Perspective

Nick left for Africa on the 18th, and won't be back until Thursday, September 4th. I MISS HIM!!! SO MUCH!!!

I used to love time alone. Even when I lived with someone, I craved my own space and made the most of it when I had it within my grasp. I've seriously lost my ability to entertain myself. The first couple of nights that Nick was gone, I went to bed before 9pm -- there wasn't anything good on television, and I was bored! I thought maybe it would come full-circle, and I would get used to my evenings of solitude. I guess Nick is my perfect match, because 2 weeks later, I'm still going crazy with loneliness.

Don't get me wrong, I've certainly kept myself occupied. Last weekend my dad was in town. I have a baby shower to host next weekend, so I've been busy planning that. I've had a very full Labor Day weekend, what with the cooking dinner for my girlfriend and her mother Saturday night, as well as the canning party I hosted on today. Tomorrow night I'm meeting some friends for dinner downtown.

Sure, I have plenty going on - a very full schedule compared to most....but I can't express how much I miss Nick. I ache with the feeling of his absence.

I've known married couples where the husband goes off for months at a time to fish up in Alaska or serve in The Peace Corps or perform Military service. I've heard tales of the long stints apart, and the stress involved with the unaccustomed companionship when he returns.

I have to admit, I don't think I could do it. If I'm in a relationship that gets to the point that I'm uncomfortable with my partner being around full-time, there's something wrong, in my opinion. If I ever find myself in this situation, regardless of whether that situation comes with my partner, or is acquired later in the relationship, I hope I always ache with the feeling of their absence.

No Way. No How. No McCain.

I'm watching Hillary speak at the Democratic National Convention, and I must admit, I'm a bit choked up!

Despite the fact that I didn't think she was the right fit for the White House, and despite the fact that she had lipstick on her teeth during her speech, I was so proud. I was proud of Hillary Clinton and proud of where we've come as a country. I'm watching a woman who has worked her ass off and run for President.

Despite what you believe, or what party you support, you have to admit that it's a very exciting time when a woman is taken seriously as a Presidential nominee.

IT Dependency

Nick left on a 3 week vacation to Togo yesterday morning. He has a good friend from highschool who is stationed there for the Peace Corps. She has some vacation time to take, and Nick is starting Law School next month, so it's the perfect opportunity! He's going to be staying in her guest room - in her house which has no electricity and no running water. I'm sure he's going to have tons of great stories when he returns (and hopefully pretty presents for his pretty girlfriend!)

Last night, when Nick had been gone for approximately 14 hours, I learned just how much I depend on him. It took me 20 minutes to figure out how to switch our television settings so that I could watch a DVD. Seriously. I actually called one of our friends to find out if he knew how our TV works.

Now, I'm not a complete idiot. I say this from experience - not just because my mom has convinced me. Normally I can figure these things out pretty easily, but this new setup has me a little stumped. Nick and I purchased a fancy new television a few weeks ago. It is widescreen, has HD capabilities, and even PC hookups, so we can watch stuff from the laptop (I even played online Tetris on the TV!) This is particularly cool for Netflix streaming movies. We just choose something from the "watch now" list, hook the laptop up to the television, and it's just like watching any other DVD. The HD part is pretty cool too. We don't actually have HD service, but because the television is set up for it, we have access to the HD broadcasted channels. So, several of our standard stations have multiple channels, so you can watch the same programming in HD.

So, all in all, it's pretty cool. The only unfortunate thing sofar is that I have to find the proper menu on the television, and not just click that handy little button on the remote that says "tv/video".

Now...to figure out how to set the alarm clock!

My First Email of The Day. Courtesy of the actions of a mystery dipshit that I work with

From: Kim
To: Personnel
Subject: Kitchen Issues

A few items:

• Please put your dirty dishes in the dishwasher! At least once a day I have to take care of items that have been left in the sink or on the counter.
• Please be conscientious of messes left behind when you are making food or coffee. I don’t mind wiping the counters and appliances down, but I prefer not to scrape your crusty food out of the microwave or clean up your coffee spills that are left on the floor.
• Please email me if there are problems in the kitchen area rather than leaving “Clean Me” signs for me to find.
  
  
  Thank you.

Because I Don't Have Nearly Enough On My Plate Right Now...

I'm hosting a baby shower for a good friend next month, and I'm having a really good time planning things out. I've never hosted any type of shower before, so I'm becoming really good at stealing other people's ideas!

My friend Rachel is hosting a baby shower this weekend, and she has a pretty good idea for a game. She asked the two grandmas-to-be about any quirky habits or situations from their respective children. At the party, she is going to present these items as possible things that the baby will do, and all of the guests have to guess which parent the trait will come from. I'm not really into cheesy games, and I don't think I can pretend otherwise, so this is a pretty perfect game for me to incorporate.

I'm also stealing an idea from a wedding that I went to earlier this summer. Instead of a guest book, everyone signed a square of fabric, which the bride is having made into a quilt. I figure with a group of 20 or so at the baby shower, it will be the perfect amount for a small quilt. Now, I don't have a sewing machine, so I'm going to stitch it by hand. Keeping in mind, I've never actually made a quilt before, but from what I've found online, it seems pretty straight-forward. I can hem my own pants, so how hard could it be? Famous last words? Possibly.

I'm getting pretty excited about all of the cool fabric I could get for it, and really personalize it. I'm thinking I might need to incorporate some big white and blue buttons as well...

So, any thoughts or ideas? I could use a little direction on the quilting thing...as well as any good shower ideas!