So, it's been a While

The past year was so busy. I broke my camera, and haven't been able to take as many pictures as I would have liked, but these are some of the ones I took with my phone.

This is off the back of one of the boats I work on. To say that I am lucky is truly an understatement some times.

This is my former roommate and my bestfriend/sister. She's in my Rottie's crate, back when we still lived together. My Rottie is just that big.

That's us-- a friend, me, and my bestfriend/sister at the Zombie Bike Ride/my Surprise Bachelorette Party

Review

OK, so I haven't really written much since March. Here's a quick recap of March through August 2011.

*April 09-- broke my elbow falling off a rock gym bouldering wall. Was out of work from 10 April til beginning of June.

*June-- went to Portland Oregon after returning to work. Got to see EL, meet her boyfriend, play with her dogs, and enjoy the delectable Pacific Northwest ambiance. And wine.

*June-- Got laid off. This was really unpleasant.

*July 02-- my layoff officially begins. Take off for the Summer Funemployment Tour with SA. We plan to get to Santa Monica, but don't make it. The air conditioner of my car doesn't work, so we made it to North Carolina, and called it quits. Managed to miss my friend's wedding when my car broke down. We eventually see Cape Hatteras, Kill Devils Hill, the rest of the Outer Banks, Virginia Beach, Washington DC, and Atlantic  City.

*August- Still unemployed in spite of valiant efforts to apply for work. Deep depression sinks in.

*August is ending soon. Still no job. Humiliatingly, must move in order to not be evicted for non-payment of rent. Continue looking for work.

Key West 2011

Theres really only one word that will adequately describe the Key West Experience of 2011. That word would be "Wow."

Aside from the usual debauchery that occurs any time there are friends in large groupings, there was a lot of staying out til 5am, and then sleeping til 4pm (mostly from my friends, and less so from me-- my body hates me and wakes me up at 7am regardless of how late ive been out). There was lots of beach trips that started out still drunk and ended quickly on the sand as the hangover hit like a ton of booze-scented bricks. It was spring break for a couple of major colleges, and so there were a ton of 18-21 year olds, most of whom were of the flabby, jiggly, overly-nekkid persuasion. I love being almost 30, and looking better than them. Score one for nerdiness, and only occasional binge drinking.

Duval Street was a mess of beads, sloshed drinks, body paint, nekkid people, screaming and crying college co-eds, stumbling frat boys in variations of a crappy uniform of Abercrombie-knockoffs with flipflops and backwards hats, mounted policemen, and annoyed locals. Oh, and some guy dealing weed on the trunk of a police cruiser while the cop stood on the corner and flirted with some girl. That was kinda funny.

The weather was gorgeous. I took some really beautiful photos. There were lots of laughs, and some irritating people. Overall, it was a fun trip. Ill post some pictures sooner or later.

However, the flights there and back were less than lovely. Most of the problems were due to the fact that Atlanta International is a sh*tty airport. Nothing ever goes according to plan there, and Delta is the worst airline on the planet. I try extremely hard to avoid them, but man, they seem to be the only carriers to the places I go. My flight home from ATL was delayed more than an hour because Delta screwed up some other connecting flights, so more than 30 people on various flights missed their planes home to MA. Instead of letting us go off on time, they held the flight, rebooked all the people who missed their flights onto my plane, and then there were mechanical issues.

Though, Id have glad dealt with a longer delay for mechanical issue if I could have avoided the turbulence all the way from ATL to MA. Im a decent passenger, but for the whole 2 hour trip, I white-knuckled it home and bit off all my fingernails in the process. Holy cow, I have never experienced turbulence like that before, and I hope never to again. Stupid thunderstorms.

Wierd Dreams

So, last night in between carrying Dog up and down the stairs, when I finally was able to get some sleep, I had some of the most bizarre dreams Ive ever had. I frequently have quite vivid dreams, and I am one of those people who have tactile dreams (ie, I go swimming in the dream, and I can feel water lapping at my skin). This has both benefits and drawbacks, but thats not the point.

The point is this:
Last night, I dreamt that I went swimming in the Gulf of Mexico and got stung by a jellyfish. Then, I slowly morphed into a doughnut. Yes, a jelly doughnut. The transformation was slow and painful, and I remember thinking God I hope I dont lose my legs in front of a police station.

Yes, I am a wierd, wierd humanoid. At least for the time being.

Bummer

So, Dog slipped on the ice yesterday. She cant put any weight on the leg she had knee surgery on back in the fall. I have a sinking feeling poor Dog is going to need to have a second surgery on that knee.

:(

The Upper Gauley

Last night, while watching a movie I really shouldn't have been watching, MO and I discussed the possibility of an adventure trip this summer to West Virginia. While West Virginia itself conjures old people with straw in their mouths on rocking chairs, moonshine, rickety guns, and meth zombies for me, it is also home to the best Class V rapids on the East coast. The Gauley River runs through the state of West Virginia, and is classified as Upper and Lower, based on a couple of factors, but the one that matters to me and MO is the rapids classification. The Upper Gauley is about 10 miles of more difficult water (IV and V), whereas the Lower Gauley is about 11 miles of easier II and III.

*

Now, anyone who knows me and MO in real life, knows that we are both a bit obsessed with adventure sports. And they also know that we are more than slightly preoccupied with a movie called "The Descent." "The Descent" takes place in a National Park in West Virginia; we are already squealing about how we are going to act out scenes from the movie.

We've been climbing a lot more frequently this year than in years past, and we're working on getting qualified to take a lead climbing course. I do not know if we've decided to go caving and climbing while we're in WV, but I wouldnt be surprised if we do.

*

So, this is exciting. I love beaches and all, but I think this might be the highlight of the summer. Here's hoping we can get our friends together for an adventure!
*Photos arent mine; not trying to pass them off as mine, or profit from them. Google images, ladies and gentlemen-- not mine.

Success!!

As evidenced by my previous post, I had nearly come to the end of my rope and was considering tying some knots in it and swinging from tree to tree with said rope after the nightmare that has been apartment searching. I use the past-tense now because....I found a place!

It was no small feat. Let me explain.

I have been looking in an area that is more metropolitan than suburban, mostly for my mental health. The housewives of Suburbia look at me like Im a wierd combination of Wh*re and Leper. (Please. Like I would ever go near your fat, short, bald husbands, you judgy harpies. I aint interested.) At first, I thought it was all in my head, and then someone else mentioned it to me, and I felt less insane. Which was nice for a change. Usually I feel like Im taking crazy pills, so any sense of sanity is appreciated.

ANYWAY
Like I mentioned, this metropolitan area is notorious for its rather steep rent, and for its centrality to lots and lots of jobs, young people, stuff to do, fun bars, public transit, and museums. (My favorite!) I had seen some seriously scummy areas while looking for an apartment. None of which included parking. So, these tiny, scummy apartments in less-than-safe neighborhoods, which were what I could afford, would have an additional charge for parking, for pets, and to say nothing of utilities. I was most seriously dishearted. All of a sudden, the $900 apartment was $1200, for something the size of a billards table, and was unsecure at best.
I live alone. Im female. I really can't sleep if I am afraid someone is going to break in.

I found a place that included parking, heat and hot water in the rent. And the landlord is an animal lover, so there is no extra charge to have Dog with me. I think I stood in that apartment for all of five minutes before I decided I was going to rent it. Its clean, its bright, its well-maintained. I think itll be a good fit for me and Dog. Yes, it is a bit small. Its a studio apartment, so there's not a lot of free room. Luckilly, Dog and I dont really need much space. I just needed a place that would allow me to have her. I am thrilled to be moving in less than a week.
Also in less than a week? Key West. Aww yeah.