Subtle Reminders of What Truly Matters

I am currently in Atlanta. I will be interviewing at Emory University tomorrow morning for their MBA program, so I am hoping it will go well. As long as I make it there on time, I should be okay. Traffic is interesting here in this city. Moving on...

Have you ever watched Love Actually? I had an airport movie moment today, and if you've seen the movie, you know what I mean. After I checked in at the Tampa airport this evening, I was heading in the direction of my terminal, when a couple caught my eye. They appeared to be in the middle of saying goodbye, judging by the tears in the girl's eyes, and how many times they hugged each other. I could not help but remember that I went through that same thing 4 months ago, and I am so glad that the separation from my boyfriend will soon be over. He is returning early next week, so I am down to counting days. Part of me wanted to tell the girl not to worry, that he'll be home soon, but I know from experience that it would not have helped. Hearing that type of thing didn't help me get through Smitty's deployment. Keeping myself busy did. Maybe I should have told her that instead.

As cliche as this sounds, all I really want for Christmas this year is to have him back. I can't wait till he gets back next week. I'll get to have another great airport movie moment of my own.

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Sympathy pains?

Oh God... My neck is killing me...

I can't even turn it to look to my left because it hurts so badly. When I try to move, it spasms. This has been going on since Friday night, and of course, it being the weekend and all, I can't really get in to see my Chiropractor at all. I have been given a muscle relaxer and a major painkiller in order to get through the weekend. Thank goodness it's Sunday night and it is almost over.

I think I now know what Smitty (my boyfriend) goes through when his back acts up. He has a bulging disk, and it causes him an extreme amount of discomfort. If it is anything like what I've been feeling the past 48 hours, I really need to hug him when he gets home. This is excruciating, and I sincerely hope the Chiropractor will be able to help. I have been using a heating pad, and it doesn't help a bit. Not one bit!! Not even the muscle relaxers help much. It's the pain medication that helps, and I can't stay on that much longer because I am not supposed to drive while I'm on it, since it's a narcotic and all. Sheesh...

If there is anyone in Tampa Bay who would like to offer a backrub, I could use it. That seems to be the only thing that helps at all. So, any takers? Anyone? No? *sigh* I'm going to go lay down and wait for the painkillers to kick in. Goodnight all!

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And yummy it was indeed!

Well, the stuffing was a complete success! I even made enough so that I have leftovers to enjoy. Mmmm.... Leftovers! My family has departed, and it was good having them around for a while. It's always a zany day when they come to visit, and this one was no different, and I can't say that I would want it to be.

Tomorrow, I get to work the dreaded chaos of the day after Thanksgiving sales, also widely known as Black Friday. Perhaps I should dress the part. To all shoppers out there, I wish you luck with parking spaces and bargain hunting.

Just remember to be nice to the cashiers. :)

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Sage + Thyme = Yummy!!!

I just finished baking a rather large pan of cornbread. Why, you may ask? Because I am going to attempt to make stuffing from scratch this year. I have never hosted Thanksgiving, usually due to the fact that I am single and have family close by, but this year, circumstances dictated that it was my turn.

I'm kind of excited!

The problem right now is that it is two days before Thanksgiving, and I am getting over a cold. Therefore, I can't smell much. The reason this is a problem is because when one is trying to spice stuffing correctly, a rather acute sense of smell is required. Crap. I can kind of smell the herbed cornbread, and it smells really yummy so far. Typically, I would bother my neighbor and have him give me his opinion on how it smelled, but he has left for the holiday, I believe. Hopefully, tomorrow my sense of smell will return in a much more accurate fashion, and I will be able to complete my mission of great stuffing for Thanksgiving this year.

(Keep your fingers crossed for me!)

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A weight has been lifted...

I KICKED THE GMAT'S BUTT THIS MORNING!!!!!

Ahem.

Yes folks, that's right, I went up by sixty points. Sixty!!! Which means, of course, I have a much better shot at getting into Grad School. Yaaaay!!

I need to get everything organized so I can get it mailed in now. But that's the easy part, right?

Right.

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Do you have a Kleenex?

My allergies hate me today. My eyes are burning, and I have been sneezing. I wish I could figure out why, because I would immediately eliminate the offender.

That said, my second round with the GMAT is Friday, the 17th. Yikes. I must admit that I have reached that phase where one no longer cares if the score is bad or not. As a result, I am far more relaxed than I was before taking it the first time, but still worried enough to actually put effort into it. My score was not bad the first time, but I know I can do better than that in the math section, and I am shooting rather high when it comes to my choices of schools, so the higher the better. I want to do the best I possibly can, of course, but if the score is not higher this time, then I have a backup plan in place.

I love backup plans!

My biggest worry right now is managing to get around Atlanta. The University I am visiting, Emory, is about 15 or more miles away from the airport. This obviously poses a problem. If only we had transporter technology… (Yes, I know I am a nerd, and I am okay with that.) I’m hoping to get it figured out by the end of the week here, so I can put it out of my head. At least I have the plane ticket! It’s a step in the right direction.

By the way, I don’t think my car wants me to go to Grad School! Every week I go to take the GMAT, it acts up on me. It’s going into the shop (again) on Wednesday. The Check Engine Light was yelling at me in a bright yellow-orange voice, and I could not resist it calling out to me. At least I'm friends with the service manager at the dealer.

On a rather strange note, I had this very small hispanic man knock on my door last night. I’m not kidding when I say small because he was maybe 5’2” and very very slim. Anyway, he asks me if I understand spanish (in spanish, of course) and I say a little bit, yes. He proceeds to ask me if I would be interested in buying a gold chain and bracelet, and I just looked confused. Not because I didn’t understand him, but because of the randomness of the request. He asked (in spanish, of course) if I understood him, and I said yes, but I wasn’t interested, but thanks.

He then proceeds to ask me if he could use my bathroom. Are you kidding me?! The answer of course, was no, but there was a McDonald’s down the street where I’m sure he would be able to use one. He asked again if I was sure he couldn’t use mine, to which I responded, no, good luck, and have a good night.

Weird, no? I thought so. My neighborhood is usually extremely quiet, and uneventful. Weird indeed...

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Unwaivering Faith

Have you ever had someone rely on you so much, that you knew, deep down in the smallest crevices and cracks in your soul, that you couldn't lose faith, just for their sake? I have had friends do this to me occasionally, but there is one in particular whom I am worried about more than ever before. Losing faith now would prove disastrous, because I know they are starting to lose theirs, if they haven't lost it already.

Am I blind to have faith in something, despite the reality that it may not work out the way we believe, or hope? Or am I just being myself, the typical eternal optimist that always knows the sun is still behind whatever dark cloud looms over the day? I know that the reality is, there is a possibility that things could go wrong, and off the intended path, but that is not where my focus lies. My focus remains on the possibility of everything working out, because that possibility is equally, if not far more, likely.

It's a terrible struggle to work toward a goal when you know there are going to be obstacles thrown in your path. But isn't that what life is all about? Challenges are an inevitable part of everyday life, and each minute is riddled with the possibility of complications. Perhaps the fact that I have come to this realization has a lot to do with my deeply-seeded faith in life, or maybe more accurately, my faith that everything will turn out as it should be. Preemptively dooming a goal to failure is useless, because it will run it's course exactly how it should, despite the doubts cast around it. If it is meant to succeed, it will, in spite of all that is put in place to prevent it.

Just let life happen. It's much more enjoyable that way.

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And the rocket's red glare, the bombs bursting in air...

Fireworks have always had an immediate, and potent, effect on my mood. What is it about the kaleidescope of colors and sounds that can wipe away the worries from my mind and erase what's been bringing me down? Feeling the air around me reverberate as the explosions race through the air is enough to send chills down my spine...

As I was getting in my car to go back to work tonight, I heard loud noises that could only be one thing: Fireworks! They were going off at Raymond James Stadium, and for no apparent reason. Could they have been a mistake? So many people pulled over to stop and watch in awe as the colors lit up the night sky, and I found it heartwarming that a city this busy stood still for a moment to enjoy the show. I rolled my windows down as I sat in the turn lane next to the stadium, and I got goosebumps just from watching, and feeling them. My entire car was shaking from the strength of the sound, and I just sat and enjoyed it along with everyone else.

They light up the sky, and they light up our lives. They were also enough to stop traffic tonight. Wish you all could have been there.

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