The Myth & The Majesty

It's just after noon on a Friday and I don't really know what to do. I've finished my work for this particular week and I'm ready to get my butt out of here. Unfortunately it doesn't quite work that way -- it could, but my car's in the shop. So instead I'll try to shift gears and concentrate even though my attention span's shot.

Hi! I haven't been very chatty this week. That's rare for me so I thought I could just let you have a break. Mostly this week I've just been tired. I'm not entirely certain why ... I suppose I could blame my slightly-weirder-than-usual weekend, or the first real crash since the craziness of the beginning of the month (when, to be perfectly honest, all hell kind of broke loose). It's been an odd one altogether. But this week has been a week of recovery. I'm finally caught up at work -- just in time to start a new project. And I'm finally reading Mansfield Park , the only Austen on my shelf that's gone unread for so long. And I just ordered these beauties, something I should have done three or four months ago. (Those are special shoes. Dance shoes, as a matter of fact. Much better than tangoing in socks, which is what I've been doing since January.) It seems as though I might finally be getting caught up on life in general -- with the exception of my a

Okay! So this weekend included bar hopping, house shopping (for a friend, not for me), a wedding, a birthday party, and an engagement. A somewhat-expected-but-wow-that-was-fast engagement. And that was all between leaving work on Friday and crashing Saturday night. Yesterday I had no energy or inclination to be around people -- so I wasn't. And it was glorious. Now it's time for other things to get going, preferably in double-time. It's almost August. I'm not ready for August. Egads.

So! It's been an incredible couple of weekends. I won't tell you about this one since it's still in progress -- but I think I should at least let you see a picture of where I was last Saturday. Aside from stopping in Green Bay to pick up a bridesmaid dress and then in Appleton at the most gigantic grocery store I've ever seen (because I had left my crackers at home ... and I wanted to at least look at a map, since I had left mine at home and had no idea where I was), I went to this place. Greatest stop ever.

This is going to sound like it's coming from absolutely nowhere, but I've found myself really missing soccer lately. It's true. I played for 12 solid years of my life, spectated even longer, played off-and-on through college -- but since I moved out here it's been a veritable drought. I miss the sport. I miss the action. I miss the amazing stress relief that comes with playing fullback. I wasn't a violent player. At least not on purpose. I was smaller than most of the girls on the field -- so instead I had to outrun them or find ways around them. It was awesome. Doubt I could do much outrunning now, but I wouldn't mind getting back into it so I could eventually. Not entirely sure where this thought came from, but it's been there since Tuesday or so. And now that it's Friday and I have a little time to let my brain relax -- here it is. Oh, Friday. How I miss you the rest of the week...

There's something oddly comforting about listening to a thunderstorm. I can't quite place it ... It's not just the rain, which sounds dreary all by itself. Or the thunder, which can sound threatening all by itself. But the combination of the two I find incredibly soothing. Is that strange? I don't think so. I'm guessing there are a lot more people just like me out there. Maybe one of you will even read this. It's Wednesday night in the middle of an almost insanely long week. Tango tonight was fantastic; first, because it was a great chance to let off tension, and secondly because I'm reaching that point where I'm actually showing improvement. Noticeable, apparently, given the number of comments today. Alas, it will be another week before such stress relief is found again. Between now and then there are another five days in a cubicle and a crazy weekend like so many others in recent history. If I'm lucky, I'll cram in a couple hours of hiking -- a

A few things I've been thinking about today: 1. The top-notch engineering that went into the moon landing. I mean, we have Blackberries now that do more than supercomputers did then -- yet a couple hundred engineers with slide rules landed two guys in a little portable vehicle that had to detach from a rocket in space on the moon. Even better? They got them back home, too. That's impressive. 2. Tango! 3. I still have two projects at home that need to be finished so my living room isn't strewn with fabric, scissors, and -- most annoyingly -- little almost-invisible-till-you-step-on-one stick pins. 4. Just a few more papers to send in and I can have my quiet memorial service for this project. I'm too tired to be anything but annoyed with it at the moment. 5. Must ... go ... grocery shopping ... 6. The wedding this Saturday should be a blast. Definitely looking forward to this one. And then a birthday party to follow. It's going to be an interesting

The mugging continues today. Or by now does it just qualify as an habitual beating? By this time Thursday the worst will be over. If not I'll be cowering under my desk. "What's that whimpering sound coming from Ashley's cube? I didn't see anyone in there." "She's crying under her desk. I think it's been a long week." "What the heck does she have to cry about? I thought she didn't have anything to do." "Well, she didn't. Until Friday afternoon." "Ohhhhhhh..." On the bright side, every now and then something magically disappears. "Wait, why are we giving them that? We don't need to give them that. Let's not waste time on it." I like those moments. Particularly when they mean I might get out of here before 7:30 tonight. That is just too damn long to spend in a cubicle. Besides, I have other things I want to do tonight. Like buy a new DVD player. Stop by Bull Falls

At the moment, it is 2:00AM where my brother is. He's (probably) asleep. And 9:00AM where my sister is. She's off to work. And 7:00PM here. I'm at work.

That reset button mostly worked, sort of ... Did some random stuff this weekend, accomplished a little, relaxed a little. Ate a steak. Bought some used books. But then I got here this morning and by nine o'clock felt a bit like I'd been mugged. Whee work.

Oy. (It's pretty funny, I have to admit...)

It's been a pretty good week. Action-packed but good. However, I'm starting to get on my own nerves, which is usually an indication that I'm utterly annoying to those around me as well. Which means it's time to hit the reset button. I don't think I'll be going off the grid -- just hiding in the shadows. There's plenty to do that doesn't involve other people, and I intend to focus there. Now for something completely different ... Gave Emma Jean a ride to her car over lunch and started telling my "wild youth" car stories -- at which point I realized that, although I don't have all the "wild youth" stories that some people do, there are still some oddities. Like the Flying Jeep. And car tag. And things that happen in cornfields. And that one incident where I almost slid out the window of a moving Le Mans. (Tee hee.) Oh, and have you ever come across a mildly irritated emu in the dark? It's a scary experience. The

Saturday was a fantastic day out east -- there was a ladies' festival at von Stiehl Winery in Algoma, complete with wine tasting, lunch, chocolate, and mini-massages ... Awesome stuff. Algoma is right on Lake Michigan, which meant that the view was incredible. And it was about 73° out all day with blue skies. In short, it was perfect. Following that, the three of us that were attending (one was M-Kay -- the other name I will withhold at the moment because I cause enough embarrassment in this individual's life already) wandered down the pier for a  bit, stuck our feet in the water, then drove as far as Green Bay and stopped at the sister winery of the one in Algoma. Some tasting, some chatting with the staff (it was a lot of fun), and then some sushi in downtown Green Bay before we headed back to Wausau. Where we picked up flowers and met Moonie at the airport -- me with a sign that said "MOON" and the unnamed individual holding flowers. Dropped Moonie off

Today's Yahoo! horoscope for Taurus: Surprises aren't on your list of favorite things. Never have been, never will be. But when it comes to dealing with the unpredictable, you're better equipped than most of us to do just that. You're a rock, as stable and sturdy as anyone could possibly be. So when an unexpected event comes up now, you'll not only handle it, you'll end up being an example to the rest of the world. Hm. So what'll it be this time?

Last night I had sushi on the Square downtown with a glass of wine, listening to live music, surrounded by a few hundred people -- including several good friends. Yesterday I got an update email from my brother, who is loving South Africa. I also got one early today from my sister, who is nervous about her job in South Korea. In the last six months, I have had high tea in Derbyshire, been intimidated by the Tower of London, climbed mountains, driven about 8,000 miles, been to two weddings, stood at the bottom of the Empire State Building in the pouring rain, watched contortionists in awe, watched the Russian National Ballet, listened to friends going through all levels in relationships, and taken pictures of my mother wandering the shore of Lake Michigan. I've kayaked, I've learned the basics of tango, and I've learned to be a better engineer. I've hit record highs and rock-bottom lows, and all sorts of strange in-betweens. And that's only the first half of

Four years ago today I met Anya, Tanya and Anfisa. It was the first day we showed up at the camp in Russia.

I picked up a Vegas guidebook today (because I have a weird thing for guidebooks) and made the random rediscovery of Vegas roller coasters. I knew they existed. Somehow they had slipped my mind. I love roller coasters. Love them. I don't spend nearly enough time on them because, well, I'm from South Dakota -- which doesn't contain any of its own coasters -- and most of my travel happens within five hundred miles of here -- which contains a few coasters, most of which I've already experienced. Anyway, while paging through said guidebook, I came across three fantastic words: 144 foot drop. My heart was racing as I settled in at the computer and searched for Vegas coasters. New goal while on vacation: two coasters a day, minimum. There are only a handful and they're far apart, but they're comparatively cheap entertainment (compared to, say, my luck at the slots) and won't leave me with that "broke the only rule I was raised with" feeling. T

Yesterday: Woke up in Sturgeon Bay. Drove north-ish. Stopped to climb around on some rocks along the beach. Ogled a couple of kayakers. (Couldn't help myself, I swear!) Kept driving north-ish. Stopped at an art show. Bought a bracelet. Kept driving north-ish. Stopped at a lighthouse. Had impromptu picnic between cars. Got wobbly legs walking up to top of lighthouse. Kept driving north-ish. Stood at the top of the Wisconsin thumb. Geocached successfully. Wounded self. Started driving south-ish. Missed turn; drove through same town twice. Got frustrated with pedestrians. Kept driving south-ish. Ended up at only microbrewery in Door County. (Completely by accident. It was all radar.) Kept driving south-ish. Took pictures at Lambeau Field because we were tourists. Started the trek west. Ended in Wausau; watch fireworks from front yard. A couple of games of cribbage -- and then bedtime. My parents started their drive home about an hour ago ... I need to mow and enjoy the weather before

Gorgeous. Perfect day. Started today in Wausau -- made it to the Dells of the Eau Claire for some hiking, a geocache, and lunch. On to von Stiehl Winery in Algoma in the afternoon, then up to Sturgeon Bay for a couple more geocaches, dinner, and the Super 8. Good stuff.

After my post yesterday I found today's Taurus horoscope amusing: "You've always found intense people extremely interesting -- not to mention exciting. Someone who answers that description will be along shortly. Your job is to take your time getting to know them so that you'll know if they're just dangerous in the exciting way or dangerous in a truly dangerous way. The good news is that rushing you isn't an easy task, so you won't be pushed into anything you're not comfortable with." Well. My project at work just got cancelled -- by the client, or at least by the client's management. Everybody I've been working with for the last six months -- here and there, project managers and lowly minions alike -- was caught off guard. I think the term "pulled the rug out from under us" is most accurate. And then "smacked us in the back of the head on the way down." It's not a good feeling. As a matter of fact, it su

It's all about intensity. This past weekend was intense. A lot of people, a lot of events, a lot of stuff going on in general. It wasn't just the anticipated activity -- so many other things happened and unexpected people turned up that by the end I was more tired thinking about it than I had been in the midst of it all. I started June with a flight to New Jersey; I ended it with a flight to South Dakota. Funny. Anyway! Now I'm trying to fit a week of work into three normal-sized days because a) Friday is a work holiday and b) my parents are at this very moment less than an hour from Wausau. We'll be spending the weekend doing a little sightseeing and just generally hanging out. I want to take them to a couple of the breweries in town, there's a concert to catch, and I'm still playing volleyball tomorrow evening ... It doesn't sound like much, but I anticipate a lot of random activities and a fair amount of intensity. For the next two months,