The Road Not Taken, Robert Frost
TWO roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth; 5
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same, 10
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back. 15
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
Probably the most over-quoted poem in history, but rightly so. My incredible 6th grade social studies/philosophy/life teacher introduced the students of James Weldon Johnson to a wealth of poetry, philosophy, and culture. This poem always stayed with me.
I grew up always feeling different.I know I am not the only one, but some people have an easier time fitting in than others. I spent my childhood SWEARING I would never end up in a boring, cramped office stuck behind a computer or crammed in a cubicle all day. My first jobs were all working with animals. Boarding kennels, grooming, vet offices, training....and although those jobs were physically demanding, I felt comfortable in those roles. I belonged there.
In recent years, I have betrayed who I am. Trying to be "normal" and essentially working to cram whatever odd shaped peg I am into the square hole of the corporate world. It doesn't fit.
I've been bored to tears, frustrated, anxious, and hurt from banging my head against a wall that blocks me from what is probably the wrong path anyway. Instead of ending up with a concussion and being unable to breath, I am going to turn around and run as fast as I can in the other direction. There is no path, no safe road with lights and signs and directions, just open, fresh air where I can breath again.
I am only able to do this thanks to the amazing man who loves me for who I am, even if I am not "normal" and can't do things the way the world expects or demands.
There is no guarantee that I won't end up back on the beaten path at some point, but I hope not. I am ambitious, intelligent, resourceful, and can handle a machete. Watch out unbeaten path, here I come.
Monday, February 27, 2012
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Moving in, Moving Up
It was a busy weekend.
Although we took possession of our new rental townhome on Sunday February 12th, we spent that day and the following week building our new Ikea bedroom furniture and doing other prep work. This past Saturday, on the 18th, we scheduled the moving truck rental, sod delivery, and cable installation. All at the same time.
We didn’t really intend for that to happen, it just did. The sod company had non-existent customer service and essentially told me it would be delivered “before lunch.” The cable company gave us a window of 10am-12pm. The cable company is never on time though, right?
We were scheduled to pick up the Budget truck at 9am, and that was a cluster from the moment we walked in. Roughly 40mins later, we left the run-down agency with our tiny truck and I called to find out what time the sod would arrive. I had warned the salesman that we would be moving and would need notice in order to be there. Of course, my salesman was off that day, and the tobacco chewing “gentleman” who answered the phone told me the delivery truck was at the new place RIGHT NOW.
Fabulous.
I hustled over and found the delivery truck leaving the neighborhood, and the cable truck sitting in the driveway at ten minutes before 10am. EARLY. My cousin didn’t believe it when we told him that happened. It is metaphysical impossibility.
Fortunately, the sod was placed in the upper corner of the driveway near the garage and with enough room left for other vehicles. The cable guy did his thing while I called Buster and confirmed that he had the help of my cousin Guy with loading furniture. The wheels finally started turning in the correct direction once the cable man left with a job well done and moved his truck just in time for Buster and Guy to arrive with the first load of furniture.
I hustled off to get coffee (before anyone was injured due to my caffeine withdrawals), as well as several pairs of gloves which we had forgotten in our sod preparation purchasing.
Although he probably regretted it, Guy volunteered to stay and help with the laying of sod while our friend Mike took over helping Buster with the rest of the furniture. Laying 400sq/ft of sod would have been a breeze had we been able to have the pallet delivered to the backyard. Sadly, without a helicopter, this was impossible. Our tiny townhome has a wonderful privacy fence, but no gate or access anywhere but through the house.
After some trial and error and brainstorming, Guy and I developed a system of transport for the heavy pieces of earth. Using a tarp, we loaded four pieces of sod (five was too many, trust me, we tried) and drug the tarp through the garage to the backdoor. From there, we rested the tarp on an old rolling chair that was left in the garage and pushed it through the kitchen to where the carpet began in the living room. With sheets covering our unfortunately light-cream carpet, we lugged the tarp the remainder of the way to the edge of the patio in the backyard. This may not sound like much, but we had to squat, lift, and haul about fifty times in order to get the job done. Poor Guy was black with dirt from head to toe and pouring sweat. Thank goodness it was February. I was lightheaded at a few points myself, and was terribly sore for two days after.
Our efforts were worth it though, once we could step back and look at what used to be a yard full of dirt, and is now a lawn. Guy even thanked me for the awesome workout, and I thanked him for being a superhero.
We brought the dogs over that night, and they immediately christened it. They also ran up and down the stairs, bounced off the furniture, and barked. A lot. It was very exciting.
While it has taken some getting used to, we are all settling in. Moving is always hard, but in this case, we have really moved up. I can’t believe the difference in my stress level with not having to walk dogs around a crowded apartment, avoiding unfriendly neighbors and other dogs, as well as the piles they leave behind. We have a nice park about five minutes down the street for longer walks and Frisbee playing, and lots more room in the house for staying out of each other’s way. We increased our number of bathrooms from one to two and a half, we have a huge, attached garage, and lots more closet space. Counter space in the kitchen outweighs the loss of our fancy, newer appliances at the old place, and we have a mantle over a fireplace on which our tv now rests, creating a cozy little living space. It is also nice having two floors, the bottom one for living in, and the top one for sleeping and showering. So much space. Ahhhhh. Oh, and we mustn't forget the new king sized bed that could sleep a kingdom. Or a pitiful dog who is afraid to sleep downstairs alone and barks at 3am and whose name is Xander....
We still have a weekend’s worth of work ahead of us to get the rest of our stuff from the old place, as well as giving it a thorough cleaning before our lease expires on the 28th. Moving is no fun, but it has made a huge difference in my outlook just in a few days. The best part is, we are paying the same in rent as we were before! Old apartment, you can take your amenities and rate increases and shove them up your…..ummmm, have a nice day.
Although we took possession of our new rental townhome on Sunday February 12th, we spent that day and the following week building our new Ikea bedroom furniture and doing other prep work. This past Saturday, on the 18th, we scheduled the moving truck rental, sod delivery, and cable installation. All at the same time.
We didn’t really intend for that to happen, it just did. The sod company had non-existent customer service and essentially told me it would be delivered “before lunch.” The cable company gave us a window of 10am-12pm. The cable company is never on time though, right?
We were scheduled to pick up the Budget truck at 9am, and that was a cluster from the moment we walked in. Roughly 40mins later, we left the run-down agency with our tiny truck and I called to find out what time the sod would arrive. I had warned the salesman that we would be moving and would need notice in order to be there. Of course, my salesman was off that day, and the tobacco chewing “gentleman” who answered the phone told me the delivery truck was at the new place RIGHT NOW.
Fabulous.
I hustled over and found the delivery truck leaving the neighborhood, and the cable truck sitting in the driveway at ten minutes before 10am. EARLY. My cousin didn’t believe it when we told him that happened. It is metaphysical impossibility.
Fortunately, the sod was placed in the upper corner of the driveway near the garage and with enough room left for other vehicles. The cable guy did his thing while I called Buster and confirmed that he had the help of my cousin Guy with loading furniture. The wheels finally started turning in the correct direction once the cable man left with a job well done and moved his truck just in time for Buster and Guy to arrive with the first load of furniture.
I hustled off to get coffee (before anyone was injured due to my caffeine withdrawals), as well as several pairs of gloves which we had forgotten in our sod preparation purchasing.
Although he probably regretted it, Guy volunteered to stay and help with the laying of sod while our friend Mike took over helping Buster with the rest of the furniture. Laying 400sq/ft of sod would have been a breeze had we been able to have the pallet delivered to the backyard. Sadly, without a helicopter, this was impossible. Our tiny townhome has a wonderful privacy fence, but no gate or access anywhere but through the house.
After some trial and error and brainstorming, Guy and I developed a system of transport for the heavy pieces of earth. Using a tarp, we loaded four pieces of sod (five was too many, trust me, we tried) and drug the tarp through the garage to the backdoor. From there, we rested the tarp on an old rolling chair that was left in the garage and pushed it through the kitchen to where the carpet began in the living room. With sheets covering our unfortunately light-cream carpet, we lugged the tarp the remainder of the way to the edge of the patio in the backyard. This may not sound like much, but we had to squat, lift, and haul about fifty times in order to get the job done. Poor Guy was black with dirt from head to toe and pouring sweat. Thank goodness it was February. I was lightheaded at a few points myself, and was terribly sore for two days after.
Our efforts were worth it though, once we could step back and look at what used to be a yard full of dirt, and is now a lawn. Guy even thanked me for the awesome workout, and I thanked him for being a superhero.
We brought the dogs over that night, and they immediately christened it. They also ran up and down the stairs, bounced off the furniture, and barked. A lot. It was very exciting.
While it has taken some getting used to, we are all settling in. Moving is always hard, but in this case, we have really moved up. I can’t believe the difference in my stress level with not having to walk dogs around a crowded apartment, avoiding unfriendly neighbors and other dogs, as well as the piles they leave behind. We have a nice park about five minutes down the street for longer walks and Frisbee playing, and lots more room in the house for staying out of each other’s way. We increased our number of bathrooms from one to two and a half, we have a huge, attached garage, and lots more closet space. Counter space in the kitchen outweighs the loss of our fancy, newer appliances at the old place, and we have a mantle over a fireplace on which our tv now rests, creating a cozy little living space. It is also nice having two floors, the bottom one for living in, and the top one for sleeping and showering. So much space. Ahhhhh. Oh, and we mustn't forget the new king sized bed that could sleep a kingdom. Or a pitiful dog who is afraid to sleep downstairs alone and barks at 3am and whose name is Xander....
We still have a weekend’s worth of work ahead of us to get the rest of our stuff from the old place, as well as giving it a thorough cleaning before our lease expires on the 28th. Moving is no fun, but it has made a huge difference in my outlook just in a few days. The best part is, we are paying the same in rent as we were before! Old apartment, you can take your amenities and rate increases and shove them up your…..ummmm, have a nice day.
Thursday, February 16, 2012
The NearlyWed Game
So, the Nearlywed Game was played on January 12. Although we didn't win, we did have a great time and enjoyed the once in a lifetime experience. And we got to be on TV. Check out the various peices of coverage from Channel 4. Congrats to Sherry Ann and Gill, they were an awesome couple and we were very happy for them!
Pregame
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Pregame
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Friday, February 10, 2012
The First Few Minutes of Our Fifteen Minutes of Fame
We didn't win the contest, but we did enjoy the process. See our Great Wedding Giveaway interview aired on Channel 4 here.
Monday, February 6, 2012
Rusty or Rested?
So I wrote last week that Xander and I had not competed since early December and that I expected to be a bit rusty for this weekend's trial. Turns out, a little rest seemed to do us good!
I also mentioned that I was dreading the trial just a bit. Being a chief course builder is always a bit stressful, and you never know what will happen. It turned out that we did have a few issues to deal with resulting from our newly rubberized contacts, but we worked them out on Thursday. I will admit that my stress level was outweighing my fun level toward the start of the weekend, but by the end, that had shifted completely. Waking up at 5am, scrambling to build courses before the trial begins at 8am, and being on point all day for course changes is tiring, and I often tell myself I won't ever do it again! However, by the end of the weekend, I feel satisfied (and tired and sore), but also that my efforts were worth it. Much thanks to my fellow course builder Peter Lui, and to all the people that pitched in (especially Alicia and Keiko). Buster was in Michigan at the wedding of our friends Mike and Ashley (a completely different story), so I didn't have his muscles or video taping skills. Still, he had a blast on his own, and I am very glad that he was there since I could not be.
This trial was one of only two four day trials that Xander and I have ever participated in. It was also AKC, which admittedly is not my preference anymore. I really love USDAA, but would still like to get a MACH, and enjoy the large amount of competition at an AKC trial in the 20in class. I had originally entered Kirby, but due to a persistent limp, I pulled him. As much as I hate to do it, I am officially declaring him retired due to perpetually gimpy knee. Poor guy, as much as he loves the game, and as blazingly fast as he is, it's not worth it to have him limp for days afterwards. He is over six years old, and it's not going to get any better. So he is Kirby, OA, AXJ (with 1st and 3rd place MXJ legs to boot ;) and he is retired along with MACH 2 Kaylee, OF, AAD.
Xander came into the weekend having not done AKC since early November I think it was, and had four Q's toward each of his masters titles, as well as his Excellent A FAST title. On Thursday we ran STD, JWW, and Time2Beat. We earned our second Double Q with two 3rd places, and just had one bar down in T2B. On Friday, we ran FAST, STD, and JWW, and earned a 3rd in FAST (I miscalculated the number of jumps to take, and held his AWESOME a-frame contact in the send with a gooooood boy! so we went over by one second ;)We had a bit of a communication breakdown in standard, but lovely contacts and a good chance to reinforce some things in the ring. We also had a blazing JWW run at around 22 seconds, but were beaten by a fraction and earned 2nd place. On Saturday, we got our first ever triple Q with a 2nd place in FAST(80pts and a super fantastic send over the triple to the weaves) and JWW (again a smoking time, but edged out a fraction by Singe, who beat us two days in a row althoug we were both around 23 seconds!) However, we got a 1st in standard which felt really awesome against the great amount of competition. Finally on Sunday, we only had STD and JWW, and we were both exhausted. He had a fabulous STD run, but I caused him to knock the triple. We laid down another smoking JWW run, although he felt a little slower in the weaves, so we again missed 1st place by a fraction of a second and settled for 2nd place. Although we couldn't quite capture that 1st place in JWW all weekend, we were four for four on Q's, and he placed in every run that he qualified all weekend long! The final tally was four JWW legs, two STD legs, two master FAST legs, and only three NQ's (two were bars, and one was a minor train wreck to keep us humble ;)
He now only needs two JWW legs for his MXJ, four STD legs for his MX, and has two MXF legs toward that title. He also has three DQ's and 264 pts toward his MACH. There is a nice three day trial in Palmetto at the end of May where we could camp again.... ;)
Most importantly, I had FUN in every single run with him. I think for the first time ever, I was able to truly let go of any expectations and just ENJOY each run for what it was. They were great courses, lots of opportunity to run fast, especially in JWW, and he was happy to play every time I asked him, even at the end of four long days. I LOVE that boy of mine. He just makes me smile every time we get ready to run, and every time we go celebrate afterwards. He is so pleased with himself, and greatful to me that I take him to play this game that we love. He was also beyond ecstatic when he came home Sunday to find that Buster had returned. He mauled him with love for about thirty minutes before he was finally too tired and went to sleep.
I also was pleased to watch some former students have great success, and enjoyed hanging out with so many great people over the long weekend. It was a very well run trial with great judges, tons of help from exibitors, and a fun, positive atmosphere. Not much more you can ask for!
So next up we have two USDAA trials in March to look forward to. One of which I will be course builder for. I am going to stock up on ibuprofen.
I also mentioned that I was dreading the trial just a bit. Being a chief course builder is always a bit stressful, and you never know what will happen. It turned out that we did have a few issues to deal with resulting from our newly rubberized contacts, but we worked them out on Thursday. I will admit that my stress level was outweighing my fun level toward the start of the weekend, but by the end, that had shifted completely. Waking up at 5am, scrambling to build courses before the trial begins at 8am, and being on point all day for course changes is tiring, and I often tell myself I won't ever do it again! However, by the end of the weekend, I feel satisfied (and tired and sore), but also that my efforts were worth it. Much thanks to my fellow course builder Peter Lui, and to all the people that pitched in (especially Alicia and Keiko). Buster was in Michigan at the wedding of our friends Mike and Ashley (a completely different story), so I didn't have his muscles or video taping skills. Still, he had a blast on his own, and I am very glad that he was there since I could not be.
This trial was one of only two four day trials that Xander and I have ever participated in. It was also AKC, which admittedly is not my preference anymore. I really love USDAA, but would still like to get a MACH, and enjoy the large amount of competition at an AKC trial in the 20in class. I had originally entered Kirby, but due to a persistent limp, I pulled him. As much as I hate to do it, I am officially declaring him retired due to perpetually gimpy knee. Poor guy, as much as he loves the game, and as blazingly fast as he is, it's not worth it to have him limp for days afterwards. He is over six years old, and it's not going to get any better. So he is Kirby, OA, AXJ (with 1st and 3rd place MXJ legs to boot ;) and he is retired along with MACH 2 Kaylee, OF, AAD.
Xander came into the weekend having not done AKC since early November I think it was, and had four Q's toward each of his masters titles, as well as his Excellent A FAST title. On Thursday we ran STD, JWW, and Time2Beat. We earned our second Double Q with two 3rd places, and just had one bar down in T2B. On Friday, we ran FAST, STD, and JWW, and earned a 3rd in FAST (I miscalculated the number of jumps to take, and held his AWESOME a-frame contact in the send with a gooooood boy! so we went over by one second ;)We had a bit of a communication breakdown in standard, but lovely contacts and a good chance to reinforce some things in the ring. We also had a blazing JWW run at around 22 seconds, but were beaten by a fraction and earned 2nd place. On Saturday, we got our first ever triple Q with a 2nd place in FAST(80pts and a super fantastic send over the triple to the weaves) and JWW (again a smoking time, but edged out a fraction by Singe, who beat us two days in a row althoug we were both around 23 seconds!) However, we got a 1st in standard which felt really awesome against the great amount of competition. Finally on Sunday, we only had STD and JWW, and we were both exhausted. He had a fabulous STD run, but I caused him to knock the triple. We laid down another smoking JWW run, although he felt a little slower in the weaves, so we again missed 1st place by a fraction of a second and settled for 2nd place. Although we couldn't quite capture that 1st place in JWW all weekend, we were four for four on Q's, and he placed in every run that he qualified all weekend long! The final tally was four JWW legs, two STD legs, two master FAST legs, and only three NQ's (two were bars, and one was a minor train wreck to keep us humble ;)
He now only needs two JWW legs for his MXJ, four STD legs for his MX, and has two MXF legs toward that title. He also has three DQ's and 264 pts toward his MACH. There is a nice three day trial in Palmetto at the end of May where we could camp again.... ;)
Most importantly, I had FUN in every single run with him. I think for the first time ever, I was able to truly let go of any expectations and just ENJOY each run for what it was. They were great courses, lots of opportunity to run fast, especially in JWW, and he was happy to play every time I asked him, even at the end of four long days. I LOVE that boy of mine. He just makes me smile every time we get ready to run, and every time we go celebrate afterwards. He is so pleased with himself, and greatful to me that I take him to play this game that we love. He was also beyond ecstatic when he came home Sunday to find that Buster had returned. He mauled him with love for about thirty minutes before he was finally too tired and went to sleep.
I also was pleased to watch some former students have great success, and enjoyed hanging out with so many great people over the long weekend. It was a very well run trial with great judges, tons of help from exibitors, and a fun, positive atmosphere. Not much more you can ask for!
So next up we have two USDAA trials in March to look forward to. One of which I will be course builder for. I am going to stock up on ibuprofen.
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Hello February
So we survived the EPIC implementation of our new electronic medical records system here at the hospital. It involved many days of waking up at 4am and working a 12hr shift, a couple of lost weekends, and a fair amount of anxiety and grumpiness, but it is over. The process actually went much smoother than anyone anticipated, thanks to the fact that Gainesville was the guinea pig of sorts and we managed to avoid most of their pitfalls.
I haven't had much energy to think of things other than work. Between finishing up my online certification in December, teaching classes here at work, and trying desperately to move up in the ranks, dog training has gone to the wayside. Of course Xander has not been neglected, in that he demands activity and exercise on a nearly daily basis, so we have continued playing frisbee and going to the park, and have made it to the practice field at least once in the last few weeks. We haven't competed, however, since early December, and will be doing a four day show here in town. I was almost dreading it, considering that I will be chief course builder, which is an exhausting job. However, it has been quiet here the last two days at work, and given me enough of a reprieve to build back some stamina and a desire to go play. I have no expectations for the weekend, aside from being a bit rusty, but it should be fun neverthless.
Agility has shifted in my mind in the last few months. It is an expensive sport, and more of a luxury than a necessity. I have found recently that life goes on regardless of whether we are earning ribbons and titles or not, and that money is needed for a great many other things in life. Buster and I have talked a lot about where we are, where we want to be, and the sacrifices it will take to get there. It is hard to justify spending hundreds of dollars playing a game when we have so much debt to get out of. If we can sacrifice some things now in order to get to a place where we can actually afford more things in the future, it will be worth it. Besides, we can play the game in training with friends, and I will still get to go to the home club trials (such as this weekend) as well as a couple of others that Buster and I both enjoy.
We are also moving in a couple of weeks, to a bigger place for the same amount of rent, and to a place that has a backyard. A teeny, tiny backyard, but a backyard nonetheless. This means an extra 20 minutes of sleep for me in the morning, because I won't have to walk the dogs to go potty, I can just let them out the back door! And we will have an attached garage, and lots more storage space, and even a spare bedroom! Very exciting. And then there is our wedding in May, which will be here in no time I suspect. Our friends Mike and Ashley are actually getting married this weekend, in Michigan. Yes, they are insane. Ok, their family is there, but seriously, who goes to Michigan in FEBRUARY?! Oh yeah, Buster. Who is in the wedding. I am a little bummed that I won't get to be there for them on their day, but we couldn't both afford to go, and someone had to take care of the dogs, and go to play agility....
My birthday is also coming up, and I guess Valentines Day the day after, but who has time to think about that? We get our new place that week, and I have to reserve a rental truck, and shop for a new bed since we are upgrading to king size to accomodate our large bodies, and we need wedding rings, and to figure out how our wedding day is actually going to go, and do taxes, and clean our old apartment, and update our address with all our bills, and make sure to pay all the bills, and get a marriage license, and figure out how I change my name......
Being a grown up is hard work!
I haven't had much energy to think of things other than work. Between finishing up my online certification in December, teaching classes here at work, and trying desperately to move up in the ranks, dog training has gone to the wayside. Of course Xander has not been neglected, in that he demands activity and exercise on a nearly daily basis, so we have continued playing frisbee and going to the park, and have made it to the practice field at least once in the last few weeks. We haven't competed, however, since early December, and will be doing a four day show here in town. I was almost dreading it, considering that I will be chief course builder, which is an exhausting job. However, it has been quiet here the last two days at work, and given me enough of a reprieve to build back some stamina and a desire to go play. I have no expectations for the weekend, aside from being a bit rusty, but it should be fun neverthless.
Agility has shifted in my mind in the last few months. It is an expensive sport, and more of a luxury than a necessity. I have found recently that life goes on regardless of whether we are earning ribbons and titles or not, and that money is needed for a great many other things in life. Buster and I have talked a lot about where we are, where we want to be, and the sacrifices it will take to get there. It is hard to justify spending hundreds of dollars playing a game when we have so much debt to get out of. If we can sacrifice some things now in order to get to a place where we can actually afford more things in the future, it will be worth it. Besides, we can play the game in training with friends, and I will still get to go to the home club trials (such as this weekend) as well as a couple of others that Buster and I both enjoy.
We are also moving in a couple of weeks, to a bigger place for the same amount of rent, and to a place that has a backyard. A teeny, tiny backyard, but a backyard nonetheless. This means an extra 20 minutes of sleep for me in the morning, because I won't have to walk the dogs to go potty, I can just let them out the back door! And we will have an attached garage, and lots more storage space, and even a spare bedroom! Very exciting. And then there is our wedding in May, which will be here in no time I suspect. Our friends Mike and Ashley are actually getting married this weekend, in Michigan. Yes, they are insane. Ok, their family is there, but seriously, who goes to Michigan in FEBRUARY?! Oh yeah, Buster. Who is in the wedding. I am a little bummed that I won't get to be there for them on their day, but we couldn't both afford to go, and someone had to take care of the dogs, and go to play agility....
My birthday is also coming up, and I guess Valentines Day the day after, but who has time to think about that? We get our new place that week, and I have to reserve a rental truck, and shop for a new bed since we are upgrading to king size to accomodate our large bodies, and we need wedding rings, and to figure out how our wedding day is actually going to go, and do taxes, and clean our old apartment, and update our address with all our bills, and make sure to pay all the bills, and get a marriage license, and figure out how I change my name......
Being a grown up is hard work!
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