Okay, so I think the weekend went well. I’m sort of in a lack-of-sleep induced coma. Besides staying up and out too late all weekend, I was sleeping with the damn dogs and I think I’m going on a maximum of 5 hours per night. Since I generally need 9 to be happy and healthy (or my version, which boils down to “not cranky”) I’m in zombie land.

So, travel log:
Flew in Thursday, as did my uncle and my mom’s best friend. We went to a new and decent (not great, just passable) steak house for the birthday dinner – Thursday was her actual birthday.

Friday, spent an ungodly amount of money in 1.5 hours at the party store, the plant store, and the grocery store. My mother purchased the booze and the meat (ham and chicken) for her own birthday party, which is unfortunate, but I could afford everything! Unexpectedly, her best friend kicked in some money for the rest, which was really nice. Baked stuff, and then went and picked the S.O. up at the airport. Big family dinner. I have a feeling meeting my family and hearing some of the stories that were told may have been enlightening for him.

Saturday: Made party food, decorated, set up bar, did, as Susan puts it, the whole domesticky Martha Stewart thing. All of this took 99% of the minutes between 9am and 4pm. Partied from 4pm to ??? Don’t remember, really. Hosting a party for 50+ is work, but people seemed to have a good time, and my mother LOVED it, so it was definitely all worthwhile. Afterwards, got to see first hand the downfall of the pussy wagon and visit Susan’s precinct and the not-so-perfect boy. Not so perfect, really. And what the hell is up with the hair blow-drying?

Sunday: Braves game. Baseball is BORING. Turner Field is kind of cool, though, for a place that charges $4 for a bottle of water. Got lost in the ghetto, saw an on-ramp to I-75 blocked off to be used – get this – as a parking lot! Who’da thunk it? Later, there is a FANTASTIC new ice cream place just down the road from ASC, just south (I think south) of Twain’s, called Jake’s. With flavors like “coffee and doughnuts,” “Mexican Hot chocolate,” “Thin Mint,” and “margarita sorbet,” they’ve got a good thing going on. And it’s in an old house with a coffee house-like atmosphere. Good stuff. Old campus doesn’t look as bad as I thought it would with all the newer stuff.

Will think about the Must Do Before I Die list. Susan gave me a book years ago – a birthday present based on my list-making tendencies, which is 1,000 Things to Do before you Die. Maybe I’ll dig that out tonight.

Short List??
1. See Russia
2. See Barcelona
3. Road Trip with Susan (thoughts on this one)
4. Finish Anna Karenina, Atlas Shrugged, and The Marble Faun
5. Visit all counties in North Dakota (about 80% there) and all 50 states
6. Join a protest march that's meaningful to me, preferrably in D.C.
7. Run for some sort of office, even if it's just local
8. Purchase and own a piece of property
9. Skinny dip in a natural lake in the middle of nowhere (working on this)
10. Go to New York City
11. Walk Hadrian's Wall across England (working on this, too)
12. Fulfill a fantasy involving a campfire and stars
13. Publish

Hmmm. That's less short than I'd thought. I could go on, but I should go work.

Okay fine, so we got our butts kicked. Stoopid Philly and their stoopid Flyers. I was actually at the game here in Tampa... I'm no true hockey fan, but I'm getting better. I'd never been to an NHL playoff game before. Before I die, I'd like to go to the championship game of every major sport at least once. So far, I've been to the Arena Bowl (won by Tampa Bay last year). So, in lieu of Susan's love troubles or Kate's political rants, I put this to you guys: What do you think are some of the must-see or must-do things in life before you die? It can be anything, don't limit yourself to the ones I'm putting down. Here are a few of mine:

A) going to Vegas
B) going to championship sports events
C) traveling abroad
D) spending time one-one-one with each of your family members (for instance, I took my mom to Columbus for a weekend and my dad to Vegas for a weekend, still working on my brothers)
E) going to Mardi Gras

Hmmm... sounds like SOMEONE likes to travel :)

Uh... hello... ... this thing on...?

Uh... GO LIGHTNING?

That is all.

I was waiting for someone else to say something... and now that you have...

The Soul of Sex, eh? Sounds interesting. But I'm thinking you're going to have to elaborate quite a bit more on where this guy is going with all this... does he literally mean the sexual/sensual in everyday life, or is it perhaps finding pleasure in the things in everyday life? I suppose I should just read it for myself, but we all know that ain't gonna happen. So paraphrase already... I'm kinda curious to hear another take on the subject.

Grabbing life by the throat is a difficult task indeed, time being your worst enemy. My inner geek and my inner frat boy continue to engage in Mortal Kombat over control of the current day and near future's activities. Stay at home with the 60" and the consoles, or go out and be around other human beings... it's a tougher decision than you might think. Best case scenario, I'd have time to do both, but so far it hasn't been working out that way. The big loser is work, but I am blessed with a job that allows me to devote a minimal amount of effort while still being productive. According to my life's plot clock, I should be due for another serious relationship in 3... 2... 1... soon :)

It simply has to be soon, because I've once again reached that point where I have enough stuff to look forward to and to do on a weekly basis that a serious relationship might possibly be the worst thing that could happen to me right now.

Remember to find happiness in your everyday life, folks... I don't know about finding the sexual/sensual in everyday life (sounds like an interesting idea though), but at least find some bit of happiness. Even if it's just your favorite TV show, your favorite food, the guy you cut off on the road, or simply exacting revenge on the people who have crossed you.

Is the blog hibernating?

I was psychotically busy last week. We had a state review board meeting on Friday (I'm the exec. secretary for them and arrange the meetings) and then a conference at which I had to present on Saturday. It's over now, but I'm gearing up to fly home on Thursday and begin THAT whirlwind.

Cool things: our community college does a spring Arts Quest thing, this year revolving around pottery, and a bunch of us at work made pots, which have been fired. Tonight, we do raku glazing. Cool.

I'm reading a book called The Soul of Sex. The author's argument is that we seek out meaningless sex and other random "pleasures" because we have, as a society, neglected to see the sexual/sensual in our everyday lives and maximize it. He talks of living a sexual life that has little to do with just orgasm (although he's all for that, too). Interesting idea -- to maximize the pleasures in life without harm to one's physical or psychical self. He dissects the characteristics of Aphrodite in myth -- mostly that she is capricious and full of change -- and then speaks of our regimented and comfortable lives, asking if maybe, just maybe, our needs for security and order allow us to ignore the sensual need for new things.

Maybe there aren't mistakes in life so much as things you wouldn't necessarily do again?