Six months down...

I really dislike overly used phrases.  When women come into my office after having a baby and start asking me if a reduced appetite is normal or pregnant women ask me why they are so weepy all of the sudden, I hate telling them, "It could just be hormones."  When moms come in with kids who eat like crazy one day and then pick at food the next day, I hate telling them, "Well, that is sometimes how two-year olds eat."  I don't know why it bothers me, I guess I just feel like I have a wide vocabulary and I should be using more of it instead of repeating the same several words over and over again.  Maybe I could say, "Well ma'am, in the first several days after the birth of your child, chemicals in the brain....." Yeah, even I get bored with those terms!  In any case, I am about to use another of my least favorite overused phrases: Time flies when you're having fun.  That's right, this Friday marks a momentous occasion: I will have lived in South Carolina for six months.

I'm not sure where all that time went.  On the one hand, it seems like I have been down here forever.  On the other hand, well, I have no idea how six months has gone by so quickly.  (Probably the same way almost a year has gone by since my college graduation and almost five years from my high school graduation!) So skipping over my blog's most overused phrases ("I haven't changed...I have changed...") I just want to dedicate this blog to everything that has happened in the last six months.

I learned that it takes one person a long time to go through certain supplies.  I have a bottle of hair conditioner that I bought two weeks before I left and it's still 1/4 full.   Just today I ran out of the cooking oil I bought the first day I was here.  

Friday evening I finally unpacked my last box.  Yes, 5 months and 3 weeks after I moved in, I unpacked my last box.  And inside that box were some decorations that I bought specifically for this apartment.  

I knew many years ago that I would be just fine living by myself.  Sometimes I enjoy the quiet and I do like to have things set up "my way."  That said, about a week ago I decided that I do need to eventually live with someone, because even with all my friends and co-workers it's just nice to have someone there with you at home, someone you can share with all the time.   

Since I now know that I can achieve even my most lofty dreams, I have decided my next dream is to live in my own house, specifically one not attached to someone else's house.  I try to give no thought to my upstairs neighbors, but every time I think I've gotten past their latest antics they up the ante.  Now they have a guitar.  And they like to sing.  On the patio.  At 12:30 a.m.

The women of the South have taught me that if you are over 18 and not in college or high school, you really should have no reason to not be married to/dating/living with someone.  And if you don't have children already, they will suggest you get started immediately, if not sooner.  One of my co-workers keeps telling me about this guy named Kyle: "All he wants to do is get married and have babies."  Yep. That's a good reason to marry Kyle! I have no problem with marriage, and I can envision myself happily married to the right guy, but I can't tell you how obnoxious it is trying to politely change the subject. 

I have learned what pluff mud, joggling boards, mosquito hawks, and palmetto bugs are.  I have tried boiled peanuts, okra, and true Southern sweet tea. I have geeked out over finding starfish on the beach.

Well, these are just a few of the things that have happened to me in these last six months.  So much has happened in the last 180 days and I'm sure that events will continue to unfold in a similar fashion for a long time to come.  Lastly, I am a procrastinator and need to get ready for work tomorrow.  Ta ta for now!

Spring Fever!

I will first ask your forgiveness for the following paragraphs.  They will border on bragging, but it's just too nice to not write about what's going on right now.

We went through a little bit of a cold spell last week.  It was down in the 50s and low 60s for highs.  I was comfortable, but it was quite humorous to hear everyone talking about the "last cold spell of the spring."  Even the lows weren't that low, but I still got yelled at for not wearing a coat.

I went out yesterday and bought plants for my patio.  I now have a hanging basket filled with a light orange Gerbera daisy, a "spiral grass" plant, and some draping, petite white flowers that attract the giant bees swarming around my patio.  I have a four-tier flower stand that is now filled with a combination of alyssum, petunias, snapdragons, and marigolds- which are supposed to help keep the mosquitoes at bay this summer. Combined with my new patio furniture, my patio looks pretty darn nice right now!

Right now it's about 77 degrees outside.  If you sit in the sun it is pretty warm, almost uncomfortable, but one step into the shade and it is perfect.  Currently I am sitting in my living room, watching the wind gently play with the blinds which are filtering the sunlight streaming in from the west.  The effect it creates is just about my idea of a perfect summer morning should look and feel like.  I am saving up to buy some sheer panels so I can hang them up and have an even "softer" look to the windows in the apartment.  Ahh...so pretty and relaxing!

With exception of the oak trees, I think just about every tree in the area is in the process of blooming or budding.  The pear trees looked like giant snowballs for a few weeks, and now their light green leaves are beginning to poke out.  The maples are just about ready to open their leaves I think.  I learned what a myrtle tree is and discovered a few blooming ones in the park.  The side effect of all these trees is the amount of pollen they produce.  My blue car is now a weird shade of pollen yellow that sometimes appears green if you look at it in the right light.  It is quite a sight!

All the birds are out early in the morning now. It is quite relaxing to wake up to robins, cardinals, chickadees, and mockingbirds singing their little hearts out.  The other day there were two white water birds of some kind, but they took off before I could get a better look at them.

Also out now are the little lizards and fire ants.  I love the lizards! They are not any bigger than my hand and they just sit and stare harmlessly at you until you scare them away.  Fire ants, I am not a fan of.  So far there aren't too many of their hills around, but I am adding them to the list of things I want to avoid while I live in South Carolina.  Also on that list is being stung by a bee and getting bit by a poisonous snake.

Well, this is all I can think to write about at this moment in time.  I also need to go out and plant some more flowers I bought at the dollar store today and take Cooper for a walk before he goes crazy.  I hope you don't hate me now! Enjoy, and send me updates about Ohio's spring if you care to! Arrivederci!

Dora the Explorer has nothing on me...

Most of the time I am very content to let my daily activities be dictated by a to-do list of one kind or another.  Some days the list has twenty things on it and other days just two.  The tasks can be simple, like "make bed" or  complex like, "Wash all the walls."  (Hey, don't laugh.  I have to deodorize this place somehow!) The list can be something I need to follow, like when I am getting ready before a long trip, or something I really don't care about, like on Saturdays when I just want to feel like I thought about doing something.   Basically, I like to plan my life, just so I know what I am doing!  But every once in awhile, that desire to be spontaneous just takes over and BOOM!, the next thing I know, it's 5 hours later and I've driven at least 80 miles.

Today was one of those days. After I got home from church I couldn't decide what to do.  I needed a nap, but didn't want to sleep.  I needed to get some minor chores done, but I'd rather do them at night when I'm less tempted to be outside.  Then I decided it was too late to start anything so I had probably better just stay home and chill out for the day.  Finally I decided that I should return two shirts I didn't want before I forgot about them, so I set out for the mall.  Normally a trip to the mall and subsequent window shopping is a pretty good way to waste time, but I spent about 10 minutes at the mall and left.  On my way out, I thought, "Hmm...I need gas. I'll stop at the next BP station."  So off I went down 526, singing along to the radio.

The key to a Kate Homonai road trip is that there are never any directions involved.  This has only been bad one time, when Katie and I ended up in a not so nice part of Akron.  The rest of the time, only positive results have occurred.  Most of the time I end up finding a few cool things and then accidentally finding my way back home.  Today was no exception.

I knew 526 would end up taking me near Sullivan's Island (and the first BP station I knew I would find. Coincidence? I think not.)  But along the way I found a few new thrift stores and my Wendy's gift card from Christmas, with just enough money left on it to buy a 5 piece chicken nugget.  Not a healthy lunch, but it tasted good! Once I got on to Sullivan's Island, I got my "exercise" in for the day by walking the beach for about half an hour.  The highlight of today's trip was finding a dead star fish. Then I went traveling around the island, trying to identify potential future homes.  (Note: If anyone out there wants to buy me a house, I will show you EXACTLY which one I want.  Thank you in advance!) Some of the homes were cute little buildings that look like any old beach house you'd see in pictures- wood sided homes with wrap around porches and rocking chairs and a number of older trees.  Others were monuments to their owner's wealth- huge homes with modern architecture and expensive landscaping.  Basically, I just ended up falling in love with the island a little more.  Then I left.

I made it off the island and was sitting at a light when I discovered something out of the ordinary for South Carolina: a street name sign!! "Hmm...Rifle Range Rd.  I've heard of that...wonder where it will go.." While I had intended to go straight ahead, I decided to turn at the last minute and  off I went.  One long, scenic road full of very nice homes, old trees with Spanish moss, and three round-abouts later, I came to a road I thought I knew, so I turned left since I thought that it might take me back towards Summerville, eventually.  Looking at Google Maps just now, I made a few big circles, but I did find a Starbucks (another gift card!) and 526.  As I started heading home I was relieved, mostly because I was getting tired.  Then I missed my exit.  This isn't the first time I've done that coming home from that direction, but I just kind of looked and went, "Oh, that was the exit to 26.  Oh well."  I knew the next five exits would take me towards home anyways, so what did I care.

The caffeine from my iced mocha set in about then, and I decided that since I had already crossed two of Charleston's three rivers (the Cooper and the Wando), the Intercoastal Waterway, and played in the Atlantic Ocean,  why not keep going and head over the Ashley River too.  So six miles down the road I found myself in a nice shopping center in West Ashley.  Again, intending to head back home the way I knew how, I found another street name sign.  I had been down part of Ashley River Rd before, and thought I knew where it  would eventually end, so off I went.  Now, one of the cool things about Charleston is all of the history.  Ashley River Road is home to three plantation homes/gardens.  They.were.beautiful.  The first one I passed, Drayton Hall, was filled with old oak trees with Spanish moss gracefully draped over their many branches.  With the filtered sunlight shining through, it was gorgeous.  The next, Magnolia Gardens, was filled with blooming pear trees and their many white blossoms and some other tree filled with tiny little fuchsia flowers.  A definite sign that spring has sprung.  The last, Middleton Place, also has an equestrian center, so it's grounds were filled with probably twenty horses all peacefully grazing and basking in the sunshine.  I must visit these places someday!

Finally I ended up near where I had intended to, only to find myself a first hand witness to a nasty car wreck.  Word to the wise, just because the car ahead of you turned left and crossed  two lanes doesn't mean you're clear to do the same without checking first! All is well though, only minor whiplash injuries.  Then I pulled in to Martin's Creek, then I got to my apartment, then I set up camp on the patio with a cold drink of water, my dog, and my laptop and watched the sun go down.  Not a bad day.  I could get used to this.

Well, once again I am finally out of words, so good night, sleep tight, and until next Sunday think about this question: If you could go anywhere on a road trip right now, where would you go? Oh yeah, and enjoy my pink February-themed background for one more day!

I was NOT prepared for this!

Wikipedia is both a blessing and a bane to society.  On the one hand, whenever I HAVE to find out who that actor was in that movie- Wikipedia is my best friend. On the other hand, somewhere on one of my friend's Facebook page is photo evidence that proves that you can edit just about any information you want, making Wikipedia a less than completely reliable source.  Ultimately, I guess Wikipedia is a great way to get a general sense of what is going on but it doesn't give the entire in-depth picture.

Now, any person with a brain cell is going to do at least some research when they move to a new area,  even if it's just to find the cheapest apartment or the most hip new night club.  I did a LOT of research into the area when I came here. I wanted to find the best area to live, the most affordable place to live, the best beach to visit, the best whatever.  I've been down here for almost five months now, and over the last month I have just started to get to the point where I am settled in enough to begin to slowing down a little bit and "enjoying the scenery," as it were.  But as I begin to notice all the little things, I am starting to feel like I only know the "Wikipedia version" of my new hometown.  I know all of the important things, but I didn't know the in-depth details (aka, how it affects me!)

For example, I knew Charleston, South Carolina is one humid place.  I've heard about it, I've experienced it, and I'm anticipating it for the coming summer. I did not know that it would be nearly impossible to keep my normally straight hair from going completely out of control every time it is warm and humid (This last week has been really fun for me, hair wise...)

I knew the Charleston, SC area is called the Lowcountry because it is just about at sea level.  I did not know that most of the Lowcountry area is basically a lot of swamp land that smells like...I'll just say sulfur. On the plus side, it only smells when it's warm, which is only 10 months out of the year.

I knew that according to stereotypes, people in the South drink sweet tea.  I did not know that people drink it like it's water.

I knew that South Carolina is in the "Stroke Belt" because typical, traditional foods here are ones that can increase our risk of physical ailments.  I did not know that the main food groups here, for natives anyways, include "Fried Meat, Fatty Meat that we can Fry Later, Vegetables we Can Fry, Key Lime Pie, and Sweet Tea."  I exaggerate, a little, and I will admit that people down here have some awesome food, but it still amazes me.  At Christmas, they had aisles of the store devoted to cooking oil.

I knew that Southerners are viewed as being friendlier than other parts of the country.  I did not know that this meant people would randomly stop and talk with you wherever you go.  It's quite fun.

I knew that region to region, there are distinct accents within the United States.  I did not know that mine was so easily detected by others. (I don't understand how they knew! I don't have an accent!)

I know that it is past dinner time, but it is time to be done writing and time to start cooking my dinner.    So, as with every Sunday, enjoy your evening, enjoy the day off tomorrow if you are so lucky, and ask yourself this question: If you were Kate Homonai, what professional sounding name would you give to your new copy writing business? (Then let me know...)

It's like Jekyll and Hyde, but not really

 "Castle" is one of my favorite TV shows.  It has drama and suspense, but it's usually not too intense or too dark.  It's lighthearted and humorous, but not overly silly.  The main character, while "smarmy" according to Katie, is a likeable character stuck in a sort of suspended adolescence that is endearing to most of us. Now, I very rarely take any deep, philosophical meaning from ANY television show.  I prefer to get meaning in my life from my walk with God or wisdom given to me by my parents, family, and friends. (Yes, Henry family members, this includes you. You have passed on SOME wisdom and had a MOSTLY positive influence!) However, a few weeks ago, Nathan Fillion's character said something that stuck out to me.  When talking about the influence money had on his life, he said it didn't change who he was, it just magnified what was already there.  I thought about this in regards to my move from Ohio to South Carolina.

   Oftentimes, it seems to me like I hear people say they want to make a big move in life in one way or another to "reinvent" themselves.  Now, as I may have mentioned before, the driving force behind me moving to South Carolina was the fact that I wanted to experience warmth, sunshine, palmettos, and the beach just because I could.  It was never my intent to become someone different, but nevertheless, when I heard this line I started thinking: Have I changed? Am I essentially the same person, just in different circumstances? Am I just over thinking this whole thing? (Always a safe bet to go with #3!)   So I thought about it for all of two seconds and then promptly proceeded on to the next big thing in the day, whatever that was.  Earlier this week though, I couldn't help but realize that there's probably a little of all three option going on in my life.  Then I came up with the theory that there is an "Ohio Kate" and a "Carolina Kate."

"Carolina Kate" is nice to her neighbors.  She is polite and talks to each one as they pass by the patio and she does her best to keep her area neat and doesn't want to be noisy.  "Ohio Kate" is currently thinking about going outside and telling her neighbor's friends that actually walking to said neighbor's door and knocking on the door is just as effective as their obnoxious habit of honking at them from the parking lot.  "Ohio Kate" also occasionally contemplates  launching all of their beer bottle tops and cigarette butts back on to their patio.

"Ohio Kate" pretty much obeys traffic laws while driving.  She most certainly NEVER runs a red light and will actually stop at a light that is just turning yellow, because that's the law. "Carolina Kate" joins thousands of other South Carolina drivers in their perpetual game of "chicken" with the traffic lights, which pretty much means that if you even THINK you can make it through the changing light, GO!!!!!!!!!! As a side note, if you ever travel through South Carolina, I would just like to make you aware of an unwritten law that I have just recently become aware of.  Apparently, if you are behind the last car that was legally able to make it through the intersection, you also are allowed to go through the light, especially if you were tail-gaiting and pretended that your car is magnetically attracted to the car ahead of it.

"Carolina Kate" is pretty nice to her clients and co-workers.  Challenges are described as learning experiences and even when people tell her dumb things she just smiles and nods.  "Ohio Kate" has this INCREDIBLE sarcastic streak running through her.  Find a baker named Ted and ask him how many times Kate ran her mouth and said something sarcastic to him or some of the other "managers" at Buehler's.  I guarantee he would get a huge smile on his face and probably laugh.  This week, "Ohio Kate" showed up to "Carolina Kate's" office.  I don't think her co-workers knew what happened to her that day! (Note: As glad as I am that I am acting more professional, I miss this sarcastic side of me!)

"Carolina Kate" expresses her feelings in a nice way.  She hasn't said "bless your heart," but she also doesn't respond to her mother's goading with an answer of "I hate you" like "Ohio Kate" did last night! "Carolina Kate" also thinks she has avoided using the word "damn" when frustrated, which is actually a pretty big step.  "Ohio Kate's" co-worker Keri used to laugh at her while she was moving stuff around in the freezer at work, listening to her curse the bread flats and cabinets on a nightly basis.

So I guess it really is a mix of all three. I have changed a little, which makes complete sense.  You can't move 681 miles away from home and not change.  But, like the line from the show, changes in our lives usually just expose what was already there.  And last but not least, the fact that I came up with an entire post about my two alter egos attests to the fact that I spent way too much time thinking about this topic.

Well, seeing as how this is a special Mid-Week Edition of my blog (sort of, depending on your definition of mid-week!), I have ruined my schedule for the evening and I must now return to bill paying and making my grocery list.  See, some things never change!  Sleep tight and have a good night everyone, and watch out for all the little holes the squirrels are digging in the yard as they try to find everything they buried last winter! (Seriously. They're everywhere.)

It's all downhill from here...

Right now I am sitting in my mushroom chair on my patio, laptop on my lap, feet propped up, writing away.  It's in the mid fifties, but with the sun shining directly on me I am very content in my t-shirt and capris.  My contentment is complete as I gaze across the...well, the parking lot and the cigarette butts that my neighbor so lovingly throws over his patio railing.  At least this time he didn't let them fall through the cracks of his patio onto my head.  Never mind that, let's focus on the maple tree that is budding like crazy and the cute little chickadees that are perched in its branches. This is my Sunday afternoon almost every week and I love it.  On the day set aside by most of the Western world as a day to rest, rest is exactly what I do and I enjoy every minute of it. But as I sit here, basking in the glow of the here and now, I can't help but let my pessimistic side shine through (well, only for the purposes of this story) and think about how it's all downhill from here.  What do I mean? Well, consider the rest of my week from here!

Monday: I get up at 6:00 a.m.  I am EXCITED to be up and starting a new week, one where I KNOW I will complete everything on my to-do list and life will be oh so rosy.  The dog and I go for a walk and then after we get back I head to the apartment's mini-gym for a little while.  I get ready for work, pack my lunch and head off to a wonderful day.  I have enough energy to be perky and get really involved with all my client's cases and I go out of my way to take some of my other co-worker's work load so that all the clients can be seen in a timely manner.  After work, the dog goes for another walk and then we both return to eat our dinners. Mine is always some homemade treat I prepared on the prior Saturday and froze so I would have a convenient meal available.  At this point, I am proud of myself.  With all of my super energy, I start cleaning the apartment.  About an hour before bed I finish cleaning, I get my lunch and clothes ready for the next day.  I head to bed with a book and read for about an hour before I drift off to sleep.  I am proud of my accomplishments for the day.

Tuesday: I get up at 6:00 a.m.  I sigh heavily as I stretch and get ready for my morning walk with the dog.  We walk, then I exercise.  He eats while I prepare for work.  I eat my breakfast, but decide that I don't feel like cleaning the dishes before I leave, so they sit in the sink until I return.  I head to work, arriving on time.  I get my water bottle and client roster sheets ready and then sit at my desk, scrolling through my new e-mail with mild disinterest.  By the time my first client makes it through, I'm bored and ready to get started. I don't make it a point to seek out extra work, but will occasionally pick up an extra chart as I see fit.  I spend my lunch hour reading, trying to learn more about whatever topic is interesting to me at the moment.  By five I am ready to go, so I take off as soon as I have double-checked all of my work for the day. Once I get home, the dog and I walk again, I eat a quick dinner and straighten up the apartment before heading off to Genesis, a college/career age get-together/worship service in North Charleston.  When I get home, I set up everything for Wednesday, watch Castle, and then head off to bed. I read only for about a half hour tonight.  I am sleepy.

Wednesday: I get up at 6:00 a.m.  And re-set the alarm for 6:30.  The dog and I go for a walk and then I get ready for work.  I move slower than a turtle most mornings, and Wednesdays are even worse.  By the time I have to leave, my breakfast is in Tupperware containers so I can eat it when I get to work.  I teach class on Wednesday, so I run around like a crazy person, trying to make sure everything goes off without a hitch (which it almost never does!)  I spend the morning explaining the virtues of waiting to start jar foods or encouraging people to use whole grain products.  Normally I eat lunch in the office, but on Wednesday I sit in my car, enjoying the radio and people watching. I almost always drag myself back to lunch a little late, since I know I have forty-five minutes to kill after I get back.  I get through the rest of the day and then head home after I talk to my favorite receptionist for a little bit.  I feed the dog, hurry him through the walk and speed off to church.  After church I come home and fall asleep as soon as my head hits the pillow.  I usually try to write a little each day, but by Wednesday I count updating my Facebook status as meeting my writing goal.

Thursday: How did it get to be 7:00? Hurry up dog, I don't have all day! Quick shower, half dry my hair, pack lunch and grab an apple for a breakfast of champions.  Take a look at my schedule and groan at the number of clients.  Groan as each client comes through with either a 1.)Low iron score.  2.) Diet that includes choking hazards.  3.) Daily of intake of sweet tea that is so high I have no clue how sugar and tea isn't seeping out through their pores.  I shut the door to my office and turn off the light when I eat lunch so it looks like I'm not there just so that no one bugs me.  I get through the rest of the day as quickly as I can and run out the door around 5:00.  If I was nice, I may have picked up a chart from my co-workers schedule, but usually not. I head home and half-heartedly walk the dog.  I eat cereal for dinner because everything else takes too long to prepare. I take a look at my budget for the week and pay the bills.  At that point, it's 8:00 and sounding like a great time to go to sleep.  Who cares if it would be a good idea to vacuum the floor?  Who cares if all my dishes are piled up around the sink? Not me!

Friday: I sit in bed, arguing with myself about when I really NEED to get up and if I really NEED to wash my hair. (The answer to that question is always yes. I look like I washed my hair in grease if I don't!!) The dog whines at me until I start moving.  Again, I move like a turtle until it's time to leave.  I never have a lunch packed and the only reason I'm dressed and ready to go is because I get to dress in jeans and just about everything in my wardrobe goes well with jeans.  If I had to coordinate with a pair of my dress slacks, there's no way I'd ever be able to make it to work in time.  When I get to work, there is always someone who is "sick" and needs to take a day off.  I think it's very convenient to be "sick" when it's seventy and sunny, but then again, I'm just a grinch! I spend the rest of the day talking to myself (a side effect of being stressed out by picking up another co-workers schedule in addition to mine.) and lunch is usually drastically shortened, resulting in a trip to the Subway across the street.  Each week I promise myself I'll give up Subway for Lent.  I make it to the end of the day with no less than four special formula changes that are incorrectly prescribed, resulting in games of phone tag with the doctor's office staff. This is in addition to the parents who are standing at the door telling me, "You HAVE to fix it.  Otherwise I won't have formula and my baby will go hungry."  Yeah.  Fun times at my job!  Normally I double check all of my work, but on Fridays I shut everything down at 5:00 p.m. and leave before anything else comes up.  I head to the grocery store and walk through the aisles zombie-style, picking up food for the next week.  Remember those dinners I made the week before?  They come in handy at this point.  Without them I'd never eat on Fridays. Any effort more than hitting two buttons to start a microwave would just be too much!  After dinner I sit at the table in a comatose fashion, catching up on my favorite comedies on Hulu.  I never pay attention to when I go to bed on Fridays, I just know that it's never very late.  Oh well.  I am an adult, and I can do whatever I want now!!!

Saturday: Ok, it's not fair to say that the entire week goes down hill after Sunday.  On Saturdays I wake up around 10:00, which is just wonderful, for everyone but the dog who is a little more than ready to be outside.  When I head out of my bedroom to the rest of the apartment, I am appalled at the lack of organization.  My shoes are all piled in front of the door, instead of in the shoe holder.  Papers from work are everywhere, as are the grocery bags from last night.  Somehow the dish situation has gotten out of control and they are now spread out all over the counter instead of in the dishwasher or the cabinet. I desperately need to vacuum the floors and the trash should have been taken out last night. If anyone came over to my apartment right now I would be mortified.  But you know what? Saturdays are for fun.  I eat brunch, watch Hulu, take a nap, shop or go to the park, eat dinner, and have a good old time watching movies, talking with friends or writing in the evenings.  I guess my week is more like a fun roller coaster!

Well, as much as I love writing and as much as I love basking in the sun, it is time for my other Sunday afternoon task: Laundry.  This isn't so bad either.  In addition to getting my clothes all clean, it's a great way to meet interesting people as someone always wants to talk.  Last week I ended up watching the first half of the Super Bowl while I was waiting for my clothes.  Watching the game with me was the elderly Korean lady who owns the place and a man from Lebanon.  We had a great time.  The lady knew what all the penalties meant, the man from Lebanon knew what "forward progress" meant and explained it to us a few times, I had the downs and yardage figured out, and between the three of us we made sense of the game.  We also had a great discussion about the commercials.

As always, have a great evening and remember- The only thing more obnoxious than a dog who is hungry is a dog that has to go outside NOW!!!

When you can't focus for more than twenty seconds.

Usually when I start writing a blog post, I have a story in mind and can type it out in under twenty minutes.  Then I proof read the post and make additions or corrections as needed and voila (or viola if you belong to a certain side of my family!), I have fulfilled my posting quota for the week.  The time I spend writing is one of the very few times in my week where I can remain completely focused on only one task.  And that may have something to do with the fact that even though I am technically only working on one task, I have to keep reaching to other parts of my brain to pull out synonyms for basic words so it sounds like I am intelligent, humorous quips to keep the story mildly interesting and not seem like endless drivel about my life, and maintaining a constant edit on the story so everything flows together properly.  However, over the last week I seemed to have lost all ability to piece together a single story.  I had a great topic to write about last week regarding ridiculous things people have told me.  By mid-week I had an incredibly inspiring story about how great my new church family is.  Last night I had a great topic about how I had a great Saturday night, even though if I had asked a stranger to guess my age just by hearing what made me evening complete, they would have said I was 50.

So why have I been so unfocused these last few days?  Your guess is as good as mine.  Personally, I think  I have been letting myself daydream too much. Letting my mind wander is a good way to relax, but then it runs off and it takes me forever to get myself back in the groove of focusing on reality.  So with my unfocused mindset today, I have little more to offer than a potpourri of thoughts, highlights of the past week if you will.  All of them could have been great stories in and of themselves, but my attention span to the story was limited to about a paragraph's worth each and every time I tried to write a post. Enjoy!

I surprised myself Wednesday in three ways: 1.) I went to my church's prayer service, and enjoyed it.  2.) I walked up to the first person I saw, introduced myself, and asked her what to expect for the evening.  Strangely, I was completely comfortable doing that.  3.) As I was leaving, I ran into a woman that I have known for three weeks and said "hi" to just as many times.  She offered to take me to an authentic Greek restaurant for lunch later in the week.  I agreed, I ate Greek food with a relative stranger, and had a great time.

I filed my taxes this week.  While this is one of those "certainties" of life that we all deal with, the sad part was the fact that I had a great time doing them and actually read all of the specific instructions for each line, mostly for fun.

There is no radio station in Charleston devoted to my favorite music genre, which is a terrible sin and probably why God has been smiting us with ice storms and freakishly cold weather here in the Lowcountry.  So, rather than accept this terrible fate, I found Pandora, created an account and set up a station devoted to my favorite music.  Now I can sing along to the likes of The Turtles, Three Dog Night, and The Dave Clark Five at all hours of the day.  That's right people, I proudly listen to oldies even though most of the songs were written 10-20 years prior to my birth!

I have decided that I am going to have a career as a writer someday soon and buy a home on Sullivan's Island.  Never mind the fact that I have only recently begun my career as a nutritionist (for which I spent four years training!) and "making it" as a writer is a hard road to follow. Also never mind the fact that I give a huge portion of my first paycheck of the month to pay for rent, which is one of the lowest rates for a nicer apartment in this area while an abode on Sullivan's Island typically averages in the $700,000 range, and is significantly more if you want to live on the coast.

I questioned the sanity of mankind as I sat and listened to a conversation about having a child under the "new" astrological signs.  Forget the fighting in Egypt, how it is affecting Egyptians and the possible implications for the rest of the world.  Forget the fact that Medicaid is under some serious cutbacks here in SC and a lot of people who will lose out have no idea what is going on and have no support system to help them deal with this.  Yep, it is so much more fun to figure out what sign your child will be born under so you can know ahead of time how much trouble they're going to bring to your life.  By the way, upon an investigation lasting thirty seconds and involving the reading of one Yahoo! Answers question, I will apparently forever be in combat with my former self and I am going to have terrific mood swings for the rest of my life, seeing as how my "old" sign and my "new" sign don't like each other.  This is all according to El Crispador, the user providing the "best answer" for that particular question.

Well, I just now realized that I have spent the last hour or so staring at a tree at the end of my building, wondering how long I would have to sit here before I noticed any considerable growth coming from the buds on the branches.  That was after I looked through several funny Scrubs videos all because I wanted to post just one on my mom's Facebook page and before I noticed how dirty my laptop is and started contemplating when and how I should clean it.  There is little hope for my ability to concentrate for the rest of today.

Have a wonderful night, enjoy the Super Bowl ( I just now remembered it was today!) and have a good time making fun of The Black-Eyed Peas halftime show.  I am heading out to a thrift store, followed by my trip to the laundromat, which I am actually eagerly anticipating!