WE'VE MOVED!!!!

Hey friends... I've moved to another site.
Please come to the new site:
http://littlemisssolo.wordpress.com

See you there!

Wanna join me?

It's Saturday morning and I still have no idea what I'm going to do this weekend. I've been working a lot this week and by the time I make it home, the last thing I want to do is look at a computer. I told my manager I needed an air card so I could work on a project from home but I mostly needed it so I could use the internet to find an activity for tonight and update my blog :)


And... I've done a little work too. Very little.


So anyway, the reason I'm writing now is because I found something I really wanted to do tonight - all girl Roller Derby matches! Actually, I think they are called Bouts which is even better because if you look up "bout" in the dictionary it says "a contest or trial of strength". Yeeeeeah! I love to see tough women kickin tail! Man, I was super pumped after finding out this was going on tonight! But just my luck, the tickets were sold out.

*sad face*

However, there is another bout scheduled for Saturday September 25th at 7:30 and I immediately bought tickets. So... here I am... asking... would you like to join me? Tickets are only $15! And, I get the impression that this will be it for the season b/c theres nothing else on the schedule after September.

So, if you wanna go with me, here's the link to the website and you can buy tickets online.
http://www.atlantarollergirls.com/site_admin/
COME ON!!! It will be fun!

Night Hike... Sike!

What’s more could be more exciting on a Saturday night in Atlanta than hanging with some nerds at the Chattahoochee Nature Center going on a Night Hike? I can't think of anything. Can you???

So, whats a Night Hike you ask? Exactly what it sounds like: A hike. At night.

Why would anyone want to do that you say to yourself? Mainly because they waited until the last minute to find something to do and it sounded semi interesting. That about sums it up.

So boom – I’m all on Creative Loafing,  AJC, Alpharetta Chamber of Commerce, combing through email invites, viewing the Groupon for the day. Nothing! A whole bunch of nothing *sad face*. I finally check out Access Atlanta and search my area of town. Yea, I know I live North OTP but still… ish happens up here too.  Sometimes…

I find a link for a Night Hike. Well, it caught my attention and despite the well named title, I clicked on the link to see exactly what it was.  The description went a little something like this: Ever wonder what creatures come out at night? (Not really) Have you always wanted to visit the Chattahoochee Nature Center after hours?! (Ummmm… no) Does hiking at night pique your outdoorsy interest? (What outdoor interest?) Have you always wanted to visit the CNC for an in-depth, behind the scenes look at creepy crawly creatures that only come out at night all for the price of $10? (Why the hell would I… $10?!?!... oh I’m there!)

I suppose this is what I get for waiting until the last minute to decide what I’m going to do for the weekend. I’ve just been so busy at work trying to learn a new job and with all my activities throughout the week, by the time I get home all I want to do is sleep. And at work, all I have time to do is work. Doesn’t leave much time for event planning. So there I was. Friday afternoon. Scrounging for something to do over the weekend.  All I know is that the worst Saturday night I’d had since turning 30 included putting together a vacuum cleaner and rearranging my sock drawer. All in one night. Watch out der’ now!
I figured a Night Hike > vacuum cleaner and socks.

Saturday evening rolls around and if you really must know, I was somewhat excited to go on my night hike. I convinced the kid to go along with me (sucka!!!) and we headed out about 7:30. The hike was to start at 8:00 and end at 10. Is it even dark at 8?

We get to the CNC about 7:50 and theres one lone car there. Lawd! Not again! I was hoping at least 5 people would be there. You know me and my son, the security guard, a tour guide and science teacher who knew more than the employees.  Luckily, the one car held old people and their grandsons.  So that was acceptable.

At the check-in table we filled out a form and they directed us to a pavilion (aka the wooden benches in the middle of a dirt bowl) where we could sit and wait. They said they wanted to wait until about quarter after 8 to get started as to give more people time to show up. Chile please! Nobody else is showing up, lol.

At least they had entertainment as we sat there. One of the Naturalist (that’s what the back of their shirts said) brought out a Corn Snake. If I had to guess I’d say it was maybe 3 feet long and skinny – probably about the width of those fat pencils we used in Kindergarten (Do kids still use those? Probably not huh?  I bet they just submit their homework on their ipod touch and call it a day). Trying to get in the spirit of things I asked her could I hold it (Please say no! Please say no!)
“Nooooo… I’m sorry you can’t hold him but you can touch him” I was told.  So I did.
Oooh… aaaahhhh.  Ok I’m bored. Whats next?

They finally realize nobody elese was showing up (just like last time I’m sure) and decided it was ok to begin – whooo hooo! Grandma decided she wasn’t going to go and would just stay seated on the bench.  I was thinking this was brave of here. Looking back on it all, I’m now thinking she’d been there before and knew her 10 bucks got her just as much on the bench as it did on the “hike”.

Now, a few things I must mention.  To start, we had 2 Naturalist (giggle) and neither one of them had a flashlight. I wanted to ask but I was trying to enjoy the experience and not bother with pesky details.  Second, one of them brought her son along with us. Her son… Coyote.  In all other posts I have changed names because I  know some of the people I’m talking about are reading or are closely associated with me and I want to pretend I’m not talking about them here. But not this time. No lie – this kids name was Coyote. Like the animal. My son was trying to convince me that it was a cool name. I had to explain to him that it was only a cool name if the kid turned out to be cool. Because if he winds up being a dork the name is totally not going to help.
Lastly, I asked could I take pictures – they both cocked their heads to the side and looked at each other like a dog looks at you when you ask it something stupid.

Naturalist:  “Ummm, well, of what?”
Me: “I don’t know. The stuff we’ll see while on the hike”
Naturalist: “Oh… *silence*…. I don’t think you’ll be able to see or capture much with the camera… so…”
Me: “Is it too late to get my money back?”

Kidding.
But I was thinking it.

They quickly changed the subject and we headed off on our hike! Fun times not ahead! Off we go. Into the creepy a** woods. About 45 seconds into it, I see a cabin straight from Camp Crystal Lakes. I got a little frightened but to lighten the mood I told my son he had to protect me from Jason. He said “Jasons probably about 50 years old by now, I’m pretty sure we could outrun him”. Good point! I felt better :)  Naturalist 1 decided this, of all places would be a good place to stop. Right next door to Jasons place. I’m trying to figure out why 2 ½ minutes into the hike we’re already stopping? I can still see Grandma sitting on the bench!

#1 and Coyote’ s mama tag team during out pit stop schooling us on nocturnal birds, which I discover, there’s really only one. Owls. They confirmed for me the one thing I already knew prior to this trip – if you see a “bird” flying around the sky at night… it aint a bird, it’s a bat! Period! So #1 reaches into her goodie bag and pulls out two ginormous zip lock bags  - one has a hawk wing and the other has an owl wing. She swooshes them in our face so we can “hear” the difference between the two. I was impressed with the fact that owl wings don’t make any noise which makes them silent hunters. Totally necessary if you think about it. If I ever need  a new email address, ima try and work in the words “owl, silent, and hunter” in there some kind of way… don’t hate.

Anyhoo (hoo hoo), I realize the bag is the gift that keeps on giving because she then pulls out this machine that makes bird noises. And she proceeds to push the different Owl versions so we can hear the different between a Screeching Own, Great, or maybe its Gray, Horned Owl, and  a Hawk Owl.

Zzzzzzzzzzzz…

“OMG! What was that?!?!” Wild Dogs mother says. I have no idea what she’s talking about, I didn’t hear anything.  #1 entertains her by rattling off 137 different owl species until finally #2 says “OMG! I just heard it again!!!” to which #1 replies “Me too! I think it’s a (insert owl sound machine)" To which #2 exclaims “Yes! That’s it! I didn’t know we had those around here!” I smell  b.s.

And mind you, we’re only like 30 feet deep so we’ve actually spent more time resting than hiking. At this point I see Granny coming back from the bathroom and I'd guess she has now walked further than us.

Moving along! Owl time is over (so I thought) and we start walking again. Now we’re really getting somewhere. 3 more minutes…  and we stop again. To talk about owls. Again. #2: “Notice how it’s getting darker? You’ll have to start relying on your senses other than site to make it through this hike.” Mind you, it’s darker, but it’s still not dark. Yet I’m getting more and more concerned about our lack of flashlight.  #2 asks #1 if it’s a good time to “pull out the crayons” (huh???) but she’s advised to wait. Wait?! Why?! Great... now I’m really curious. Time to move on people.

While we’re “hiking” the Naturalist are giving us minimal feedback regarding nocturnal creatures and constantly asking if we have any questions.  Luckily kids today don’t pay attention in school so they ask  all sorts of stuff to which I’m pretty sure majority was answered incorrectly. We get to a wooden bridge that I don’t even think took 3 steps to cross – take 20 more steps and stop again. Once again the bag-o-goodies doesn’t disappoint as she pulls out different nocturnal animal smells, i.e. Beaver, Coyote (no, seriously, lol) Opossum, and Skunk. Surprisingly, skunk wasn’t so bad – although it was in jar , that was sealed in another jar. It sort of reminded me of this kid that used to ride my bus in elementary school.

And folks, this was basically the end of the hike because we turned around to head back – but just before doing so I waved at  Mee Maw.

To be fair we did stop one more time on the way back to do the Mint Trick and the Crayon Test. We were each given a piece of candy – and neither #1 or #2 could remember if it was Winter Green or Spearmint – and were told to bite down on it. The person across from you was to look into your mouth and would see a spark! It somewhat worked.  And for the Crayon Test we were giving a crayon and piece of paper in order for us see how different our vision was at night. You had to write down what color you thought the crayon was and once we got back to better lighting we'd be able to see what color it actually was.  I wrote down red but my crayon was black. Now I really wanted a refund!

We headed back to where it all began and were greeted by a roaring campfire – courtesy of Coyote’s daddy. They handed out sticks and marshmallows, which was cute, then we sat around and talked for a bit. I was ready to go but we stayed a while as was trying to soak in the moment.

This night hike has really inspired me to FIND SOMETHING BETTER TO DO THIS WEEKEND!!!

How to Loose A Guy in 10 Minutes

My neighbor really needs to get his internet fixed – he’s totally cramping my (blog) style...

Annnnnnnd… we’re back!

Last time on “Little Miss Solo” it was discovered that I honestly had no idea what I was doing and how all this “taking a break” business works. I was pretty fearful of breaking a rule, cheating or creating loopholes for myself so I reached out my close friend who works at my Church for a little guidance. Seeing as how she’d never done it before - and not wanting to give ill advice - she promised to direct me towards friends who’d previously gone this route. She knew of a few ladies with experience in this area and thought it would be a good idea to set up a meeting with one of them. Fast forward about 3 weeks – time to meet Linda.

(I feel so Carry Bradshaw sitting here at my desk in front of the window writing this here post)

So I get to my friends house and she’s got cheese!!!  At this point I didn’t even care if Linda showed up or not – as long as the cheese didn’t run out, I was content.  So my gf and I catch up on each others lives while we wait for Linda. Despite the Colby & Jack, I was getting anxious because I was finally going to talk to someone who had been where I was trying to go. I was thirsty for knowledge (and wine). The doorbell rings and I look towards the glass door and all I see is a belly. A big pregnant belly. My first thought… “hmmm… I guess this break thing really works out in the end!”.   Now, I’m in NO WAY trying to have another kid, but the immediate message was that things always work out the way they are supposed to.

After a little small talk we got down to the nitty gritty: boys! Linda started out by asking me if I want to share my story with her. I proceeded to rattle off the super condensed version. “Oh, I was dating someone… It was the most serious relationship I’ve ever been in… It didn’t work out… I’m finally ready to take Andy’s advice…  A year is not so bad…  blink, blink, blink. At this point I’m thinking “Who cares about me, lets get to you!”  because what I already knew about Linda was that she met a guy while she was on her break that she eventually married and became her baby daddy.  I wanted to know details on how she accomplished this while still remaining true to her vow to not date for a year.  Because quite honestly, the part I fear the most is meeting the right person during this time and either scaring him away or trying to transform a friendship into a relationship. (And truth be told… I’m already feeling like there may be someone I’m interested in. RME @ myself) Oy vey!

I didn’t know if I was supposed to shun all men. Play the friendship card. Lay down all the rules and regulations right after my response to “So, whats you’re name?”  Withhold details until x amount of days. What was a date, what wasn’t? What if I pay for my own tab – that’s not a date, right? Do I need to set up some guardrails? What the hell am I doing?!?!?!

Lucky for me, Linda was a fantastic story teller! She provided me with a lot of background  which really provided the framework as to why she decided to take the year off to begin with. We had a lot in common  which really helped me relate to her – it made me feel so much better to know she wasn’t an Ultra Christian who did no wrong and had a perfect past . A lot of the reasons why we both ended up making the same choice is because we shared some of the same story. Not only was she able to provide a backdrop, but she was also able to let me know how she dealt with challenges she faced during those 365 days. Linda referenced a plethora of books and audio that helped during her break. She, like I, sought the counsel of an individual who took a year off (which actually turned into 5 years off... Ummmm, no thanks!) who was able to offer her some extremely solid advice.

The most interesting aspect of her story is how she met and dealt with the relationship of her future husband. If I remember correctly, she met him about 7 months in,  was upfront about what she was doing with her life and he understood. Their friendship developed via email, myspace and while running into each other at different Church events.  As time went on she began to realize she was interested in him, and he in her.  This is where I feel like I’ll get tripped up so I made sure to pay attention to this part. And basically what I gathered is this girl stuck to her guns – exactly what I needed to hear. Seriously! I didn’t want to get any idea it was ok to compromise your beliefs or your mission to gain what it is you think you want.  It was great confirmation to hear that even though she was feeling a certain type way, she made a promise that she planned to keep. I loved it! And I even more loved the fact that she stayed true and STILL got what she desired. Amen sistah, Amen!!!

Linda and I shared a lot in common so my friend couldn’t have picked a better person to introduce me too.  I think my biggest take-a-way from that meeting was the traffic signal example she shared from a book she read while on her journey. During this timeframe, you have to recognize relationships with men as follows:

Green Men = Attraction. There is nothing wrong with being attracted to another person or noticing a man is good looking. I don’t care who I’m with or what week of 52 it is, if I saw Idris Elba in Wal-Mart… I’m attracted. Period. As long as I’m not acting on my attraction, I’m good.  My eyes aren’t broken or on a break – no harm, no foul.

Yellow Men = Expressing affection and emotional arousal.  After seeing Idris in Wal-Mart and noticing him looking at peanut butter, if I were to stand alongside of him and say “You know, I make a mean PB&J on white… I can whip you up one right here in aisle 3. It’s no problem!  And if you like, I can run to the over to the dairy section and grab some milk, it’s really no problem. Oh,  I wrote you a poem, would you like to hear it?!?!” Now we’re getting into the yellow zone.

Red Men= Emotional connection.  This Wal-Mart scenario probably looks a little something like this: Me slamming my cart into his, offering to do ANYTHING to make it up to him while batting my eyes, slipping him my number (and address with a Google Maps print out) while making sure to add that we should go somewhere “a little more private” so I can slip into something more comfortable…  *wink*

If nothing else this helped me the most. Especially now where I’m feeling a bit of a tug towards a certain someone. Already. It’s too early for this!!! And, Linda reminded me about holidays - I flippin’ love holidays. That is the best time to have someone special.  I’ll really need to lean towards my friends and family this year for sure.  So ANYWAY… it was a great meeting and Linda gave me exactly what I was looking for – a great story. Awesome insight. Much needed direction. And a fantastic guardrail to lean on. Thanks girl!

Be back later. I’m headed to Wal-Mart.

A little update...

First things first... I would have posted earlier this week but "my" internet(read: my neighbors wifi) is down.

So, now I'm on this dopey iPhone posting this entry (RME = rolling my eyes) I'm pretty sure I'm the only person on the planet who isn't infatuated with this phone. Personally... I prefer buttons. I'm so team Blackberry it's not even funny. I love my Berry! It makes me happy *smile*

Ok, I'm really off topic now...

Anyhoo - when I first decided to take a break I asked a good friend from Church for some advice. You know... rules and suff. Well she wasn't sure how it worked either but she did say she had a few friends that jad done it and could set up a meeting with one of them if I wanted. Well, I wanted! So, earlier his week I got to meet her friend. I wanted to write about the guidance and encouragement she provided. But as I mentioned earlier, Steves Internet has been down since Tuesday. And I dont want to blog at work so...

I'm just about to head out to my weekly adventure. On deck tonight you ask? Night Hike at the Chattahoochie Nature Center! No... seriously...lol.

Ok ok, even I'm having a hard time believing it. Pray for needed!

Joker joker, deuce deuce

Alrighty - so, this is my first semi-new event.
Now, what I actually did wasn't new, but the way I found what I was going to do was new.

There is this site called meetup.com and it basically helps people find others to connect with that have similar interest. So, lets say you like to work out, or take pictures, or enjoy wine tasting. Maybe you're looking for a place to network with people in your field... you know... whatever. You go to this site and search by interest and/or zip code. You see a group you like, sign up to join and then wait on events or meetings to be scheduled. I'm a member of a few MeetUp groups but have never made it to any events. Stuff would always come up at the last minute... so... yea... the fact that I actually made it to an event was new to me :)

The group I recently joined was for people who like to play spades. I love, love, LOVE to play spades. I actually like to play games in general.
But spades... well... thats not a game! Thats real life!!!

One of the members of the group decided to host a spades party at his home Saturday. It was a free weekend for me so I figured why not?! Even though I've played spades many many times - hell, I just played about a week ago - the point is that I've never been to a MeetUp event. Right?

I'm making the rules here. So in my head - this counted.

I RSVP'd for the event and found out I was being put on a waiting list. Apparently only 50 people were allowed to sign up at one time and all others would have to wait for spots to open should folks cancel. About 2 days after signing up, I got an email that a spot opened.
Yeek! I was in!

I got the notification about a week or so before the event and as the days began to dwindle down, the emails about the event started to roll in... with the following subject lines:
"Card tables needed"
"BYOB"
"Pot luck style"

I should have known...

I decided to check the event details again and noticed that it was to start at 4:00... on a Saturday? Really???

*shurgs*

I get there and it's like 4:30/4:45. As I've mentioned previously, I'm a stickler for being on time. It's just what I do. I hate being late anywhere. Even a party. I just have this thing about promptness. But, I actually planned on being late to this event because, well, I know how brown people do. And do you know I was still  only the 3rd person there! And the other 2 people were just getting out of the (same) car as I was pulling up. Sigh...

Mind you, 50 people RSVPd. And at almost 5:00... an hour into the event... and there were only 5 of us.
Me.
The two chicks that pulled up just ahead of me.
The host.
And his moms. Yes... his mother.

So, I handed ma-dukes the 2 for $6 cookies I picked up from Kroger. She smiled and said "Oh! How nice! Someone else brought the exact same thing!" She took them from me then gave a smile as if to say "You so d@mn cheap" and instead of putting the cookies on the counter with the other items, she put them in the pantry. After she went upstairs I got them out and placed them on the counter with the rest of the "food". She aint slick! Ma, I see you trying to make sure you have enough snacks for lunch this week.

The rest of us - not including the cookie monster -  sat around and talked nonsense for about 20 minutes before I finally said "So whats up with some spades?!" Hell, all we needed were 4 people so I wasn't quite sure what the hold up was.
I had a purpose and it wasn't to sit around an discuss health care reform.
I wanted to put my foot up somebodys a$$ on that card table!

Once we got into the game I started to enjoy myself. I'm not sure what time it was by this point but more people started to show up. And so did more food. Me and my partner won and it was at that point people decided it was a good time to start eating. It was also at that point I realized men should never host parties without the help of women.
Here's a list of all the things he DIDN'T have: Plastic ware. Ice. Serving utensils. Card tables. Napkins.Hot sauce (insert racist joke). Music. Chairs. And... hold on... wait for it... cards! Lol!!!
The cards we were playing with moments prior were MINE. Because like all people with class, I carry playing cards with me WHEREVER I go.

No, seriously. Next time you see me at Church, try me. 

When more people showed up and wanted to get on a game, there weren't even any cards for them to play with. Eventually a lady showed up and had extra cards, tables and chairs. Only thing I can come up with is that her and the host planned this together and she was late. But hell, by the time she arrived me and a few other folks had already gone to our trunks to retrieve our fold up lawn chars.

As the night progressed, more people began to show up. Not all 50 came but I'd say throughout the whole night, maybe 30 or so people flowed in and out. 27 women and 3 guys. No lie. 3 whole men the entire night. In my previous life I would have considered this a bust (no pun intended). But in my new life it was merely an observation. I did meet this really funny chick there and we hit it off real well. She told me that every winter she goes home to Michigan to ski! I told her that I'd love to do that and she extended an invite. Yay!!!
As long as she doesn't turn out to be crazy, I'm definitely going to take her up on that offer.
Blog entry to follow!

::side note:: This girl was very interesting. While we were playing cards, me, her, the host and another female got to talking about all black folks favorite topic. No, not Obama, but relationships. We spent about 2 hours just grilling this dude about women and dating. Through conversation I discovered that my soon to be new friend was a Christian, she was very active in her Church, the singles ministry, and was celibate. But check it... she's going to school to be a Sex Therapist! I'm so intrigued and really looking forward to getting to know her. I love meeting people and hearing their story.

All in all I had fun. I played spades! Met some really cool people. Set up a ski adventure for next year. And got some great suggestions for groups to add to Pandora (I forgot all about The Jets, JJ Fad and Oaktown 357)

Besides... anything beats crying yourself to sleep on a Saturday night!

Feliz Cumpleaños!!!

For all you folks who didn't take Spanish until high school... that means Happy Birthday.

No, it's not my birthday.

And I don't speak Spanish.

But, this past Saturday I did go to a friends house to celebrate her sisters birthday with a cook-out. Mmmmmm!

A really close girlfriend of mine is married to a Brazilian guy and they used to have cook-outs all the time - however, they moved to Charleston last year and my taste buds have been sad every since.

So, when my home girl - who is Puerto Rican - told me that she was throwing a party for her sister and they were getting on the grill, I practically did a gig right in the middle of Target. (And actually, that wouldn't be all that different than any other time I'm in Target seeing as how every time I find something good on clearance I dance) Yay! A baby step for my new adventures.

So I roll to the party and there was one car outside. And I made it a point to arrive fashionably late. Mainly because I always arrive on time and I'm usually the first person there. Me and the host. Looking at each other. Making small talk over pretzels and a cheese ball. Anyhoo - when I get inside, no lie, there are like 10 people there lol. You know I had to ask! So after all was explained, I was satisfied and able to get the party started.

I asked my girl if she needed any help and like a good hostess... she said yes. I was given a glass of wine, cutting board, a knife, 4 tomatoes, an onion and a head of lettuce. I was now in charge of burger toppings! Anybody who knows me knows that not only do I LOVE to cook, but I love to have parties. And prep work makes me happy. So does wine. I was officially in kitchen heaven.

After all the toppings were prepped, I was then added to team pico de gallo :: side note - I didn't know how to spell pico de gallo so I Googled it. One of the links says pico de gallo is Spanish for "rooster's break". Ummmm... WTF???::  As more people began to arrive, the less English was spoken. It was great! And because I grew up in America and wasn't even required to study a different language until I was 15 and it was entirely too late, I was totally lost but loving every minute of it.

Whenever I'm around people who speak Spanish, I play a game in my head as to how many words I can pick up and it makes me feel smart. My own personal goal is 1 out of every 137 words. I get 2 points when I detect a string of words and 3 points when they say a word in English! So basically the whole night sounded like this: "Wonk wonk wonk wonk, wonk wonk mi amiga Kim. Wonk wonk wonk Blackberry wonk wonk wonk wonk wonk. Wonk wonk Google wonk wonk". Yes! 8 points!!!

There were all kinds of cousins, grandparents, uncles, nieces, nephews, husbands, wives... just everybody. It was really nice. I love family functions. And I really enjoy mixing with other cultures. Especially eating their food - which was SO good - and joining in on their customs. Like... lighting the candles and singing Happy Birthday 4 times!!! Once in English, once in Spanish and 2 versions were Columbian birthday songs. I think...

*shrugs*

Ok. Now what???

Alrighty. One week down, 51 to go.

I promise not to start ever entry with a countdown but I just couldn't help it this time lol.

Anyway, I've been blabbing to everybody about my new venture. For one main reason... so they can hold me accountable. Straight up! I'm a woman of my word. To others. Don't always keep my word to myself. So, if I tell people, and I know they will call me on it, i'll do whatever it is I said I would. True story.

Most everyone has been super supportive. Not saying they aren't taking side bets on how long before I cave, but at least they are wishing me well and telling me they think its a great idea. The only naysayer was a dude I work with who is convinced that I'm going to fail. Mind you, he's a man. Lets not forget that. I'm convinced the only way men know how to move on is to move on with another woman. Like the saying goes - the best way to get over old coochie is with new coochie. *shrugs*

I did have some girlfriends who tried to convince me to do it for 3 months. Nah. Thats not long enough. Anybody can take some time off for 3 months. Hell, thats a good amount of time to go through the stages of moving on. Since I've never done this before, I'm guessing the "lesson" comes after you're ready to move on. Yes? I personally don't think there is any challenge in taking just a few months off. The reason 12 months seems like such a long time is because.... IT'S A LONG A$$ TIME! Dang... just typing that makes me realize what a long d@mn time that is.

Maybe I should stop writing now...

Well, I did want to say this. I don't have anything planned this weekend because my son is home from school and I didn't plan accordingly. He's going to be hanging with friends tomorrow afternoon so maybe I'll see if I can quickly find something to occupy my time while he's farting around with them.

One good thing that has come from me telling all my business is that I've gotten some awesome suggestions for things to do over the next year. Like I said before, feel free to drop me a line with your ideas.

Bye kids - smell ya later!