you've ever driven through Texas you know how flat and super boring it is so I wasn't surprised when all we saw was flat, flat and more flat.

Duvain was shocked that when we put our first destination (Colorado Springs, CO) in the GPS and it said something like "Drive 583 miles and then turn left". If you drove that many miles in Wales you'd end up in the sea! We did stop during those 583 miles, briefly, to spray paint some Cadillacs which was fun. Tell me you've heard of Cadillac Ranch?

 
 
You wouldn't believe how insanely windy and dusty it was! This summer has been a brutally dry summer with wildfires galore. The ground is extra dry and with the slightest gust of wind the dirt goes insane. We were absolutely covered in reddish brown dirt. I found dirt in my ears a day later! Duvain made it his mission to spray paint something on every single car. Surely those pictures and words we sprayed are long gone by now, covered by another couple on an epic road trip perhaps. If you're ever in Amarillo make sure you also drive around the city and look for the random street signs that are in some people's front yards.

After we used massive amounts of baby wipes to clean all the dirt off of us we continued on to New Mexico. I'm sure New Mexico is a lovely state with lots to offer but we didn't act ually see much of it. Other than seeing a few far-away mountains and making dinner out of the back of the van in a McDonald's parking lot we didn't see or do much. (This will change when I take a birthday trip to Santa Fe in September, can't wait!)

Our first night we slept in the back of the van in a rest stop just outside of Colorado Springs. (Our intention on this trip was to do this as cheaply as possible so we camped either in a tent or in the van every night except for 3 nights in a hotel and 4 nights we stayed a friend's house.) I'd heard good things about Garden Of The Gods from several people so we made that our very first stop and holy sweet Jesus the colors and landscape did not disappoint.

 
Look at this photo! It's just a cell phone picture but you can see the green grass, the red boulders, tree-covered mountains and white snow on top of Pikes Peak. This view is, hands down, the prettiest view I've ever seen with my own eyes.

Duvain had never heard of Pikes Peak which astounded me because I thought that was a super famous mountain in the US that most people knew about, but it turns out many foreigners have never heard of it. I had no idea! Someday I'd like a do-over of going to the top of Pikes Peak because it didn't work out the way I had hoped for a few reasons.

We ended up taking the Pikes Peak Cog Railway to the top of the mountain which we both thought was a bit overpriced at nearly $68 for both us when we could have driven to the top for $24. I admit that having a "tour guide" to point things out was nice but it wasn't $44 nice. I'd go to the top again in a heartbeat but I'd drive for sure. Also, I'd make absolutely sure I had a camera. I accidentally forgot both of our cameras in the car in my rush to get on the train and it made for a not very pleasant ride to the top. Thankfully I have a pretty good camera phone and got a few good shots that of which this one below is my favorite. It was suuuuuper cold (20's!) on the top as you can tell from your cold-weather gear. We had originally talked about climbing the mountain which I definitely wanted to do but with the short notice, the snow still on the mountain and the lack of preparation time we just weren't able to do so. It's one of my goals in life to someday climb Pikes Peak. While I'm there I fully intend on eating many more of the famous donuts.

I actually really loved Colorado and while we were driving around there I imagined bringing my boys back for a week and exploring the vast hiking trails they have and hanging out in towns like Manitou Springs. Of all the towns we visited, and spent any time in, I loved (so did Duvain) Manitou Spring the most. It felt like a small town with quirky shops and places to eat but it was close to everything. Going back there soon in high on my priority list.

The next few days of our road trip were scarred with some not-so-nice moments that I'd like to gloss over but it's just impossible to not talk about them in some form because even the shitty moments were part of the adventure. We left Colorado and headed to Billings, MT where one of my dearest friends lives. Duvain's back had been hurting him although it was on the mend and then he got a terrible abscess tooth that looked so horrible that it must have been really painful. We were stuck in a van driving in places neither of us had been to so we were out of our element and we're both a bit hard-headed and stubborn. It makes my heart sink a little when I think back about those wasted days where I was angry and he was angry. Those kinds of days happen to us all, right? Finally we got Duvain's tooth pulled (the worst pain he says he's every felt in his life), we got some rest at my friend's house and we got back on track. It wasn't easy but we made it work.

I have to give a HUGE thank you Melissa and her family for letting us stay with them. Melissa found Duvain a dentist on short notice and drove me around her beautiful city of Billings to get soup and other get-better things for him. Duvain had a comfortable place to rest and recuperate from having his tooth pulled and I think that made all the difference in the world. No one wants to be stuck in a car while in severe pain. (Thank you Mel for being a great friend, I miss you terribly!)

Once Duvain was feeling better we ventured out to the small town of Red Lodge, MT. I just looks all-American to me!

 
Just walking around this adorable little town made me want to pack my stuff up and move here. It was surrounded by beautiful mountains and clean, crisp air. In a few days time we were headed to Yellowstone National Park so we stopped at the local visitor's center in Red Lodge and were greeted with a wealth of Yellowstone information. The name of the married couple who helped us eludes me but I have to say they were so helpful that I think they made our trip that much better. I highly recommend stopping at the visitor center in any place you go to. We had such success getting information about camping, restaurants, maps and tons of other insider information that I don't think we could have gotten from the Internet or the guidebooks we brought.

 
This is the cool part of going on a road trip. Happening upon a huge iron sculpture of Gumby and Pokey was a total highlight of this trip for me. If I had the money and the space I'd have totally bought these guys to bring home with me. If you're ever in the Red Lodge area you have to stop and see the iron works that this man makes, you can't miss the place.

On our last full day in Montana, Melissa and her husband, Dean, took us on a lovely hike to the Custer National Forest to hike around the Sioux Charley Lake. We had a picnic lunch by the roaring rapids, looked out for bears (just in case) and just really had a lovely day. I did my first trail run on the way back (nearly 3 miles) just to see if I could do it. Duvain chased me while making bear noises to get me to keep moving as fast as I could! Nothing motivates me more than the sound of a fake bear chasing me!

 

 

We both really, really loved Montana. The mountains are glorious and the weather is beautiful in the Spring. Montana is definitely on my list of places to go to frequently. Also, if you go to Montana, or any other place with mountains, you MUST ride your bike down a mountain.

The Beartooth Highway Pass was the best route for us to take to Yellowstone but it was partially closed. The highway starts in Montana and works its way up the mountain and then you enter into Wyoming and work your way back down the mountain. The Montana side of the mountain was cleared of snow but the Wyoming side wasn't so we drove as far up the mountain as we could just to see the views and the insane amount of snow. (It blew my mind that there was multiple feet of snow when at home in Texas everyone was talking about 100 degree weather!)

 
 
On our way back down Duvain had the most brilliant idea for me to ride my bike back down the mountain and let me tell you IT WAS THE BEST IDEA EVER IN THE HISTORY OF IDEAS. I simply adore riding fast down a hill and this gave me the best ride of my life, hands down. I got to take in the scenery, feel the temperature change as I made my way down the mountain, go really fast and just take it all in. It was spectacular. Really, go try it.

 
I enjoyed my ride so much that Duvain rode down a mountain also! You can really see the temperature change here based on the snow. These photos were on the same day.

 

The same night that we both rode bikes down mountains we slept on the side of the road on our way to Yellowstone in a little rest area. There were no cars, no houses and no lights around. There were, however, lots of stars in the sky so we climbed on top of the van and star gazed for a while just talking about whatever came up and it was simply perfect. I couldn't have ended our time in Montana any better.

This road trip was hard, we had our really crappy moments but we also had lovely moments where we counted shooting stars, laughed about the horrible food we had just eaten, invented the "curtain of doom" to keep light out of the van while we slept and explored countries and states together. I can't say it was a perfect trip but it was a learning experience and I'm so, so glad we did it together.

I was especially glad that we did it together when he happened across a bear in Yellowstone the next day...

My little vampire

I woke up yesterday morning to this:

 
My kid clearly ran into Donnie and became a soul-sucking zapper. Either that or he's discovered The Mary Jane.

Not really, of course. He's just got pink eye but my God he looked terrible.

Now he's much better and his eyes are less fiery and evil looking. He's nearly back to his old self.

 

Let's hope that no one else gets his eye junk. I don't want people thinking I toked up before work.

Oh, Arkansas

Duvain and I just got back from taking a long weekend road trip to the Ouachita National Forest in Arkansas and parts of Oklahoma. We leave to go on our cross-country trip in less than a week so I thought it would be good practice to do a smaller version of a camping road trip to see how it will all work. I'd rather find that we need to tweak a few things here or there when we're only half a days drive away as opposed to all the way across country.

The intention was to go tent camping, hiking and biking. I was excited to get Duvain back to the mountains that he loves so much while showing him a bit of the US and just having a really good weekend. Thank god for the good company because it was an almost total bust of a camping trip.

The first night we ended up sleeping in the back of the van in a Walmart parking lot in Mena, Arkansas.

It was as bad as it sounds. I had an idea where we'd go camping the first night but it just fizzled out by the time we finally got into Arkansas. The rain wouldn't stop and I was frustrated and tired and so over everything. If we'd have been closer to home I would have turned around and gone back. Little did I know that that first night would be the best night's sleep we'd have over the course of the weekend. As white-trash as it sounds I haven't laughed so hard in a while on the morning we woke up in that parking lot. The ridiculousness of it hit me and I couldn't contain my excessive laughter. If Duvain didn't know I was crazy before he definitely knows now.

The second day we finally got some proper maps and legit camping information so we set out to see all that Arkansas had to offer. We spent most of the day driving around seeing the mountains and all of the mist and fog that covered them. On top of one of the mountains I couldn't see more than 20 feet in front of me. We had planned on camping near the mountain top but it was pointless since we couldn't see anything. The photo below is literally on the very top of a 2,000 foot mountain and you can plainly see the lack of views.

 

Later in the day we found a decent camping site at the Big Brushy Recreation Site. The camping site wasn't too awful unless you considered the smell from the toilets (OMG) the lack of atmosphere, the large sign warning us of bears (DOUBLE OMG) and the fact that the tent pads were packed down with gravel. Duvain said that whoever decided to make a tent pad from gravel was not a tent camper and clearly must have been smoking large amounts of crack cocaine when he choose tiny rocks to sleep on. We both wanted to punch whoever it was in the face the next morning. I've never had a more uncomfortable night's sleep, I'm sure of it. Despite having inflatable roll mats and sleeping bags we were still sore as hell.

 

By far the strangest encounter was in Hot Springs. I had been to Hot Spring when I was a kid and I had fond memories so I just knew Duvain would love it also. WRONG. Now don't get me wrong, the mountain was nice to drive up and see the views and walking around the main drag was OK but we met this man who was fucking INSANE and left us scratching our heads at the same time we were driving as far away from his as possible.

All we wanted was a cup of coffee from a local coffee shop so we innocently walked in to the nearest place we could find and that's where we met Donnie. Oh Donnie. As far as we could tell he was the owner of the coffee shop and he was crazy-pants times a zillion. He sat down with us at our table with the story of wanting to admire Duvain's tattoos. People often ask my sweetheart about his artwork which is nothing new and Duvain is quite happy to talk about it but this was different. After 5 seconds of looking and talking to Duvain, Donnie turned to talk to me and proceeded to tell me that God might be a woman because the divine is womanly and that he woke up on day from having a dream and it all became clear to him. He knew his life had changed when the Illuminati mailed him a letter saying they knew this dude's deepest and darkest secrets. I laughed out loud because I've read the Dan Brown books and saw the movies and I just couldn't believe what I was hearing! Donnie also wrote 20 books but he can't share them because they're secret. We were told about how he was the light and the dark people are out to steal his lightness with there darkness and how two little old ladies came into his store for an entire week trying to steal his lightness. Apparently he had to kick them out of his coffee shop. The highlight of our conversation came when he told us about "zappers". I was so confused that I had to ask what a zapper was. Donnie said, with a straight face, that zappers are "the vampires that suck the light from you. Google it. They're real". Oh HELL NO. This dude, with his shellacked mullet was too much. It was time to leave Hot Springs before we were zapped. I considered just going straight home to get away from Donnie but we ended up staying one more night about an hour away from Hot Springs.

On our last night we stayed at Shady Lake which wasn't actually all that bad. We half expected Donnie to show up in a flowy robe and crazy glowing red eyes. Duvain was ready and waiting just in case Donnie was a vampire himself!

 
If the weather had been nicer and there would have been more people there I think it could have been a place I'd stay all weekend. The water was nice, it was a clean park with showers and bathrooms and the price was reasonable. We opted to forgo sleeping in the tent again because they have the same awful gravel tent pad but we were so sore from the previous night that it was a fitful night's sleep.

By 6 am we were both up and ready to get home as soon as possible. On our drive out we passed what must have been at least 30 Tyson chicken "shed's" which depressed me to no end. There were likely 3/4 of a million chickens crammed into those sheds just living a horrible dark life waiting to be killed. I'd never seen those chicken sheds in person before and I understood why there were hidden away by the mountains where most people don't venture to. Seeing those sheds coupled with the crappy weather we'd had all weekend, dreary campsites, crazy Donnie and a myriad of other things we saw just made me not want to frequent Arkansas any time soon. I'd give it a 4 out of 10, perhaps maybe even a 3 and that's being generous.

BUT!

The company was good and really that's one of the most important things. We made lemonade from 
sucky lemons, we sang stupid songs, talked about a thousand different topics and just explored together. That was the best part.

 

A new direction (photo blogging)

I have lost the blog love lately. Obviously. I just can't get into writing a long-winded post about happenings around me and my loved ones. I feel like my Twitter stream and Facebook account are doing the talking for me so I've neglected this site for far too long. I decided to take this blog in a different direction.

I have no problem whatsoever taking photos all day long. I have my trusty iPhone that I adoreand all the photo apps that go along with it so why not use those to help me blog? I think I'll try posting photos that I find interesting, funny, informational, or just plan 'ol pretty. Words don't flow easily for me as they do for some people and I don't want to feel like I have to blog. I think this might be a great way to talk about things in a fun way that I'll remember down the line.

Who knows what I'll be posting. Today is all about going to see the place where my brother and future sister-in-law are getting married. Tomorrow might be a picture of a Lego sculpture that Jackson makes for me. If I make a particularly tasty snack I might feel so inclined to show the Internet. That's the great thing about having your very own blog...redesigning, changing, evolving and adapting are all things I can do when ever I feel like it.

So here goes...

Two nights ago Duvain and I went with my brother, Patrick, and his future wife, Brittany, to see the location they're getting married at next June. The location was having an open house with free champagne (yippee!) and free food (double yippee!). It was really nice to see where the girl's would be getting ready for the big day and where the ceremony would take place. The sparkly chandeliers and juliet balcony won me over.

Also, the photo booth won me over big time. Everyone should have one at their wedding.

 
We put our props on for our photo booth photos.

 
I really loved the mashed potato bar. Apparently potato bars are all the rage? Really? That's so 1970's I thought. Everything old is new again I suppose.

 
The poor waiters and waitress's probably shuddered when they realized how many glasses of champagne we were grabbing as they walked by. I swear we must have grabbed 2 glasses each and every time one of them walked by. Multiply that by about 5 and you can imagine how our heads felt the next morning.

 
Duvain and Patrick grabbed so many glasses of champagne that they had to consolidate. Greedy bastards.

 
Posing in front of the Bride's suite gigantic mirror.

The wedding isn't until June 2012 but I was happy to have the mental images of where it would take place. Also, I was happy to drink free champagne.

Bad blogger!

It's been a jillion years since I blogged last. I blame tax season and lack of wanting to write anything lately.

I've done SO MUCH lately that I want to talk about, though. Things like run a half-marathon without croaking, join an awesome book club, had a new nephew (!!!) and talk endlessly about Duvain coming to visit here for three months (he gets here in two weeks!).

I'll be back soon. Promise. Only 6 days left of hell tax season.

In the meantime I'll leave you with a few pictures...

 
Half-Marathon finisher with Natalie. (Excuse the creepy guy in the background.)

 
Jackson and I have put our ENO hammock to good use lately. Go get one, you won't be sorry.

 
The day my nephew was born I scored my highest score EVER against his mother. Sorry, Jenni!

 
My nephew, Wesley. I LOVE HIM!

 
I'm counting the days I get to snuggle with Jackson more.

 
Girl's night on Saturday was MUCH NEEDED. Hi Julie! (Jennie's photo.)

 
One of my favorite people. (Jennie's photo.)

Happy birthday my little Jackson

Dear Jackson,

Today is your FOURTH birthday! I must have sang you Happy Birthday a dozen times by 10am this morning which led to us to singing happy birthday to shoes and socks and the road and suckers and anything else that we could think of. The silly in you is coming out full force and I just love it. We can giggle about the most ridiculous things until our bellies hurt and then giggle some more.

This morning we got off to a late start because Snowpocalypse 2011 has us in its grips. The power was out at home because of planned blackouts in Texas due to an energy shortage and there was a solid inch of ice all the way up the street and we basically ice skated our way to your dad's house so I could drop you off and go to work. No school for you today because it'sclosed! Clearly Texas doesn't care whos birthday it is.

 
You've changed so much in the last year, it's almost unreal. In the last few months you've learned to dress yourself and it's only like the coolest thing ever to see you assert your style by way of rolling your tall socks down to your ankles like I used to do in the 80's. Your preference for light up Spiderman shoes over the cool Chucks that I picked out annoys me endlessly but I let you not wear the expensive shoes in favor of the cheap light up shoes because it makes you happy and who really cares what shoes you wear? You have shoes to wear and that's all that matters.

Other ways you assert you independence and choice making skills recently? By choosing to eating hardly a single thing I place in front of you unless it's peanut butter & jelly sandwiches, vegetarian chicken nuggets, cheese sticks, Goldfish crackers, pretzels or cereal. It's commonplace to bribe you to get you to eat one single kernel of corn or a tiny little black bean. Although you have this love of Progresso's Lentil Soup that knows no bounds so you better believe I buy cans upon cans of that stuff. It's got beans! and spinach! and you eat it willingly! It's my only food success with you. You stubborn child, you.

You arestubborn and loud and opinionated and in-your-face and *on* all the time. You rarely slow down long enough to observe things around you. A trail of dust and loads of questions go with you wherever you are. You are my busy bee, always going, going, going. Sometimes I turn the tv on hoping you'll sit still long enough so I can just look at you and admire you. Your imagination and ability to play alone with your toys (most of the time) are wonderful things to watch.

 
Dinosaurs and dragons are YOUR thing. When I went to Wales this past year and I brought back a few Welsh dragon toys and oh boy, if those weren't the coolest thing ever. Now, every red dragon you see is the Welsh dragon. You have every form of dragon and dinosaur there is: stuffed, plastic, foam, printed in books, embossed on clothing and everything in between. Your favorite movie is 'How To Train Your Dragon'. I swear you've seen it 100 times. It's not nearly as cute to me but you seem to love it more every time you watch it.

You know what I've really enjoyed doing with you? Exploring. It's my most favoritething to do with you and your brother, Derick. We bring some water with us, dress appropriately for the weather and head out to a local hiking path and we walk and walk and walk until we get to the lake. You're 4 now so it's not like we talk about in depth life changing things but someday maybe we will. While picking up sticks and throwing rocks in the water maybe we'll talk about life and the world and how we all fit in somewhere.

 
You're almost too big to have a rocking chair in your room anymore. I can't hold you comfortably like my little baby and rock you because your little legs are just too long and your head is a 4-year-old head instead of a little tiny baby head. Sometimes I call you my baby and you scoff and make sure I know that you are, in fact, not my baby and oh how that breaks my little heart but then it makes me so proud! You are growing up and you are getting to be such a big boy. To be honest, I've never been one of those parents who wants their kids to stay small forever. I really, really look forward to you growing up and doing things with you. I can't wait to go on vacations with you and actually hang out together. I look forward to talking about music and books and movies. I savor these moments but I also look forward to who you'll become as you get older.

I've never really publicly said this but I never had the dream to have kids. It was never a desire that I sought to make a reality. I don't think I'm made of whatever it is that makes someone want kids deep in their core. I tell you what though, my little chicken-head, you and your brother are the kids I dream about and the kids I desire to have around me. I am the luckiest momma in the world to have been given you guys. I stumble and fall a lot in the parenthood gig and sometimes I just downright suck at it but I sure am glad I got you and your brother to walk along this crazy path with.

My little 4-year-old. My little Bobee. You are one of the two greatest things that ever happened to me. I'm damn lucky to have you in my life and I promise to always make sure you have cake on your birthday, let you roll your socks down to your ankles and go on adventures with you. You are my little boy always and forever.

I love you sweetcheeks.

Love, Mommy

30 things, #15

15. A photo from your childhood

The universe must be telling me that this is the next thing on the 30 list to post about. Last week my mom randomly texted me this picture:

 
OH MY GOD. This was taken, I'm guessing, around 4th grade ish. I remember thinking I was the shit in my preppy collared shirt and pink bow slapped on the side of my head. And those teeth, THOSE TEETH. Oh my.

Then a few days later I was browsing my bookshelf at home for a new book to read and this picture fell out of the pages of the book I picked:

 
This is football Hall of Famer Jackie Smith. My grandparents owned a restaurant in the 70's and the story about this picture was that I was visiting them at the restaurant and Jackie Smith came in to eat. He played for the St. Louis Cardinals at the time which makes sense because I was born not far from St. Louis and lived there until I was about 5. I would love to know who wrote on this photo because 1) they spelled Jackie's name wrong and 2) my last name is also spelled wrong. I find it so interesting that Mr. Smith finished his football career playing for the Dallas Cowboys which is funny because I've lived in DFW for most of my life.

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Number 1

Number 5

Number 8

 

30 things, #5

5. Meaning behind your blog name

As I was creating this new blog to do away with my old blog I wrestled with a name that wasn't lame and one that would apply for a long time. I didn't want to name my blog after the fact that I'm a mom because really, I'm much more than just a mom. I'm my own person with my own dreams, hopes, wishes, fears and failures. My old blog name related to my mommy-hood so it was definitely time for something new this time around.

I realized, as I was thinking of a name, that I have LOTS of grand plans that I make up often in my head. I live inside this head of mine often dreaming of all sorts of wonderful things that may or may not happen. I wanted my blog name to reflect the grand ideas I have but I also knew that most of those ideas, plans and dreams are just illusions because either 1) it's not possible for me to do everything I ever dreamed of 2) I don't have the drive to accomplish all those things I think of and 3) sometimes dreams are just that, dreams not meant to come to reality.

Sooooooo, I threw all those things together to come up with My Grand Illusions.

I have to throw in a shout out to Cherie who designed my banner because I think it depicts my blog name perfectly. That picture was taken in Wales on a gorgeous spring day. This was a case of my grand plans becoming reality because I had made a plan to go to Wales and I actually went and it was lovely and fun and awesome. Many of my grand plans don't come to fruition but that one did and I love that my blog banner reflects that. Thanks Cherie!

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Number 1

Number 8

30 things, #8

8. Last thing you purchased:

I have a tv in my guest room/office that's at least a jillion years old. It's clunky and heavy as hell. Also, the sound doesn't work which I discovered just a few weeks ago when the Uverse guy kept trying to get the sound to work. Now, I don't have many guests stay overnight and I don't even watch that tv (obviously since I just found out the sound was broken) but in true American fashion I felt the need to have a tv that worked properly for the one and only overnight guest I might host in a few years.

My brother talked me into getting a flat screen tv and I was astonished at the low cost for a 37" HDTV. It's smaller in bulk than my other tv but the screen is the same size, it'll save electricity when it's being used and it just looks better (these are my justifications for buying this tv I didn't really need). So Internet, meet my new tv that should be delivered any day now:

You are more than welcome to come visit my house and stay the night! I'll even let you watch my new tv! Woo!

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More 30 things...

Number 1

30 things, #1

Number one on the 30 things list is:

1. Your work space

So, here it is in all it's glory...

 
 
This is my work space at my office.

I've been at this job since 1995 and in this particular office for about 4 years now. You can see that I have a window which is sort of lovely considering there are days when I don't go outside for 12 hours or more. This office becomes a second home 3 months out of the year. I eat at my desk most days and that chair has my butt print memorized. This office has seen people cry out of anger and happiness. It's seen people yell at me, hug me and tell me lies to my face. I've kicked one person out of this office and invited thousands more to come sit down with me and do their tax return. Many friends over the years have stopped by to say hi and sit with me at this desk and chat or have lunch. I have an intense love/hate relationship with this desk and this office. I hate that I am stuck at a desk for hours upon hours upon hours for long stretches of time. I feel like a fourth of my life, every single year, is passing me by the longer I choose to sit at this desk and do this work. But I also love that the other 3/4 of the year is easy and breezy and I have so many freedoms that others don't have. It's a good work space that I'm lucky to have overall. Plus, the chair ain't half bad.