finding a piece of heaven

I don't know why I never knew about it earlier, but I have recently discovered Austin City Limits. Recently is an overstatement because every once and a while, I would stumble across this programing on PBS that would play great music live and 2 bands at once.

Tonight is a great example. I'm currently listening to Death Cab for Cutie and soon My Morning Jacket. From what I can understand, it's an intimate setting, where bands play a few songs and then another great band comes on. I mean, this might be my mecca.

I'm grateful that I keep finding this on Tuesday nights. Tuesday nights watching PBS. Kind of reminds me of listening to NPR on Sundays while doing sudoku and drinking coffee. Yep, it's definitely a trait of the inner grandma.

A House Divided

This Saturday, college football starts. Which means fall unofficially starts on Saturday. However, this Saturday, something greater is happening in the world.

Instead of your typical pansy-ass game that K-State starts with, we are starting with a true challenge. Kansas State will play in the 6:45 ESPN game versus Auburn.

This game also holds familial significance as well. My sister and brother-in-law graduated from Auburn. I graduated from K-State. This is a house divided game. We bought my dad 2 "dad" shirts, one from Auburn, one from K-State and my sister put them together. This way, he doesn't have to decide which team is better (though, I fully know he believes K-State is the better team).

So, in 4 days, I'm flying to Atlanta so that Saturday we all can go watch the game live and proud, celebrating a house divided.

GO CATS!!

oh yes, that is a pick up in my driveway

This morning, I was lucky, I got to sleep in a little. Why? Because I had jury duty this morning. So I started driving toward the courthouse, eating an apple and giving myself plenty of time to find everything I needed.

Unfortunately, I didn't get past Cherry Creek this morning.

On the way to jury duty, I rear-ended the car in front of me. I did plenty of good damage to the front of my car (the hood is bent, something is supposedly wrong with the radiator, my front license plate was a good 5 feet in front of my car). The car I hit, there was damage to their bumpers, and the car they hit, well, they didn't have any damage.

Thankfully, the cop I dealt with was incredible. She was nice and funny and really understood that shit like this happens. She did have to give me a ticket though. I finally got to the car repair place at 10 this morning and then I finally just got home from my car rental experience.

Right now, Enterprise has no economy cars. For the time being, I'm driving a red Dodge Ram pick up 4x4. I'm not a truck kind of girl (a SUV girl, yes, truck, not really). And it's sitting currently in my driveway. So until Enterprise gets me an economy car, I'll be driving my pick up in style.

Still, I can't decide what was worse, jury duty or the accident. I honestly thing it's half of one and 6 of the other.

comment control

There are many reasons I love comment control. One is so that when people leave beautiful, kind comments anonymously, I share them with the public (even though I wish I knew who they were).

However, when people leave jackassy ones that are just mean and uncalled for, I have every right to deny and just let it go.

So to whomever attempted to leave the a jackass comment yesterday, you'll notice you are denied...sorry buddy, there is a reason I don't have jackass-like people in my life, you are just one of the many reminders of why that is a good decision.

OH...MY...GOD

I'm enjoying a peaceful evening home, catching up on blogs when I came across Jeni's blog. Jeni and I went to middle school and high school together.

In her very first blog that I saw referenced the fact that my 7th grade science teacher was accused of having child porn.

OH...MY...GOD...

Here's the thing, he creeped me out so much in 7th grade. He had a dead cat as his hall pass. I always felt uncomfortable around him, but what was I suppose to do? He was strange but never did anything specific to me.

I had another teacher who was creepy in high school and thankfully he never did anything to me. I just wrote him off as creepy...who knows what either one of them did to fellow students while I was in school.

I grew up in what was considered a safe part of town. You could leave your doors unlocked and not worry about it. Things seemed normal, the only thing that you were told to avoid was the bike trail because supposedly people had been attacked. But never once was I afraid to be alone.

Who knows what could happen next...but I'm now reconsidering having kids, but I don't know if that is the solution either.

Update letter to Acura

In a recent letter to Acura, I made mention of how my dome light was now working and I simply wanted their powers to stop messing with me and my dome light.

Last night as I was getting into my car, it stopped working again. After working solid for 1 week, I was pretty stoked that it was going to work again...forever (or until the bulb burnt out, whichever came first).

Seriously, this is getting old. So, Acura, please stop hijacking my dome light. I'd like it back.

why what goes around comes around

Okay, many conservative Christians will find it hard to believe that I completely believe in karma. I believe that you get what you sow. You put out good vibes into the world, you get good vibes back. You put out shitty vibes, you get shit back.

I think it happens all the time...with parking spaces, people you meet, the grocery store.

Today is a perfect example. As I walking to a site check, I found some guy's wallet...or at least part of it. I wanted to make sure he got it back, not only for the 2 Old Navy gift cards, but also so that he didn't have to cancel his credit cards and worry about what someone might do with it. I called the University in which he attended and got his number (I was surprised how easily they gave it out). I called him to let him know that I had it and he should stop by and pick it up (especially since I'm going camping this weekend).

He came by my office today to pick up the wallet and left me a Starbucks gift card as a thank you...along with this note "Thanks a ton! Have a great weekend and I hope the karma pays you back".

All I can say is that I was doing something I would hope someone would do for me. It wasn't out of character to return it to him (though I was tempted to keep the Old Navy gift cards).

Here's the thing though. Ever since I've been back from Africa, I feel more relaxed, more centered, less spiny. Things I've waited to fall into place are being to and I feel like life is taking a much needed turn. The healing process is over from the last 2 years and I'm ready to take steps forward and in new directions.

Maybe my karma is changing, but all I know is I'm enjoying the ride and looking forward to what could be next.

an open letter to Acura

Dear Acura,
I love my car. It's a 2000 TL which has been a great vehicle for me to get from point A to point B. However, I do have a complaint.

In December of 2006, Denver was abused by multiple snow storms. Abused might be too strong of a word, but it definitely put a damper on the winter. Ever since the first snow storm (oh that's right, we had multiple), my dome light stopped working. I assumed that the bulb had burned out (I mean, it has been over 7 years) and I never got around to changing out the bulb. However, on the first day we had over 50 degrees, my dome light magically started working again. So, maybe it wasn't burned out. And then it stopped working again. By this point, I didn't care.

Sunday, though, after it stormed in Denver and I was soaked from being at one of the better concerts I've seen, my light started working again. It has consistently worked for the last 2 days. It's starting to freak me out. I don’t know if your company has magical powers to turn my dome light off and on, but if you can make sure it stays one way or the other, I'd appreciate it.

Hugs and kisses,
Megs

I'm back

And I've been back since last Thursday. And the past week has been hard, harder than I thought it would be.

There are moments when I'm so glad to be back. To have the ability to take a shower, lay in the ac, check email, etc...these are things to be grateful for. However, in the same breath, I miss Kenya. I miss tusker, samosas, and chapati. I miss Bri like crazy. I miss Jen, Josie, Jodi, Joolee and Sarah...I almost feel like I knew who I was more while I was in Kenya.

Here's what I realized about me:

• There are still people I think about, whether I want to or not. In fact, I had a dream about one of them, a dream that was pretty significant, however I can't share it with her. She hasn't pursued me in over a year, why the hell should I tell her about it.
• That my job is something I need/want to settle in the near future (defining near future is harder than I thought). Is it time to change or to realize that my job is providing the means for the life I really want.
• That I'm grateful for the life I have and the life I want.

But, life continues on. I go to concerts (I saw Ryan Adams' last night and loved every minute of it), I get haircuts, I take naps.

And I laugh:


But until things settle down, be prepared for the scattered.