I realize I have been a terrible blogger lately, but I have been one busy lady. Since "spring break," I have only been in College Station for about 6 days, and it has started to take a bit of a toll on my ability to function. Don't get me wrong, it's been so much fun, and I sincerely count it a blessing to get to spend time out of the office, meeting people of all different backgrounds all around the country, and living life at a completely different pace than ever before. Sometimes I have to remind myself that all this travelling doesn't mean I'm missing class and it's all part of what I get PAID to do...I sometimes have to remind myself that I'm a professional!
My skin has been throwing a fit on me with all this travelling back and forth between climates. One week I'm in Pennsylvania, still hiking through the snow in early March. The next, I'm back home for a weekend with family, returning my winter coats to their rightful place, and soaking in a few sun rays. After that, I'm in Atlantic City on the boardwalk, seeing what appears to be the old Las Vegas and the new Jersey Shore. Back to College Station for a quick breather and some sun- then I'm way up north in New Hampshire, with temperatures still below freezing and a wind chill that comes with snow flurries. All that to say, I'm happy I'm back in good ol' C-Stat for quite a while, as crazy and humid as it can be sometimes. It's the only place that has some semblance of home these days, so I'll take it for what it is- stability.
One of my favorite things about being on the road is the curious sorts of people you get to meet, especially on airplanes. Speaking of, I've become an airport master. At least for the month of March, I totally related to George Clooney in Up in the Air. Security line- come in airport-proof clothing. Mistakes like wearing jackets that are actually serving more as a top will leave you feeling inappropriate in line. Boots are a great shoe option- nothing to tie. Bags with built in laptop sleeves for quick removal are a MUST- the time I've saved whipping that out has been priceless. But none of that matters if you're behind the family of 5 with twin 18-month olds headed out on Spring Break with grandma and grandpa. Avoid that line at all costs.
Window seats are the best for me. I can hold it for a 4 hour flight for the opportunity to gaze out the window at the clouds below. I can't get over airplanes. Unbelievable. You're on a CHAIR in the SKY! That never gets old to me. My new flight tradition? At take off, I try and decide at what altitude would we absolutely not survive if we crashed. Same on landing- at what altitude are we pretty safe? My conclusion? There's pretty minimal room for error. 99% of the time you're on that plane, it's safe to say you would die if it went down. I choose to see my morbid thoughts as a healthy view on reality, not as mild insanity setting in from all this time in front of a computer and jet lag.
Most of the time I'm up for conversation with my plane partner, but let's be real, I brought my Glamour and Brides magazines on the flight for a reason- this is valuable "me-time." I will say the few fellow passengers I've been so "blessed" by lately have been a little more on the odd side, but they make for great stories, right? Case in point- trip to Manchester from Cleveland: man in mid 30's, motor mouth, braggadocious, very much wants me to be impressed my his second home on the eastern coast, the way he chases girls and money, and his stunning "unintentional" style. Man, this guy definitely knows what gets me. To top it all off, no matter how many times I tried to avoid conversation by staring longingly out the window (contemplating the "safe zone" of course) or blatantly opening my magazine and pulling out my iPod, he pulls out the SkyMall magazine and actually asks me if I'd like to look through every item in the magazine and decide if it was a "Deal or Dud." How did he know my favorite pastime? It was horrifically unavoidable.
Blonde, mid-20's Hollister dude from small-town Texas seemed normal enough on Newark to Houston. He'd just been visiting his fiance in Canada for the week, he was returning to his job as a computer network manager, and he had a love for golf and frisbee. Normalcy at last! "So, how did you meet your fiance if she lives in Canada?" "Oh we met online actually....World of Warcraft." "Oh very neat..." Back to contemplating the safe zone, and we were way out of it by the way. That's truly a whole other world that I am completely ignorant of.
All of this back and forth to the northeast has made me sure of one thing for certain- there's no place like home, and there's no place like Texas. People from Texas smile and laugh and acually have blood flowing through their veins instead of ice water. I kid. But there is definitely something to this notion of southern hospitality. There are some quaint, interesting parts of the northeast. Manchester is an adorable little town full of personality and New England flavor. Live Free or Die...I'm not sure I understand. I will give it to them that they do have charm and hospitality in their bones, unlike some of their southern neighbors in NJ. My only knowledge of NJ is the "Shore" and I will say that Atlantic City definitely lived up to every thought I had of it. Little old Vegas, the city looks like it got left behind by time around 1950 and never restored to splendor. Although we had to pay for everything from parking at our own hotel, forced valet, tollways, and using the bathroom (maybe a little exaggeration), I didn't at all mind paying for my tax-free Francesca's clothes or the mini wardrobe I purchased at H&M. That was also mini-nirvana for me.
I came into this post with absolutely zero goals, nothing specific to write about, and only my completely fried and minorly jet-lagged brain to pull from. This is the Raegan of March this year- not even slightly humorous, mildly insane, and thoroughly in need of a weekend. I guess this kind of post is to be expected after 21 straight days of work (or at least that is what it will be on Friday). Ready or not, big girl world, there's no more easing in to the deep end any more, I'm there! I'm just proud to say I'm keeping my head above water at this point. Success these days= groceries in the pantry, clean laundry and sheets, being able to see the seats and floorboard in my car, getting an order through completely without mistakes, only eating one dessert a day, wearing clothes that halfway match, and actually saying sensible things to my Growth Group girls. I'm doing it, baby! Camp season- bring it on!
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Pardon the Mild Insanity...read with a grain of salt :)
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