Halfway There and Back Again

Last weekend my mom, my girlfriend, and I drove 18+ hours to FL to visit my brother (who was home on leave from Iraq), my sister-in-law, and my niece. I seriously had my doubts about this but still wanted to go. I knew my mom would drive me crazy at some point because that's just a given. I was worried that I would want to kill C by the end of it all. But actually, it was a lovely trip. While my mom did still drive me a little crazy, C and I got along just fine and I had a wonderful time with my family. Watching my niece and my brother together are the cutest thing ever. They've been communicating through Skype and you would never know my niece hadn't seen her daddy in 6 months. My niece is amazing and she has amazing parents! They adore her and she adores them. She's pretty hilarious and I can't wait until she starts talking.

Things with C are good, very good. Scarily so to me because I always expect the worse I guess? A friend of mine pointed out that I'm way harder on my self and view myself as a lot more trouble than I really am. Which is nice to hear. We all have our little bits of crazy, it's just a matter of whether or not the god stuff outweighs the crazy. C certainly seems to think so and I just need to learn to be comfortable with that.

Lots of stuff coming up this summer- going to the Indigo Girls tonight at the AMP, Memorial Day weekend this weekend with a surprise day trip for my girl, bout in West Texas next weekend, bout in KC the weekend after that, Betties Regional Tournament the weekend after that. And a trip to Philly mid- July for SGI stuff. Also what to do 4th of July weekend?  I've been out of town the past two years in a row. I think I'd like to chill locally and grill, drink beer, and set off a bunch of fireworks. Possibly at my house if nothing else turns up. We'll see.

Oh summer how I do love thee.

Condoleezza Wanted To Play In The WNBA | The Frisky- Why Sports Are good For Women

Condoleezza Wanted To Play In The WNBA | The Frisky

This article is really awesome and highlights many of the reasons I enjoy playing rollerderby. I think people who have never played team sports underestimate the impact it can have on one's life. I came late to the athletics game having never played in high school or college but I can definitely say that it has made me a better person and I'm glad to be where I am.

Summer Here I Come

The school year is over! Oh how I love Fayetteville when students are gone. I know I wouldn't have a job and Fayetteville wouldn't have some of the awesome things it does without the college community and all that. But the lack of coeds in the street and traffic in the morning is quite nice.

My brother has made it halfway through his second tour of Iraq and his home on leave right now. Mom, C, and I are driving down to FL next weekend for a quick visit. I'm super excited about seeing everyone again! L is looking more and more like J every day. It's so hilarious. I wonder what she'll REALLY look like when she grows up and if people will think she's white. She's 3/4 so mostly, but we do live in the South. One drop is all it takes. She already has more olive skin than other babies and living in FL will only help it along. So far her hair is light brown leaning towards blond and curls when wet. Both her parents have thick hair that curls naturally so she'll have a serious head of hair at some point.

Mom is who suggested that C come along on our trip, partially so that we'd have another driver. I had my doubts about all that time in a car together but I think we'll be okay. The weather has been gorgeous there, perfect for the beach :). Hopefully I won't end my trip broken out in hives like last time.

Things between C and I are good I think. We're both guarded in different ways about different things but time is the only thing that will help with that. I think we're both doing better at communication. You would think as much as I like to talk I would be really good at it but unfortunately this is not the case; especially with people that are really important to me.

The Killbillies last home game of the season is this Saturday! We're playing Dallas Derby Devils who are ranked #4 in our region. We're ranked #10. We can beat them, the question is will we beat them? I sure hope so. Our season so far is 3-1 and I'd really like to continue our winning streak :). After this it's away games, one in West TX and the other in KC. Nothing says summer to me like traveling for the derb. Sometimes I wonder what I did with all my free time before I played rollerderby. I mean, I must have had a lot of it to be able to fit it into my life and still do other things. Who knows?

Just Who Do You Think I Am?

Sometimes I wonder who exactly people think I am. I wonder what they think because I'm "young", or because I'm light and have light eyes, because I'm a black woman, because I'm  "just" a secretary. I think that they think I will see the error of my ways, or why they're right and I'm wrong, or what they're saying make so much sense. Or that I will just not argue and go along with it. I am not that person and never have been. Prove that I'm wrong and I might admit it. There are no guarantees. I may admit that you're right and still vehemently disagree with you. It's just how I am. Whatever stereotypes you think want to apply to me you might as well forget right now. I am not her or it or this or that. Come a little closer and I might let you in. No guarantees.

Everything Old is New Again

Oh how I love springtime and summer, sunny skies and blooming flowers. This is a good time of year to meet me if you don't already know because I am invariably in a good mood. Regular sunlight does that to me.

The other night I dreamed that I was in NYC visiting M. We were on the subway with some other people who I knew in the dream but don't know who they are in real life. It made me miss M a little more than I already do, and the city just a little bit. I'd like to make a trip up there this summer but I don't know if I can swing that. Oh well. I think she'll be coming down to visit sometime this summer. Maybe we can rendezvous in Memphis at some point if not the 'ville. WFTDA nationals are in Chicago this year in October- we'll see each other there if nothing else.

So C and I are dating again. We've remained friends through all of this and I really enjoy spending time with her. We both dated other people which made us appreciate each other more. I also think we have better ideas about what we want from a relationship and each other. I've been resisting this for awhile, my main concern being that I would end up breaking her heart. That could still happen though I really hope it won't. My mom pointed out that C is an adult and she can make her own decisions regardless of how I feel about them. I'm trying to work on my tendency to run at the first sign of trouble. I think it's good I did in this situation because we wouldn't have otherwise learned the things we did.

I haven't gotten any texts or phone calls from R here lately but I know that this post will probably result in me getting more. See, he reads this but doesn't comment. He prefers to send me nasty texts messages  instead.I don't have many deal breakers but I do have a few and one of them is people treating me badly through words or deeds. When someone says things like " you need to up your prozac", that's taking something personal I shared and using it to hurt me- not acceptable. I don't want to be blamed for someone else's bad behavior. This is the last time I'm going to say anything about this or him. I can't believe I wasted this much time and space.

It's not about you

I wish people could move on as quickly as I could. When I decide I'm done, I'm really done. I don't try to think of things to hurt other people cause they're not that important to me. I understand some people just can't let go but don't try to drag me with you.

Boom

I've been hanging out a lot with C lately after the fiasco that was R. It's been kinda weird but mostly okay. I kinda feel like we're where we were before we started dating but just not as much sexual tension. It's still there, just not as bad. I feel like I need to talk about it and analyze it which is my downfall on a lot of things. And there's nothing to talk about or analyze I don't think. It has been making me rethink some decisions but I don't think I know enough of what I want to go anywhere with it. This is sometimes my problem- I think I know what i want and then things get a little cloudy.

I ran into the B look-a-like at kickball on Sunday and he got my number but I otherwise haven't heard from him. It weirds me out a bit how much they look alike and even have some similar expressions. It's like they could be related but I know they're not. I need to hang out with him more I think to get over that but we'll see if that actaully happens. I really need to get to be friends with anyone before I even start to think about dating them. I'm not so great at that though. I'm working on it.

I need to learn to manage my money better. I'll be doing okay and then kind of fall off the wagon. I've been thinking about maybe trying to get another roommate since I doubt I'll be able to find somewhere else cheaper to move having a dog and all. It's going to be hard though cause I'm not big on living with people. Part of the reason it worked with D is because we've known each other for so long. We'll see.

I've applied for a job with the Arkansas Department of Health. I found it on an AR State Jobs website. I (mostly) love working at the Grad School and the people I work with and whatnot BUT the position I've applied for would give me a chance to grow professionally and I'd be making ever so slightly more money. I still haven't figured out what I'm passionate about but I do enjoy administrative work. Who knows what'll happen though.


I've been playing around in Adobe Illustrator and I totally love it.I've designed some cards and one of the many tattoos I want to get. I need to save some money though :( I have 3 I would like to get sometime in the next 6 months or so and another that's more of a long term project.

I'm SO glad springtime is finally really here. Sunny days make my soul happy. I've been spending time outside when possible and it's lovely.