A quick update
So, since I didn't update my journal in the last year and a half, I thought I'd let you know what I've been up to in the meantime.
I guess the last time I posted was just after I was all moved into my condo. I'm still living there, still (usually) loving it. At this point, barring other major changes in my life, I want to stay in my condo for another 2 years or so, then find a single-family home.
Last year August I went to Costa Rica for a week and a half to visit my friend Ann. Ann and I were roommates at Eau Claire, and she joined the Peace Corps after college. She was stationed in Costa Rica, so took her vacation while I was there. We did the usual touristy things: a zip line canopy tour in Monteverde, visited Manuel Antonio--a GORGEOUS national park that's listed in the 1001 places to see before you die (with good reason!), and Volcan Poas--an active volcano that's really beautiful, and we also did non-touristy things like spending several days with Ann's host family. I had a blast, and it was great getting to see Ann again.
Shortly after coming back from Costa Rica, I decided that since I was now living in a place that allowed them, I wanted a dog. My trip to the humane society--where I wanted to get one SMALL dog, preferably a dachshund since that's what I grew up with, resulted in me coming home with two medium sized dogs. Cosmo is a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, and Spencer is a cocker spaniel. They came from the same family, who could no longer keep them after someone developed allergies. They're definitely my boys now, or my little shadows, as I like to call them.
2008 was fairly uneventful for me, by comparison. I took another trip to Costa Rica, again visiting Ann, for 2 weeks in late June/early July. I hadn't planned to go, but I found a deal on a plane ticket that I just couldn't pass up--under $500 round trip. This time we spent the first week of my trip in Nicaragua and the second week in Costa Rica. I think I liked Nicaragua better. I absolutely LOVED Granada--we just didn't want to leave. We'd planned to spend only about a day and a half there. I think we wound up spending 4 days. Twice we packed our bags and put them in lockers for the day, planning to catch an afternoon bus, only to go back to the hostel at the end of the day and ask if our room was still open. Granada was a colonial city, with beautiful colonial architecture. We hiked around the volcano that looms over the city, and went to a nearby town known for its markets. One of my favorite days in Granada was spent at the Casa de los Leones (the house of the lions). It's an older building from the colonial era that has been transformed into an education center. As part of the center, artists are given gallery space in exchange for teaching their art at the center. I bought a gorgeous painting. I'll post a photo of it sometime. While in Nicaragua we also visited Managua--the capital of Nicaragua, which was my least favorite part of that week, and Leon--a small colonial city that's home to several universities and many museums. One of my favorite days in Leon was actually spent in a movie theater. When we were in college, Ann and I loved watching Sex and the City on DVD. Well, when we were in Leon, we noticed that one of the movie theaters was showing the SATC movie. Since it was our tradition (not to mention the theater was air conditioned and it was over 95 degrees out, we went to the movies. Back in Costa Rica, I split up from Ann for a few days (she had to attend a conference for the Peace Corps volunteers) and went to see Volcan Arenal. Since I was there during the rainy season, I wasn't able to see much, but I did love visiting the hot springs, heated by the volcano. The place my tour took us wasn't exactly natural looking (all concrete lined pools, swim-up bars, and even a water slide!), but the hot waters were just what the doctor ordered after hauling my pack around Nicaragua for a week :) At the end of the visit, we went to Ann's site again. It was a good way to end the trip--relaxing and even getting to see the completed community center Ann had helped get built as her Peace Corps project (especially fun to see the results of since I'd donated to the project).
I guess the only other big thing that's been going on hasn't really been for me but my friends--it feels like everyone I know is getting married. I know I'm at the age when many people do settle down, but especially since it's been a while since my last serious relationship, it's kind of crazy realizing how many of my friends have gotten married in the last year and a half. What's even sadder is the number of them that suddenly pull away from their single friends once they're in that couples stage. I hate that some people (not all!... but too many) become a "we" and only want to spend their time with other couples. It gets really frustrating... and lonely.
One thing that's not new (but I wish HAD changed) is my job. I'm still at the same company. Sometimes I like it. Frequently I don't. We had a major deadline on December 18. That means all of December was relatively insane for me--60+ hour work weeks during the holidays (and I'm a salaried employee, so I don't get anything extra for those crazy hours)... trying to make it home for the dogs but still get my work done, trying to keep my sanity days that NOTHING worked... insane amounts of stress when I realized I'd missed something big until the day before the deadline... knowing that the whole cycle starts again far too soon... The money is good, and with the current economy I won't be leaving anytime soon, but some days it's just too much.
So I guess you're up to speed. Sorry this got so long... and a little depressing at the end. I promise my next entry will be different.:)
I guess the last time I posted was just after I was all moved into my condo. I'm still living there, still (usually) loving it. At this point, barring other major changes in my life, I want to stay in my condo for another 2 years or so, then find a single-family home.
Last year August I went to Costa Rica for a week and a half to visit my friend Ann. Ann and I were roommates at Eau Claire, and she joined the Peace Corps after college. She was stationed in Costa Rica, so took her vacation while I was there. We did the usual touristy things: a zip line canopy tour in Monteverde, visited Manuel Antonio--a GORGEOUS national park that's listed in the 1001 places to see before you die (with good reason!), and Volcan Poas--an active volcano that's really beautiful, and we also did non-touristy things like spending several days with Ann's host family. I had a blast, and it was great getting to see Ann again.
Shortly after coming back from Costa Rica, I decided that since I was now living in a place that allowed them, I wanted a dog. My trip to the humane society--where I wanted to get one SMALL dog, preferably a dachshund since that's what I grew up with, resulted in me coming home with two medium sized dogs. Cosmo is a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, and Spencer is a cocker spaniel. They came from the same family, who could no longer keep them after someone developed allergies. They're definitely my boys now, or my little shadows, as I like to call them.
2008 was fairly uneventful for me, by comparison. I took another trip to Costa Rica, again visiting Ann, for 2 weeks in late June/early July. I hadn't planned to go, but I found a deal on a plane ticket that I just couldn't pass up--under $500 round trip. This time we spent the first week of my trip in Nicaragua and the second week in Costa Rica. I think I liked Nicaragua better. I absolutely LOVED Granada--we just didn't want to leave. We'd planned to spend only about a day and a half there. I think we wound up spending 4 days. Twice we packed our bags and put them in lockers for the day, planning to catch an afternoon bus, only to go back to the hostel at the end of the day and ask if our room was still open. Granada was a colonial city, with beautiful colonial architecture. We hiked around the volcano that looms over the city, and went to a nearby town known for its markets. One of my favorite days in Granada was spent at the Casa de los Leones (the house of the lions). It's an older building from the colonial era that has been transformed into an education center. As part of the center, artists are given gallery space in exchange for teaching their art at the center. I bought a gorgeous painting. I'll post a photo of it sometime. While in Nicaragua we also visited Managua--the capital of Nicaragua, which was my least favorite part of that week, and Leon--a small colonial city that's home to several universities and many museums. One of my favorite days in Leon was actually spent in a movie theater. When we were in college, Ann and I loved watching Sex and the City on DVD. Well, when we were in Leon, we noticed that one of the movie theaters was showing the SATC movie. Since it was our tradition (not to mention the theater was air conditioned and it was over 95 degrees out, we went to the movies. Back in Costa Rica, I split up from Ann for a few days (she had to attend a conference for the Peace Corps volunteers) and went to see Volcan Arenal. Since I was there during the rainy season, I wasn't able to see much, but I did love visiting the hot springs, heated by the volcano. The place my tour took us wasn't exactly natural looking (all concrete lined pools, swim-up bars, and even a water slide!), but the hot waters were just what the doctor ordered after hauling my pack around Nicaragua for a week :) At the end of the visit, we went to Ann's site again. It was a good way to end the trip--relaxing and even getting to see the completed community center Ann had helped get built as her Peace Corps project (especially fun to see the results of since I'd donated to the project).
I guess the only other big thing that's been going on hasn't really been for me but my friends--it feels like everyone I know is getting married. I know I'm at the age when many people do settle down, but especially since it's been a while since my last serious relationship, it's kind of crazy realizing how many of my friends have gotten married in the last year and a half. What's even sadder is the number of them that suddenly pull away from their single friends once they're in that couples stage. I hate that some people (not all!... but too many) become a "we" and only want to spend their time with other couples. It gets really frustrating... and lonely.
One thing that's not new (but I wish HAD changed) is my job. I'm still at the same company. Sometimes I like it. Frequently I don't. We had a major deadline on December 18. That means all of December was relatively insane for me--60+ hour work weeks during the holidays (and I'm a salaried employee, so I don't get anything extra for those crazy hours)... trying to make it home for the dogs but still get my work done, trying to keep my sanity days that NOTHING worked... insane amounts of stress when I realized I'd missed something big until the day before the deadline... knowing that the whole cycle starts again far too soon... The money is good, and with the current economy I won't be leaving anytime soon, but some days it's just too much.
So I guess you're up to speed. Sorry this got so long... and a little depressing at the end. I promise my next entry will be different.:)