I was just looking at my last blog post and realizing how long it's been! Man does time fly!

Well my blood donation went well. No passing out from getting stuck by a needle (twice if you include the damn blood count they stick your finger for. That sucker hurts!), and no weakness from lack of blood. Plus I got some Graeter's ice cream afterwards and a coupon for a free pint. Awesome!! Unfortunately my parents weren't able to give blood that day. They had been to a tropical island in the last 6 months that was on their "list". I got nervous for a minute because there were some Eastern countries on the list if you had been there in the last 3 years. Thank goodness China was not one of them!

When I got home I was ready to sit on the couch and relax, since you aren't supposed to do much for the rest of the day. I went to turn on the TV, and the receiver wouldn't come on. Crap! I had just switched over to my receiver a couple months ago because Craig's had gone out. So, I had to bite the bullet and call Craig to figure out how to switch the sound from everything over to the TV. This damn TV is the most complicated I've ever dealt with in my life. Plus the eye for the remote no longer works so you can't use the remote to change the settings, which would probably be easier. So here I am, pulling out a 60 something inch TV from the wall (console type, not flat screen!) just an hour or so after giving blood, on the phone with my ex, who I'm trying to have as little contact as possible with, and trying to figure out which cords go to what. I told Midnight (as of course he had to "supervise" what I was doing) if I passed out call for back up! Thankfully it wasn't as difficult as I thought it would be, and I didn't pass out. My dad got me a receiver the next week for an early Christmas present. Otherwise I wouldn't be able to adjust the sound on the TV at all except for manually, which for anyone who deals with cable TV knows that every single channel has a different friggin volume!

So the next day was my birthday, and the first day of my week long vacation from work. Goody for me, I woke up with a really bad sinus infection! I layed on the couch all day so that I would have the energy to go out to dinner that night. We went to Wiltshire on Main, where Casey (Ginger's nephew-in-law) is a chef. The atmosphere was great and so was the food. I was bummed however, because the Bare Minerals Quickie van was outside for the trolley hop that night, but it was gone by the time we finished dinner. :-( I'm like the poster child for Bare Minerals makeup! LOL After dinner we went back to Ginger's where she had some Gigi's cupcakes waiting for me. Yummy! The next night I went to my friend from high school Karla's parents house in J-town for a karaoke party. It was great fun! I got to catch up with Karla and meet her kids and husband, all who were awesome. :-) Unfortunately I was still sick and had to call it an early night. I was that sick for about 4 or 5 days, which ruined most of my vacation time! I had plans to go stay with Nicki and Troy so I could spend some time with them and my niece and nephew but had to cancel. I still wasn't feeling great the rest of the week, but I was at least partially functional so I could get a few things done and make it to Huber's that Friday for some wine tasting and lunch. The best part about that was when we went to visit the petting farm. The had a large fenced area with goats, who happened to find an unlocked fence and broke free. 20-30 goats were running everywhere! It was the most hilarious thing I've ever seen. I so wish I had my Flip video camera with me! I also taught Spencer, my friend Jenny's son who is the same age as my niece, how to yell BUNNY! every time he sees a rabbit, LOL. I love corrupting small children! ;-)

As for the rest of my life, work is, well, the same ol' crap. Just getting through the days and hoping either something gets better or I find an opening for another job soon. The damn Rad. Tech market is so flooded with techs with all the Rad. Tech programs in the city it's ridiculous. I am still studying for my final in my 3D imaging course, but with being sick on top of the fact that it's been a long time since I've finished some of the lessons, it's been slow going! I should be ready in the next week or so hopefully, then I'll be moving on to the next course. I'm just praying that I can get a good job with this new modality as soon as possible!

As for my dating life...LOL well I keep finding it amusing. Not exactly dating itself, but the people around me and their views and opinions on MY dating life. I have at least gotten past the people freaking out if I start dating too early. And, thank goodness, I'm not yet to the point where everyone is asking me on a daily basis if I'm dating, who I'm dating, why am I not dating, etc. I'm calling it the "sweet spot". It's the point in between those 2 phases where no one is bugging the hell out of me about it! And I'm FAR from the phase where it's been so long since I've been in a relationship that people start questioning my sexuality! That is the most amusing to me! Because god forbid you actually CHOOSE to be single! That's only happened to me once in my life, and I could do nothing but laugh at them. Of course with my hetero-life partner now married maybe I will be able to keep those rumors at bay now. Oh wait, I forgot, the husband could just be a cover...excuse me while I roll my eyes into the back of my head...

So yes yes, the question you want to know...am I dating yet. Damn nosey people, LOL! I am slowly getting back into the dating world again. I have gotten the dreaded "first date back" out of the way. Oh, have I mentioned that I hate first dates?? Always have! Pain in the ass in my opinion. Ginger, on the other hand, absolutely loves them and is now looking forward to living through me vicariously. If somehow she could go on the initial dates for me and get them out of the way that would be fabulous! I have found it amazing how many people come out of the woodwork as soon as you claim yourself to be single! I was bombarded the first 2 days I made it public with offers and guys just wanting to suddenly say "hey, so what's up..." lol. I was thinking where the hell were you people when I was actually looking for dates back in the day?! I have found that I'm much more picky this time around. My old Mojo account is active again (although not as fun as it was back in the day). I won't even read responses from anyone that doesn't use punctuation, asks stupid questions, or uses words like "classy" or "gentleman". Because really, if you are classy or a gentleman then you wouldn't use those annoying words! Oh then there's my favorite, a guy that sent me simply one word: Yummy. How the hell do you respond to that?? My answer, you don't! LOL I don't have time for this crap anymore. Then there was my experience this past weekend at a bar we were at to do some karaoke. This very drunk, very creepy guy was hitting on me, sitting way to close to me and staring at me. Ew ew ew! I haven't gotten hit on in a bar in years, and I suddenly become single again and here they come. When he finally went away I asked my friends how in the hell do they know?? The response from my friend was "Oh, they know!", lol. So now I need to get a fake ring or something to keep them away. Although when I told this guy about my "very serious relationship" I was in he was still adamant. I feel like I need to take another shower just thinking about it again....

So this time around I've decided not to let everyone know the complete ins and outs of my dating life. Mainly the annoying women at work. Oh they've tried to figure it all out in their own little sneaky ways. Always asking me "so, anything new going on in your life?", aka "So, you dating anyone yet? Is it serious? When are you getting married and having babies?". I've shared some of the details to a few close friends but that's about it. Although when I'm talking to my friend at work about it (she's going through some similar stuff in her life right now so we swap stories lol) I see the women at work straining to try to hear what we're talking about, lol. It cracks me up! I think if I ever get married and start having kids I'm going to just deny the entire thing to them. I'll come in to work 8 months pregnant saying "Pregnant?? I don't know what you're talking about..." and turn my fat belly around and walk away, LOL.

As far as "how I feel about everything" goes, I'm getting there. I am happy with where my life is going, but not quite happy about where it is. But many things are out of my control for the time being. I'm ready to get back into the dating world, but not quite ready for anything serious. Plus the thought of bringing anyone "home" is not an option right now, considering where I live. I just don't feel comfortable with that here. It just feels wrong, you know? Well most people wouldn't know because few people have probably been in the situation I'm in! But it's not my house, and there's a lot of history here. I once saw this is my house as well, but now I don't. My future is not here nor will it ever be. When that starts becoming an issue I will have to seriously consider other options. For now, unfortunately, I can't afford to go anywhere. I used to care about the look and condition of this house, now I just keep it livable. Which actually is a vast improvement of it's state before I moved in! I will be happy to live in a place that I can call my own again, and feel comfortable in no matter what the situation is (i.e. dating). But for now this is my life and I will deal with everything as it comes my way.

Crap, I almost forgot the most exciting news! Since much of my stress is disappearing, so are the excess pounds I gained this year! Which is more amazing because of the fact that I haven't been able to work out regularly since I got sick. It could be the 185 lbs of stress that is no longer a part of my life as of a couple months ago, LOL. And no, it's not muscle i'm losing, because my waistline is shrinking (which is where I gained it all). I am now 2 lbs from where I started, and 4 lbs from my goal. I haven't changed my eating habits either, still eating as healthy as I was before. I TRIED TO TELL EVERYONE that I was gaining, and not losing, even though I was trying as hard as I could. I figured it was stress, but people who know nothing about weight loss, exercise, and nutrition couldn't comprehend that. Of course most people won't notice the difference, unless I stand around completely naked which is NOT happening! But my clothes are finally fitting better, and I feel better in them. :-)

Peace out, Peeps!

Interesting day

Well, I knew I would have weird days like this after everything that has gone on in the last couple months!

I started the day with a sore neck. I used my new pillow for the first time last night (one that is supposed to support your neck). I thought it was working out well, until I woke up!

I also woke up to loud machines and banging outside the bedroom window, as the foundation/patio workers were already here and at it. So, I got to roll out of bed first thing and get dressed to go out and say hello to Craig's dad. I'm under the impression that he has not told them about us yet, from the way he was talking and acting about things. That doesn't really surprise me though. Craig is the type that will not tell anyone and just figure that they will figure out when I stop showing up on major holidays, LOL. It took them about 5 hours to do all the work. When they were done I had to make a run to Lowe's to get some silicone caulk (hee hee) to seal the seams of the patio for his dad. As I was checking out we realized that the credit card I have of Craig's expired...today! This is not good, as that is my only way of paying for things such as gas for the mower and vet bills (HA!). I wish I had noticed the date before he left!

When I got home from Lowe's I noticed the Fed Ex truck pulling out of the driveway. I figured it was the package Craig told me he was expecting a few weeks ago. The package was for me however. I knew what it was as soon as Craig's dad pointed it out to me. Craig had ordered me a box of chocolate-covered strawberries for my birthday. The card said "I bet this will make you feel better". Of course he was right, as that is my favorite dessert in the world! Now before anyone starts getting assumptions, i'll clear that up right away....it does not mean that we will be getting back together, or that he is trying to win his way back. It was simply a present for my birthday from someone who cares for me. We had a very amicable relationship and breakup with no hard feelings. The timing of the weirdness of the day already made things kind of weird for me though! I realized at work earlier in the week that today marks exactly 1 month since the "decision" was made, and I was technically single. Wow, I can't believe how fast time has flown by!

After his dad left and I got the patio pseudo back together, I went for my hair appointment. I had decided to do a big change and cut much of the length off. I was going to do this in another 6 or 8 months after I let my hair grow really long first, but given all the changes in my life right now I decided today was the day! I'm always nervous about hair changes (after all it's my best feature!), especially when it's going shorter. But I have to say that i'm pleased with it so far! I haven't had my hair this short since I was 21, and that was from a bad hair stylist mishap, lol. Before then I believe it was when I was a kid, like first grade!

So that about wraps up my day. Like I said i'm not surprised, as my life is chaos right now!

Tomorrow I am giving blood for the first time for the UofL/UK Governor's Cup Blood drive. I've wanted to give blood for a long time but have never had the nerve to suck it up and go. I have a HUGE fear of needles. Ironic for being in the medical field I know. I have done pretty well with IVs in the past, so i'm hoping i'm ok with this. I plan on just not looking and being in denial anything is happening! This blood drive is cool, as you get a t-shirt for it. They also have a fried chicken dinner that they provide, and a drawing for the UK-UofL football game tickets and for a Ford Focus. My dad and step-mom are going with me to give blood too. There was no way I would do this by myself! I'm also excited to find out what blood type I am. Both my parents are A, but my sister is O. We shall see!

Friday is my birthday, and Ginger has planned a dinner at the restaurant her niece's husband is a chef. Megan (her niece) is a pastry chef at Proof, but seeing as she is out on maternity leave we figured it would be pointless to go there right now! I also have Friday thru next week off work. I have several things planned, such as a trip to see Nicki and my niece and nephew for a couple days and a trip to Huber's winery. I'll just be glad to be out of work for a week and to get my mind off of things for a while!

So, my friends have started discussing me dating again. It's completely cracking me up! I'm very level-headed when it comes to dating and relationships, and I know where I am as far as that. However my friends have to make sure to put their 2 cents in before I "get out there". I have some friends saying "are you sure you are ready for that? You don't want to rush things...", then I have others saying "go on out there and get you some!", LOL. It's like I have an angel on one shoulder and the devil on the other! But I know where i'm at right now. Although I wouldn't mind just casually dating, i'm definately not ready for a relationship. If an opportunity comes along to go out and have some fun I won't pass it up, but I will be very clear where I stand and where I am right now with everyone. I've always been completely up front and honest in the dating scene anyway, even 6 years ago when I was actually out there. Man, I can't believe it's been over 6 years! It seems like forever ago, but like yesterday at the same time. At this point i'm just taking things one day at a time. I have some good days and some anxious days, but I will never let myself get down and depressed. There's no reason to. :-)