It hit yesterday...

Yesterday I was in a shop in Wilmington, NC called "Swoozies" with some friends.  I was just walking around the store admiring the ridiculously cute stationary, cups, napkins, etc when it hit me... On March 17 I will start a COMPLETELY new chapter in my life.  I have recently moved.  I will start a new job in April.  I am having surgery that will give me a whole new life, the kind of life I have dreamed about.  I am getting a completely fresh start.  March 17 will be day 1 in the next chapter in my life.  How crazy is that?!  How much more of a perfect "fresh start" could someone get--short of moving to a new city and having these things fall into to place?  I may not have moved to a new city, but the apartment I am living in right now is more mine in the last two and a half weeks than my other apartment was in the 6 months that I lived there.

Since that realization yesterday I have felt completely... JOYFUL at what this surgery is going to do for me!  I can't wait for my new job to start.  I LOVE my apartment, and the new life that is about to start for me because of this surgery is going to be wonderful!

I want everyone to know that I am happy right now.  Sure, some days are icky and "ugh!", but for the most part I am happy!  This will really be WONDERFUL!

Awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

http://www.archaeology.org/1001/etc/minoan_shipwreck.html

This is an article about the very first Minoan shipwreck found off of the coast of Crete by archaeologists.  The Minoans were such a fascinating people, but we don't know much about their seafaring prowess!  This is awesome and will do SOOOOOOOOOOOOO much to further our knowledge about them!

ThinkGeek :: Coffee Cup Power Inverter

ThinkGeek :: Coffee Cup Power Inverter

This is really cool for those days when you have the wall plug but no car plug for all of your gadgets... Or if you're more like me, for when you have someone watching a DVD, and the player's battery is dying, just plug it in the cup, plug the cup in the car, and there ya go.

OCTOPUS AND FISH BOMBONS | hand blown, italy, octopus and fish bombons, glass vase | UncommonGoods

These are ridiculously cute!!! I SOOOO want the octopus one!

OCTOPUS AND FISH BOMBONS | hand blown, italy, octopus and fish bombons, glass vase | UncommonGoods

Chapter 1

Alright folks! I know you've all been dying to know where I've been, and what I've been doing. I know this because there have been a WHOPPING 21 profile views!! Woohoo! Man, I'm not really sure what I actually expected out of the blogging world... Fame like Julie, from "Julie and Julia," or maybe to develop some kind of relationship like Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks in "You've Got Mail". I'm not even in it for the fame. Not saying that it wouldn't be nice, but I'm not saying that I don't want it. And I know that in the world of the internet and blogs that everyone and their mother's brother's cousin's two pet corgis have blogs so it would be hard for someone like me to get noticed.

I have stories to tell just like everyone else. But, who am I telling them for? Myself? The audience on the other side of the screen? Who? I would like to think that I am blogging for myself. Not for everyone else, but what can I say, I like receiving comments. I like to know that people are out there and they read what I have to say. Now, I'm also going to be completely honest with you all and let you know that while I am "following" some friends' blogs here on blogger that I haven't actually literally been going to their blog site and reading their posts. How can I ask them to do that for me when I can't even do that for them? It's a double standard and I hate it.

Anyways, moving on. This is basically just stream of consciousness writing right now and I'm not quite sure where we're going to end up. We're all on this journey together. Isn't it wonderful?!

Down to some more important matter people. In exactly two weeks, actually, technically, just less than two weeks-by "just less" I mean literally a few hours short of two weeks-I will be having Roux-en Y Gastric Bypass Surgery. I am UBER excited, but at the same time scarred shitless! I have no real idea on what to expect after surgery, or even before... When do I go into the hospital? What time of day will my surgery be? Will I be lucky and have the first procedure of the day? What will anesthesia be like? How stupid am I going to act either going under or coming out of surgery? Will I act stupid? Is the anesthesia like people say dentist drugs are? Really folks, there are questions that I have that I have NO answer to. I am scarred, like I said, but I know that this is going to be such an amazing opportunity! I have a wonderful support group of people. My whole immediate family has actually already undergone the procedure. My father first on January 14, 2009, then my sister on December 23, 2009 (Merry Christmas!), then next was my mother on January 11, 2010, and finally it is going to be my turn on March 17, 2010. I have friends that are completely behind me on this. They are all super excited for me because they can tell how excited I am about it!

I have no idea how I am going to handle the 3-week post-op liquid diet before moving onto squishy foods, and then finally progressing to "normal" foods. I know that it is going to be hard, and I hope that I am prepared more so for the psychological struggles that are going to ensue than the physical ones. I know that it is going to be a physically trying journey and that some MAJOR changes are going to happen fast. What I don't know is what my mental, emotional, and psychological journey is going to be like. I know I will pull through, and I know that my friends will support me and help me when I need it, and if they have to they're not afraid (and they've been given the go ahead by myself) to slap me across the face and tell me to snap out it. They will give me tough love when I need it.

Another thing that I would like to concern myself with right now is the fact that I will be out of work from March 12 to sometime after the first week of April... That's almost 5 weeks. That's a long time. But, thankfully, I will start my new job in April and I will make a sufficient amount of money to make it through... But what am I going to do with almost a month off, and I can't cook, try out new recipes (except for smoothies or soups or purees), drive... Oh man, I'm not going to be able to drive! Life is going to come to an end... Not really, just joking, but I have made sure that I have plenty of books to read.

I have currently latched myself onto the Anita Blake novels by Laurell K Hamilton. I am still on "Guilty Pleasures" (the first book of the series). I like it so far. It is quite the interesting read, and it keeps me on my toes. I can't wait to progress through the series and see the development of the story and the characters and the author's writing technique and style. I'm a book junkie, what can I say. Don't hold it against me. But, like I said, I have quite a few books on hand for that time that I am going to be out of work. I hope they are enough to hold me over! I am thinking that they're going to be like the Stephanie Plum novels by Janet Evanovich. Central characters with varying stories through the books and a deepening overall plot line, etc etc etc.

Speaking of reading, I am going to conclude this post of a book itself... Wait, as Willy Wonka would say, "Scratch that, reverse it!"... and pick up Guilty Pleasures to read and enjoy... But first, to walk my parents' black flat-coated retriever, Luna, before we all turn in for the night. Talk to you soon!

Hmmm...

I know the last time I posted I wrote that I wanted to get away from Wilmington and get somewhere new, but right now things aren't so bad. They could be better, but they're not terrible. I've got some applications out and about in town for a second job. I'm in a new apartment- thank god. Things aren't too bad. Now if only people would get back to me about a job so that I can afford my apartment and then some, and not just my apartment. I'm sure you guys know what I mean.

Today is the last day of September. Tomorrow is October... YAY! Halloween season is upon us! I love Halloween and Fall, and just this wonderful time of year in general! Next week I am going with a girlfriend to the mountains to visit another girlfriend. I can't wait. We're going to go apple picking. I am SO looking forward to going to see her, not just because I haven't seen her in a long time, but also because we get to go apple picking, AND she lives near the mountains. It's going to be awesome!

Right now I am just chilling in my new apartment with a friend, and tonight we're going to get into some fun. Now, people, remember we are Anthropology graduates, so our fun is not the same as your fun! lol

Well Damn... Oops

Alright, so it's been three months since I last posted, and even then I'd only posted twice. Oops. I'm still new to the blogging world. I did blog when I was in high school during my foreign exchange year abroad, but that was mostly for my parents so that they could keep track of me when I couldn't call them all the time.

Anyways! I'm thinking that I need a change in my locale. I'm thinking that somewhere out west is where I want to go. California, Colorado, Texas, hell maybe even Montana. Just somewhere away from Wilmington. I mean really. I just don't think that I'm the "small town" girl. The girl that can stay in one place forever and be happy with it. I love to get out there, meet new people, travel, do things that other people go, "Wow, you're doing what?! That's awesome." I want to just pick up and move, but then there's the more practical side of me. I have to have a job before I move somewhere. I have to have a place lined up to live... etc etc etc. Or at least I tell myself that I have to do things. It's the security of knowing that I have a job and place to live that would make things a little easier.

I want to get out of NC. I just have to find a job, an apartment, and the city that I want to move to. Easy. NOT... What kind of job to get? I'm good at customer service, but I don't really want to do that. I LOVE working with people. My aunt suggested something in HR. That's something to look into.

SO MANY CHOICES AND NOT ENOUGH LIVES TO DO THEM IN! lol

Man, now I get why people believe in reincarnation. I could COMPLETELY follow the idea of living one life, and coming back as another person and living another life and doing something completely different!

Speaking of completely different (random, I know), but I want to get my tree tattoo and my hawk tattoo. Don't know when or where I will get them, but I want them. Now I just have to decide on a design for the two.

OH, He's just not that into you is on... type in a few days or something. :-)