Thursday, September 21, 2006

toots tomorrow

nick asked me to cover for him while he's in colorado for a wedding. luckily we coordinated an "on call" arrangement so i don't have to report to work at 8 a.m. i could tell that might be a problem since i didn't get to work at IT this week before 9.

it's funny how different his job is to the one we left. he's supposed to make things look gawdy to make it appear like dealerships didn't spend money on advertising but instead are passing on the savings to you. hopefully i can manage if need be.

tomorrow night we're headed down to stl for another toots show. i think this may be a yearly ritual. toots and the maytals at harrahs. should be fun. better be fun, jeff!!

Tuesday, September 19, 2006

the devil

on our trip out west, i bought and read the devil wears prada. partially to help with flying anxiety and to occupy the massive layovers we had. although this trip was by far the worst flying experience i've ever encountered. i don't know how many times my stomach dropped and my heart raced. perhaps a sign/omen that coos bay wasn't for us. they'll send aaron an offer in a few days but our minds are pretty much made up. not that there wasn't a lack of effort, but we both couldn't picture ourselves settling there. settling? can't believe i just typed that.

for some reason about 95% of the books available at the airport have to deal with government, law, espionage or gawdy romance. so i opted to read something a little more fun and upbeat, so prada it is. i haven't seen the movie, but i might after reading the book. i always like to compare books i've read with the theatrical versions. i like to see how much of the story they leave out because of time constraints.

i'm not sure if it's based on fact or if it's entirely ficticious, but if it holds any shread of truth my opinion of the rich and famous is now tainted beyond belief. i've seen too many "how celebrities spend their money" shows that there's no help in mending my thoughts. i did find myself saying "ahn-dre-ah," dragging it out as much as possible every time i read it. funny how that works. it's a good read. i told aaron he should read it...his response...yeah right, it's all about fashion, who cares. it's about 25 percent about fashion (i knew about 50 percent of the designers mentioned which means he'd know none!) the rest is about interpersonal relationships. ha, total chick flick/book, i suppose.

Thursday, September 14, 2006

stees

lori's coming down this weekend to have a make-shift baby shower, dinner and gifts. unfortunately, i'm going to miss it cause we're flying out to oregon again. i'm already not looking forward to this trip. i wonder if it's going to effect how i fly tomorrow.

i did have fun looking at all the outfits when searching for a gift. i've been putting the pressure on old awes. trying to convince him we can be a few months preggers when we get hitched. for some reason he's steadfast against it and always has a reasonable excuse why we shouldn't. first, we're not having a child out of wedlock. 2. you'll be 8 months when we move. finally, do you want to have morning sickness on your honeymoon? of course he's rational about the whole situation. but don't be surprised if we come back from jamaica with baby on board!

i've gotten a few freelance jobs in all the commotion. i really wanted to not worry about working while doing all this interviewing. but i can't really pass up these opportunities. it feels weird to not have any money coming in. aaron and i agreed that i could quit because his income this year would be equivilent to both our incomes the past 4 years. we were living comfortably, so we really didn't think it would be that big of a deal. i don't think he realized that he would have to actually give me money in order to make this work. i still have car payments, braces payments, student loans that still need to paid. i had paid all our home expenses cable, phone, electric, gas, cell phones. he had a rude awakening when he became the primary bread-winner.

so i have been done with the illinois times for almost a month now. i think i worked 45 minutes the last week i said i would work. basically i called in every morning, asked if they needed me. they seemed to have everything under control. they call me occasionally, but for the most part i'm done. big ups to me for finally getting out of there.

nick called me and wants me to work for him later this month. one stipulation: i can't do a better job than him. ha! silly boy.

contender

aaron walked away with a contract in hand. all of a sudden oregon is a strong possibility. now we're pro/con-ing nc vs. or

what a crazy week. attendings pushing aaron to stay here as faculty. karen calling and saying she has a lead in seattle. we fly out thursday to coos bay. wedding, wedding, wedding! ugh! i don't think we have a free weekend from now until mid-november.

kathy griffin is coming to springfield the day after we get back from jamaica. i'm in. there goes another weekend.

Thursday, September 07, 2006

salem

we're in salem, oregon right now. aaron's talking shop with the other docs this evening sans me. i did tour the area this afternoon courtesy of the office manager and a few of the wives. it's so uncomfortable for me. i've never been much of a small talker and that is all you do. especially when you don't really have anything in common.

the area is beautiful, the city is perfect. it's crazy how similar it is to springfield size wise and the fact it's the state capital but that's basically where the similarities end. it's a little more alive. lots of hippies and alternative people we noticed walking around. i was telling aaron that over lunch the ladies were discussing al gore's movie about global warming and how it hit a nail on the head. hippies come in all shapes, sizes and apparently monatary status.

i called jeff kehrer to see if we could meet up while we were out here. he was suiting up to fight a fire on the oregon/idaho border. jeff's a fire jumper now, fighting wild fires all over the state. he didn't know how long he would be gone. he could be gone for days sometimes weeks. we may get to see him when we come out here again next week. crazy jeff!

there's so much to do. tomorrow we're heading to one of the thousands of state parks nearby. can't wait. jeff recommended a place called silver falls. a park that has 10 waterfalls and lots of nature trails. i'm sure i'll have pics to post after tomorrow.

i still can't adjust to the time change. i had a hard time on the east coast and now on the west. not really my body adjusting, but when my tv shows are on. my dad and brother got me addicted to big brother again and now i can't figure out what's on when.

Friday, September 01, 2006

random acts of weirdness

today there was a huge, white box on our doorstep from jane. jane is aaron's dad's weird girlfriend. i pick it up and am surprised at how light it is. upon opening it i find three inflated mylar balloons. nothing more. no card, no letter of explanation. one balloon says, "aaron, you're a star. congratulations!" you're thinking -- what a nice gesture. anyone who knows or has met her is thinking -- what a weirdo.

i called aaron to tell him about it. "what are they for?" he asks. "is there a card or something?"

so i'm not alone in my thinking. i could probably write a book about miss jane and the random, stupid things she does. maybe i'll post them and let you be the judge.

mark and jane started dating soon after aaron's mom passed away. so they've been dating about 5 years. they're both in their 50s, but act like they're in a dysfunctional high school relationship. there's so much drama and it's one of the main reasons i refuse to move to carbondale. nate, danny and carrie have had to deal with it on a first-hand basis and we've only heard stories as they trickle up north.

one, for instance. nate calls us and tells us how he just had to pick up mark at dairy queen because jane kicked him out of the car in murphy.

another. she owns a condo in edwardsville that she never stays in. one of danny's friends was getting treated for cancer in st. louis so she offers her condo as a place for his family to stay. of course they accept. little did they know that the place is unliveable. she hasn't unpacked any boxes and there's nothing to really sleep on. i felt embarrassed for danny as well as the rest of the family.

i could go on. it's just a culmination of these little things that make it hard for the family to accept her. if she would show a little sincerity in the things she does, maybe i'd change my opinion of her. but i along with 95 percent of the family thinks she has alterior motives. a black widow of sorts. (i watch too much crime drama)