Today's Yahoo! horoscope for Taurus:
Surprises aren't on your list of favorite things. Never have been, never will be. But when it comes to dealing with the unpredictable, you're better equipped than most of us to do just that. You're a rock, as stable and sturdy as anyone could possibly be. So when an unexpected event comes up now, you'll not only handle it, you'll end up being an example to the rest of the world.
Hm. So what'll it be this time?
Last night I had sushi on the Square downtown with a glass of wine, listening to live music, surrounded by a few hundred people -- including several good friends.
Yesterday I got an update email from my brother, who is loving South Africa. I also got one early today from my sister, who is nervous about her job in South Korea.
In the last six months, I have had high tea in Derbyshire, been intimidated by the Tower of London, climbed mountains, driven about 8,000 miles, been to two weddings, stood at the bottom of the Empire State Building in the pouring rain, watched contortionists in awe, watched the Russian National Ballet, listened to friends going through all levels in relationships, and taken pictures of my mother wandering the shore of Lake Michigan. I've kayaked, I've learned the basics of tango, and I've learned to be a better engineer. I've hit record highs and rock-bottom lows, and all sorts of strange in-betweens.
And that's only the first half of 2009. The second half looks daunting in comparison.
You know what?
Life is good.
Four years ago today I met Anya, Tanya and Anfisa. It was the first day we showed up at the camp in Russia.
I picked up a Vegas guidebook today (because I have a weird thing for guidebooks) and made the random rediscovery of Vegas roller coasters.
I knew they existed. Somehow they had slipped my mind.
I love roller coasters. Love them. I don't spend nearly enough time on them because, well, I'm from South Dakota -- which doesn't contain any of it's own coasters -- and most of my travel happens within five hundred miles of here -- which contains a few coasters, most of which I've already experienced.
Anyway, while paging through said guidebook, I came across three fantastic words: 144 foot drop. My heart was racing as I settled in at the computer and searched for Vegas coasters.
New goal while on vacation: two coasters a day, minimum. There are only a handful and they're far apart, but they're comparatively cheap entertainment (compared to, say, my luck at the slots) and won't leave me with that "broke the only rule I was raised with" feeling.
This trip was looking good before -- but it's only getting better.
Yesterday:
Woke up in Sturgeon Bay.
Drove north-ish.
Stopped to climb around on some rocks along the beach.
Ogled a couple of kayakers. (Couldn't help myself, I swear!)
Kept driving north-ish.
Stopped at an art show.
Bought a bracelet.
Kept driving north-ish.
Stopped at a lighthouse.
Had impromptu picnic between cars.
Got wobbly legs walking up to top of lighthouse.
Kept driving north-ish.
Stood at the top of the Wisconsin thumb.
Geocached successfully.
Wounded self.
Started driving south-ish.
Missed turn; drove through same town twice.
Got frustrated with pedestrians.
Kept driving south-ish.
Ended up at only microbrewery in Door County.
(Completely by accident. It was all radar.)
Kept driving south-ish.
Took pictures at Lambeau Field because we were tourists.
Started the trek west.
Ended in Wausau; watch fireworks from front yard.
A couple of games of cribbage -- and then bedtime.
My parents started their drive home about an hour ago ... I need to mow and enjoy the weather before returning to work tomorrow. And I think I need to post some pictures.
This has been one awesome weekend...
Gorgeous. Perfect day.
Started today in Wausau -- made it to the Dells of the Eau Claire for some hiking, a geocache, and lunch. On to von Stiehl Winery in Algoma in the afternoon, then up to Sturgeon Bay for a couple more geocaches, dinner, and the Super 8.
Good stuff.
After my post yesterday I found today's Taurus horoscope amusing: "You've always found intense people extremely interesting -- not to mention exciting. Someone who answers that description will be along shortly. Your job is to take your time getting to know them so that you'll know if they're just dangerous in the exciting way or dangerous in a truly dangerous way. The good news is that rushing you isn't an easy task, so you won't be pushed into anything you're not comfortable with."
Well.
My project at work just got cancelled -- by the client, or at least by the client's management. Everybody I've been working with for the last six months -- here and there, project managers and lowly minions alike -- was caught off guard. I think the term "pulled the rug out from under us" is most accurate. And then "smacked us in the back of the head on the way down."
It's not a good feeling.
As a matter of fact, it sucks.
I was trying to talk myself out of it -- "This kind of thing happens all the time" -- only to realize that no, it doesn't happen all the time. Earlier in the process, sure. During sales. Shortly after a couple of times. Sometimes things get put on hold. But not this far into a project -- not completely cancelled.
Argh.
And so I add that to the list of nutty things that have happened this year and start cleaning up my files in the event that someone changes his or her mind in a couple of months and I have to pick up where I'm leaving off.
I'm tired and I don't really want to deal with this today.
I'd rather be sleeping. Or thinking about ... Vegas. Or September in general. Or things to do this weekend.
Not sitting here with a growing headache sorting through all of the junk on my desk.
Not a good day.
It's all about intensity.
This past weekend was intense. A lot of people, a lot of events, a lot of stuff going on in general. It wasn't just the anticipated activity -- so many other things happened and unexpected people turned up that by the end I was more tired thinking about it than I had been in the midst of it all.
I started June with a flight to New Jersey; I ended it with a flight to South Dakota. Funny.
Anyway!
Now I'm trying to fit a week of work into three normal-sized days because a) Friday is a work holiday and b) my parents are at this very moment less than an hour from Wausau. We'll be spending the weekend doing a little sightseeing and just generally hanging out. I want to take them to a couple of the breweries in town, there's a concert to catch, and I'm still playing volleyball tomorrow evening ... It doesn't sound like much, but I anticipate a lot of random activities and a fair amount of intensity.
For the next two months, I have very little (in comparison) going on. A couple of weddings here in town, some time to catch up on the rest of life -- it will be good. Particularly since September will be a whole lot of activity again ...
Shorty returns in early August. At the end of the month, he'll be leaving for college. While this doesn't necessarily concern me (I live too far away to help him move), it does mean my parents will be bracing for that. Intensity.
In the meantime, I'm probably headed to Las Vegas over Labor Day for a bachelorette party weekend -- a crazy thought, but that's what 2009 seems to be all about. I'm leaving for Rapid City at the end of September for the associated wedding -- which will be a twelve (minimum) hour drive, plus a lot of people, places, and things ... And hey! Look at that! I'll be in the same town as Shorty for a couple of days. So I get to hang out with my kid brother.
In theory a lot of relaxing, too, but we'll see how that one really turns out.
I don't know what I'll do with myself when fall hits. I'm not ready for it, and I very much doubt I will be.
And yet that seems perfectly okay. By the time fall rolls around, I'm sure there will be more going on. I don't sit still well enough for there to be nothing.
Tomorrow morning, rather early, my sister leaves for Seoul, South Korea.
After delivering her in Minneapolis, my parents are coming here.
My house is NOT ready for visitors, particularly not my mother. But am I doing something about that? No. I'm distracted.
I could blame the sister-to-South-Korea thing, and there'd be something to that. It's certainly distracting. The little-brother-in-South-Africa thing doesn't help the SK thing any.
How did I end up the only sibling staying in the States? It's a little amusing.
It's going to be quiet and dull in here for the next two days -- a fact which I find a little depressing.
Wouldn't be so bad except I won't be able to shut off the part of my brain that's saying, "Hey, don't you have somewhere else to be?"
I can't concentrate.
