My Life

I returned home a little while ago from my birthday dinner.

Denise had planned the whole evening, and it was all to be a surprise to me. The plans involved dinner at The Cheesecake Factory and bowling. She blindfolded me in the same manner I blindfolded her last year for her birthday. I was placed in her car and driven to the restaurant, unknown to me at the time. I wasn’t allowed to remove the blindfold until after walking into the restaurant to the amusement of other people in the parking lot and the restuarant foyer.

We arrived at The Cheesecake Factory more than two hours before our planned dinnertime in order to get our names in, anticipating a long wait. It turned out that a party of 14 would not be able to be seated until midnight, well after everyone will have died from hunger. So upon some discussion, we opted for the Rainforest Café whose wait was only ninety minutes.

The dinner tasted good, but the rainforest-esque surroundings made for an interesting evenings. By the time we were done eating dessert (ice cream brownie volcano), it was pretty late and bowling was pretty much out of the question. Photographs are now online. Thanks to everyone who made it. It was great to be in the company of friends. Now I get to think about how old I am.

Early computer models from the Action News Accu-Weather Team show that this year’s birthday will be better than last year’s.

Yes, I have one week left of being Young (26). I will soon be classified as Old (27). What an arbitrary drag it is.

I’ve put the journal back up for now. It’s not completely what I want, but I don’t have time right now to figure out what it is I want online. Also, the strange comments people were leaving were driving me insane, if insane were a place I could be driven.

I just finished playing outside in the snow for an hour with Denise and Ward. Some pictures should be up at some point. I’m not sure how much snow has fallen over the last twenty-four hours, but it’s definitely more than a foot. Apparently, there’s still more snow in store for us. I’m enjoying it while I can.

Uh oh, it’s going to get a little mushy. Just a little. And it’ll be over quickly.

To everyone who has helped me, cared about me up close or from afar, loved me, stood by me through anything and everything, and even a few who didn’t stand by me, I love you.

My lower third left molar (“wisdom”) tooth (#17) has been bothering me all day. Just thinking about getting my wisdom teeth removed is racking my nerves. I’ve learned there’s no reason to have them out unless the teeth are damaging surrounding teeth or causing pain, and I’ve managed to get by without any pain until now. But today, just the one tooth is bothering me. Time to make an appointment with the dentist.

It looks like I’m staying home today. We’ve gotten six and a half inches of the white stuff already. They haven’t started plowing yet. The radio reporters are talking about accidents everywhere. Here’s today’s snow horoscope:

Put your ambitions into action today, dear Pisces. The day’s planetary aspects should find you feeling energetic and positive. Make the most of this by taking steps towards your goals. As you know, if you don’t actively pursue things, nothing will happen. The years can pass by so quickly and you wouldn’t want to be sitting on a rocker wondering ‘what if’. Trust yourself and do what it takes. Everything starts with one single step.

I’m exploring the feasibility of maintaining my current job and working part-time with a school concurrently. I would have to move this fall, in order to be closer to both the school and my day job. My rent could go up anywhere from $2,400 to $9,600 a year. I would need a car and insurance to go with it. I could get a car around $7,000 and the insurance would cost me $3,500 a year (at least). Therefore, if I were to get a part time teaching job, it would have to pay at least $13,000 to cover the minimal costs.

I still think the best idea is to aim for a full-time teaching position. While the salary isn’t great, and benefits aren’t great, eventually I’ll get my licensure for administration.

You’re welcome to post (intelligent) comments, as long as you don’t exude the attitude of “I have all the answers.” :>

Your imagination is flying high today, dear Pisces. Intellect and intuition join together in a vivid and explosive union where the whole is definitely greater than the sum of the parts. Don’t waste this energy. Get busy and work on whatever creative projects you’re involved with, or start one if there aren’t any. This energy may not come around again for a while, and you’ll want to make the most of it. Have fun!