Dee-tails for quarter one.

Hey kids.
What’s new?
Yup, I’m back for a bit.
Telling a story.

Yes, it’s mid-way through February, (spell check, Dork-o) and I’m just now getting ’round to an update. I’ve been a little busy, but moreover, I’ve not been inspired to sit here and blabber. I’m still not, so there you go. This entry might be boring as hell for you to read. You still have time to grab a cereal box or magazine…
Truly it HAS been a hectic coupla months. Started the neuvo ano with a biggedy-bang. Got that store of ours back where we were in 1998. With lotsa help from the staff, mind you. In fact, mostly because of the staff. They’re good people and I’m blessed to have ’em. Anyway, we kicked some retail ass and that makes big brother happy. You can overlook a few shortcomings when your sales are stompin’ the competition. At least, I HOPE, you can.
So moving through January had me taking a trip or two. First, to Ohio. It was business that took me there, but it never really feels like it. It feels like a family reunion. You know how your family all gets together and eats and chatters and eats and drinks and eats and eats. Well, I do most of the eating, but that’s not news. Those “business” meetings are typically 8 hours of sitting with some smoke breaks thrown in. Truly, the only reason to endure the torturesome weather is the people who gather there. Hey, I’ve been with these guys since my 20’s. They really have helped me grow up. With that responsibility comes some crazy relatives, though. You know the ones. The weirdo cousin who’s loud and disorderly, the smoochy gramma who pinches your cheeks, the food pushers who stuff you fulla fudge and cookies. But then there’s the matriarchs and patriarchs. The guides. The ones you listen to and try to emulate. The soulful aunts and the subtle uncles. Good or bad, they’re all teachers. And after spending all those years trying to get out of school, I finally figured out that I like to learn.
It’s always a treat to get re-acquainted with friends and strengthen old ties. The weather DID suck, though. And the Florida girl is always the one who takes the heat, so to speak. Tip for Southerner’s: If you’re from a warm climate such as occupied Florida, going to any point north in the winter and squealing; “look everybody, it’s snowing!” will not gain much more than groans and snickers from your audience.
Oh well, they didn’t squash MY excitement.

So then it was off to Minneapolis for a visit with real kinfolk. Sister and nieces and cousin, to be exact.
Okay, it was crazy to do that. In retrospect, I’m NEVER, hear me? Never doing that again. Holy shit. Cold doesn’t even touch the feeling I felt. Did you know I coulda actually died if I was outside exposed for 7 minutes? Saw it on the news. Now why in the hell people would choose to endure such conditions is way beyond my realm of comprehension. In a word- nofuckingway. Sorry sis, I love you madly, but I’ll see you in the spring.
Aside from the, hell-finally-froze-over, climate, it was a fabulous visit. Y’all know how I feel about my sister. I won’t rant poetic on that subject, except to say that she’s as gorgeous and lovely as ever. My nieces are growing up in between the daily lines of my life. One is 16 and the other 10. The 10 year old still thinks my diarrhea jokes are funny, so I had to play to her crowd. A troop of Girl Scouts, to be exact. I was asked- no, told- that I would have an audience of 10, 10 year olds to discuss professionalism in the female workplace. They’re earning some new badge, I guess. So I got to sit among them and talk about being a girl and how we can kick ass if we choose to. Not sure if I made an impact, but it reminded me of how much I miss kids. Watching my niece act wild and crazy makes my heart happy. I guess it justifies my own regressions somehow. Anyway, the 16 year old is, how shall I say- boy crazy. Yikes. Was I like that? Yup, I suppose so. She’s grown into a young lady and is driving an automobile. Wow. I’m getting old.
We had so much fun playing games. Spoons, Texas holdem, etc…we even taught our cousin a game called; screw your neighbor. Which, by the way, I had no idea how to play. It’s amazing what healing powers laughter has. We laughed the laughs that make your sides hurt and eyes water. Tip for Southerner’s; Do not, under any circumstances, try to be the last person to grab the spoon while playing with my sister. She’ll maim you. Seriously.
Our cousin is a grown man. 6’6 grown. We re-established a family connection, which is always a good thing. He taught me how to fish when he was 12, and I taught him how to be a hippy-dippy tree hugger at that same time. Funny how our lives change. He still fishes though. And I can occasionally be found giving an oak tree a wave, just for old times sake.
So onward and homeward. Back in the south again. I miss my life when I leave. I miss my fundamentals. My morning computer time, my trek to the store, my dinners at the fam/friends. My spider, my Charles. My time spent unloading my thoughts on loved ones. My very own little circle of life. Mine.
Going away and coming home. I can imagine myself on the hugest tree swing. Pumping my legs to gain the momentum that propels me into the atmosphere. But it’s the gravity that takes me home. The fall backward to my source that sets my mind at ease. The swing is always swinging. And I love that.
Soon I’ll be off again. Swinging to Miami for some food, fun and work. Mixing with the “beautiful people” as they like to be called. But then I’ll be coming home. And leaving again. My life as a pendulum.
There are some far away trips and close by jaunts this year. Orlando first, with Ffej and nieces to see the Rat. But then there’s a bigger adventure this summer. An opposite pole, a different coast. A place that holds a fair bit of magic, yet sets my stomach on the pre-quest jitter trail. It’s going to be what it’s going to be. And if I’ve learned anything in this life, it’s to drop the reins and enjoy the ride.

That’s my update, folks. You read it here. Now I hafta go. I’ll catch ya on the flipside.
Have dinner ready when I get back, okay?

This entry was posted on Sunday, February 18th, 2007 at 6:42 am and is filed under Deetails. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.