This post brought to you by the letter "O"

Abq at Popscicle Toes had a great Meme that I wanted to try... She gives me a letter and I'm to post a list of ten words beginning with that letter with an explanation of what the word means to me. If anyone else wants to play along, just leave me a comment and aks for a letter. I will then assign letters to those who want to play along. It's kind of fun...and I promise no funky letters like Q, X or Z.

Abq gave me letter "O"

1) Oreo cookies: creme filling sandwiched between chocolate wafer cookies...what could be better? That's right, Double Stuff'd Oreos, baby!

2) October: My favorite month of the entire year. The heat of summer gives way to crisp, cool fall air. Green leaves turn into vibrant and vivid colors like gold, russet, red, orange, yellow and blanket the city. Simply gorgeous.

3) On the rocks: as in 'Margarita on the rocks, with salt.' There isn't anything better than a tasty, tart, tequila-y margarita on girl's night.

4) orgasm: does this really need an explanation? Just let me say, the more the better...

5) 'Of Mice and Men': This is one of my top five favorite books of all time. I first read it in the 4th grade. My teacher told me the story was too advanced for me and I would never understand it. She was wrong, even then I loved how the relationship between George and Lennie was much more than friendship, it was deep and familial. I've read it too many times to count and I still dread the end when George finds Lennie at the river bank, and just as Lennie asks George to tell him about the farm and the rabbits...George hears Curley and the others coming and he shoots Lennie before the others get there. Brings tears to my eyes every damn time.

6) old denim shirt: For as long as I can remember I always loved wearing my dad's big, comfy button down shirts. The sleeves were six inches too long and the shirt tail hung almost too my knees, but that never mattered to me. By wearing those shirts, I felt safe and comforted. When I moved out, I 'accidently' took my favorite denim shirt with me and I have it to this day. Sure, the sleeves are frayed, buttons are missing and several spots have worn through, but it is one of my most treasured possessions.

7) omelets: Yum! Eggs, cheese and assorted veggies...served with a side of crisp bacon. How can you go wrong? (Well, other than adding mushrooms...)

8) ocean: I am a Pisces, which makes me the fish of the Zodiac with a love of water. My first glimpse of the ocean came on a family vacation when I was 15. We spent a week in California driving along the coast from San Diego to Big Sur and I stared out the window wanting to remember every gorgeous coastline view.

9) offense: and defense, as in football, baby! Teddy taught me the basics when I was 15 and I've been hooked ever since. Years later he said at the time he had no idea what a rabid fan he would create.

10) oversleeping: I try to be up at a decent time on the weekend, but to be honest, I usually choose to oversleep. I love to sleepily glance at the clock, realize it's not necessary for me to get up any time soon before easily drifting back to sleep.

Okay, there's my 'O' list...it was a bit more difficult than I thought it would be. Anyway, if you want a letter, just let me know. And you know you want to...c'mon, join the Meme...all the cool bloggers are doing it...just try it...you don't want to be a nerd do you...we'll let you sit at the popular kids table at lunch... (Ack! Sorry, drifted into junior high peer pressure mode there for a second.)

Crossroad

I'm standing at a crossroad right now: should I stay or should I go? Big question, big decision. Staying means same ol' same ol'; going means new. Staying means security and comfort; going means uncertainty and unknown. Staying means family and friends; going means breaking their heart (and mine). Staying means digging a deeper rut; going means blazing an entirely new trail. Staying means continuing to write my life in ditto marks; going means creating an entirely different story. Staying means telling myself I would've made it; going means proving it. Staying means always wondering and wishing I had tried; going means facing my fears and standing on my own.

It's a big decision. And I'm going.

The Light and The Dark

The wicked surely must rule the world

The deep of soul and mind were made for something more

Something mighty, something startling,

Something to make us realize what we are when we're alone

To make us see what's within us is all around us

Some will lurk in darkness

Some will live for honesty

Balancing the light and the dark is the only way

All is all is everything

The change is ever coming

Distance

The phone line was quiet except for an occasional scratch of static. "I miss you," he said softly. "Is it crazy to miss someone you didn't know existed until a week ago? Honestly, I think I've missed you my entire life."

She imagined him sitting there, his blue eyes narrowed with concern that he had said too much, when in truth, he had said just enough. "Not entirely crazy," she said. "I miss you too."

Battle of kcterrilynn's desk

(Still working on the vacation wrap-up...hey, cut me some slack, it was a very busy and drunken 10 days. There's a lot of debauchery to record.)

Anyway it seems there was some office mischief while I was gone. Several unruly stacks of invoices, service calls, contractor bids, tenant requests and budget items formed a nasty gang called The Papers and organized a coup to seize control of my desk. Mr. Potato Head, Magic 8-Ball and Red Grrr didn’t stand a chance. Tater Tot survived by hiding in a desk drawer with Post-its and Correction Tape. He’s still too traumatized to talk much about it.

Mo the Fighting Monkey and Polar Bear Pete saw most of it from Ficus Tree Forest (where they were exiled after an incident involving a six-pack of Wite Out, some loose Paper Clips and internet porn - we've agreed never to discuss it). The following is what I can piece together. In the beginning, The Papers mostly kept to themselves on one corner of the desk. Several days and several new piles later, a sleeper gang called Invoices forced Kaleidoscope Paperweight and Tigger Business Card Holder to flee the upper left corner for the safe sanctuary of the upper right corner. By Wednesday afternoon The Papers had invaded every inch of the desk and started to eye the credenza and computer desk. Three-Hole Punch tried to hold them off by launching multi-colored punch-outs at them, but being bombarded by tiny bits of Papers past seemed to only fuel their anger. Mr. Potato Head and Red jumped in to help, even after Magic 8-Ball told them ‘Outlook Not Good,’ but they felt they had to try anyway. It was a massacre. Mr. Potato Head lost an arm and one ear, Red lost his tag and Magic 8-Ball just repeats ‘Reply Hazy – Try Again Later’ over and over.

When I got back to the office Monday morning, The Papers were resistant to give up their stronghold right away. After three days of hard-core negotiations, The Papers where still holding strong on one strategic corner. When they refused to surrender, I was forced to bring in back-up: The Shredder. Once they saw I meant business, order was finally restored and every last Paper was banished. All is well. Except I think Tot might have Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder; I laid the mail on my desk this morning and he yelled “You’ll never take me alive, Papers!!!” while waving Letter Opener over his head. He might need some Tater therapy. Poor little Tot.

Back to the ol' daily grind...

I promise to have a real post about my vacation tomorrow; I simply don't have time today because unfortunately, as expected, work is kicking my ass right now. In the meanwhile, I'd like to present the following:

My Summer Vacation

in 5 Words or Less

by kcterrilynn

I need a new liver.

Gettin' the hell outta Dodge...

"We need a holiday..." True that! I'm Denver-bound for a much needed vacation. Catch y'all later!

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Changes in altitudes, changes in attitude

I love airports. Going away, coming home, excessivley long layovers or barely enough time to my connection, it doesn't matter; I really love airports. I love to watch and wonder about the people around me. I see arrival and departure gates as beginnings and endings for millions of stories, all types of stories: short, long, sad, exciting, tiring, spontaneous... The rumpled businessman obsessively checking his messages: did he make the deal or was it a wasted trip? The talkative group of high school students: heading out on a class ski trip or maybe competing for a National title in debate? The stressed out mom wrangling three young children: visiting out-of-state grandparents or bound for Disneyland? The emotional lovers kissing good-bye: leaving on a short trip or maybe a long distance couple being separated for months? The wistful looking woman travelling alone: heading to a new life or saying good-bye to an old one?

I love the arrival/departure boards. I love to scan the myriad places listed and add them to the travel wishlist in my head. I love having the full spector of human emotions on display at the gates. Arrival gates generally mean wide smiles, exuberant hugs, and excited welcomes. When I lived in Tampa the best part of my trips home to KC was seeing C & L, their little noses pressed against the divider glass, each trying to be the first to spot me in the crowded terminal. Once they did, they'd come running to me with their small arms reaching to be picked up, kissed and cuddled. Hugging those kids in the middle of the airport always represented home for me. Departure gates, on the other hand, usually draw out anxious faces, teary eyes and fierce hugs. The worst part my trips home was as the plane was taking off an intense wave of homesickness would hit me. I felt as if home was being taken from me and I could only watch as it got smaller and smaller. Truthfully the feeling never lasted longer than a few minutes before I was looking forward to getting back to my Florida life. Still, even the sadness of leaving doesn't change my love of airports.

I love the 'first day of vacation' rush I get when I board a plane that's heading anywhere...anywhere but here, if only for a week or so. Whether it's somewhere new or a place I've been dozens of times before, the feelings are the same: excitement, anticipation, adventure, eagerness... In roughly 36 hours I will be sitting at the airport impatiently waiting for my vacation to start. A 10-day vacation in Denver to kick back, relax, breath crisp high-altitude air, marvel at the mountains, and enjoy the world's greatest margaritas on the deck of The Rio. Ten days to shop Pearl St. in Boulder, soak up the sun at the Buffalo Rose, sit by the creek at Evergreen Winery eating antipasto while sipping their exceptional Private Label Pinot Grigo, or maybe even head two hours South for a vacation-within-a-vacation in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. Most of all, it's 10 days to catch up with Dawn, one of my best friends. Ten days that haven't even started yet and I'm already wishing it was a longer trip.

Creepy...with a capital 'REEPY!'

Why do the ad execs for Gatorade insist on creeping me out? First there is the commercial for their Propel Fitness Water (which, seriously? is just fucking water!) with the people who appear from the drops as they drip from the bottle. Don't know why, but that commercial freaks me out. Then they moved onto the ones with the athletes being 'born' from soccer/volley/foot balls. It's not so much the visual that disturbs me, but the sounds! The squishy, ripping, moist, squicky sounds! EWWWWWWWWWW!! Now they've got the one with the giant heads of Peyton Manning, Derek Jeter and other athletes attached to little kid bodies. It's more than I can handle. (Actually anything to do with Manning is more than I can handle, but that's another post), but this is just too much. Why do advertisers think that creeping me out is the way to sell a product?!