Wednesday, August 31, 2005

Poor Sister

So I can't really tell the whole story, but my poor sister has been having such a stressfull time the last two weeks I really feel bad for her. First she's trying to get her living situation figured out (she's moving for like the 8th time in the last 2 years). She's basically moving in to storage until we come back from Europe, so she's a nomad right now, and will have to move all over again when we get back. Then she throws a party (which is stressfull in itself). She had everything all planned, but didn't expect Stater Bros. to give us the wrong kind of tap for the keg - twice - or her toilet to start overflowing during the party. She dealt with that just fine, but the next day when she was cleaning up, she was returning something she had borrowed for the party when it went flying out of her truck and shattered all over the road. Stressed out as she was, she immediately went to the store and spent the $300 to replace the item. Next day however, she pulls in to my parents driveway, forgets to put her truck in park, and runs it right in to my parents brand new garage door. Poor thing just sat down and cried.

I told her it was just fate getting back at her for all the fun we are going to have in the next three weeks, but hopefully this is the end of the bad luck.

Sunday, August 28, 2005

Up Early

I think there is some cosmic force out there that does not want me to sleep in. Ever. Anyone that is around the morning after a night out can tell you that I am the first one up. Doesn't matter if we went to bed at 4am, I'll be up at 7:30. I'll crash later - usually hard around 3 in the afternoon - but I will be up early, trying to be quiet so I don't wake anyone else up. Thank god for books.

But even when I specifically try to make sure I'm in a place where I can sleep until like 8 or something? Just a little extra? On the weekends? No, no sleeping in for me.

Friday I was looking forward to sleeping in the next morning. I stayed at my parents because I had some shit to do out here, thinking no one would be home, I can sleep in as late as I want. Then at 5am in the effing morning my parent's alarm clock goes off in the other room. I had to get up and struggle with turning off an unfamiliar alarm clock and then try to go back to sleep. Then my sister shows up to feed the dogs at 7am. Banging around making all kinds of noise. It was over, there was no way I was sleeping after that.

Then I was up late at my sister's party, and I came home, again thinking I would get some sleep. Wrong. My mom comes in at 6:30 in the morning because she needs some clothes from the room I'm sleeping in. She was in and out for like a half hour. At that point I was not going to be able to get back to sleep. C'est la vie.

Saturday, August 27, 2005

Return of the Brother

So my little brother went to Oregon for the summer. He left 2 months ago, and we've heard little from him since. Everyone in my family left the kid messages never to hear a response. I could kinda understand why he didn't call my parents back, probably needed space, but he didn't call me or my sister or my brother back either. That was really weird.

Well, he came home today (rather unexpectedly, I thought he was coming home next weekend) and I learned that the cell phone tower in the town he was staying burned down in the same fire that took out the mill he was supposed to be working at. Said he hasn't been able to check his messages the whole time he was gone. Explains why he didn't call me back, or know that my sister was having a party tonight that he just happens to be home just in time for.

I'm glad he's home. I'm glad he's safe.

Sunday, August 14, 2005

Crazy Fun Weekend

This weekend was awesome! First my company took everyone to Vegas (we left work midday Thursday and flew back yesterday at noon), then I spend yesterday and today milling around in Santa Monica.

Unfortunately I didn't make it past 3am either night, but I still had an awesome time. Thursday night we ate an amazing sushi dinner at Nobu at the Hard Rock (accompanied by a lot of excellent sake), then we went out to Rum Jungle and partied it up. Friday I got an awesome facial, sat in a cabana by the pool for 5 hours, ate a fantastic meal at Boa (a steakhouse) at Caeser's Palace, then had bottle service at Pure. The Pussycat Dolls were doing a burlesque show at Pure the night we were there, and we got some pictures with some of the girls. We also saw Chuck "Iceman" Liddell of UFC fame. We basically partied like rock stars - one of us actually almost missed the flight home yesterday. I feel like we bonded too.

After I flew home yesterday, my sister and I drove out to my aunt's house in Santa Monica for the rest of the weekend. I love it down there. She has a place two blocks from the Third Street Promenade. I think I walked more this weekend than I have in years. We had an awesome sushi dinner at Akwa and then sat up all night chatting. Today we rented bikes at the pier and rode them to Venice and back, then wandered the promenade. Afterwards we walked to this theatre that plays old movies and saw Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. The director of the film was in the house and he had a little Q&A session after the credits. The movie is totally dated and a lot of the acting is completely over the top, but it was still entertaining and the director was really interesting. They are playing some neat films there I would love to see (like Dune, Rear Window, Breakfast at Tiffany's, Sabrina, and Some Like it Hot) if I get the chance.

Wednesday, August 3, 2005

So Far, A Crazy Year

It has really been a long time since I've had so much going on in my life. A year ago, if people asked me what was going on in my life I would have said I was "just working," but now it would be a long conversation. And it's only August!

This year I've become single for the first time in almost 7 years, gone out with friends more often than I have in years, been to Vegas once already and am going again soon (I had only been once before that). I've reconnected with friends I haven't talked to in almost a decade, I've helped my parents with the remodel of my grandma's house. I've spent more time at the beach this summer than I have in the last decade, and I went camping for the first time in about 8 years. My team at work closed two deals last month (the first deals we've closed since I started full time over a year ago), and I'll be spending almost all of next month touring Europe.