Let's Be Friends, RV Travel, Name That Tune, Hands Out Of My Pocket!

Can’t believe it’s Tuesday. Again. And so quickly that happened.

The thing I like about Tuesdays is the opportunity to participate in Stacy’s Random Tuesday Thoughts and it provides just enough of an excuse for all this blah, blah, blah!

I’m not on Face Book much but I got a friend request (who knows when?) from a guy that messaged me first saying, “Hey, Gina. We went to college together. Do you remember me? Let’s be friends.” I looked at his picture. Didn’t ring any bells or jog any memories although his name is kind of familiar. He knows someone I know (mutual yet distant friend) but that’s just not enough on my end. Do you ignore the request? Obviously they know you are ignoring them when you don’t accept. But do I care that he knows? No, because I don’t know him. I knew I’d eventually answer my own question.

I love to drive and I could do it, by myself, for hours. And as I was driving home this morning from Indiana I had the opportunity to think about and do a few things.

(1)         I’d love to buy an RV (think “Lost In America”). One like the rock stars have but it doesn't have to be that pimped out. It can be basic but along these lines. I saw tons of them today. Ahhhhh! The freedom to travel. I have several specific uses in mind for MY  RV. I would take it to concerts all over the country. I’d see every band or artist that I ever wanted to see and I would enjoy both mapping out my trip and spontaneously seeing anyone of interest while also taking in our National Parks. This sounds perfect for me.

(2)         I like to drive by myself because my "in vehicle" music habits would drive the most insane person completely wacky. I don’t use an iPod or listen to CDs. I cruise the stations. NON-STOP!!! My finger is fixed to the station changer or tuner and I just roll with it. Sometimes I even play “Name That Tune” with myself and only leave a song on for a few notes, guess, then go back to the station to see if I was correct. Yes, I’m annoying but I am by myself so I can do what I want. Additionally, I have no problem singing at the top of my lungs and don’t care if people see me belting it out. I heard a lot of great songs this morning.

(3)         Part of any drive, I like to reserve for pure thinking time. I let my mind wander off without so much as a thought to reining it in. Stories formulate that way.

I’ve thoroughly enjoyed reading The Hunger Games and Catching Fire but me thinks I will take a break before reading Mockingjay. This must be influenced by hearing that it wasn’t as good as the other two, not sure, but my wandering and curious mind is already off in a new direction (Mockingjay will have to wait).

I’m starting a book called What The Psychic Told The Pilgrim by Jane Christmas. Have you heard of it? I hadn’t but it was given to me by my neighbor, the one with whom I went off to Spain, and it’s a must read for me. We will be walking Spain’s Camino de Santiago de Compostela for 30 days beginning towards the end of May with the culmination being June 27^th. If you’ve ever walked La Camino, please feel free to give advice or pointers. We will need them.

It lasted 13 days. I’m actually surprised it took them that long to ask about money. The kids, I mean. I usually get “hit up” sooner and more frequently. However, I did offer to pay for any date nights they had with each other…just the two of them since they attend the same school and live a mere four doors down from each other. You see…they don’t get along. AT ALL! One says “black” and the other simultaneously says “white”. ALWAYS! I want them to bond, to like each other and if it’s over sushi (their only shared love), then I’m willing to pay for it. I owe someone $30.

They sent a picture from that night, after dinner, and those smiles look real. I don't have many like that...one is always faking it! Plus it's confirmation they are ALIVE!

I need to get to the stairs. Remember "Storm The Stadium"? That stupid thing I said I'd do (6000 stairs in Soldier Field); the stupid goal I set for September 22nd. Thinking about them right now makes me want to puke.

Oh, and lastly, I would like to look like Jillian Michaels on the cover of September's Shape Magazine. 

I only have 6 inches, 20 lbs. and 12 years on her but...maybe? She looks great. Healthy. Strong. Fit. Just the right look to me!!!

Thanks again, Stacy, for hosting!!!

This Is Random in It's Purist Form, TOTALLY!

There’s a lot going on here. I’m exhausted after our holiday weekend but I think the reason for this will be in another post entirely. I just have to be ready to write it. And I’m not ready today, at least not this morning. Maybe later.

I’m writing from my bed, all propped up with pillows, and the sun is coming up. Can you see it? There it is!

 (Not the best picture, but you get the idea, right?)

It rises directly into my window as it shines it’s morning beam down the length of the lake. And I love being woken by a stream of sunlight softly resting on my cheek. It's warmth rustling me out of slumber. 

This is probably my favorite time of day. The blissful time you float yourself awake. Ignoring it for as long as I can, acceptance begins to creep in but my eyes remain closed; closed for as long as I can without peeking. My brain starts to stir and I begin to think. Some of my best thoughts occur right at this very minute of the day; at the exact time my eyes struggle to open and I urge them to remain closed just a little while longer. And these thoughts, they run the gamut.

As you can tell, I milk this time of the day for all it’s worth. There’s no other like it, in my mind. I try to stay still for as long as my schedule (or everyone else’s) will allow.

This morning, the water is calm. And there’s a gentle breeze I can see moving the leaves in the massive ash tree in my yard (it's 15 feet around!). If I had to make a guess, I’d say it’s going to be another hot one. It has “the look”.

Not much on the agenda today, but there really hasn’t been lately with the exception of weekend visitors. I’m a little crabby because there’s no coffee yet and I could get up and make it but I don’t want to ruin this moment, quite yet. The words are flowing and I hate stopping them.

I can tell you that I’ve been writing all kinds of stuff lately. Just not stuff for here. And I should be or maybe not. I still need to, and want to, get to an award my friend, a.eye, over at “Shouldn’t Life Be More Than This?” gave me last week, The Liebster Blog Award. I will do that today (I really have had a good reason for not writing here lately, I promise.)

I was looking for book recommendations yesterday and happened to be with some of  my book fanatic college aged friends. It was a beautiful thing hearing three twenty-one year olds discuss books and the pros and cons of two series they had all read, The Hunger Games and A Song of Ice and Fire (Game of Thrones). They thoughtfully considered which series I, a book fanatic as well, would enjoy more and why. It is exactly the type of conversation I would love to have with anyone but to be having it with college kids, for some reason, felt really special to me. Okay, I’ve been sappy lately!!! I admit it.

They chose…..The Hunger Games for me. 

I was to begin last night but felt more like writing. So I wrote and I wrote and I wrote. Until close to 3:00am. So when the sun started throwing pebbles at my window early this morning because I had forgotten to draw the shade so I could sleep in a bit, it arrived a little sooner than I wanted. I started to write...very early.

Something you don’t know about me is that I spend some time writing romantic encounters. Of all kinds. And I really mean ALL kinds. Steamy ones are my favorite and a few of those kept me up last night. They just kept rolling off my mind and threw my finger tips.  To ignore them and not get them down in writing would be a waste or a shame, at the very least. They held me captive, I swear.

Okay, was that TMI? I hope not and if it was…so sorry! But I enjoy writing these, this way, and I do hope we all spend some time writing these kinds of stories. They’re fun! Fun for me.

Yes, you are free to call me weird if you want.

I suppose the coffee doesn’t make itself and I’m jonzin’.

I believe I will turn this random day into a purely writing day and when my fingers or my mind give up or need a break, I have The Hunger Games hungrily waiting in the wings for it’s pages to be caressed. Lay off the romance you say? NEVER!

Stacy's Random Thoughts

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