That Storm

Today at work I had to give a presentation in which I was scared to death.  One of my worst fears is speaking in front of a group of people and even though our group isn’t all that large, I was horrified at the thought of it.  I persevered through and pulled it off with relative ease – a tight chest, voice that started off like a baby sheep crying and a small feeling of anger (I’m not sure why) when some lady asked me to talk louder.  I just thought to myself, “If I speak any louder, I won’t be able to hear myself think.”  I guess the slight anger towards her helped me get somewhat boisterous and pronounce my words more clearly.  Now I just have to get through the next three and I will be fine!

 Also, later today I have to undergo a medical procedure that isn’t too serious but I have a major fear of needles.  I’m starting to sound like a wimp.  I am pretty tough believe it or not!  Anyways, this day is a real nail biter and I’m looking forward to a LONG weekend.  At least now I can relax and enjoy the 4^th without having to worry about these things.  I’d like to go out of town but the thought of lying around and just enjoying the holiday would be nice as well.  We’ll see…

I watched the Count of Monte Cristo last night and loved it!!  There was a quote from the movie I’m trying to live up to today.

~ Life is a storm, my young friend. You will bask in the sunlight one moment, be shattered on the rocks the next.
What makes you a man is what you do when that storm comes. ~

I haven’t cried – yet.  So far so good.  Wish me luck.

 L

Benjamin Franklin

I recently finished reading Benjamin Franklin’s autobiography.  It was a magnificent read!  He began each day with the thought “what good shall I do today?” And ended with “what good have I accomplished today?”  I loved the little poem that was contained in the book (I’ll have to look up exactly who wrote it):

Let not the stealing God of Sleep surprize,
Nor creep in Slumbers on thy weary Eyes,
Ere ev’ry Action of the former Day, Strictly thou dost,
and righteously survey.
With Rev’rence at thy own Tribunal stand,
And answer justly to thy own Demand.
Where have I been? In what have I transgrest?
What Good or Ill has this Day’s Life exprest?
Where have I fail’d in what I ought to do?
In what to GOD, to Man, or to myself I owe?
Inquire severe whate’er from first to last,
From Morning’s Dawn till Ev’nings Gloom has past.
If Evil were thy Deeds, repenting mourn,
And let thy Soul with strong Remorse be torn:
If Good, the Good with Peace of Mind repay,
And to thy secret Self with Pleasure say,
Rejoice, my Heart, for all went well to Day.

My favorite quote of all time from Franklin:
“Either do something worth writing, or write something worth doing.”

I was telling a friend that it’s kind of sad at the end of the book, it’s almost like you’ve been a part of this other life and as you draw towards the end you know it will soon be over.  But there’s so much more interesting material to read!  I’ve started a book on Nefertiti now.  The Egyptian culture is really interesting to me, I can recall as a child checking out books on the embalming process… what a strange kid.  

So far, I’m enjoying this novel; even though it’s mainly fiction – - there’s a lot of non-fictional information throughout the book.  I’ve learned that Nefertiti was a very important figure during her reign, almost as important as her husband.  She was not only extremely stunning but very knowledgeable and a kind leader.

I’ll update once I’m finished w/ the book.  As the end of my work day draws near, I must finish up some things and prepare for my release.  That almost sounds as if I’m a caged animal at the zoo… which isn’t too far from the truth.   I guess I should be lucky to have a job though.

Have a wonderful afternoon folks!

The Legend

The many stories behind “Kilroy was here”

An Epistle to Me

Hello my friend,
And a good comrade you are.

 Can you believe we have so many things in common?
Your love for music, hiking, animals, baseball and traveling.
I always enjoy doing these things with you.
There’s never a fear of silence.
We are the perfect pair, you and I.
And I like you for that. 

You are always there for me, I know this for sure.
Without a doubt, you listen and give your opinion.
Not always the right decision, but usually with good intention.
Like a top notch pal should, you have my best interest at heart.
And I thank you for that. 

You are child-like and wild!
Also shy and self conscious.
Not bad looking either…
But more importantly, you have a beautiful soul.
And I envy you for that. 

Even though you have tendencies to entice me to drink, binge and smoke…
You ultimately want what’s best for me.
Your self esteem is not always great.
Neither is your grammar…
I know for a fact that you’re extremely flawed.
But you are who you are. 

And I love you for that.

 Yours truly,

Lindsey
aka Tyler Durden

“Into Thin Air”

I recently completed a book titled “Into Thin Air” by Jon Krakauer.  I loved it!!!  I was compelled to purchase this book after reading “Into the Wild” and I’m so happy I did.  This book is about a journalists’ harrowing climb to the top of Mt. Everest and the sequence of horrible events that go along with it.

Nature stories always spark my imagination and by reading this book, I felt as if I were part of the team climbing the mountain.  I would read a lot on my lunch break and at certain parts of the book, it was painful to put it down.  

*Do not read any further if you don’t want the book spoiled for you*

The part where the climbers continue right on by the dead bodies without a glance shocked me.  I guess a lot of them were accustomed to this and it was just another part of the scenery; as normal as a boulder.  There’s a lot of controversy /questions surrounding the events and decisions made while in the “death zone” of Everest but I personally believe that while on that mountain, you should ultimately be responsible for yourself and make the smartest decisions possible.  There were a few individuals who probably had no reason to be on that mountain other than egotistical purposes and were not properly trained.  Some sacrificed their own lives to help others.

Money can you buy you lots of things (even an ascent to the top of Everest) but when you’re in a tough situation like they were in, it cannot buy you experience or strength.  That situation was truly a fine example of survival of the fittest and some luck.  Many people died on Everest that year and it goes to show that Mother Nature ultimately rules and she will take you down if she wants.

I would love to be physically able to climb a mountain like Everest someday – after proper training of course; but at the end of the day you have to ask yourself… is it really worth possibly losing fingers, toes or even death?

Santa Rosa

This past weekend I had a last minute vacation to Santa Rosa Beach, FL.  I’ve always stayed around Panama City area (my family would vacation there every single summer) but this place was gorgeous! It was more quaint and private than P.C.  The weekend started off a little rough with some heavy rain but the weather eased up here and there, especially on the last day of course, and we were able to enjoy some time on the beach.

We ate at a few different restaurants while in Santa Rose my favorite being a little place called “Stinky’s.” I ordered a Crab cake benedict from the brunch menu and it was amazing!! I would definitely recommend that and the clam chowder soup.
http://www.stinkysfishcamp.com/stinkysfishcamp/default.htm
Another tasty place was “Goatfeathers.”

But the best story of the trip comes from an elusive toothbrush and a pillow fight gone bad. Gather round everyone and let me tell you the tale of the most disgusting injury. I was brushing my teeth after lunch and walked into the bedroom to find my sweetie was lying on the floor with a pillow and playing with his dog. I jokingly said something and we played around for a few seconds (all the while I’m brushing away) and he pretends to toss the pillow up at me.

My hands go up in front of me to block it and I leave the toothbrush in my mouth, biting down with my teeth to keep it in place. It was a fake toss but the next toss caught me off guard. The pillow hit the toothbrush causing the damn thing to launch towards the back of my throat/mouth and thus leaving a gaping hole (probably a little over a quarter of an inch) in my soft palette RIGHT by my throat. 

I immediately knew something was wrong and my fingers went in my mouth to discover a small hole and blood. I realized my breathing was fine so there was no larynx damage but I was scared and crying of course. The bleeding didn’t last very long but we were still worried so we headed off to the emergency room where we spent 3-4 hours of our Saturday night. Nothing like an emergency room trip while on vacation! And boy was there some characters in that Ft. Walton emergency room!!

I was released with nothing more than a poking with a cotton swab (which hurt badly!) and some pain meds/antibiotics.   And how lucky am I that it was just my soft palette?  My boyfriend felt so bad but I told him that it’s just an accident and a cool story to tell for the rest of my life.  How many people can say they’ve had a toothbrush puncture their soft palette?

Overall, I had a good time and I can’t wait to visit FL again! Hopefully next time there will be no emergency room visits.

Coldplay

I had a blast last night at the Coldplay concert… they put on a GREAT show!  It was cold and rainy but I think the bad weather made it even that much more fun.  After about 3 $11 beers the weather was no problem at all.  They played at Lakewood and even moved out to the lawn where we were for a small portion of the concert which was great because we were able to get really close (you could see Chris Martin’s sweat.)  They played the cover “I’m a Believer” which was probably more of hit with the crowd than their own songs.  I blasted the lyrics drunkenly bouncing in the rain on a sloped hill and I’m paying for it today with sore calves and a scratchy throat.  We were even able to recover a water bottle we were forced to leave at the entry gates on the way in.

Marta was exciting as usual, lots of odd people to stare at and routes to get lost on.  And bladder usage was in overhaul. 

What a fun time!

**Courtesy of Coldplay, click the below link to download a few tracks from their album Left Right Left Right Left**
http://lrlrl.coldplay.com/leftright.html

Glass of Water
42
Clocks
Strawberry Swing
The Hardest Part_Postcards From
Viva La Vida
Death Will Never Conquer
Fix You
Death and All His Friends

Not the Moth

A friend of mine has this written message on their wall and for the past 6 months, I’ve been waiting for a moth to alight near it.  Well, I must confess… the moth didn’t actually land there – - he had a little help.  Help being me picking him up, walking him to the image and gently nudging him off my finger for his moment of fame.

82 Degrees

The heat is rolling in!  It’s supposed to reach 85 today in Hot Lanta, I’m ready for it!  I thrive in the heat and the cold corrals me indoors like an insect.  On my lunch break I’m gonna go get some of my favorite chips, Dirty Chips w/ garlic, walk out to the park and absorb some much needed Vitamin D on my regular picnic table.   I REALLY need to go take some more pics sometime soon to post.  Maybe I’ll take a trip to the beach…

Enjoy this sunny day everyone!  I’m getting outta this office – for now.

p.s.  I must’ve been drunk when I wrote the below poem, even though it seems like I must’ve been on a more powerful drug/hallucinogen!  I re-read it this morning and laughed so hard.  I will not dare delete it though, it’s too funny. 

I quote myself:

Eyeballs glued to them
A pretty violent tinge (s/b violet tinge, apparently my veins are angry)
The biggest veins

Ciao!!

Earth Day

Happy Earth Day to all!  I think I’m going to sign up for some project at www.handsonatlanta.com to comemorate this special day – even though the project may actually take place in a few weeks… 

I also came up with a short poem about my veins.  They were begging to be heard tonight so I decided to give them the spotlight for a moment.  Here goes nothing.

Eyeballs glued to them

A pretty violent tinge

The biggest veins

 

I can’t help but stare at them

My eyes never strain

 

They stare back at you

Bulging within view

 

Transparent my skin

They shine right through

 

Laughing all the while

They make my World seem askew

 

I take a look at them

They look right back

Always reminding me to stay on track

 

They will go away

But not anytime soon

 

I want them for now, leaving would be inopportune

 

So I watch them

And they stare back

 

Bulging within view

They laugh at me, my platelet carrying sacks