Taking a moment

It can be so easy to take things for granted.  When I was growing up in PA I used to be insanely jealous of my mom's side of the family who were all living in FL.  I thought it would be so amazing to live in "paradise" year-round...with the palm trees everywhere and the beach just a few minutes away it all just seemed so idyllic.  I've lived in Florida on and off since the summer of '97 and I have definitely come to take my location for granted.

Today was an ugly, overcast, cold (by Florida standards) day but it's still a whole lot better than what a lot of my friends in other states are dealing with.  I was on my way to meet my parents for dinner at a Mexican place down by the beach.  From my house, it's only about 5 miles to get to the beach.  Turning north on 1st street, I caught a glimpse of the ocean and found myself finally taking a moment to soak in my surroundings for a few seconds.  Sure, it definitely wasn't the perfect day to take a stroll along the sand, but it was still beautiful - overcast skies and all!

So my goal for the week: take a few moments each day to appreciate some of the little everyday things that I've come to take for granted...my favorable location, a good job, great family and friends, etc.  Hopefully this can become a habit for me.  We can all use some more focus on the positive things that surround us every day.

Reconnected

I've received a ton of forwarded, trite emails over the years telling me that "people come in and out of your life for a reason, don't be upset when they leave, blah blah blah."

Well sometimes people aren't meant to be gone forever and end up resurfacing at the most unexpected times and in the most unexpected ways. Just last week my younger brother ran into a kid he went to grade school with while out at a bar here in Jax. They went to school together in PA! Small world...

Lately I've also had the opportunity to reconnect with some of my friends from my 2 years spent at Pitt. In particular, reconnecting with J has been a real treat. J is one of those people that always had a smile on his face, a kind word to say, and something downright hilarious to add no matter what the situation. When I transferred to UF after 2 years in Pittsburgh we lost touch. Finding each other after more than a decade? Craziness! What's awesome though is that when we had a chance to chat on the phone today for just a few minutes it was as though no time had passed at all. Now that's something really special. Of course we've both changed a bunch since back then, but deep down there's a lot that's the same. I really look forward to picking up our friendship where we left off years ago!

Saying goodbye

Pets are a wonderful addition to a home, but one of the bad things about these wonderful creatures is when they're taken from us.  Today, we were forced to say goodbye to our cock-a-poo, Curly.

Curly was an exceptional dog.  I got him when he was just a puppy, not long after moving to Florida.  Since he stayed with my parents while I was in school, he ended up staying there permanently because that was his home.  He always had the sweetest temperament and never met a person he didn't like.  His best friend was my parents' cat, Hubba Bubba (a senior citizen in his own right at 15 years old).  Often, dogs are more interested in exploring, playing, etc. than being around people...but  Curly was most content when he was sitting next to you being pet for as long as you would. 

He had a long (13 years) and happy life, but out of the blue yesterday he was struggling to use his hind legs and kept collapsing when he tried to walk.  He didn't appear to be in any pain and just had this confused look on his face because he wasn't sure why his legs weren't working.  I said my goodbyes to him last night in case things didn't go well at the vet today...and unfortunately they didn't.  The vet thinks that he ruptured a disk and said that his hind legs were mostly paralyzed.  About the only benefit to that was that he wasn't in any pain.  It was a difficult decision, but my mom decided it was time to say goodbye to Curly and she stayed with him in his final moments.

He will be remembered and forever loved...

Chorus

So last night I went to see 'A Chorus Line' with my Mom.  Initially I wasn't extremely excited about it, but I heard good things from a couple people at work so my interest was piqued.  The show is billed as "The best musical.  Ever."  Well...

Let me preface the following by saying that I enjoy the theater and musicals in general.  With that said, the above description of the show is some serious false advertising if you ask me.  For real.  You couldn't pay me to sit through it again.  The singing wasn't bad, but the dancing was mostly mediocre and the story line...OH! The story line! Terribly boring.  It was a struggle for me to stay awake - a challenge that proved too much for my Mom who decided to use the time to catch up on a few little cat naps.  I'm sure the elderly woman I was sitting next to (who was flying solo for the evening) was annoyed by my restless fidgeting by the end of the show.  But I couldn't help it!  All I could think about was how uncomfortable I was and how much I wanted the show to end.

Aside from 'Tits and Ass,' the only number in the show I semi-enjoyed was the reprise of 'One' at the end when all the players came out for their last song/dance/opportunity to bow.  I'm just not sure if I enjoyed it because I was entertained by it or simply because I knew it was the last thing I had to sit through before I could remove myself from the uncomfortable seat, get in my car, and go home.  In the words of my mother as we were exiting the venue, "THAT was a disappointment!"  I agree.

Back to the 80's

I was reading an article in Entertainment Weekly today about Pee-wee Herman's new stage show currently running at Club Nokia in L.A. through February 7th.  Seriously???  Is there really such a dearth of entertainment options that he was booked for an almost 4-week run?  I suppose anything is possible in Hollywood, but surely there have to be some better options.

I'm not saying that I never watched Pee-wee's Playhouse when I was a kid...but even then it was more of a morbid curiosity than anything else.  Frankly, sans illegal substance I'm not sure that show could possibly make sense.  The same could be said for 'Pee-wee's Big Adventure' - all that trouble just to get a bicycle back?

Anyway, that's all for today.  If you have any thoughts on Paul Reubens, feel free to share.

Hmm, TOO single?

Is it actually possible to be too single?  I put this out there for you to decide - but I personally think that it IS in fact possible to be "too single."  How do you know when you've attained that distinct level of singleness that's really too single?  One clear indication would have to be when your mother tells you she's been praying novenas for you to meet someone.  Yes, that's novenaS plural...apparently one wasn't cutting it so she went the multiple route.  For those of you that aren't Catholic, a novena is "a form of worship that consists of special prayers or services on nine consecutive days."  Lovely.  At the rate things have been going, my mom will be praying her consecutive novenas indefinitely.

If these novenas are successful though, I expect Mr. Right to come knocking on my door lickity split...that's how it works, right? Maybe one of the furniture delivery men yesterday was actually "the one" and I let him slip right through my fingers.  Shame on me.  Ha!  I love my mom, but she does some pretty amusing/crazy things sometimes.

Back to basics

A few years ago (back in the myspace heyday) I used to keep a blog...and there were actually people that read it! Getting some of my thoughts in writing became somewhat cathartic for me but I fell away from the practice when I abandoned that website. To that end, I've decided it's time to start writing again...and maybe people will actually check in from time to time for my perspective on things. I can't promise that my posts will be especially insightful all the time, but I'll do my best to keep them entertaining whenever possible.

Today's musing/query: what happened to the obligatory courtesy wave you're supposed to give when someone lets you go in front of them in heavy traffic? Seriously. I've been monitoring this situation for quite some time and I've noticed that very few people uphold the simple gesture that used to be the norm. I think I'm one of the few that do...at least here in Jacksonville. Sure, it may be difficult to see my wave through my tinted windows, but I always toss one to the good Samaritan that lets me squeeze into the flow of traffic. For me, there's nothing more frustrating than letting someone into traffic in front of you (when they've already been denied access by a half dozen cars in front of you) and they fail to even acknowledge your kindness.

Here's a suggestion for everyone...let's bring the courtesy wave back!!!