My day has already been filled with little treats!  The kindness of a stranger helped me to not miss the train.  There was NOT ice on the windshield this morning – for the first time all week.  I found a dollar on the sidewalk on my way into the office.

After a bit of a rough week, it is nice to be able to enjoy and remember the little treats that life throws at you.  I know I do not step back enough and do just that. 

Here is to hoping for many more treats!!

Right now I am tired.  Tired of thinking, analyzing, tumbling over scenerios all in my head.  There is lots going on at work, home, with my jacked-up arm*, that my mind can not stop thinking about any of it.  I have one of those minds where the wheels are always, always turning.  It would be great if my head had an off switch, just so I could stop thinking for a little while.  I am sure I am becoming slightly crazy and am hoping I am not pissing off friends and such in the process.   I just wish I had all the answers, what should I be when I grow up? how do I make my arm stop hurting? 

A few years ago I saw a production of “Stop the World - I Want to Get Off” on PBS, sadly, shouting that does not actually stop much.  Might turn some heads though…

Instead I put on the sound track to “Legally Blonde the Musical” and get lost in Elle.  I tried cruising around in the Mini, but ended up being all analytical and “where should I go next?!” so I just went home instead.  I think I have to keep working on other methods to distract my mind.

*Just over a month ago, I fell on my arm that I had surgery on a couple years ago.  I went to my primary care provider and had it checked out, but the x-rays did not show any breaks, so I just rested it and left for a two week vacation.  Now, my wrist is still visably swollen and is very painful, typing hurts, too bad it is generally what I do all day.  Yesterday I spend the whole day going back and forth between the orthopedic’s office and home.  Appointment in the morning with the doctor and an x-ray (yup, still not broken) and an MRI in the afternoon – where I had to lay still for about 50 minutes on my stomach, with my arm over my head.  I won’t know anything for a couple days.

I know I made my travel schedule.  But I am sick of it.  Sick of my suitcase.  Sick of eating out alone.  Sick of being bored.  I miss my hubby, my dogs, and my friends.

I just ordered pizza from a nationwide chain, I never do that.  At least the day I return home – we are going to a White Sox Game!!!

Update: My day just got much better when I looked at the sticker on the side of the pizza box and it said  “Your pizza experience managed by Christ”

Right now I am in Boston.  I had to come here for work, so I tacked my own weekend vacation to the end of it.  I spend today doing the tourist thing and basically made it through the entire Freedom Trail.  Last night I went on a Duck Tour, which was a great way to turn around a horrible day.   The day started by the guy I was suppose to meet for work, blowing me off.  Luckily I accomplished a great deal the day before and could spend the day working in our local office.  Later in the day, I decided to start my tourist thing by going on a Duck Tour.  In order to get to the Duck Tour, I waited for 20+ minutes in the rain for a taxi.  I get in the taxi, tell the cabbie where I wanted to go, and he did not want to take me there – the jerk dumped me out into the rain one block away.  I returned to the hotel, worried I would not make my tour and the wonderful guest services lady saved the day.  She was leaving and brought me to where I needed to go.  The rest of the night was great, including wanderind around in a gentle rain.

Tomorrow I fly to Minnesota and drive to Fargo.

My photos from Boston can be viewed here.

Today I brought in half my sandwich from dinner I picked up at corner bakery last night.  I figured, hey, this would be great with a cup of soup.  I checked the website for the restaurant in the building, it posts the daily soups.  Great! Vegetable and Barely Soup in a clear broth.  SCORE! A yummy sounding soup and one that is going to be relatively healthy.  I go down stairs and ask for the Vegetable Soup.  The guy says, “Which one, they are both vegetable?”  I respond with “The one that is NOT the calm chowder, just the Vegetable Soup.”  I get my container, pay, go back up stairs.

Stick my spoon in the bowl and GAG, UGH!!! CLAM FREAKING CHOWDER.

Luckily, I was able to just go back and swap it out.  Unfortunately the whole time I was doing so, all I could taste was clam, blah!

Lately friendships have been on my mind, what it means to be a good friend, what it means to have a good friend, what happens when a good friend so no longer as such, how to maintain a friendship when one moves away, and so on and so forth.  I have always struggled with figure out friendships, so I thought I would put down the different types of friends I have in my life.

Always there
These are the friends that are there for you no matter what and some times no matter what time of day.  They are there to help you celebrate the happy moments in life and they are there when the Road of Life gets rocky.  They listen to you bitch over and over about the same crap.  They listen to you ramble on about the crazy things you enjoy and they have no clue about.  They are the people you can not wait to IM when something crazy happens.  They are the people that help round out your life.  I am lucky enough to have a couple of these types of friends in my life and I hope to develop more of these friendships.  Those of you know who you are, thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Type Casted
These are the friends that are only your friends for certain events or activities.  For instance, I would consider some of my homebrewing peeps these type of friends.  They are fun to talk with about that one thing you have in common.Sig Other’s Friends
Your significant’s other’s friends, these could also be “type casted” friends.  I loved these peeps to death, but 1) I generally only hang with them with Hubby and 2) I can only talk about drugs so much, come on people – you are all really cool and have other interests – let’s go there for a bit!! (wink,wink)

Pick up where you left off

Friends that you do not see/talk to very often, but when you do it is great.  Conversations take off exactly where you left things.  These people are very dear to me and I am sad that I do not communicate with them more often.  Sadly, life gets busy and sometimes going that extra step can be derailed by schedules and day-to-day craziness.Convenience
People who are only your friends when it is convenient to them.  They tend to be superficial and the friendship level comes and goes.  For some reason, these are people I seem to think are going to become “always there friends” I don’t know why.  All that does is set me up for disappointment and a feeling of rejection.  At the same time, they are people that are kept in ones life.

I suppose lately I have feel very lost in “friendships,” not knowing where I stand.  What type of friend I am to that person.  Am I being just as superficial?  Am I setting someone else up for disappointment?  I try to be the type of friend I would like to have.  I know I make mistakes and can take people for granted.  But I have tried to be true. 

After observing all the filming and sets last summer, I had a really hard time watching the movie and not FREAKING OUT over Omigod look it is [insert Chicago Landmark, store I go to, building I work in, other items from the city].  So, yeah, I am probably going to have to watch it again.  But I loved it.  I thought it was amazing and Heath Ledger was such a great Joker.  It will be sad not to see any more new work form him. 

So – if you haven’t seen it – go…now…why are you still reading this? 

- Bought a new car
- Moved into a new office
- Drank lots of beer
- Decided I should drink less beer
- Continued tennis lessons
- Have been attending International Night at the Maproom
- Read several books, most of them good
- Celebrated some, laughed lots, and cried a little as well

I am hoping to take this back up again, we will see how I do…

Highlights of this week:

-  Total meltdown (related to that place I go every day, I shall say no more)

-  Day without water, due to our water main breaking.  This caused me to have to drive to my in-laws at 10:45 pm so I could get ready for work the next morning.

-  Broken banister on our stairs.

-  Downpours on a 40 degree day that caused me to sit at my desk all day wet up to my mid-shins.  Fairly certain there was standing water in my shoes at one point.

-  No news on certain info we are waiting on – major cause of stress and freaking out.

AND the KICKER!

-  The Turd Mobile is dead.  That accident Hubby was in, remember?  I just found out that the insurance agency is totalling it.  Not sure what happens next. 

So, there has been at least one crappy thing per day so far this week.  Good thing, the week is almost over.  Cross your fingers next week is better.