Amy’s blog

This past month has been very interesting to say the least. My sister interviewed for her first internship. It was crazy at work and I learned a piece of information that was about 9 months too late. I spent my first Thanksgiving completely alone. Still, after all the loneliness, craziness and disappointments I have discovered another one of life's great lessons. It is the lesson that life will put curves in your road, but it is impossible to do a u-turn and go back unchanged.

I tell my associates everyday that we all make choices. There will always be consequences for those choices, good or bad. As I have learned this year, even though we may be aware of that...we very rarely are aware of how our choices affect those around us. I never believed my life would turn out the way it has, but when I look back at my choices I wonder how I could not have seen this outcome. Regardless, my life hasn't turned out all that bad. It isn't what I had planned it to be, but maybe that's the beauty of it.

I have loved and lost. I have ventured and not gained. I have jumped and fallen. But through all life's curves and disappointments, I have found wonderful friends. So it is with that conviction that I can still travel home and not cry. I can still go to work and not have a breakdown. And most of all, I can recognize that when I allow "moments" to pass with potential nice guys...those moments are few and all too far between. Still, once the moment is gone it is hard to jump back in and recreate it.

Yet, as of late I find myself wishing for the innocence of youth. Hoping that I will open my front door one day to find Mr. Nice Guy who wants to grow old with me. Although we can never go back unchanged, when we do visit past haunts we see things from a completely new perspective. That is the point my friends. You can go back, it will not be the same, but it can be a new beginning.

Today is Christmas for many people, Hanukkah is currently happening and for me it is my birthday.  So just a quick note to everyone...whatever you celebrate, I wish you all happy holidays!

Christmas Tree (XXL)

Menorah

Birthday (XXL)

It has been a crazy couple of months.  Football season, the election and work has consumed me.  Which is why I have somewhat fallen off the blogging radar. 

I am happy that the election is over and I am happy with the result!  Thank goodness I don't have to think about moving to Canada!

Football season has been a bit of a surprise.  My Packers are struggling at this point in the season.  But I am having the time of my life with my new found friends at the Packer bar!

Work is still a 4 letter word.  What else can I say?  I work in retail and it is the holiday season.  Even though the economy is in the toilet, I still have to work crazy hours.

I am excited to get moved into my new place.  I can honestly say that I am excited for this transition part of my life to get started so I can move into the next chapter of my life.

Since it will probably be awhile till I blog again on here...I wish everyone a very happy holidays!

I recently purchased an old cd, Natalie Merchant's "Tigerlily."  That album was released when I was just starting college.  I listened to the whole thing last night.  Wow, all I can say is wow!  This cd brings back so many memories.  My friend Chaz and I used to take road trips all over Wisconsin and Michigan listening to that tape blaring in my Chevy Corsica.  If you have never heard the tracks, it is a slow and somewhat sad album.  It is true what people say about scent and sound holding the key to your memories. 

My favorite tracks on this album are: San Andreas Fault, Beloved Wife, The Letter, and Seven Years.  I highly recommend this album for a night of relaxation in front of the fireplace with a glass of wine and a lot of personal reflection.

Wow, I can't believe that it is almost October; this year is flying by!  I have been busy this past month.  It seems as though my house has been a revolving door for visitors.  I was fortunate to have a good friend stay with me for a few days while she was out here for a wedding.  My family was here for a week and just flew back home today.  So I am planning on having a day of rest tomorrow!

In between visitors, I started playing fantasy football.  I know it sounds crazy, but has been fun and quite addicting.  I am happy to say that my team is 3-0 (knock on wood).  I took my family to see Brett Favre play with the NY Jets against the San Diego Chargers.  I got into a heated argument with an ignorant San Diegan while watching the game.  Still, it was cool to see Favre play...luv him! 

I am still trying to figure out where I am going to live as my extension on my current location is drawing to a close.  No matter where I end up, I am sure I will find a new adventure awaits me.  I am trying to enjoy life and not be such a workaholic.  That has proven to be quite the challenge for me.  We'll have to see what the next few months bring my way.

Brett Favre

Those of you who are good friends with me, know that I have been very upset by the news that the Green Bay Packers traded my boy Brett Favre to the NY Jets.  I am feeling better about this today, but I gotta admit I still have mixed emotions about all of this.  It has been wierd seeing footage of him wearing a Jets jersey instead of his Packer jersey.  I am a Packer fan still and probably always will be, but I must admit...I am still a huge fan of Brett Favre.  I still believe he is the Yoda of football.  So I am enclosing this video that I found on youtube.  This video is in honor of his retirement, but I feel this way even though he is out of retirement.  Yes, I will wear my Brett Favre jersey till the day that I die!

While I was recovering from the shock that Brett Favre is no longer a Green Bay Packer, this cheeshead was listening to some older music.

I had recently had a discussion with my sister about folk music.  My parents were fans of groups like Peter, Paul and Mary and many others.  So while I hated being forced to listen to the "old people" music in my youth, as an adult I have found that I too have a soft spot for folk music. 

Perhaps one of my favorites is Simon and Garfunkal.  While I was surfing amazon.com, I spotted Simon and Garfunkal's CD of their concert in Central Park.  That brought back fond memories of listening to that record (yes, I mean vinyl) with my Aunt Martha.  So, I impulsively bought the CD and it arrived yesterday.

No matter what your age, take a listen to some of their songs...this is some good music.  My personal favorites are:

1) Cecilia

2) Me and Julio down by the schoolyard

3) Mrs. Robinson

4) Kodachrome

5) Late in the evening

6) Slip Slidin Away

I spent 4 days in Los Angeles this past weekend.  I was looking for a humble abode to call home and doing interviews for a new job.  While I was in town, my friend that was with me wanted to visit some relatives.  When she told me that they lived in south central LA, I was like no...I can't hang there.  But, she had been so great in helping me through this moving process that I decided I would take her to visit her relatives. 

Her family was great, very welcoming and warm hearted.  The street they lived on looked very out of place in that area.  It was nice to meet some great people...I have been a bit of a social butterfly lately.  Anyway, the trouble started when we went for a little drive.

About 6 blocks away was a little area you all may have heard of...Watts.  So my friend and I drive into Watts and I got a little turned around because I ended up right in the middle of the projects.  To make matters worse, no one looked happy to see us driving around.  So asking for directions was out.  Then a car tries to block us in on the street.  Luckily we made it out after driving like mad women. 

I learned two things from this experience.  First, it is incredibly sad that the projects still exist.  I feel bad that those people are stuck in a vicious circle of poverty and hardship.  Second, white mid-western girls like myself should not venture into the ghetto as we are not welcome there.  So while I find it disappointing that racism is still alive and well, I am smart enough to realize that it is a part of the world we live in and I will try not to make a wrong turn in the ghetto again.

I must say that even though I swore I would not stand in the hellacious lines at Comic Con again, I am wishing I could go to Comic Con this year.  I am a huge fan of Bones...well mainly David Boreanaz.  The Bones cast will be doing a panel on Friday.  I couldn't attend on Friday even if I was able to get a 1 day pass.  I will be going to an interview for a job in Los Angeles and spending the weekend in Hollywood.  My timing is not the best since everyone will be in San Diego this weekend while I am in LA. 

If you are a fortunate soul who is attending Comic Con...have fun.  The only downfall to it are the horrendous lines you must wait in to see 1 panel.  Still, I must admit that I have had fun each time that I went.