I've decided to start doing reviews of the books I read on here. Not to be some seriously self-involved, thinking-I'm-important, wannabe literary critic, but because I know that many of you are like me: love to read, don't have much time to wade through literary shit. Get excited - first to come shortly. (I think I'd like a drop-down menu for them, though, but that would require me changing layout of blog -> obvious conflict. Maybe I'll just label them, instead.)
Lately, I've had a lot of this thing called "free time". At first, I was in so much need of it that I just let it rush over me and I hardly realized that I actually had free time - I simply noticed the absence of demands. Then, I started to get a little restless and antsy, thinking "I need to be doing something!" Luckily, the smarter portion of me chimed in and said, "S.T.F.U. All you need to do is enjoy your life. Slow down, you don't have to be doing anything, and if you want to do something, guess what - you can!" So I went out to dinner, I had friends over multiple times, I drank in the middle of the day (Mike's Hard Lemonade, nonetheless - such a silly not-quite-yet-grownup summertime drink. I'll save the tequila for bad days at work and vodka for failed exams, thankyouverymuch.) One day, enjoying my carefree life by the pool, I met Gene.
Now, I had heard about Gene before. Brian and Andrew (my friend's boyfriend) had met him out there one day while they were grilling. Gene, it turns out, is our pool monitor (Lesson #1: My complex has a pool monitor. That's good. I like knowing where my HOA fees go.). For me, the title 'pool monitor' makes me think of a teenage lifeguard or something, but Gene is in his mid 30's and his main job is something financial at Merck. Gene scores a couple extra bucks on weekends to monitor the pool - while his son swims, he grills (and shares!), and does pull ups (the man is pretty big). He wears 1960s-esque black plastic glasses, enjoys the green/frugal lifestyle, and is *immensely* polite (as is his son). We talked for nearly two hours, about everything from bargain stores in Austin, TX to my future career to the economy of the southwest. After I had told him about where I came from - what it was like back home, how I grew up, what influenced my decisions to move out here - he thanked me for the education. I love people like that - people with whom you can sit by the pool and have an afternoon full of conversation and BOTH enjoy it an feel like you got an education. Bonus when they feel that way too. Inspirations from Gene:
- Read this book. He said it changed his life. (He used to work directly for billionaire David Murdock, of the Dole fortune, at his beck and call. He's also owned his own business. He's currently married to a grad student The man's seen and done a lot, had a lot of experiences, and if a book can actually change his life, it's probably something that I could benefit from reading.
2. Go to Harris Teeter this week at 8 am. Apparently, at this time, they put out a cart with yesterday's organic produce, reduced 75%ish. Yes, you need to use it quickly, but a bag of organic apples for $1? I'm on that. And HELLO - many good fruits and veggies freeze, thus circumventing the quick spoilage issue.
3. Book a trip from TravelZoo . He said they have a flight (straight through) that leaves Raleigh at 7 am on weekdays, arrives in Hawaii at 2:15 pm for $400. Fly out Thursday, stay in a beachside hostel, eat cheaply, return Sunday, and boom - you have a long weekend trip for $600 or less. Which is a little bit pricey for my current station for a long weekend, but a long weekend to HAWAII changes a lot of things. Right now, there's a deal for 8 days in Beijing/Shanghai, including air, for $799. Yes, I'd have to tack on taxes, etc.etc. but I could do more than a week in China for right around a grand (including food). I'm SO down. It's happening, I just need the right time, the right place, the right price.
Enough about Gene and his influence. I highly recommend that you all go out and find your own Gene.
In other news, all of the free time has been especially immensely enjoyable because it wasn't 'Brian and I have free time because we're unemployed...' free time - we both got jobs last week! Amazing for... lots of reasons, too many to expound upon. I meant to blog about it earlier, but I was too busy celebrating and enjoying that last little bit of non-working bliss. His first day was today, and my hiring manager is contacting me sometime this week to set all that up.
So last night, as we're laying down to bed, the night before his first day, I have one of those moments. Where it hits me, all the grown-up stuff.
That it's Brian's first day! At his career. (His last job was a real job, but never really had a 'first day' to get all excited about... it was weird. anyhow.) We're getting ready to go to sleep and when we wake up, I'll make him breakfast and we'll eat it, sip our coffee, read the paper, and then I'll send him off to his career. Because I'm living with my boyfriend. Because I'm living with my boyfriend, in North Carolina. Because I'm living with my boyfriend, in North Carolina, in our home. For which I have a mortgage. Because OMIGOD I'm actually a grown-up.
You know, it hits me now and then.
For that, the song of the day:
Good lord our stories are similar!
ReplyDeleteCongrats on the job.
There is NOTHING more amazing than finally landing a job after a stint of unemployment.