Turns Out I am a "Workaholic"

Somehow,  I have managed to land myself an awesome, grown-up, job that I love - and the result of that has been an immediate upheaval of my life. I have always been very good at leaving work at work. The second my time card would hit the time clock was the second that my brain would completely stop any and all thoughts related to work. This was probably how I somehow was able to stay relatively sane for the last decade or so of my life. 

I can no longer do that, and that is a tragedy. 

My life- all of it - is taken up by other people's rafting trips. I suppose there is some deeper meaning to this, and some psychological goodness to this,and maybe even a metaphor for growing up in this. I could really not care less about any of that though, I am just sad that this is what all of that results in. A viewpoint that probably just proves that I do indeed have a Peter Pan problem that I am frequently accused of, and only  occasionally admit to.

I am, however, planning on keeping said life encompassing job for the next couple of years at least. Which leads me to the conclusion that I need to just suck it up, put on my big girl panties, and adjust.

One thing that I am trying to squeeze into this new life dominated by work is my training for the LA Marathon this next year. My friend, Becky, asked me to do it with her, and I am SO glad that she did. I even have a 40 week training plan that I am trying to implement that will get me to marathon distance by the new year - which will be awesome if I can actually get it done! I could mark that off my bucket list, and with a sigh of relief be done with that!

I am not putting this much effort into life for nothing though, obviously, but I actually have a great goal in mind! Last year I was lucky enough to get to do a 9 day kayak trip in La Paz, Mexico. After I got home from that I decided that I needed to actually go places. At least once a year - more if possible.

This year.... 

GREECE!!!!

I am going to hit this deliciously ancient/ modern city at the end of October. Rafting season will be over and I will be basking in the awesomeness that is the off season. What better way to bask than to go to the Mediterranean? I have a couple of friends that are telling me they are going to come with me - but I have a sneaking suspicion that this will be another solo adventure. Which is fine. I should probably get used to that. All of my travelling buddies are getting married or gaining other significant responsibilities. 

I, on the other hand, am going to be getting a tan, seeing awesome wonders, gaining knowledge at the conference I have signed up for, and just plain have the time of my life! 

My long-term goal on that front is to fill my passport before it expires in like 6 years. I am pretty sure that is doable. 

Cabin Fever

The seasonal job. In and of itself it is a singular experience and job situation. I was super smart and chose for this summer to get a seasonal job in a situation that is rare in this already rare arrangement. Well, in all honesty it's not that rare, but it feels exceptional to me.

I work in Olympic National Park for a company called Aramark. If you ever get the chance to work for them run the opposite direction.

You see, I work at Sol Duc Hot Spring resort. I have to drive and hour either way to get to the nearest town. When I say town, I mean town. These are small by any measure. Incidentally, my choices of towns are Port Angeles, WA and Forks, WA. Sound familiar? I'm not surprised if they do. Twilight central is where I live. I liked the books a loot better before I moved out here.

None of those are the reason that I am not a huge fan of my working enviroment though. I just wanted to highlight the all too real seclusion I have here.

But let me tell you about the rest... I live in a room with six otehr girls, a room that was not made for seven girls. Most of my roommates have put up some sort of sheet or barrier around thier bed to make themselves a small measure of privacy. I sometimes feel like I am living in a wierd version of a homeless camp, or in a village of kid's forts. I eat food that is so filled with fat and greese and cheese and fake flavoring that I have given up eating most days unless I feel like driving to town. I live above the restraunt that I work in. The only real getaway for us near property is a beach down the river a little bit that was just revealed that we could kick the crap out of each other (as in literally kicking someone in the head, not a pretty sight) and no disiplinary action is taken. I live with some violent guys too. I am never alone, I can't smell sulfer anymore, I hate people that on a regular basis I would actually really like.

To sum up my unhappiness let me relate this to you: a guest once asked me what I thought about this job and living upstairs. First I gave him the BS answer that I loved it and this was such a good opportunity. Then he looked me in the eye and asked me what I really thought. I asked him if he had ever seen the movie "Cabin Fever". with a grin on his face he said that yes he had seen it. With a grin on my face I told him Aramark was teh crooked law enforcement and the managers were the rabid dogs.

TWO DAYS TO FREEDOM

It accures to me that even though I hate my current (soon to be former) job, this is still the job that I have stayed at the longest. I have been here seven, going on eight, months. That means that I have let this job suck the soul right out of my body for almost an entire pregnancy. I just find it funny and maybe a little ironic that this has happened. But now I am going thru my computer... erasing everything that shows just how much I slacked off on the internet and I find a little bit of a trail of things I was really into in the pictures I downloaded.... some of them have even ended up here.

Most of my wanderings in this vertual world have mostly been very random. Kind of like the picture of the Ninja cats.... but some has not been

Sometimes I am just so focused on not being able to go outside or even look outside when ever I want to that being outside is all that I can even think of.

I was definitily home sick to go back to Jackson for a long time and just generally checked up on things there way too often to probably be healthy. Since then I have decided that when you leave somewhere, you need to leave. Plus I was really just not getting enough work done.

I got onto a health kick that I suppose I am still on a little. Feeling good about myself and all.. Its been good. Lots of inspirational articles have been read at this here desk.

Eventually, I got interested in the world outuside, and the city that I live in... this is a picture I got from a global warming article. Apparently Seattle will be getting more intense weather as time moves forward.



Oh the stories one can gain just from going through a computer... I can almost smell the freedom.. ofcourse now I just have to email all of these pictures to myself before I delete them.

Angry Francise

I think that everyone has at some point in their life come across those special people that get very angry very fast, and yet you can not help but find it amusing from afar. If not, then I think you should. Francis is that person for me. I work at an online company in the accounts payable division. It is just a big room with lots of cubicles... I love and hate cubicles. There is no real privacy, just the illusion of it. No privacy doesn't bother me though. It is the illusion that bugs me. On the other hand with cubicles I have the freedom to wave my arms around and make rude hand gestures without restraint as long as I don't actually say anything.
So, it is in this environment that I have come across Francis. My only real contact with the man is a few times at the community printer and the passing acknowledgment in the halls from having met at aforementioned printer. So how do I know about Francis and his humorous short fuse? It's all in the cubicles my friend. Another perk to them is that you can hear other people's reactions to things at the purest, when they didn't mean to speak but slipped. And then I can laugh at them... I enjoy this immensely. You see, Francis sits on the other side of the row next to me and freaks out about everything. I hear the phrase "GOD DAMMIT, STUPID PEOPLE" at least ten times before ten o'clock I am sure. He can not get through a phone call most of the time without asking to put the person on hold and then cussing at the unknowing person as he looks something up with them on hold. You get the general idea? Well, let me enhance this image for you... When I see him in the halls he is usually mumbling to himself and doing something with his arms that can only be described as physically having to keep himself from waving them around as he talks to himself. Now to get the full effect I want you to get the full picture of him. No exadurations.. and all though it might sound a little insensitive.. it is the truth. I am a little under five foot two. I am one or three inches taller than he is. He has a huge hump on his back and waddles when he walks.
The whole expieriance of Francis is funny. It is just a good thing that I don't have more regular actual contact with him.. I would be laughing all day. Sometimes I can hear the guy who sits next to him trying to calm him down.. its a good effort but rarelly works.