25

Merry Christmas to all!

I hope you have all had a wonderful Christmas with your families. I know I have.

Tuesday was the big day to fly home and it started early (7 am) in NYC and ended late (2 am) in Columbus. The day in between wasn't all that eventual since I spent most that day waiting on the standby list for any open spot on a fly into Columbus that day before I booked flight (6:30 pm). However, the time actually went by fairly quickly and I got to work on my big present for my mom. It's been a tough couple of months with me moving and my dad being out on the road with his new (now old) job. A few years back I started a tradition of buying a Nicholas Sparks book for her birthday and Christmas. So, as our current living situations have been an uneasy transitional period, I decided to read the last Nicholas Sparks book and write in it as I read it. This was anytime she read it she could feel like I was right there with her, instead of 10 hours away. Naturally, she cried and it was exactly what I was going for.

This Christmas has been pretty surreal for me. Coming home felt easier than I thought. Even as my brother drove me to our parents' house, it hadn't felt like I had been gone all that long--it actually felt like I had just made this drive within the last few days. Maybe home just never seems that far away for me? I can't deny that I have had the thought that I would like to move back, but then I remember that doing that would just be cheating myself out of what I want to do. But it is nice to know that coming home is as good as ever.

Over the last few months I've been talking about how I've working out and losing weight, but I hadn't weighed myself...only Wednesday morning. The official count of lbs. lost is a whopping 30! It was pretty nice to go through some old clothes--some I have never worn--put them on and realize they fit better than when I first bought them. So YEAH ME!

In other news, today is my birthday! That's right. The number in the title, that's my age. It doesn't feel all that bad, but then again age is just a number. Maybe 25 will be my lucky number... Stayed tuned to find out if that comes true.

Happy Adventures and Holidays!

I’ll be home for Christmas!

It’s so close I can almost taste it: the smell of the trees up in the living room, family room, and back porch; cookies and other goodies in the oven; my mom’s roast beef, meatballs, mashed potatoes (God, let there be mashed potatoes), and hor d’oeuvres of shrimp, cheese, and other delectable things.

Tomorrow is the day I board a jet plane and make my way back home for the holidays and the anticipation is killing me! Everywhere I go I am reminded of my family and of all the great things the holidays bring. The other day at work, a guest simply said “Merry Christmas” and I about burst out in tears because it made me so happy to hear those two words. Of course, part of it is the presents. Let’s face it, it’s the only time of the year I get presents, so I get just a tad bit more excited than most people for Christmas. However, more than anything, I am anxious to see my family, some that I only get to see during the holidays, and share in the traditions that we have come to enjoy for as long as we can all remember. There’s always something to look forward to because my family is so unpredictable. I have an uncle that has been known to spout out a few great one-liners over the years and they have made the holidays full of laughter. I can’t wait to see what he comes up with this year…

Sitting here in the kitchen, I’m contemplating how different it’s going to be back in Ohio: what’s actually different, how I’m different, etc. My whole definition of home is semi-in-limbo. Obviously, Ohio is where my family is and some say “Home is where they love you.” However, over the last four and a half months, I’ve felt very loved by the people I’m surrounded by. Still, others say “Home is where the heart is.” Without any doubt, this makes defining home even more difficult because I love New York and am so happy to be living here, but a part of me is still tightly tied to the comforts and ease of the Midwest. I’m actually scared to find out how I feel being home and not in the city. I’m scared I going to think I should move back to Ohio, but I know I can’t do that to myself just yet because I haven’t given an honest try at this whole big city life. It was difficult enough to leave my family and friends once, will it be just as difficult—or even more difficult—the second time around? All I know is that right now I want to see my family and friends, play with the dog, sit by the fire, admire the Winter Wonderland mantle my mom decorates every year, and listen to Christmas music while staring at the tree. Maybe home is a drug that I just need a little hit of to get over this bump in the road of withdrawal? We’ll see how I feel a week from now.

On the topic of home, I saw a very interesting movie last night: Up in the Air. The whole movie is basically about a guy that for better or worse doesn’t have a real home. He travels 300+ days out of the year and considers airports and airplanes his home. The days he isn’t traveling are miserable to him. His job is to fire people when their bosses don’t have the balls to do it themselves. He does motivational speaking engagements, as well, and doesn’t seem to have much communication with his family or even have any friends. It sounds depressing, but it’s actually pretty funny. George Clooney plays this guy without a home and he’s pretty freakin’ good in this movie. I never thought I would actually be a fan of the Clooney, but he’s grown on me over the years. His supporting cast consist of two ladies: a lover (Vera Farmiga of The Departed) and a new member of the company (Anna Kendrick of The Twilight Saga). Additionally, Jason Bateman appears as his boss. I haven’t really had the time to think about what I really feel about the movie, but my initial response has been very positive, as opposed to falling asleep during Invictus, in spite of my man-crush on Matt Damon. Either way, check out Up in the Air. I have a good feeling about this movie.

(Side note: it’s Awards Season, so expect A LOT more movie commentary to come.)

Happy Adventures and Merry Christmas!

All in the air...

Happy Monday everyone!

The official count stands at 11 days until Day-O-Presents 2009! I get really excited naturally because this is the only day out of the year that I get presents. Life can suck for some people. If any of you know how I can legally get my birthday changed to a mid-year date, let me know.

So, with the official count at 11 days, it is the Christmas season--and it is in full swing everywhere here in NYC. I haven't had a chance yet, but the tree is up and lit at Rockefeller Center. My original plan for the season was to get a good picture of myself in front of the tree and send that out as my first EVER Christmas card. As you can deduce, because you're all brilliant people, I haven't gotten around to that yet. Hopefully that'll happen in the next week or so... There's holiday music playing everywhere (even in the streets in my neighborhood, it's quite fantastical). There's a slight chill in the air, I can see my breath, nothing feels better than hot tea or cocoa, and there's oddly nothing more warm and fuzzy than that sensation you can get only at this time of year. People fill the streets with their bags of gifts bulging at all corners and when they bust, there is always someone there to help them get back on their way as quickly as possible.

It's kind of interesting to me to find that after a year that has been so full of arguing and hatred that for just a few weeks, it seems most people are a little nicer to each other, maybe a little more patient. But why wait till the end of the year to do this? Why not all year round? If I may be so bold--this may be breaking some kind of rule, but bear with me--I challenge all of you to make a constant effort during 2010 to be in the Christmas spirit the whole year. Now, of course, I can see how that may cheapen the actual season itself come this time next year, but still it seems the world is a better place when we have a little of that spirit in us. Try it. You don't have to get back to me on it, just see for yourself. "Be the change you see in the world." ~Ghandi

And on the topic of quotes, I came across this very interesting snippet from last week's episode of How I Met Your Mother:

Student #1: "Mr. Mosby, we're all scared."

Student #2: "Being scared let's you know you're on to something important."

Ted: "That's right! If you're not scared, then you're not taking a chance. And if you're not taking a chance, what the hell are you doing?"

This got me thinking like WHOA! I've gotten comfortable in my life in the last few months. Some may think that's a good thing, but I'm not scared anymore. Am I not taking chances, or am I just waiting to take those chances? This could mean so many things, and maybe I'm just writing them down here so I can look back later and think: "Oh! That's why I did that..." I don't what what "that" is right now, but I kind of have the feeling Tony has at the beginning of West Side Story when he sings "Something's Coming" (my favorite song to sing). Maybe it's about time I start taking some chances, in many ways. Maybe 2010 will be the year I begin the story I'll tell my kids about "how I met [their] mother". Maybe 2010 will be the year I get on a stage and make a name for myself. Maybe 2010 will be there year I...

Maybe I'll just save the rest of that for a later post...

So, here I sit with a hot cup of peppermint tea and I'm reminiscing on some of my previous posts, one in particular: "Who Are You?" Earlier in this post I asked about changing my birthday. Well, of course I don't mean that. It's kind of interesting how often birthdays come up in conversation and it just so turns out that I have a birthday that is quite the conversation starter. People either think being born on Christmas is awesome or awful. As most things do it has its pros and cons. However, it's one of those fun facts about me that I think make me and give me a little bit more personality. This whole idea got me thinking about whether there's actually anything I would change about myself. Physically, I would like to be in better condition, but that's in the works. Additionally, I do think the one thing I will spend some money on getting fixed once I have money would be my jaw line which jets out a bit because of my under-bite. Now, most people tell me they have never noticed it until I pointed it out, but I know it's there and it has bothered me for years. I would just prefer to have my bottom teeth sit behind my top teeth like they're suppose to. Is that so much to ask for? Maybe for Christmas Santa will bring me a hard punch to the lower jaw and I'll have to get it reset... (Santa, that is a joke, NOT a wish!)

Well, I've had a long day and have lots of things to do tomorrow, including some Christmas shopping, so I'm gonna call it a day. I hope you're all well and I hope to hear from you soon.

Happy Adventures!

Late-night-blogging

Happy Monday! (It may be Tuesday here, but it's still Monday on the time stamp of this blog...)

December is here! Christmas is so close I can barely taste it. I have bought ONE Christmas present and am thinking I already bought this person this gift before and have forgotten... That's such a weird feeling for me. I guess we'll see when the wrapping comes off the present in just 17 short days.

The last week hasn't included anything all that particularly exciting: just lots of work and not a whole lot else. My one day off consisted of working at another event. However, this was probably the high point of my week. The event was a recital for the winner of the Joy In Singing Competition, a tenor by the name of Paul Appleby. He's my age, but has the voice of seasoned professional. Seriously, I couldn't believe how precise his voice is, to say nothing of how spot on his interpretation of each word gave each phrase shape that told the story in such a profoundly moving way. I wish there were better words in the English language to describe the experience of hearing this guy sing. The reception afterward was full of people I didn't know, except Mr. Paul Sperry, Ethan's dad. Paul had Ethan contact me about this event and naturally I jumped at the chance to pour wine and see an incredible recital for free. I did meet some very interesting and active people in the singing world, maybe some good contacts when I finally get myself ready to go back out into the field... Either way, I want to pick Paul Appleby's mind about singing and music because I honestly feel like I learned so much by experiencing his recital. And to boot, he seems to be a very genuine guy--I didn't get a chance to meet him as he was bombarded by numerous patrons from the second he walked into the room to the moment he put his coat on and walked out. We'll see...

After that I did stop by work and got some dinner, then went out for my first ever La Mama margarita at Ariba Ariba with Al-Amaaanda. Holy crap! That was some damn good margarita. Naturally, there was fantastic conversation to be had, as well. **I do need to take a moment to mention my buddy Sean since I did get to spend an evening at his apartment eating sushi and pineapple while drinking and playing Kings. Thanks for a great night, Sean. We need to get back into the gym... **

Back to work today. It looks as though the work won't let up for a while. That's fine as long as I can buy some Christmas presents soon.

That's honestly all I got. Short for once. I hope you're all enjoying yourselves and maybe getting out with friends and family during this holiday season. Take care.

Happy Adventures!