Sunday, July 31, 2005
inform the media!
I did it; I woke up early once again today. So far, all I've done is sit at the computer and eat cereal and Kool Aid (such a healthy compliment to cereal, I know), but yesterday...getting up at 7 just made the weekend seem --->this<--- much longer. I need all of the free minutes I can. Tomorrow begins another week at the Grindstone.
On Friday, I got to spend the last two hours in my old area, an area I hated the last week, but it was so nice to be over there again. The radio sits on the window sill, playing great classic rock songs (not crappy ones, but songs like "Come Sail Away" by Styx and well, I can't think of any others, that was way back on Friday. But anyway, I guess I wouldn't mind being back over in that corner. Oh right!! I just remembered, I think the girl who is usually over there will be gone tomorrow, so maybe they'll have me fill in. Anyway, I think about work way too much. Thursday and Friday I had reoccuring dreams about making 30% solutions of lactose. I had them all set out to the side of me, and when John had come to bed I yelled at him and told him he was messing up my experiment.
That morning was followed by us singing together, remembered lyrics of songs by the Weakerthans, and for awhile, we were awake and chipper together...on a work day. It reminded me of those summer days when all we did was hang out at his house in Wisconsin, the doors and windows open with sweet lake Superior air blowing inside, kissing and making macoroni and cheese (Annie's Naturals with white cheddar) and riding yellow-painted bicycles downtown. For awhile, that morning, I had forgotten we really had to go our separate ways for the day.
Yesterday, on our drive to the vineyard, we had a scary conversation. John wants to go to guitar-making school very soon. He was going to go this year, but the program was all filled up. From there, he would complete the program (about two years), and then we would move up north (Northern Minnesota? The U.P? Northern Wisconsin? VERMONT??) somewhere north, where we would buy property in the woods and build a log cabin and he could make guitars and I could...I don't know. I could...what about my job at the lab? I have a 401K set up, health insurance, a good wage, a semi-entertaining job that doesn't really change day-to-day...guitar school is a 2 hour drive from here. We could move there, and I'd have to quit my job...we could stay here and John could commute. It's one of those things where the adult-ness in me says "You need to stay at this job - it's one of those jobs you really wouldn't mind retiring from some day - keep it while you have it! Retirement fund!" And the adventerous, what-about side of me says, "Think about your mom and dad - do you NEVER want to live closer to them? What about living in the woods, the city, by a lake...you only applied to this job on a whim of hope, and you just so happen to love it. Who's to say a similar situation wouldn't come along. Live life! Take it where it leads."
There is just something so scary about being permanant for the rest of my life...it's all going to go by so quickly. I mean, 5 years ago I was riding bikes with left-over potluck food rattling in backpacks down red-soiled pathways and eating macoroni and cheese, smelling fresh air from Lake Superior as I sat and ate with the love of my life. 5 years ago. It was SO DIFFERENT. 5 years isn't really that long of a time, and I'll have like 6 or 10 more sets of 5 years and each one could be just as different. I should just stop trying to plan out life. I never saw myself here back then, so who really knows where I'll be in 5 years. Even if I try to imagine it, I will be way off!
Speaking of which, we did end up going to the vineyard yesterday. First we stopped off at John's office, where I finally met his boss, and then we went to a few stores. We didn't buy much, just a leash for Sammie and some cards that will proclaim our new address to friends and family. The drive to the vineyard was so nice. We took old two-laned State highways that followed the Minnesota River Valley and the rolling fields and farms and great old farmhouses that had been fixed up, flags hanging from their freshly painted front porches. We turned off on a gravel road that led to the vineyard. "First farm on the left!" the sign stated.
There were a half a dozen other cars there, so we didn't feel too strange. Tours were 1-4, and we had missed them all. There was a sweet dog named "Duncan" who followed us around the entire time. We were still able to walk down the yard to the creek and rows of grapes. There was a big tree by the creek with a moss-covered wooden swing. It was a picture perfect place.
John had a glass of specialty wine, and we both ordered wood-fired pizzas. Their brick oven was outside, and it was beautiful. The pizzas were very traditional, flat crispy circles with cornmeal sprinkled everywhere...no red sauce, just sliced tomatoes and cheese, sprinkled with herbs. Trouble was, they were so small and not very filling, due to their flatness. Don't get me wrong, they were so good!
On the way toward home, we drove through little villages and smaller towns and gazed at their brick downtowns and abandoned schools, vines and broken windows covering the memories. There is just something about shut down schools. I can almost hear the echos of children's laughter and see the book straps and lessons written on the board. It's one of the saddest things to see, in my opinion.
The night concluded with several Kwik Trips (for cash) and a much anticipated viewing of: Devil's Rejects. I almost cried. It was amazing. ¶ 9:13 AM
On Friday, I got to spend the last two hours in my old area, an area I hated the last week, but it was so nice to be over there again. The radio sits on the window sill, playing great classic rock songs (not crappy ones, but songs like "Come Sail Away" by Styx and well, I can't think of any others, that was way back on Friday. But anyway, I guess I wouldn't mind being back over in that corner. Oh right!! I just remembered, I think the girl who is usually over there will be gone tomorrow, so maybe they'll have me fill in. Anyway, I think about work way too much. Thursday and Friday I had reoccuring dreams about making 30% solutions of lactose. I had them all set out to the side of me, and when John had come to bed I yelled at him and told him he was messing up my experiment.
That morning was followed by us singing together, remembered lyrics of songs by the Weakerthans, and for awhile, we were awake and chipper together...on a work day. It reminded me of those summer days when all we did was hang out at his house in Wisconsin, the doors and windows open with sweet lake Superior air blowing inside, kissing and making macoroni and cheese (Annie's Naturals with white cheddar) and riding yellow-painted bicycles downtown. For awhile, that morning, I had forgotten we really had to go our separate ways for the day.
Yesterday, on our drive to the vineyard, we had a scary conversation. John wants to go to guitar-making school very soon. He was going to go this year, but the program was all filled up. From there, he would complete the program (about two years), and then we would move up north (Northern Minnesota? The U.P? Northern Wisconsin? VERMONT??) somewhere north, where we would buy property in the woods and build a log cabin and he could make guitars and I could...I don't know. I could...what about my job at the lab? I have a 401K set up, health insurance, a good wage, a semi-entertaining job that doesn't really change day-to-day...guitar school is a 2 hour drive from here. We could move there, and I'd have to quit my job...we could stay here and John could commute. It's one of those things where the adult-ness in me says "You need to stay at this job - it's one of those jobs you really wouldn't mind retiring from some day - keep it while you have it! Retirement fund!" And the adventerous, what-about side of me says, "Think about your mom and dad - do you NEVER want to live closer to them? What about living in the woods, the city, by a lake...you only applied to this job on a whim of hope, and you just so happen to love it. Who's to say a similar situation wouldn't come along. Live life! Take it where it leads."
There is just something so scary about being permanant for the rest of my life...it's all going to go by so quickly. I mean, 5 years ago I was riding bikes with left-over potluck food rattling in backpacks down red-soiled pathways and eating macoroni and cheese, smelling fresh air from Lake Superior as I sat and ate with the love of my life. 5 years ago. It was SO DIFFERENT. 5 years isn't really that long of a time, and I'll have like 6 or 10 more sets of 5 years and each one could be just as different. I should just stop trying to plan out life. I never saw myself here back then, so who really knows where I'll be in 5 years. Even if I try to imagine it, I will be way off!
Speaking of which, we did end up going to the vineyard yesterday. First we stopped off at John's office, where I finally met his boss, and then we went to a few stores. We didn't buy much, just a leash for Sammie and some cards that will proclaim our new address to friends and family. The drive to the vineyard was so nice. We took old two-laned State highways that followed the Minnesota River Valley and the rolling fields and farms and great old farmhouses that had been fixed up, flags hanging from their freshly painted front porches. We turned off on a gravel road that led to the vineyard. "First farm on the left!" the sign stated.
There were a half a dozen other cars there, so we didn't feel too strange. Tours were 1-4, and we had missed them all. There was a sweet dog named "Duncan" who followed us around the entire time. We were still able to walk down the yard to the creek and rows of grapes. There was a big tree by the creek with a moss-covered wooden swing. It was a picture perfect place.
John had a glass of specialty wine, and we both ordered wood-fired pizzas. Their brick oven was outside, and it was beautiful. The pizzas were very traditional, flat crispy circles with cornmeal sprinkled everywhere...no red sauce, just sliced tomatoes and cheese, sprinkled with herbs. Trouble was, they were so small and not very filling, due to their flatness. Don't get me wrong, they were so good!
On the way toward home, we drove through little villages and smaller towns and gazed at their brick downtowns and abandoned schools, vines and broken windows covering the memories. There is just something about shut down schools. I can almost hear the echos of children's laughter and see the book straps and lessons written on the board. It's one of the saddest things to see, in my opinion.
The night concluded with several Kwik Trips (for cash) and a much anticipated viewing of: Devil's Rejects. I almost cried. It was amazing. ¶ 9:13 AM
