Airport Observations and Travelling in General

As I sit here at the airport waiting to catch a flight home, I look around at all the other people here.. Wondering where they are going, where they came from and why they are travelling.

This time, I am travelling for fun.  Not so much for relaxation, but for a break from the day to day…

So while waiting, I decide to use the washroom and am immediately greeted by a machine that dispenses a variety of goodies depending on what you require.  What continually surprises me is that they dispense Condoms… Condoms!  Really?  Are people so sexually charged that it has become the “norm” to have sex on planes?  Or in the airport terminal?  Or.. perhaps the second they get off their flight, they really want to get off? ;P If that is the case, I have seriously been missing out on some action! I suppose it is possible that it could be “wishful thinking” that the vendors are counting on ;P In essence, at the airport you can buy everything you need for a hot date right in the airport bathroom… Gum, perfume, condoms & temporary tattoos… HOT! ;)  (On a side note, I saw condoms for sale in a dollar store the other day… who in the heck is willing to trust a dollar store condom?  I mean imagine the little box with the “Lucky” brand logo?)

I remember as a child being at the airport when relatives arrived from Germany.  It was such a different place then…  You could stand at a large window overlooking all of the planes.. it was so close I felt like I could reach out and touch the wings.  I remember the feeling of wonder and amazement.. these people travelling so far and so quickly, and being from a different country, it was as if they had come from another planet!

Well, now a days, I still see people at the airport that seem to have come from another planet… but not in an amazing and magical way…

I sit here hearing the beeping from people going through the security gates and suddenly the amazement and wonder that used to be associated with airports has become tedious and stressful and noisy.  I guess safety is important enough to me that I appreciate the precautions but I wish there was a way to make it more organic… Lucky for me, the trip tends to contain my wonder and amazement now.  Both the departure and arrival are exciting for me… On the way there, I look forward to the unknowns, the new things I will see and experience and the food.. oh the glorious food… ;P  On the way back, it is the excitement to get back to my own bed, my kitties, my family and friends, my boyfriend (who deserves a special mention).

Finally, I look forward to getting back to the day to day that makes life what it is… because in reality life isn’t about those side trips, and vacations.. those things are special because they aren’t a regular occurrence.  I have made a great day to day life for myself and I have filled it with people and animals and things that make me happy. So for me, the best part of the trip is having gone and enjoyed and then coming home to the day to day…

Anyway, that’s enough airport blogging for me :) Happy Tuesday!

Pia

Looking forward, and people that make me giggle!

I wanted to start this off with a happy note about my personal life!  I have finally found someone worthy of being called my boyfriend. 

I have told a good handful of people (well more than can actually fit in my hand!) What a dumb phrase! :P  The reaction varies depending on who they are and the place they have in my life. 

Those who have known me for years and have seen me change and grow, the people that have the most respect for me are so amazingly excited!  They are all 100% supportive…

Then there are certain people who have also been in my life a long time and have known me for NOT dating and especially not sharing guys that are in my life with them.. Those people don’t seem to believe me.. they seem to act like I have an imaginary boyfriend.. I guess waiting until I actually introduce them to him!

Lastly, there are the people who don’t know me as well, who don’t understand who I am.. they are the ones that I tend to avoid.. they make negative comments and seem more jealous than happy for me..

The fact is, I don’t really care what anyone else thinks.  Ultimately this whole thing is between me and him.. and no matter what, no matter what happens, no matter where things lead, no matter what the future holds, I will always know that I listened to my instincts, my brain, my heart and my intuition. 

For those who are supportive, encouraging and excited for me, I thank you and cherish having you in my life!

So now for the people that make me giggle… (All of these happened today!!!)

1) Talking to Michelle H. at work today and even though she knew I had no clue what she was about to ask me, she asked anyway and when I let out an apparently devilish laugh, she giggled and we shared a belly busting laugh! She was already half giggling before she asked the question… She may as well have asked me to recite the Arabic alphabet!!!

 

2) Stepping into the elevator and seeing Michelle D. OMG I nearly lost it when I saw her face.. let me tell you about Michelle D.  She is one of those people that I mentioned above that I absolutely cherish!  She knows about that special someone in my life and when I stepped into the elevator, she looked at me, grinned and even with a full elevator, we shared a giggle! Neither of us really had to say anything.. it just too a look and a smile and I nearly burst with the joy and laughter that was contained within me! She’s pretty excited for me ;P

 

3) On the way out of the office I stopped at the news stand.  I was picking up a large stack of magazines to take to my niece in the hospital.  As I was heading back to where Lauren was picking me up, I overhear a conversation between 3 “suits”…

Suit #1 - “Hey, are you a snowboarder or a skier?”

Suit #2 - “Both”

Suit #1 - “So you go both ways then?”

Suit #2 - “Yep”

Suit #1 & #3 – *Muffled Smirks!!! followed by boisterous laughter*

Poor guy didn’t see it coming.. and it was subtle but it was funny!

I actually giggled the whole way down to the car!!

 

4) My Nephew.. I saw him today and he has really grown up.. It seems that every time I see him, he learns something new… the thing that makes me giggle, is HIS giggle! Tickling him is so much fun!  He has the most adorable laugh and I am seeing him really becoming a little man!  I love him so much!!!

 

5) My stepmom.. I saw her today and I saw a side of her that I haven’t seen in a long time!  She was cracking subtle jokes and teasing me about my new beau… it was so funny to see her giggling after making jokes at my expense.. she is so funny and she really does bring out the best in my dad! She’s incredible and as much as I worry about her, I am amazed by her!

 

6) My new beau… text message… he knows what I am talking about.. that’s all I am going to say about that!  ;)

 

So that’s it for tonight… I just want to end this with another THANK YOU to all the people in my life who are so amazing, special, supportive, encouraging, positive and just down right AWESOME!  You know who you are!!! Love you all!

Pia!

Life lessons, fortunes and a secret blog??

I discovered today (as I was daydreaming about the things happening in my life right now) that it is about time I start writing down my private thoughts into a sort of diary or secret blog.  It will be as intermittent as this blog is, but will be a place I can jot down all of those feelings and hopes and dreams that I want to send out into the universe but that I want to keep for myself… for now.  Every girl needs a diary right? I feel like I am really fortunate lately and I have no issues sharing my life, but I figure some thoughts are mine alone but one day I will want to look back!!

Speaking of fortunes.. something interesting to report.. A week ago, Lauren and I had Chinese food for dinner.  I got a fortune cookie and my fortune was.. “Watch for a new relationship to develop within the month.” Today, someone left a bowl full of fortune cookies in the kitchen at work so I grabbed a few and I had the same fortune!! :) Not that I live my life according to fortune cookies, but it is a fun coincidence.

Oooh I almost forgot to mention.. today at work, I won a limerick contest!  Ok so I know I have been a poet for a long time, but it was cool because I actually didn’t expect to win!  I don’t normally write limericks!! I won the U2 Singles CD, an Irish pub song & Jig CD and the movie “The Commitments”.  Pretty cool!

I started a new class tonight.  “Speaking with Confidence!” What an amazing class with a really fantastic instructor and group of students.

I learned today that I have this inner voice spewing negative crap on a regular basis. I often hear the voice and ignore it when I should be listening for it and getting rid of it! That voice has been responsible for every ounce of self consciousness I have ever felt!

I think what made me learn about this and “get it” so quickly, was seeing all these other people say they had crippling fear of speaking publicly and then not even noticing their nerves when they actually spoke.  When I was speaking, I felt like my voice cracked, hands were shaking, face started to redden and I thought I was stammering.. but the feedback I got was telling me the opposite! 

Now, I am far from a perfect public speaker but this really illustrates how we completely sabotage ourselves!  Who says we can’t achieve all we dream about?? I learned that all an audience wants is what they came for..  so by letting our nerves get the best of us, we are only screwing things up for ourselves because not one person in the audience is thinking “oh this speaker sucks”, they are thinking “ok what’s this person have to say?”

Ok I know I am rambling!

Tomorrow, I have another looooooooong day ahead with another class but after this week my Wednesdays free up for a little while!

Also, on the subject of free time, I also managed to hand off all of my work for my second job/contract which won’t actually give me more free time, but will eliminate the guilt that was preventing me from taking advantage of and enjoying the free time I have!

Besides, I have some really good things on the horizon to potentially fill up my free time! :)

Ok that’s it for now ;)

Wow.. What a twist!

I have to say, the universe always keeps my life exciting! Granted, I often create or seek out my own excitement but sometimes, the universe steps in and tosses something in my direction that just makes me happy!

Saturday night, I had the best first date!  I am not going to detail it all because quite frankly, I am not going to kiss and tell.. but I can assure you that it was fantastic.  I will definitely never forget it and am so happy that there will indeed be a second!

There are so many weird rules I have heard in my lifetime about what to do/not to do on a first date and you know what, I think I broke more than half of them.. and I don’t care!  I think it all comes down to acting naturally and feeling the moment. Had it been with another person, I can almost guarantee that things would have gone differently. The fact is, if there is a connection, nothing can mess it up.  If it doesn’t work, it must not have been meant to be. I know I know, much easier to say than to experience.  Sorry.  I am typing from a really happy place right now :)

Of course I don’t want to get ahead of myself. I am taking it all one day at a time and I am giving myself permission to be as excited as I want to be and to just trust my instincts. In the end, if it doesn’t work out like I hope it will, I’ll never regret living in the moment and being myself. It is really all I can do!

I’m keeping this one short and sweet but I wanted to write about March 14th, 2009!

People and the things they do…

Every day that I am alive, people surprise and amaze me.  Unfortunately there are also people who disappoint me but lucky for you, this post is not about them!

I was reminded the other day by someone that I respect and admire, that we as human beings tend to put more effort and time into some friendships more than others. 

I think I do that very thing.  I put more effort into some relationships more than others. Whether it be family or friends, respect and reciprocity are two critical factors in a strong relationship.  I have to admire or respect my friends in some way and the effort I put in to our relationship has to be reciprocated.

Sometimes, this means that certain friendships are lost or people grow apart, but to quote a popular poem, we have friends for a reason, a season or a lifetime.

I’ve been thinking a lot about my friendships lately.  Reevaluating the difference between a really quality friendship and a “convenient” friendship. I think I tend to keep “friends” in both categories but am sad when I realize that certain friends fall into the convenient category.. but when the friend fits into the quality category, I just feel so lucky.

I had a chat with a great friend last week.  A convenient friendship that has since evolved into quality.  Something I didn’t expect.  I also had a great chat with a close friend today.  I was reminded that even though we haven’t spent a lot of time together over the past few months due to her new relationship, we still have a bond that is really solid and a level of trust and respect that is amazing.

While at Second Cup with that friend, we were waiting for my drink and the two women behind the counter at Second cup kept saying “Pssssssssssssssssst” to get my attention.  When I finally turned around, they commented “By the way, you look Great!!!”.  I was so flattered and it really made my afternoon.  See?  People amaze me! I almost don’t know how to react anymore though.  Can it really get that much better?  Not that I think I am perfect, but how much more amazed can people be when they see me? The changes (at least to me) seem so minor now. 

Anyway, I am also amazed by a particular individual that I have been working with lately.  By the way, by amazed, I don’t mean in a good way.  This particular individual is married and as we all know, I am single.. and I am sure (I hope) he isn’t intentionally trying to make me uncomfortable but I have been on the receiving end of a whole lot of flirting lately.  Who knows, he could be innocently thinking he is being clever and funny etc.. but after making a comment about buying me lunch.. or dinner, I just think there is an invisible line that is being stepped over slightly.  (I have received a second opinion on this from a friend as well!)

The thing is, I would never ever ever even consider going for lunch or dinner with this guy. As a single woman, his behavior towards me has been borderline and quite frankly, even if he thinks it is innocent, going out for lunch (or dinner for that matter) with a married man isn’t a situation I want to be a part of. In a group, it isn’t the same thing but just one on one?  If the situation was different and I was the wife, I know how I would feel.. I would rather be single forever than be a home wrecker.  

Don’t get me wrong, this guy is very nice and charming and has never physically done anything to compromise the situation, but sometimes innuendo can be a really cloudy enigma. I just think being a single woman puts me in a situation where I have to be super careful how I take comments and flirting that I receive.  It is hard to hear the flirts and comments because I am actually desiring that sort of attention from men in my personal life and when it is offered in a situation where you’re not supposed to be receiving it, there is awkwardness!

On a side note, I have noticed a plethora of married men not wearing wedding rings.. Just reminds me that there is no way to know for sure so I have to assume they are all married! Men, Wear your rings!

Anyway… I think that people are fascinating.  I honestly should have gone into psychology because I am just so amazed at the human brain and would love to study why people do the things they do.  Maybe that’s what makes me so crazy in the dating scene… I am so wrapped up in why people tick that I overanalyze things and drive myself nuts!

Ooooh completely off topic, I almost forgot to mention… March 30th is supposed to be the Premiere episode of Glutton for Punishment on the Food Network. Some of you may remember that during Stampede last summer I watched Bob Blumer break the Guinness Book of World Records record for most pancakes made in an hour.. and being that I was there at the taping, I inevitably ended up being filmed and unless there is a lot of editing, I should be on the show!!! I am hoping to PVR it on my computer! I guess I have had more than 15 minutes of fame but I’ve been having fun :)

To sum all of this up, I really don’t have anything profound to say. I wish I could say something cool or clever that makes all of this become homogenous but really, it just is what it is. It may make me seem like a really messed up single woman and that would be mostly true, but is also just reiterates that people are unpredictable and nothing is ever truly known for sure.