Month of June, 2006

Pirate Tattoo

At work this week, one group threw a "carnival" as a team building activity. It was a fun way to spend my lunch break - playing games and talking with coworkers. To perpetuate my pirate persona, I got a pirate tattoo at the carnival. Cheesy? YES! Worth the laughs? Definitely. See, work can be fun!

I'm on a plane heading back to Phoenix. The weather in Milwaukee was practically perfect (in fact, one night I was even a bit chilly). I'm not sure that it's going to feel quite so perfect in Phoenix. However, I'd like to remind myself that despite the triple digit temperatures in June, it was consistently 60's and 70's in December/January.

I don't have any specific plans for the holiday weekend. I'm staying in Phoenix (though I wish I was going to Dallas to see Chris) so I'll probably work on some projects around the house and watch some movies. I'd like to finish sewing pillows for the couch as well as the camera bag I had started. The pillows should be easy; the camera bag is proving to be a far bigger challenge. I'm not much of a seamstress so I'm struggling through this. Hopefully I'll also get Windows reloaded on my home computer. This is a task I've been talking about for months. It just took me a lot longer to back up all my files that I had anticipated. Copying files to the external hard drive isn't exactly my idea of a good time. Though it sure will be nice to have the computer performing well again. I've been holding off on quite a few digital projects because of its wonkiness.

Speaking of projects, I will *finally* get my small camera (Nikon Coolpix S3) back this weekend. Back in May, I dropped it and had to send it off for repairs. (This is the second time I've broken this camera since I bought it in March. Not a particularly good track record for this little Nikon.) Hopefully you'll see a lot more pictures from me now that I'll have the small camera back.

I spent a lot of my free time in the past couple days reading a year following the breakup. It's a wonderfully personal and entertaining blog. I like that it was a very specific length of time, but again I don't like that it ended. It felt very much like a book because it had a start and finish. Thanks, Josh, for the link.

Chris got back from Mexico last night. He and a group of friends were vacationing in Puerta Vallarta. (Me = jealous) We talked a few times while he was away, but they were short phone calls. Last night we finally got to talk for some length. It's good that he's back. I missed him. Hmm, that's a funny thought. We're always apart so I always miss him, but it was worse while he was in Mexico due to the limited contact. My next trip to Dallas is still a few weeks away - it won't get here soon enough. But I'll enjoy this weekend at home since I'm traveling quite a bit in the next couple months.

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Nacho Libre

I saw Nacho Libre tonight. Quite good in my opinion. It's done by the same writer(s)/director as Napoleon Dynamite so it's fairly similar. I can see a cult following starting. Hopefully there will be many more like these to collect.

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From the Road

I'm on another plane again. This time I'm going to Milwaukee to see clients. At least it's a good time of year to get out of Arizona and into the Midwest...much better than December or January!

Work has been really good lately. I'm learning a lot and feeling like I'm polishing some skills. It's such a blessing to be on a team that has so much experience because I can learn so much from them. I'm lucky to have a job that gives me so much autonomy, freedom, and responsibility while allowing me the room to learn too. Things are really good for me right now. I'm grateful.

The people next to me on this flight have been talking and it was entertaining to listen. She is 25 and he is still in high school (I'm assuming 16 or so). The part that tickled me the most was their conversation about music. He didn't know what happened to Kurt Cobain and she hadn't heard of Depeche Mode. Wow. She's obviously had a little too much to drink and it's made him a little uncomfortable, I think. I had enough of her non-stop banter so I have now disappeared into Ipod bliss. (Ipod - the world's best ear plugs!)

This past weekend was mostly relaxing and catching up after travelling most of last week. Friday I watched movies - Vanilla Sky and Exotica. Don't bother with Exotica, but Vanilla Sky was great. I'm not a big Tom Cruise fan, but I enjoyed his performance Vanilla Sky. Did I mention I joined Netflix? Getting movies in the mail has been so awesome! Ahh, living the life of convenience. I'm so spoiled.

On Saturday, I talked with Karen for a good hour, then I had lunch with Wayne. We tried a new place downtown and it was quite nice. Apparently the same owners as Circa 1900, which Kii recommended awhile back. Wayne is always good company and was exactly what I needed for a social fix. Saturday night I hung out with a couple guys from work - we went to dinner and a movie. We saw The Fast and the Furious, Tokyo Drift. Yes, I know that makes me a big dork and I'm OK with that. I had company.

Sunday I caught up on laundry, dishes, and the such. In the afternoon, Jennifer came over for some stained glass play. I haven't worked in stained glass in ages so it was fun remembering and figuring it out with her. I didn't end up making anything but Jennifer had a cute small piece. (Her first!) We ended the evening with another movie - Brokeback Mountain. Went to bed and before I knew it, I was starting another week.

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Out of Town

I've been on the road this week visiting customers. Both visits were very beneifical. It definitely had something to do with the fact that both visits were well planned. "I love it when a good plan comes together!"

So Monday through Wednesday I was in Wisconsin and Thursday I was in Michigan. This time of year that part of the country is gorgeous. Everything is green and lush. The first couple days were sunny and cool. The last two days were fairly rainy. The weather made travel yesterday a real pain. I dislike the Chicago airport and was reminded of that yesterday.

I'm looking forward to a relaxing weekend where I catch up on my sleep. Maybe do some swimming, hang out with the dog, and watch some movies. Enjoy your weekend!

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Lucky Bamboo??

Wayne sent me this picture and wrote, "Should I be concerned that I woke up and found my "lucky bamboo" like this? What does it mean???"

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Hard Hat

Kristen started a new job last week. Her first day on the job, she was given her very own hard hat! With her name on it! I'm so impressed.

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Weekend of Movies

It seems that this past weekend was a weekend full of movies. I watched the following documentaries. (Yes, it was a weekend of documentaries.) Watching all these documentaries was wonderful but it certainly gave me a lot to think about. Maybe too much to think about and worry about. But if you can't handle the truth about the world, both the good and the bad, what good is living?

SlamNation
PoetrySlam.com
Filmed in the 90's it was about events called poetry slams, which are a mix of poetry and performance. This was a fun movie. The poetry was wonderful, wonderful, wonderful. I laughed a lot. People are really quite entertaining and having the ability to communicate is such a blessing. If only I could communicate as artfully as the poets in this movie.

Born Into Brothels
www.thinkfilmcompany.com/brothels
Kids with Cameras
A documentary about Indian children born to prostitutes. A European photographer teaches them about photo and helps them get attention through their art, which eventually gets them education opportunities. It is a beautiful film because of all the colors and contracts in India. It is also a very sad film because of the lives these children were born into.

WalMart: The High Cost of Low Price
WalmartMovie.com
This documentary just made me mad. I think the Waltons are evil. How can they be so rich (billionaires) and yet conspire to keep their workers so underpaid? I've decided to never shop at WalMart again. The movie touches on a lot of excellent points, which are all depressing at the same time. How can this country allow these unethical practices continue to exist? Chris and I talked a bit about the movie. He asked what I thought could fix WalMart. I think the only thing that would fix the situation is for the company to become publicly traded so that the people who own it could bring some ethics. Obviously the people who own it now have no ethics whatsoever. But they sure have a good marketing department who is making the whole country believe otherwise.

An Inconvenient Truth
ClimateCrisis.net
This film is currently in the theaters and I would highly recommend you go to the theater to see it. Al Gore is travelling across the world giving a presentation about Global Warming to get people involved in the crisis. The film weaves his presentation through it as you experience bits and pieces of Gore's life in the film. It's very well done and it addresses huge issues that need our government's attention. It has really motivated me to get involved politically. I don't think you could see this movie without feeling the same way.

Last Weekend

Last weekend I went back to Dallas to celebrate Chris' birthday. The celebrations began Friday night with a lovely dinner at Silver Fox Steakhouse in Fort Worth. It was really nice seeing Chris' parents again because I enjoy them a lot. It was the first time I met Chris' brother and his family.

Saturday morning Chris and I met Cindy for breakfast. At the beginning of the year, Cindy graduated from UT with her MBA and moved from Austin to Dallas for a job. It sounds like Cindy loves her job, which is such a blessing, and she's getting used to Dallas. It's always a big change to leave your friends in the old city and be required to make all new friends in the new city. Cindy was very positive and upbeat so I can tell the change has been good for her. If only she had moved a couple years earlier when I was living there!

After breakfast, Chris took me to the track - MotorSport Ranch. One of Chris' hobbies is racing his Mini. We've talked about it a number of times and I got to see a video from a friend's car. So I had some idea, but on Saturday got to experience it! We met David and Arianne at the track to watch David race his Porche. On his last run, David offered to take me. So I got all suited up (racing suit and helmet) and strapped in (5 point seat belt). The full course at MotorSport Ranch is 3.1 miles and very technical. Apparently, the twist and turns are what make driving it so fun. David is a pretty amazing driver (from what my inexperience could tell) and I got quite a nice ride. The best part for me was seeing how excited Chris was that I got to experience something he loves so much.

Saturday night Chris and I went to a party where I met many of Chris' friends for the first time. We had tons of food, went swimming, and enjoyed watching other people's drama. It made me miss having a big social group. It was certainly interesting watching the last few minutes of the NBA semi-final game between Dallas and Phoenix.

On Sunday, Chris and I had lunch with my family. Kristen was also in town for her best friends' engagement party so it was great to hang out with her a bit. Mom cooked a fantastic meal. It was just like Thanksgiving - turkey, stuffing, sweet potatoes, and peach pie for desert!

Sunday after lunch, Chris and I headed to Dallas to visit with Leia, Jim, and Matt. It was very, very nice to catch up with old friends and meet Jim for the first time. After hanging out for a bit, Chris and I had a fantastic dinner at Breadwinners. It was nice to wrap up the weekend with some time just for the two of us. Then, sadly, Chris dropped me off at the airport and I came home.

View the whole set of pictures.

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Commitment

The big news around here is that Chris and I are committed. Chris is my boyfriend and I'm his girlfriend. We care about each other (a lot) and have committed to making our relationship better and better. This is a wonderfully significant moment for me.

Chris and I first met in high school, specifically in chemistry class our sophomore year. We were 16. I can remember we spent a lot of time flirting. There was just an instant attraction between us. I don't remember how, but we finally started hanging out after school. My memory of those days are all a bit fuzzy, but we did seem to spend a lot of time at his house after school. Unfortunately it only lasted a few weeks because I got myself grounded. (That might have been the time I was grounded "until I was sorry." But maybe not. Again, fuzzy memory.) So in high school, at age 16, we dated a whole whopping 3 of 4 weeks.

Fast forward 6 or 7 years. I ran into Chris in a bar on Saint Patrick's day. I was out with Kristen as her designated driver. I didn't even recognize Chris. We chatted for awhile and then I totally blew him off. He still likes to rub it in. To my credit, I had a boyfriend at the time and didn't exactly hang out with other men.

Fast forward a couple more years to last summer. Friday, August 19, 2005, Chris and I met again at our ten year high school reunion. We had a fabulous time catching up on each other's lives and there was quite a spark between us. I didn't blow him off.

Chris and I have been dating since August despite living 1,065 miles apart. While we've had some very fun times together, especially the U2 concert, the best times have been on the phone. We've been building a wonderfully mature, emotionally-invested relationship between us. Spending time physically apart with only the phone to connect you, certainly leads to depth of conversation - really, really good conversation.

Throughout this time that I've been dating Chris, I was also dating Kii. This may have seemed confusing to some people, but it was just part of the process for me. The process that I've been through in the past 10 months has really been about me growing up. I've been figuring out who I am, what I want, what is good for me, what I have to give up, and who is meant to be in my life. The process hasn't been easy, but I am so happy in this moment. In this moment, I am able to see myself, understand what I've discovered, and know that Chris is absolutely right for me.

Chris is an amazing man. He is so kind, sensitive, and thoughtful. The big things - like calling and talking to me every night, coming to Phoenix to visit, spending time with my family, and reading books I recommend (and even discussing them with me). The little things too - like putting alcohol in my ears after swimming, opening the car door, enjoying my dog or at least pretending to, and rubbing my feet! Chris is consistent and patient. He's intelligent and I truly believe he can make or fix anything. He listens. He's giving. Chris has a good heart.

Right now I am so happy and peaceful. I have a truly incredible man in my life who is completely committed to me and I to him. We have a great relationship that will only get better with time. I feel like anything is possible for us and the future is such an exciting place. I am so, so proud to call Chris my boyfriend.

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