Adopt a Highway

I participated in Adopt A Highway on Monday on a stretch of I-69 adopted by GM. It was the first time I participated in this, and I dare say, I hope it's the last. I'm all about volunteering, but this is the bottom of the barrel for me. First, standing not so far from an expressway where semi-trucks are flying by at 70+ miles an hour hardly seems safe. Second, the layers of latex gloves and work gloves made my hands sweat in a way I thought was not possible (and really, it shouldn't be possible). Third, the volume of vile and disgusting trash collected was ridiculous. Fourth, I really felt I should have had a Tetanus booster before this because of the number of sharp and / or rusty objects I "found." I would much rather work on a project to educate people on why they should not litter in the first place. Can I tell you how long it took to de-tangle my hair? It's not something I complain about normally, but I honestly could have had dreadlocks by the next day had I not taken care of it. Ugh. Other than that, it was great to spend the morning outside. I just wish it hadn't been spent picking up other people's trash.

Waterboarding!

So I read this little article about waterboarding terrorists. I don't really condone terrorism, nor do I condone torture. And yes, I have been asked how, without coercion and torture, does one expect to gather information from suspected terrorists? I don't know. That's why I am a chemical manager and not an high-ranking military or government leader. I do think it would be intriguing if said leaders had to withstand the techniques inflicted on suspects when evaluating whether or not something is torturous enough to be illegal. Perhaps W or Cheney should've been waterboarded 183 times while being questioned. I would be curious what they might admit to...

The World of Online Dating II: Missing Chromosomes

Yes, the title of this post is judgmental of me. But I believe I'm spot-on on this one. Sue me - I'm pretty sure I have a strong case.

"Single male who's never dated seeking single white female for fun dates and more.She must be young,attractive,fun,and have big breasts. She must be caring,kind and very affectionate and a bit of a flirt.She must be romantic,passsionate and into pleasing her partner."

There are so many things wrong with this, it's almost impossible to begin analyzing. I believe this would fall into Colleen's classifications of "creepies and crazies." Punctuation and grammar aside (which is hard to do), I can see why this particular person has never dated at the tender age of 34. I'm no expert by any means, still hanging in the single-not-willing-to-settle category, but seriously? Try some cogent sentences, and try not being such an ass and you just might hook up!

Easter Egg Hunt!

Before the hunt - the 7 & up age group and Runs with Spatula and Corky in the midst of the 4 - 6 age group, waiting to take pictures. Note that they are carefully stationed by a tree for safety. It gets nuts in there!

Well, I ended up chairing the Lansing Jaycees Annual Easter Egg Hunt on the Capitol Lawn. Unintentionally. It just didn't seem like anyone else was going to take it on at the first committee meeting. (Note to self: skip the first meeting next year.) This was my third year in a row chairing the event. I have a huge soft spot for this, as this is the first project I ever ran, and I feel it's gotten better each year. This year, with much thanks to a great committee and incredible weather, the project was a huge success. Jim, the gentleman at the Capitol who works maintenance for us for the event, estimated 800-plus people were there, and commented that it was the best-attended he's seen. And on a more personal note, he told me that he's always impressed with how well organized the group is.

And best yet, after several discussions and a little guilt trip on my brother, Jamie, that included me pointing out that I really don't ask him for much at all, which resulted in my brother guilting my nephew, Justin, he brought Justin up to Lansing for the event. Justin had declared to my brother and mom that he didn't like Easter Egg Hunts a week before the event. I knew that at nine years of age he was on the ragged edge of enjoying it, and they weren't able to make it up for the last two due to the blizzards, but I really wanted him to see the craziness that his ol' Auntie Carrie immerses in. I'm certain he got a speech that went a little like this: "Your Auntie Carrie goes to a lot of your swim meets and does a lot of nice stuff for you. She really wants you there. And I think you should do this for your Auntie Carrie." Nice parenting, Jamie! Justin did humor me a great deal. And he did enjoy himself - bonus! Jamie and Justin both seemed shocked at the sheer number of people there. I was excited to have my brother and nephew meet so many of my Lansing friends. And to top it off, my dear friend Kirk and his cousin Bridget also joined us to help out.


Me in my ears with Justin, and Justin with Click-It the Cricket (aka Angela), Jamie and Kirk.

And I know Justin appreciated me bringing the bunny head to Mom & Dad's house for Easter brunch. My godfather died a few years ago, and we remain very close with his family - Donna, his wife, Courtney and Matt, his daughter and son-in-law, and John, their two year-old son. They have spent Easter with us the past two years. Justin put the bunny head on for when little John arrived. What cracked me up the most was when he said to John, "Did I bring you everything you wanted?" while in the bunny head and his AC/DC t-shirt. Just gotta love that kid!


Justin rockin' out the bunny head and Mom and Nancy with some Easter cheer.

Today

I wore a short-sleeved shirt and no jacket as I walked into work this morning. For some reason, it struck me how refreshing it was to feel the cool wind against my bare arms. Life doesn't get better than this kind of Michigan day.

It's Been a While...

...for a few things. I've had a little hiatus from my sweet ol' blog and a few little breaks from my sanity. Work craziness, Jaycee craziness, bridal shower fun, and a vacation in the mix have all left me stressed, tired, entertained and amused (not necessarily in that order) with a disorganized apartment and tons of stuff in my car. Neither of those lead to me being in a good frame of mind, but I've been working at prioritizing and accepting that the disorganization is temporary.

Today had me making a quick trip to the City Market with Runs With Spatula. I must make a point of going with her more often. Not surprisingly, she knows almost everyone, and the market is more fun with a few tales of some back-stories here and there. We chatted with the organic brewing supplies guys about the upcoming Beer Bus Extravaganza, chatted with the EL Food Coop lady (quite a character), Chad at the popcorn stand, and headed to the Soup Spoon Cafe for lunch with Katrina & Dan and their friend Brad (who it turns out I went to high school with, which I figured out well after lunch). Good company all the way around.

After a spot of volunteering, I chilled for a while, then decided to go see "He's Just Not That Into You." A few of my single friends had commented that it wasn't a good movie to see if you're single, and I don't quite understand why. I thought it was funny, quirky, insightful at times, and all-around entertaining. I didn't find it depressing as some of my friends had. Inspiring, maybe. Enlightening at times because most people I know, me included, have checked their phone / email / social networking sites a gazillion times to see if their interest of the moment had tried to contact them. But not depressing. I actually thought it was uplifting. But, there's me for being in the minority :) No shock there.

And I rediscovered that I like hanging out with myself. I haven't done that in a long time - just taken some time to do something for myself, by myself, that wasn't work or Jaycee or family or friend related. Just a little time for myself, by myself, and it was all kinds of fantastic. And it's not that I don't appreciate my time with my people, but it's nice to recharge every so often, and this has been one of those evenings. Ahhh...

Oops...

I somehow, without realizing it, moved the lever to the thermostat to roughly 95. I started sensing that it was a bit warm when the temp got up to around 85 or so. I thought about leaving it there, but slid it back to where it was originally. I think I'm ready for vacation.