Reflections on Friendships

All this being away from home makes me think about how much I miss my friends. It's been a challenge to squeeze in time to see them when I'm limited to weekends...especially when said weekend is also my only time to catch up on errands, do laundry, see my family, and oh, forgot to mention...see my HUSBAND. I wanted to take them to time to put these thoughts into writing. Some random things that I find amazing about my closest friendships...

• My friend Erin and I met in elementary school, were best friends in high school, and totally drifted aparted once we hit college. About a year after graduating, we randomly decided to get together and hang out, and it was like we'd never spent four years apart. We are still really close today, and she was a bridesmaid in my wedding. It shows that true friendships can weather long periods of distance.
  
• My close friend Niki and I met for the first time in August 2007 at a going away party for a mutual friend. We hit it off, but didn't end up hanging out again until the winter. We had a ridiculous amount in common, and it didn't take long for us to decide we were "brothers from another mother" (or "sisters from another mister", as someone just told us the other day), and she's probably the quickest close friend I've ever made. She's one of those people that I always look forward to spending time with, and since the friendship is still fairly new, we always have a ton to talk about that we haven't learned about each other yet.


• My "college friend" Lori and I randomly met freshman year in math class. We sat next to each other and I told her I liked her manicure. there were a grand total of 5 girls in that class (including us), and the others were as bitchy as they come. Being the only personable girls in the class, we first became study buddies, and when our planned roommates for the next year both bailed on us, we decided to become roommates even though we didn't know each other that well. It worked out surprisingly well as we also lived together junior and senior year, and eventually were roommates after college for two years. We've drifted apart a bit since moving out and now only see each other once every few months, but when we do hang out, it's as if we still live together and nothing has changed.


• Finally, my husband and I met junior year of high school. We were crazy-in-love high school sweethearts, and we dated throughout college as well. We got engaged after graduation, but broke up a few months later and were apart for almost two years. We always kept in touch, and we decided to get together for dinner one night. The minute we sat down and started talking I felt the empty space in my life becoming full again. The conversation was easy, I felt completely relaxed for the first time in ages, and I couldn't stop smiling. Just a few months later we got engaged again, and in October 2007 we got married. He's truly my best friend, and I'm so grateful things worked out for us.

Friendships come in so many different forms and I am so lucky to have this great group of people in my life.

Today I realized how just one person can impact your day so much with the smallest gesture. Part of my job involves observing people doing their job and evaluating their performance, so you can only imagine how happy most people are to see me (ummm, not AT ALL). Today I needed to bang out some observations in a short period of time and was doubting whether it would be possible before shift change. The employee that I chose to observe not only didn't give me any attitude about how unhappy he was that I was watching him, he smiled, joked with me, and seemed like such a genuinely joyful person. You know those people that just have a smile and a nice thing to say to everyone? He walked around his work area and greeted everyone he saw, smiling the whole time. Then he proceeded to bust his ass, breaking a sweat to the point of needing to turn a fan on, so he could finish his first assignment and squeeze in a second assignment that he knew I really wanted to watch.

I am sure he has no idea how much this meant to me, but in addition to making my afternoon so much easier, it also really lifted my spirits. It's amazing how a positive attitude can be contagious, and the same goes for a negative attitude.

Soooo...having realized this, I've been considering that I usually don't have such a sunny disposition. I'm a typical New Englander who thinks that a grunt passes for a greeting. I don't take the time to smile as much as I should. I've got lots to be happy about and I'm going to try to show it some more...after all, research shows that just the act of smiling can change your mood for the better. Oh perfect, The Office is on! And I'm Amtrak-ing it home to RI tomorrow morning. Lot's to smile about already :)

Wowee, it has been a long time since I've written anything...I honestly wish I had the motivation, but all of the traveling lately has just been sucking the life out of me. But tonight I am making an attempt to mend my ways! One benefit of all the constant train and plane rides is that I have finally begun reading again. I remember when I was in elementary school and reading held such joy for me...I remember the feeling of picking up a good book, reading the first chapter and instantly knowing I would love it. The feeling of being so immersed that I would stay up well past my bedtime just to see what was going to happen next. Needless to say, once high school, then college, then "the real world" hit, reading took a backseat, and I honestly couldn't tell you the last time I finished a book for pleasure. Oh, there were those two Bridget Jones books that I managed to read in there...and I think I did re-read Pride and Prejudice...but three books (not required by school) in 12 years...eek, that's embarassing.

I'm not sure whether my next statement is more or less embarassing than that admission. December 15 marks the day I started reading again...due to two loooong plane rides to California. The book that totally captured my attention - TWILIGHT. And I'm 27 years old. Wait, this is starting to feel like one of Fattylumpa's TMI Thursday entries. However, I am reading books again over blogs and celebrity gossip websites, I feel great about it, and that's really all that matters. To all three or so readers of this blog...more to come shortly, I promise.

Come on, ride the train

I took Amtrak for the first time last week (to southern New Jersey), and let me tell you, it was complete heaven. A co-worker of mine once described it as "a civilized way to travel", and boy was she right. The steps involved with traveling on Amtrak go something like this:

1. Purchase your ticket online
2. Arrive at station a mere half hour before your train (and that's a generous amount of time)
3. Print ticket at the kiosk
4. Relax and wait for the train. Don't worry about checking your bag, going through security, if you've packed liquids larger than 3 ounces, yada, yada, yada.
   
5. Board the train. Relax some more
6. Relax. Oh and if you forgot, relax some more. Enjoy the beautiful scenery, sleep, do work on your laptop, savor the loads of leg room (and snicker when thinking about the poor suckers currently stuffed into an airplane seat), buy something to eat in the cafe car. You get my drift?
7. Marvel at how much happier you and everyone around you seems to be when the causes of road rage and the hassles of airports are removed from travel.
   
8. Arrive at your destination.
   

Ahhhh, it's making me calm right now just thinking about it. While riding the train, I began thinking about the other situations I would be in had I chosen another form of travel. We all know about the perils of airplanes. The other option would be driving four and a half hours with no traffic, and up to 6 and a half hours with traffic. The common theme is stress, stress and more stress. Yes, Amtrak is not cheap. It was $216 for my round trip ticket. But it's so worth it. And in the words of a very wise woman, so civilized.

Mommy, we're flyyyyyyyyying!

So I am doing an absolutely horrible job at blogging regularly. Seriously, how do you guys do it? Once I get writing it seems like I just can't stop...but it's that whole pesky STARTING thing that I seem to struggle with. Anyway, I've been wanting to write about something for a while, and I'm surprised that I am only doing it now, considering the amount of traveling I've been doing since...hmmmm...it's been so long I need to ponder it...MAY. Since May I have flown Southwest (the best airline known to man, and I need to write a separate blog entry about that another time) enough to rack up one free round trip flight, and I'm halfway to my second one. Oh and they also include 4 FREE DRINK COUPONS with each free flight earned. Yeah, I'm psyched!

Now, on to the real purpose of this blog...to discuss my feelings on flying. I HATE IT. I really don't know when this happened. I remember being younger and acting exactly like the kids I see every time I fly. They make all sorts of delighted noises as we thunder down the runway and become airborne. Sounds like, "Wheeeeee!" "Ooooooh!", and "Mommy we're flyyyyyyyyyyying!". Oh and the best one: "We're going to see Mickeyyyy!!!" I hear these carefree children, and it does make me feel slightly embarrassed as I clutch the arm handles with white knuckles and say the Hail Mary over and over again until we reach a reasonable altitude. I relax slightly when we hit the cruising altitude, but whenever we hit the slightest bump or sign of turbulance, I again retreat to this position and look anxiously around me. Usually the people surrounding me look very relaxed, either sleeping or reading magazines or books. Meanwhile I can feel my palms sweating and my heart pounding. I desperately look at these people, thinking "how are you not concerned? Why are you not in fear of your life?" And forget about landing...we always seem to hit some freak "weather cell" (I love that term) that just happens to be hovering over good ol' TF Green. This leads to circling the airport, wind, and therefore lots of bumps as we barrel through the clouds. I must say about 1,000 Hail Marys when this happens.

The thing that kills me is that I will arrive at my destination, or arrive home, and thinking about the plane crashing eventually leads to me looking at youtube plane crashes caught on tape. Very smart of me, I know. The whole point is that I find it fascinating that children have no fear of something that can be very scary, and I would love to get back to that point. If anyone has any tips of flying, I would love to hear them. Right now my best option seems to be seeing if I can get some Xanax, and I'm not sure I want to go down that road.

Luckily my trips to Orlando are over for now, but my next project is in southern New Jersey near Philadelphia. I'm going to try Amtrak, but it would be nice to get some more Southwest miles while I can.

Oh...and happy Election Day! I voted today, and I hope you did too!

For all you Hockey Moms and Joe Six Packs

Politics has never been something I've been interested in. Arron can watch Election Center, then Lou Dobbs Tonight, followed by Ballot Bowl, and still not be sick of it. A night like this usually ends in me yelling at him about how these shows all broadcast the same exact clips over and over again with a bunch of bumbling idiots commenting on the importance of said clips. This year's election has been getting pretty interesting though, and I actually find myself watching the debates and all of the CNN shows analyzing the candidates every step. Now, without going into details or getting on a soapbox, I am going to present to you a reason why John McCain should never be elected President:

Anyone who picks a fool like Palin as his running mate doesn't deserve my vote.

Today in FLA

This week there is some insanely huge convention at the Orange County Convention Center (which just so happens to be right down the road from the hotel in which I usually stay). Thanks, National Business Aviation Association. Due to you and your massive excuse to get together and get wasted every night, there were no rooms available at the Embassy, so I've been pushed to a hotel on the "other" side of International Drive...otherwise known as the cheesier, even more touristy area of town. I went for a jog around the area this evening and thought I'd mention some of the more interesting and amusing things I happened to run across.

1. A man sitting on the sidewalk making very realistic looking roses out of dried palm leaves, presumably to sell to sightseeing couples.
2. Not one, but two "British pubs". One of which which had an outdoor patio. Along with a sign advertising "Now with full liquor bar!" Very realistic, huh? These establishments are clearly aimed at...
3. More British tourists than I could count. Why is Orlando such a draw for English people? Maybe it's the sunny weather? Or the palm trees? OK, OK, yes those are legitimate draws...but to travel 4,000 miles to come here? I will never understand it.
4. At least six different groups of people walking towards me on the sidewalk, shoulder to shoulder, refusing to make way for me in the slightest, and forcing me to zig and zag to find a way around them. Yes, again, they were walking TOWARDS me. Reminded me of this amusing but oh-so-true blog entry by Caitlin.
5. No less than five restaurants boldly advertising "ALL YOU CAN EAT!!" Pizza, pasta, lobster dinner, the famous Ponderosa Steakhouse...is it any wonder that we have an obesity problem in this country?
6. Two other lone runners coming in the other direction that I passed not once, but twice (running loops in this area are few and far between). They both waved at me of course. People here are truly so friendly and I am having trouble getting used to it. A blog to come on that subject in the near future.

In the meantime, I am coming home on Friday, and am off for an entire week, going to Maine with the hubby for 5 fabulous days! Have a wonderful weekend everyone!