Afterglow

I’ve just boarded the train in Ann Arbor heading back to my place in the city. And even though the breathtaking scenery of the Huron River is around me, I am feeling blue. I’ve just said good-bye to Hubby after a fun weekend and – even though we deny it till the very last moment – I am terribly sad. It’s as if these train tracks, the same ones that took me to him on Friday, are pulling me further and further away from him. And I hate it.

I haven’t been writing much over the past week because I’ve been busy. I find the more time I spend apart from writing, the more difficult it is for me to write. And I hate that.

And now, with the two things I’ve admitted to hating out of the way … and with about 4 hours before hitting my final destination … I now find myself having that time to write.

MH & AF circa 1988
MH & AF circa 1988

I’ve got my iPod on listening to the (new) INXS* song, “Afterglow.” I love this song, because it’s so beautiful. And it’s a song that I could totally hear Michael Hu.tchence singing, rather than JD “Fortunate-that-he-was-picked” from Rockstar. Sadly, it’s a song that was written by MH’s songwriting partner Andrew Fa.rriss. And perhaps I may be reading into the lyrics too much, but I’ve interpreted it as a song he wrote about dealing with life after Michael’s death. And how he has been trying to “let him go” so that he can move forward with his own life without Michael.

It’s perfect for how I’m feeling right now; having just left Hubby standing on the train platform. Not that I’m “letting him go” or anything. It’s more that I’m feeling like I have to go on living life without Hubby once again … at least for another 5 days until the weekend comes once more. You would think that I might have gotten used to it by now, as it’s been two months now, but it’s still as painful as that first day Hubby drove off down the street of our new “place” and back to our home in Michigan. The only thing that’s holding me together is that the end is now in site. And hopefully by the end of this month, I will finally be able to call this place I’ve been living in for the past two months “home.” Because Hubby will always be home for me.

And suddenly I’ve got that line from “Lilo & Stitch” in my head. “Ohana means Family. And Family means no one get’s left behind.”

*Sigh* ….

So … what to write about now ? Hmm, perhaps I could tell you about all the fun I had at Hubby’s Ad Club Awards show yesterday. You know … the same awards show for which Hubby designed the poster made completely out of Legos (with some assistance from his personal Lego Engineer, of course ). Well, because Legos was such a big thing for most of the “Creatives” (as they call themselves …) back in the early 80’s, the overall theme turned into a whole 80’s night. Well, at least the rest of the items that Hubby designed (the invitations, the programs, banners, etc) had a whole ’80’s feel to it.

D2 circa 1983
D2 circa 1983

To complete the 80’s theme, Hubby and I decided to dress the whole 80’s part. This is where I’d probably insert a picture of Hubby in a white blazer coat, black dress shirt unbuttoned at the top with a black tie loosened around the neck (a la Dur.an Dur.an circa 1981). Or even one where I’m dressed in a 80’s mod dress complete with black stirrup leggings and kitten heel pumps. (I would have done the whole side-ways ponytail, but then my grey hair would have really stood out …) Unfortunately, neither of us remembered to take our cameras with us. So instead, I’ll share this true 80’s picture of me (circa 1985), in a dress that’s quite similar to what I wore. And no … my dress was not the same pattern … (Damn … thought I had it with me on my laptop here. Guess I don’t. I’ll have to scan it next time I’m back in Detroit …)

It’s always a fun night going to these Addy Awards. Being around Creative Folk is pretty darn funny. They usually have some interesting stories to talk about. Most aren’t too stuffy where they can’t take a joke or tell a pretty good one. Typically every year there’s some sort of theme around the awards. I think I already shared with you a picture of Hubby & I as a Ringmaster and Tightrope Walker during the circus-themed one. Then there was the one where everything revolved around solving some sort of crime, a la CSI … except in this case CSI stood for Creative Scene Investigation. And of course there was the whole “Austin Powers” Groovy theme; in which one couple dressed up as Dr. Evil and Vanessa Kensington. That was pretty darn funny!

So the Lego theme this year found the Creatives sitting around tables with various pieces of Lego surrounding the table centerpieces. People were encouraged to play with them, build things with them. If someone from their table won an award, when they came up to accept the award they were instructed to add Lego piece(s) to a Lego board up in the front of the room. The goal was that at the end of the night, everyone would have formed a communal sculpture made out of random Lego pieces. Well … the final piece was definitely a mish-mosh of various random Legos representing, what I overheard someone else call a “funky carnival.” And if I had my camera … this is where I’d share how absolutely imaginative some people got.

Opt.imus Prime
Opt.imus Prime

But the even more surprising Lego sculptures were found at the end of the night. After the festivities ended and as I went around collecting all the Lego pieces at the tables, I found random pieces of Legos shaped into various animals or house-like structures. I swear, someone even made a ginormous robot that looked like it should have been Optim.us Prime from the Tran.sformers. Really, I shouldn’t have been too surprised … I mean after all, I was supposed to be surrounded by the most creative people in the local industry.

Overall, it was a fun weekend. And because we both were away from our respective living areas (we stayed the weekend in Lansing, MI where the awards show was), it was nice to be in a place where neither of us had to “leave” one another at the end of the weekend. Both of us were going back to our places … albeit alone.

But, thank G*d, not for much longer.

~~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~~

* I find that I’ve divided INXS into two categories; the old INXS (with Michael Hu.tchence) and the new INXS (sans Michael Hu.tchence).

Puppy Power!!

I was so excited to go home this past weekend. Not only because I’d be there to celebrate both my Mom’s and a good friend’s birthday. Or just because I was *so* looking forward to sleeping in my big queen size bed with Hubby sleeping by my side. Nah … the biggest reason I was excited to go home (besides being with Hubby) was to see my Kozzy.

If you don’t remember who Kozzy is, she’s our 11-year old “puppy-girl” who we joined our family on the day the Red Wings won their first Stanley Cup Championship in 42 years. Hence Kozzy’s real name: Kozlov Konstantinov. Kozzy for short.

Kozzy as an *actual* puppy
Kozzy as an *actual* puppy

We adopted Kozzy from the “Meet Your Best Friend at the Zoo” Day at the Detroit Zoo. The moment we first laid eyes on her, we fell in love. She was the quietest, meekest puppy we saw, and she appeared so docile. But, boy were we ever fooled.

The minute we got her home, Kozzy was all over our house and our backyard. And in true puppy-fashion, she was in to everything. Although she literally failed puppy school (she was labeled “socially aggressive”), Hubby and I can’t imagine life without her. And because I wasn’t going to be readily available to care for Kozzy in my new digs, Hubby & I decided that she wouldn’t move until Hubby moved as well. So yeah, I was excited to see my puppy-girl.

When I finally saw her, Kozzy was just like that excited hyperactive puppy she was when we first took her home. Throughout the whole weekend, she didn’t want to leave my side … even if it was to go get the laundry in our basement. And because of that, I just felt totally loved; totally needed. So having to leave her once again, once the weekend was over proved to be pretty difficult. Because not only was I saying goodbye to Hubby for the week, I was also saying bye to Kozzy until the next time I come back into town. I totally miss her and her silly antics …

honestscrapOkay, so (kinda) switching subjects … can anyone remember which cartoon character used to shout out “Puppy Power!!”? Yep, it’s none other than Scooby Doo’s nephew, Scrappy Doo. And the reason I was brought up this particular puppy in this post (other than to somehow tie the story of my Kozzy into this post) is because I recently received an award from one my IF bloggie buddies.

So a great big Thank You! to LoriBeth for awarding me the Honest Scrap Award!

But with every great award, comes great responsibility … or is that with great power comes great responsibility? Regardless, the rules of the Honest Scrap Award are as follows:

  • Choose a minimum of 7 blogs that you find brilliant in content or design.
  • Show the 7 winners names and links on your blog, and leave a comment informing them that they were prized with “Honest Scrap.” Well, there’s no prize, but they can keep the nifty icon.
  • List at least 10 honest things about yourself.

So let’s begin. Hmm … 10 honest things about me:

  1. I am definitely NOT a morning person. I’m more apt to stay up late and wake up even later. BUT … if getting up early means I can get to work at an earlier time so I can leave work earlier, then I would drag my sorry tired a$$ to work.
    .
  2. I love reading all kinds of books. But if given a choice between “War and Peace” and “Shopaholic Takes Manhattan”? I’d definitely choose the latter … or even some trashy young adult book. Yeah … I have a thing for Chick Lit and Teen Romance. But what’s worse is that …
    .
  3. Sometimes when I’m done reading those books, I will return them to the local bookstore and get credit towards buying another book. (I feel like such a dork keeping copies of Meg Cabot teen books on my book shelves …) I guess you can say it’s “almost” like borrowing books from the library. Except instead of a library card, it’s a Visa card.
    .
  4. I consider myself pretty flexible and a go-with-the-flow type of person which, in normal circumstances I am … but throw a major issue that requires an immediate decision? I freeze up. I become paralyzed with anxiety and fear.
    .
  5. Along the same “pretty flexible” line … I always thought I had the ability to see things in shades of grey. Nothing could ever be just black or white. Except if someone or something pushes me too far. Then all I see is that I’m either ABSOLUTELY right (as in “stubborn”) or COMPLETELY wrong (as in “stupid”).

    Admit it ... Kozzy's adorable!
    Admit it ... Kozzy's adorable!
  6. I have quite a wicked temper. I’ve gotten better over the years … thanks, mostly in part of the incredible patience my Hubby has for me. But push my buttons over and over and OVER again … well, just beware of my wrath.
    .
  7. I apparently give off this vibe that I’m confident and secure with myself. That I’m a smart and quite knowledgeable person. And that I’m arrogant beyond belief. The truth is … most of the time I lack a whole lotta self-confidence and question every decision I make. And I’ve pretty much been like that my whole life.
    .
  8. While I usually take pride in being unique and unusual individual, there are days I secretly wish I was just like everyone else.
    .
  9. I have a difficult time speaking up for myself or doing something that I would want to do for myself. And when I do, I feel guilty … as if I’m being a very selfish person. And finally …
    .
  10. Even though I hate to admit it, my Mom was right. I never should have given up piano lessons in 9th grade. Ten years of lessons, and the only song I can fully complete is “Heart and Soul.”

So there you go … 10 Honest Crap that you’ve always wanted to know about me, if you didn’t already.

Now hmmm … who to pass this award on to? Okay, here goes …

  • Kate: I know how much she loves doing these memes and she always has such awesome content on her blog,
    .
  • Kara: I love her writings (and her, too!) even when the content doesn’t necessarily fit the title to her blog.
    .
  • Pam: My favorite Wordgirl. I just love the way she writes, as if I was in the midst of reading one of those NON-trashy books I’m addicted to. 😛
    .
  • Veriance: She’s one of my HS friend. And well … I’m purely interested in seeing what her *honest* answers are. Also because I have ALWAYS loved reading her stuff … and am looking forward to reading more.
    .
  • Beth: Simply because reading her blog reminds me of being back home in the D.
    .
  • KC: As everything I’ve read on her blog has always been completely raw and honest. And besides … I’m SO excited for her in her new career path!And finally …
    .
  • Shifty Shadow: There are days that I think she writes exactly how I feel. How much more honest can that get?

img288

Thanks again, LoriBeth … and thanks for all you readers out there that put up with my sometimes incessant and grandiose dissertations.

Can't. Stop. Facebooking.

Whew. What a weekend. But it was a fun weekend, that’s for sure. I flew home to Detroit this past Friday for the purpose of taking my Mom out for her birthday. And for the added bonus, our good friend J’s birthday was also on Saturday. He planned an outing to celebrate his birthday at the local Dave & Busters and had extended the invitation to me. However, in efforts to surprise him I told him that I wasn’t going to be able to make it as I had to work on Saturday. So when I showed up Saturday evening, he was caught off guard. It was great to see his expression and was wonderful to catch up with him.

And yesterday, Hubby & I took my parents out to brunch this wonderful breakfast place by our homes. We sat, relaxed and caught up with all the going ons in our lives. They had just come back from Vegas and looked incredibly relaxed and happy. And Hubby & I filled them in on our new digs and I told them about my job.

I also managed to spend the whole weekend doing laundry. Yep; that’s right. Laundry. You see, our apartment does have a washer and dryer, except it hasn’t exactly been working. So … knowing that I had to take my laundry out of the building to get it washed and still have to pay for the machines … well, I figured I’d send a whole bin-full of dirty clothes home with Hubby last weekend and do my laundry for free at home! So now instead of having one carry-on of stuff (including this wonderful lappie of mine), I will be returning with a second carry-on bag. And Hubby will now have to bring the rest of the clean cloths back with him next weekend. I’ve told him that it could be his Valentine’s Day gift for me. (Woo-hoo! Clean underwear!! 🙂 )

The other thing I had done this past weekend (in between activities and laundry loads) was do a whole bunch of scanning of old photos. I’d been wanting to do this for awhile, but … 1) I had no scanner with me in the new digs, and 2) all the old photos were still back in Detroit. So being at home this past weekend afforded me the time to do some scanning.

And the added bonus was that I could start uploading some of these photos onto my Facebook (FB) page. Well, seeing all the comments from people that I had “tagged” on these photos has been a total hoot! It’s totally brought back so many fond memories of my youth all the way up to those initial post-college / pre-wedding days.

I realize that I’ve been totally addicted to FB lately. And I’m sure the reason is three-fold. One is because I’ve enjoyed keeping in touch with my family; Dr. Bro & Dr. SIL as well as my SIL and her Hubby. Yes, I realize how ironic that is … that I’ve managed to stay more “in-tuned” with my SIL since moving away from the area. But like we’ve both said in passing at one time or another, perhaps distance is what’s best for now. Besides, I know she’s been swamped with school (she’s going back for Nursing) and with caring both Kairi and Tyler. And I know I’ve been just a “tad” overwhelmed with my new job. At least on FB, we can do a quick status update to get an idea of what’s going on in our lives.

As for Dr. Bro and Dr. SIL … since they live clear across the country, this has been such a great (and inexpensive) way to “talk” to one another; to share with each other daily things. And plus, Dr. SIL *now* gets to see some pics of her Hubby in his youth. Ha!

The second reason I’ve been pretty active on FB is because I’ve been getting back in touch with all those friends I’ve lost touch with over the years. Many of them were friends I was really close with in high school; two of which I still get to see every once in a while, and a third who now literally lives a block and a half away from me. (It’s actually quite funny that we’ve chatted on FB and have even “Skype“-ed it one evening … when we could literally be at each others’ place in a matter of minutes!) Then there are those grade school and childhood friends … the ones I haven’t seen in decades. Those ones have been fun to see how much we’ve changed from then … and how we have so many of the same recollection of events. And seeing those photos of us? Yeah … what a blast!

Finally, the third reason I’ve been on FB is because I am simply in a new location without Hubby and have not established any new friendships in the area. And FB has been a way for me to socialize for the time-being. Oh, I know I’ve got cousins and my great HS friend here … but establishing new connections, new friendships? That hasn’t happened immediately. Yet. I’m sure it doesn’t help that I’m constantly at work. And while I have established some connection with a few people, being the “new kid” in both the company and the general area — let alone a “newbiew” in a leadership position — it’s been difficult trying to “feel” people out. And to be felt up in return. (Yeah, so that came out wrong … tee-hee!)

Realistically, I know that this won’t come straight away and that I need to give it time. I just find it strange how tough it’s become to establish new friendships. Seriously … it’s sometimes hard enough to maintain a connection with those people who might not be aware of the childless situation we’re in. Sometimes it’s difficult for either side of a friendship to understand the circumstances surrounding any situation either of us are in or have been in. Imagine trying to establish this connection with anyone new. Yeah, like I said … “difficult.”

But. I just so you know, I am making an effort. I am continuing to be the happy and humerous person I know I can be (and have been, of late). I am trying to show my quirky personality. And I am open in sharing my experiences with infertility to anyone who asks. And maybe that’s why some people shy away, not knowing what to do or how to relate to my childless situation. But I’m cautiously optimistic that they will only see the infertile side of my life as only part of my overall makeup as an individual.

So yes. Wow. I am making that effort to step out of my Infertility Shell. And by doing that, I’ve found myself thinking less and less of it from week to week, month to month. I’m hoping that it continues to head that way. And that I will finally not let my infertility rule my overall life.

But until then … until I befriend Oprah or Jerry Springer, or any other major celeb in the area that might grant me access to the upper eschelon of society (yeah, right!) … I have a feeling I will continue to spend a lot of my social time on FB.