The Demise of A Newly Minted "Adult"

I made it 20 days into 2011 without going anywhere outside of the Mid-Atlantic states. I am moderately impressed by my restraint.
Unfortunately, this morning I was notified of ridiculously low airfare to Key West, and yielded to my weakness. So in a mere 40 days, Ill be headed to the gorgeous sundrenched Florida Keys to stay with the fabulous GC. It'll be a lovely 9 day excursion, and this time Im flying instead of driving (WOO!!).

Really, I did the math this morning. Last time I went, I split tolls, a hotel, and gas one-way with GC. The whole thing was about ~$275. For a mere $50 more, I will make it there in 6 hours, instead of 27. No stress, no traffic, no overwhelming urge to pass out at the wheel. Its a surprising fare, primarily because flying into Key West International Airport is notoriously expensive. Im talking upwards of $700 when I looked last for a trip in January back in October. With the exception of this fare, Ive only seen airfare to Key West at prices higher than a flight to Honolulu.

I am duly impressed, Delta Airlines/Orbitz. I tip my hat. You both must be desperate to whip up some business. Seriously, kudos, because it worked. I have been watching the Key West Six-toed Cat Cam ads all week prior to leaving for work in the morning; I have been bitterly complaining about the unfairness of it all. How cruel is it to show white sand, blue skies, and people in shorts and tanks and bathing suits when here at home it is grey, 19 degrees F, and theres a good 42" of snow that has fallen, with another 8-12" predicted? Ads like that should be outlawed as cruel and unusual punishment for those of us in the northern climes.

But I digress.

Like my title says, this signals the demise of my attempt at adulthood. My New Years Resolution of staying home and saving money has erroded at 20 days. I dont think I was really cut out for homeownership anyway. Its all for the best, really. :)

The Never Ending Week...

...continues. Its only Thursday (she whined, dispassionately flinging herself prostrate upon her work surface)!

I know... I had a whole nice long break before Christmas until the Monday following New Year off, and now Im whining because I'm at work. I am grateful to have a job (don't get me wrong--- really, REALLY grateful), but some weeks just seem to take forever to finish. This week happens to be one of them.

I think it's mostly because I am struggling so much with the whole adulthood thing. Swapping from Irresponsibile to Responsible has been waaay harder than expected. I knew it would be an adjustment, but good grief. This is particularly painful.

People continue to post photos to Facebook. I can't tell if they're taunting me specifically, because they have been informed of my Year of Austerity, or just sharing their respectively awesome trips. Either option is equally likely, especially since I spent all of last year doing the very same thing to them. My friend from college AWP is going to Vegas for a week. She announced this last night. I am going no where. I am heartbroken. It's like kicking a puppy, it seems. . . to me, at least.

So here I am. Stuggling to complete a workday Thursday. I have another hour and 5 minutes to go. Not that I am counting, of course. Wrestling with this particular package has been exceptionally difficult. I am truly grateful that we only get this material in once or twice a year.

Frustration Is Occurring, and It Hasnt Even Been 96 Hours

As you might have gathered from the title of this entry, I have become more than a little annoyed. I have been attempting to Be An Adult since 01 Jan.
"Be An Adult" is loosely defined as such:
1) Pay bills on time.
2) Not jet off on vacation because I can or feel like it
3) Find a place to live for more than 6 months
4) Be responsible
5) Do laundry more often so I dont end up buying new underwear to avoid washing the worn ones


As you might have deduced, my list basically entails me to act like a person, not an infant. I have to pay the piper for my Year of Irresponsibility.
I think I took too well to the irresponsibility part last year. I really, really do not want to be responsible.

Enter into evidence, Exhibit A:
An acquaintence mentioned on facebook that he's in Cancun.
My first reaction was, "I WANNA GO THERE!" and look at Orbitz for flights to Mexico.
But then, I remembered my resolution. I pouted, and closed the window before the search completed.
Crisis averted, right? Because I dont deal well with temptation.
No.
As it turns out, not so much.
Exhibit B:
AM asked me today to help her plan a family trip to Hawaii.
^!%#$%!!!! Seriously?! Arrgh! I did. I helped, and definitely had to hold myself back from booking all the things I suggested to her for myself.

IT HASNT EVEN BEEN 96 HOURS AND IM ALREADY DYING FROM BEING TIED DOWN.
If this is being an adult, I am going to suffocate before I make it a week!!

Autumn

The following are from a hiking trip I made about two weeks ago with some new friends to Mt. Pisgah. The only good part about living in New England are as follows...

From one of the crests. That is Mt. Monadnoc in the distance.

Same shot, different vantage point. (I think I was standing...?)

This is the lake in the bottom corner of the preceding photos.

I love how my $200 phone takes better pictures than my $600 camera... oof.

Next Adventure

The next adventure has been scheduled, booked, and paid for.

Waikiki Beach, Honolulu Hawaii.


Yeah, I am going with my sister. Should be a good time. I am really stoked to take a gander at Queen Lolokelaini's palace, learn about the history, snorkle, check out the nightlife, check out the delicious local cuisine, maybe look for a job...  I can dream, right? There will be lots of gorgeous photos to be taken, and Im totally excited to get myself into a parasailing harness. Me and heights? Love!