Life has been busy. Very Busy. Busy in the way that I love and crave and don’t feel right without having in my life. Is it exhausting? At times, yes. But filling my life to the brim with new experiences is life affirming and exciting right now and I’m loving it.
It’s been a month and a half since I’ve moved to Raleigh. In that time I’ve:
- Started a new job
- Joined three softball teams (one fastpitch and two slowpitch) Gotten sick twice (colds)
- Been to an art festival and wandered around a huge, inflatable living sculpture
- Seen a lot of bands live (Marcy Playground, Love Language, Caravan of Thieves, The Connells, the Small Ponds, Kooley High, Hammer No More the Fingers, Chaise Lounge)
- Been to three meetups
- Gone to a professional conference in St. Paul
- See stand-up comedy
- Volunteered and and enjoyed Tour de Fat
- Been on two first dates
- Made some new friends and lots of fun acquaintances
I love Raleigh. There is always something going on. Actually, there are always about 10 things going on, it’s kind of overwhelming. On Wednesdays I pick up the Independent Weekly to browse all the upcoming events and the variety is astounding.
My job has been my undeniable affirmation that the move was the best thing for me. It’s exceeding my expectations. My co-workers are nice and I’m getting to work on great projects. I’m also networking with people at the top of my field. AND **drumroll** 40 hours a week people! And comp time! Which is enabling me to have a life outside of work! LOVE!
I’ve also met some great people. I really like most the girls on my fastpitch softball team. Though we’ve had a rough season the camaraderie is great and I’ve loved finding other people who are as passionate about softball as I am. I met a friend through Craigslist platonic section. Looking on Craigslist for friends might sound crazy but that’s how I found my best friend in Tallahassee so don’t knock it till you try it. I’ve gone on two dates. The first was with karate guy. Karate guy and I seemed super compatible on paper; I was really excited about meeting him. Unfortunately we met, his picture on his profile didn’t match up IRL, his stories he chose to tell revolved around drinking, he was obsessed with the ‘finer things” he’d accumulated in his life, and he was kinda boring. The second guy was with exotic guy. The first date went swimmingly: perfect gentleman, good conversation, time flew by, there was chemistry there. Or so I thought. On the second date things fell flat. We had fun and good conversation but the attraction fizzled and I realized I just wanted to be friends with him. Sad the romantic-ness didn’t pan out but excited to have a new guy friend.
This weekend I’m heading to my favorite place on earth: the Smokey mountains of North Carolina. I’m meeting Angie up there for a weekend of fun. Saturday- Asheville. Sunday- waterfalls. Monday- gemming. I’m super excited; I’ve really missed Angie and always love vacationing in the mountains. To make things better we are staying at my dad’s place so I get to see him some and it’s free!
Things I’ve been neglecting since the move that I need to get on top of:
- Unpacking. I still have about 5 boxes of stuff piled in a corner in my kitchen.
- Decorating. A lack of a power drill and lack of self-assuredness on my part has kept my walls bare and drab.
- Working out. I’m playing A LOT of softball. I still haven’t gotten around to joining a gym and getting on a normal schedule.
- Writing. I want to write, I feel the need to write, but then I have this weird self-consciousness about it. It’s not about if others will find it’s interesting, I just feel like the stuff I want to write about isn’t worthy of being written about? Is boring? Dull? Silly?
- Haircut. I need a cut. And color.
- Weight Watchers. Way to sporadic about it right now. Need to buckle down and get my act in gear.
- Cooking. I’ve used my oven once. I live of lean cuisine and microwavable fare. I want to learn to cook. I want to learn to buy fresh ingredients and throw them together a la Nigella Lawson. There is a mindfulness about cooking that appeals to me, I feel like I should at least try it out.
- Exploring the outdoors. I know, I know, I’m from Florida but Christ it’s hot! And all the meetups I’ve seen outdoor related are a bit past my comfort zone (to far, to long, etc).
- Calling people. I am missing some people like crazy. I didn’t realize how much I loved my social life in Tallahassee till I left it. I had a good thing going and I miss my friends. Does that mean I’d do the rational thing and call them? You’d think so but I haven’t. Maybe it’s because I hate talking on the phone (I blame my bad hearing), maybe it’s because I’m afraid they don’t want to talk to me, maybe it’s because I always think of calling people at like… 2 am. Which leads to my next thing…
- Going to bed at a reasonable time. I’m like a stubborn baby. I know I’m tired. I know I should go to bed. I know nothing really interesting happens on the internetz after 11 pm… still I seem to fight it with abandon. And now I’m on this kooky nap schedule that’s not good. Not good at all.
Randomness:
- I really want to be a mermaid. But I can’t so I’m just going to buy this to put in my bedroom.
- I love this picture so, so, so many reasons. I kind of want to make it my avatar for everything.
