Corporate Servitude

My old mp3 player, which Mark gave to me a while back when he upgraded his own, broke on Saturday. So, I bought a brand-spanking new one...

An iPod Nano, 5th gen, in blue!

I also bought the Nike+ sensor and synced my first run their website on it tonight.




Only 2 more days until San Francisco! Yay!

I went to the Minneapolis Institute of Arts with Mark today, and when I was in the bathroom, I blew my nose. A little girl who was in another stall with her mom asked her, "Mom, what was that?" The mom answered, "That's just a lady blowing her nose." Then the little girl said, "It sounds like pooping."

Yes, ladies and gents, when I blow my nose, it does make noise. Most discerning ears can tell it from a fart. My dad says it sounds like a tuba, and Ken Hodgson found what note I blew on the piano during Concert Choir rehearsal once at UMM.

I haven't written for a long time, and it feels great to be back.

First of all, I want to say how incredibly excited I am that Obama will be our next president. I hope and pray that he will deliver on his promise to change the country for the better.

And now, because I don't update this thing nearly enough anymore, here's the low-down on what's been going on in my neck of the woods:

--Seth's 3rd annual Halloween bash was a blast. Mark and I went as characters from the British TV show Spaced; he dressed as Mike from episode 6 (the clubbing one), and I dressed as landlady Marsha. Wearing my oversized red sweater, long auburn wig, carrying a bottle of wine and smoking a fake cigarette made me feel like a 40-year-old washed-up hooker the whole day. I received the best chuckles and looks from my co-workers when I went to work dressed like that.

--I went to a Holy Spirit retreat on Nov. 1 and it was powerful for me. I thought a lot that day about being confirmed as a Catholic when I was a sophomore in high school. When the bishop anointed me with oil on my forehead, I felt like crying. This time around, I really felt like something holy invaded a portion of my body. As Jody and Kim prayed for me to receive the holy spirit, the palm of my right hand felt as if I was holding a racquetball. The pressure almost made my hand feel as if someone was holding it, too. My right arm felt tingly and warm, and my right hand trembled a bit like a Parkinson's tremor. Also, the muscles in my right butt cheek were twitching. God must have a sense of humor; Jody commented that the Holy Spirit was giving me "love taps."

--God has been changing my heart little by little over the past few months, and I can now say that I'm thankful for the direction my life took this summer, even though it was difficult. I'm in a better place, but there are things that still need to be worked on. I'm getting more involved at Mercy Vineyard; I joined the prayer team recently.

--Mark and I started dating again, and so far, it's going well. This time, it's different. I'm looking foward to seeing where this goes.

--If you have a chance to see a show at the Guthrie before the end of the year, I highly recommend Shadowlands. The play concerns the courtship and brief marriage of author C.S. Lewis to his American wife Joy Gresham. If you're looking for reflections about love and suffering, this is the play for you.

I ran the TC 10 Mile on Sunday, after spending the days prior to that hemming and hawing and wondering if I had lost my mind. I wondered if I should even try to run that race, as my right knee was still healing. It seemed like my nervousness was causing a little added pain to my knee. But, I'm glad I didn't concede to the fear I had been feeling. I had tried to run this race for the previous two years to no avail, so was very thankful to finally do so this year. I finished with a respectable time of 1:37:52, according to my timing chip (1:41:52 gun time). Mark was there at the finish line, cheering me on, and letting other spectators squeeze in beside him under his golf umbrella to avoid the falling rain.

Unfortunately, I now have a bad cold, caused partly from the rain that started falling as I finished my last quarter-mile of the race, and also because half my office is sick. I came home from work early today, and though I should be resting, I figured an update on the life and times of me might be desired by you, the fine readers of this LJ.

The previous weekend, my cousin Bill got married to his first serious girlfriend, Julie. Theirs was a pretty wedding, and I enjoyed seeing my relatives and parents. I also came back to the Cities with a bunch of produce from my parents' garden. I haven't had to go grocery shopping, save for the occasional trip to Target to pick up a gallon of milk, for the past three or four weeks. Rock on!

I had my two-year review at my full-time job a couple weeks ago, and it went well. I also got a raise. Now I can really quit my bartending job. The verdict is still out on that, however. I keep going back and forth between the extremes. The worsening economy is definitely influencing my decision, though if the banks fail, my hard-earned money might disappear.

Mark and I toured the Leinenkugel's brewery in Chippewa Falls, WI the weekend before Bill and Julie's wedding. Nothing beats being able to purchase beer on Sundays. :)

Now, it's time for a nap!

I update this thing less and less as time goes on, it seems. I don't have a whole lot to write about. Mostly, I'm just trying to figure out stuff... where I'm headed in life and what my purpose is, moving on, reconstructing the past to fit new revelations. Perhaps I should elaborate further... with an update:

--I saw my primary care doctor regarding my knee, and she thought physical therapy would be beneficial for me. I've had two sessions so far, and they've greatly helped. My exercises strengthen muscles that have a tendency to get ignored when running, and also make sure the kneecap stays in alignment. I started running again, but short distances (e.g. 3 miles) and only once a week. I ran/walked 6 miles this past Saturday, and my knee hurts a bit today.

--I discovered that Ryan is now in a relationship with someone else, and honestly, I'm pissed off and hurt simultaneously. He never gave me a decent explanation for why he broke up with me, but now it all makes sense. All those lines about how he was "messed up" and "needed to work on his issues" were just a load of bullshit. Guess he found what he wanted... someone in Spokane who loves kids as much as he does. She has two of her own, so they're built into the relationship--an instant family. Honestly, I feel sorry for her because he'll probably put her through the same crap he put me through, and in the process, will hurt her two kids as well. I feel utterly deceived. He led me on, thinking our relationship was going to be more than it ended up being. He fooled my friends and family into thinking he was a great guy and a good fit for me. And now I wish I never met him because this whole ordeal just wasn't worth it. I hope one day he's sorry for the way he treated me (i.e. something easy to discard when she's lost her usefulness). But through this, I've realized that I can do so much better than him. I am worth more than what he did to me. And now I have closure.

And now for more upbeat news...

--I went to the MN State Fair and the Renaissance Festival during Labor Day weekend and had a great time. I tried the chocolate-covered bacon at the Fair... it wasn't bad, but not a combination that really fits together. I also got my fill of cheese curds, hotdish on a stick, Sweet Martha's cookies and milk, and a strawberry milkshake. RenFest was also enjoyable; I love dressing up in my costume, perusing the shops with my friends, and drinking mead. :-)

--Still liking Mercy Vineyard Church a lot; it challenges me. I hope to be more involved this fall by joining the prayer or worship teams.

--On Sunday afternoon, I toured the Chateau St. Croix winery and vineyard in St. Croix Falls, WI. The winery is like a European estate, with a slate chateau nestled in Western Wisconsin's slightly rolling and fertile farmland. I sampled five of their wines, bought a bottle of their 2007 Golden Harvest white wine and a slab of cheese with merlot mixed in, and also received a wine glass as a memento from the tour. I'm thinking of checking out another winery this Sunday, if anyone's interested. I just need to find another relatively local one...

I haven't updated in a while, and thought it was about darned time I do so:

--My orthotics seem to be helping my right knee, as the pain as decreased, but I still have slight twinges of pain. I ran for 15 minutes on a treadmill last Wednesday, and my knee hurt worse afterwards. I plan to try running again next week, but am worried that my knee will still continue to bother me. I'm down to the wire concerning the TC 10 Mile and training for it, and I really don't think I'll be able to participate in it this year. I could walk it, but it wouldn't be the same. Bummer... I thought I'd be able to this year after missing out the last two years. I think I may need to change my stride when running, as well, in order to prevent the knee pain from flaring up again.

--Misty, my beloved cat whom I had had since I was nine years old, died last week. She was almost 18 years old, so her death wasn't unexpected, but my parents said she had been eating well as of late. We thought she'd be around for a few more months. I drove up to LF on Sunday (the 10th) so my parents and I could bury her. She was a great companion, and I miss her terribly. When I was hanging out with Seth on Wednesday, I was petting his cat, Magenta, and I suddenly teared up because I missed Misty so much.

--I saw a career counselor last week, and am thinking about various career paths. I also took a spiritual gifts test at church, and discovered that counseling was on my list of manifest gifts. I've been thinking about grad school lately (which is a bit of a surprise, considering I've told many people that I just want to work), and may consider going for counseling. However, more research is required, plus I need to take a few more assessment tests.

--I religiously watch the Olympics (both Summer and Winter Games), and have been enjoying the 2008 Summer Games. That Michael Phelps sure is something; I hope he does win eight golds (he has seven racked up as I write this). Watching the Olympics, especially during this uneasy and difficult time in my life, has been truly inspiring, and gives me something (and some people) to cheer for.

--Speaking of cheering for people, I volunteered at the Urban Wildland Half-Marathon, which was the HM I was going to run this summer if I hadn't been stricken with knee pain. I was a course marshal, located between miles 12 and 13. At that point in the race, runners want to be finished running, and so they need encouragement to keep on trucking through that last half-mile. I enjoyed cheering for the runners, and hope that the runners got the extra boost they needed. It was also a pleasant surprise to see a familiar face in the pack; Kristen (kudafish ) ran the UWHM as part of her training for the Twin Cities Marathon.

--I'm so tired of trying to put on a brave face all the time.

--I need to clean my bathroom.

 

 --I finally got my car back last Tuesday.  I'm so happy to have "Miss Pinot Noir" back, even though she has no A/C and has a little over 100,000 miles on her.  I can tell that she's been around the block a few times, literally speaking; she's getting old.  I hope that she will continue to be reliable.
--I'm still having issues with my right knee, although it doesn't hurt as much as it used to.  Perhaps it's slowly recovering.  However, if I step funny, I'll feel a sharp pain.  I have an appointment to see an orthopedic specialist on July 22, so hopefully he'll be able to tell me what's wrong with my knee and what can be done to fix it.
--I miss being able to run.  I will not be running the Urban Wildland Half-Marathon on August 2, but I hope my knee will have healed enough so I can still run the TC 10 Mile on October 5.
--To stay in shape, I've done some strength training, stationary biking, and swimming.  Saturdays or Sundays, I walk over to Richfield's outdoor pool to do an hour of lap swimming.  The weather was really nice on Saturday, but unfortunately, I sunburned the entire backside of my body.
--I miss Ryan, and I can't wait to see him August 14-18.
--I'm proud of Seth and Kristen, who are training to run the Twin Cities Marathon on October 5.  I'm so proud of you both (and Kristen, I'd like to make a donation for your cause, but I'd like to do so in person; therefore, we should hang out).  I just wish I could join you.

Update concerning the aftereffects of my car accident:
--The accident was deemed the other driver's fault, so her insurance company will be paying for all the repairs to my car and the deductible.  I'm so glad I didn't have to use my stimulus check to pay the deductible.
--However, my car is still in the shop.  I should hear on Monday whether or not LaMettry's is finished with it, but they're certainly taking their sweet old time fixing my car.  By the time Monday rolls around, they will have had my car for three weeks.  I wanted to have it back when I returned from Alaska.

In other news, my right knee has been bothering me for the past week to week-and-a-half.  My knee is suffering from similar pain I had when my left knee had patello-femoral syndrome last fall, so my right knee probably has the same thing.  I haven't gone running since Tuesday (both runs last Saturday and Tuesday were painful), which pretty much nixes my half-marathon training altogether.  I registered to run the Urban Wildland Half Marathon on August 2, but now it looks like I probably won't be running it at all, and that greatly disappoints me.  I'm not sure if my knee pain is a result of the car accident, especially since it didn't start hurting until last Thursday, Friday or Saturday.  I just hope my knee will heal quickly so I can get back to running.  I love running and am frightened when I sustain an injury that threatens to prevent me from participating in one of my favorite activities for the rest of my life.

On a lighter note, I will be going out to Spokane again for a long weekend in mid-August.  I'm looking forward to spending some quality time with Ryan. :-)

This is a long LJ cut, but worth it. :)
 

The past two weekends have been busy and exciting for me. On Friday, June 6, I saw Stone Temple Pilots in concert at Roy Wilkins Auditorium. It was an awesome show, and the crowd loved the band. For most of the show, I could hear the audience singing along with the songs. This past weekend, Mom and Dad drove down to the Cities and stayed with me Saturday and Sunday. We went to the Stone Arch Festival of the Arts, and I took them out to eat at Kikugawa. They really liked the food they ordered (shrimp tempura for Mom, chicken teriyaki for Dad), and Mom even tried my sushi (but she didn’t like it nearly as much as she liked her own order). Mom and Dad stuck around to watch me bartend, too. On Father’s Day, we went to church at St. Joan of Arc, and though I was worried they’d find SJA too liberal for their liking, they liked how refreshing and encouraging Mass was. As they put it, “As long as it has the Eucharist, we really don’t care what the rest of it is like.” Kevin joined us for Father’s Day brunch at my house, and the four of us had a pleasant afternoon together.

Unfortunately, this week did not start out well. I was in a car accident yesterday (Monday) on my way to work, my second one in two years’ time. I wasn’t hurt, but my car sustained damages. I was driving along 66th Street in Richfield, not even five to six blocks from my house, heading east where I would eventually pick up Hwy. 77 to head to Burnsville. Annoying construction projects in the area reduced the normal two lanes of traffic in each direction down to one lane, so there were plenty of cars on the road. As I approached an intersection, a tan van suddenly pulled out right in front of me, turning left onto 66th St. so she could head in the same direction I was going. I swerved to avoid hitting her, and plowed into the 66th St./Columbus Ave. sign, knocking it right over. I don’t know if the driver of the van saw what happened; she just kept on driving.

After 15-30 seconds of sitting, completely stunned, in my car, I got out to assess the damage. My right front headlight was knocked completely out of its “socket,” but at least the glass didn’t shatter. The right front bumper bent downwards, nearly touching the ground, and the front side panel, located above the tire and ending at the headlight, was bent like asphalt heaving upward. At least my car was still drivable.

A witness gave me the number for the Richfield Police Department, who sent out an officer once I called and explained what happened, stating that I wanted to file a report. Two more witnesses, bless their hearts, confirmed that a tan van hit me and that a woman was driving it, and the older gentleman of the duo wrote down the van’s license plate number and gave it to me, along with his business card if the police needed to contact him for further information. The accident was not my fault, although the police officer told me that it would have been better if I had actually hit the van because the driver of that vehicle could contest my statement as it currently stands, stating that “Oh, she had plenty of room” or something like that. The whole thing happened so fast, and I didn’t want to hit the other vehicle because I wouldn’t have been able to live with myself if I had hurt someone else. So, I swerved to avoid her and took out a street sign instead.

Later on, once the officer left and I had called my insurance company, I drove my car over to La Mettry’s Collision so they could do the necessary repairs. An employee estimated that my car sustained around $1,700 worth of damages. At least my car wasn’t totaled. Progressive will take care of all expenses except for the $500 deductible. They also arranged for a car rental for me, and an Enterprise representative picked me up, taking me over to their Bloomington location to fill out paperwork for the rental. So, I’m driving a brand new 2008 Chevy Cobalt, black in color, until tomorrow morning when I head up to Alaska for six days.

I arrived at work about 10:30, two-and-a-half hours later than I wanted to, and I forced myself to focus on the day’s tasks, but I kept thinking about the accident, and was still on edge because of it. I’m thankful that I wasn’t hurt, that no one else was, that my car wasn’t totaled, that some good Samaritans helped me out and kept me in good spirits despite the terrifying nature of the ordeal, and that I get to drive a new car for a couple days. The accident could have been much worse. But I don’t like the fear of driving that has taken hold of me, the nervousness I feel whenever I get behind the wheel of a car. I feel 10 years older, and less confident than I used to be. Plus, the accident happened two days before I head up to Alaska, but of course, accidents never happen at opportune times. I know it will take some time to get my courage back, to feel less vulnerable after having had a brush with mortality, but I hope the fear won’t take too strong of a hold on me, grabbing on with all it’s got and never letting go. I just want to be okay.

I’m definitely looking forward to my much-needed vacation even more now.

Here's the link to the Minnesota Women's Press article I wrote:

http://www.womenspress.com/main.asp?SectionID=2&SubSectionID=2&ArticleID=3088

As you know from my previous entry, Ryan (from Spokane) visited me in the Cities two weekends ago. I took him to many of my favorite places, but the weekend almost started off on a sour note.

On our way to Gasthof’s that Friday night, I drove us through downtown Minneapolis. We were chatting, and I wasn’t paying much attention to how fast I was driving. As we crossed the Hennepin Ave. bridge, I noticed a cop car parked along the right side. I looked down at my speedometer, and noticed that I was going fast. I hit my brakes, hoping that I could slow down in just the right amount of time, but it was too late. The police officer pulled up behind my car, and once I turned onto University Ave., he put on his lights, and I pulled into a parking lot.

Mentally, I was kicking myself. Remembering the humiliation—and the sticker price—of my previous ticket in October 2007, I internally berated myself for not paying closer attention to how fast I was driving. Here goes another $142 down the drain… and the end of a fun evening, I thought.

“Good evening, ma’am,” the officer said as he approached my window, “do you know how fast you were driving?” I answered that I didn’t, that I was conversing with my passenger and watching out for other cars and hadn’t noticed my speed. He then told me I was going 45 mph in a 30 mph zone. I reiterated how sorry I was for going so fast, and that I didn’t know how fast I had been going. The officer asked for my driver’s license and proof of insurance, which I politely handed over, and he headed back to his vehicle.

Immediately, I thought the worst: He took my ID. I’m definitely going to get a ticket. I just got a ticket in October. I can’t afford to get another one! What if my license is suspended?!  Ryan held my hand and mostly stayed silent, letting me mentally and verbally vent my frustrations, although he did apologize, saying that he shouldn’t have been distracting me so much through our conversation. He didn’t need to apologize; I should have been watching my speed.

The officer returned to my car, and showed me his radar gun, which had indeed clocked me at 45 mph. “You do know you deserve a ticket for this, don’t you?” I answered yes, and told him that since he had taken my license, I was convinced he’d give me a ticket. He asked if we had come from downtown (no, we had come straight from my house) and where we were headed (Gasthof’s, because Ryan was from out of town and had never been there before). Then, the officer surprised me: “This time, I’m just going to give you a warning. But if you’re caught speeding again, you will get a ticket.” Dumbfounded, I thanked the officer, and so did Ryan, and he gave me back my ID and insurance card and wished us a good night.

After the officer left my window, Ryan turned to me and said, “We have to pray. We have to thank God.” When I asked why, Ryan replied, “The whole time I was holding your hand, I was praying that you wouldn’t get that ticket.”

I probably had a deer-in-headlights expression on my face. I was just speechless. I completely deserved that ticket, especially because I was going 15 mph over the speed limit, and yet I didn’t get the ticket. Wow… God did that for me! I hadn’t even thought of asking for God’s help, but Ryan did. I thought at one point that maybe Ryan had a better “in” with God, that he was a member of God’s special posse or something. Nevertheless, astonishment turned to gratitude as Ryan and I thanked God for sparing me. And then I thought that maybe this is just the tip of God’s love for all of us, just the tip of God’s abounding grace. 

The past couple of weeks have been extremely busy for me... at least on the weekends.  Three days after I left Spokane, Ryan decided he was going to return to Minnesota to visit his family for three weeks.  During his time here, he drove down here to the Cities and spent a weekend (May 16-19) with me.  I took a day off, so I'd have more time with him, and took him to some of my favorite places, which included:
--Polka dancing at Gasthof's (Friday night)
--Running around Lake Calhoun and Lake Harriet (Saturday), and Minnehaha Falls (Monday)
--Lunch at The Bad Waitress (Saturday)
--Minneapolis Sculpture Garden, Loring Park, and Lowry Park (Saturday)
--Kikugawa (Ryan hung out at my bar Saturday night when I was working.  He ate sushi, asked me to make a few cocktails for him, and wrote me notes)
--Psycho Suzi's after I was done working Saturday night, where he met Seth, Ruth and Ruth's roommate, Zoe
--Church at St. Joan of Arc and Destiny Christian Center (Sunday)
--Lunch at The Happy Gnome (Sunday)
--Minnesota History Center, martinis at Moscow on the Hill, walking around Cathedral Hill, Common Good Books (Sunday)
--Lunch at Galactic Pizza, ice cream at Sebastian Joe's, and browsing the shops in Uptown (Monday)
--Meeting Scott at the Happy Gnome for beer and food (Monday)

I visited my parents in LF this past Memorial Day weekend, and also had the opportunity to see Ryan again.  He accompanied us to church on Sunday, made his famous chicken fettucine alfredo for us for lunch, and saw all sorts of embarassing pictures of me from when I was in high school.  I also saw where he grew up in Royalton, and rode a four-wheeler for the first time.  Dan, his best friend and my cousin, hosted a bonfire with Steve and Bill (Dan's brothers/my cousins) and their significant others Sunday night, and invited us to come over.  There's nothing quite like sitting around a campfire, drinking beer, eating s'mores, and reliving memories.

I think I've had too much fun the past two weekends because I'm now feeling under the weather.  My throat increased in soreness as the day went on.  Let's hope it's just a mild cold.  I hate being sick.

Oh, and Minnesota Women's Press will be publishing an essay I wrote in an upcoming issue.  I will post it when it's available online. :)

Struggling to find you
Wanting to feel your arms around me
Knowing I’m safe
Knowing I’m loved
Knowing I’m saved

Help me to stay focused on you
Pursuing you
Asking questions
Seeking the answers
Only you can give

Voices taunt me from
All directions
Trying to keep me down
Trying to keep me scared
Trying to keep me from you

Inside, they remind me of my past
Tell me I’m worthless
That you could never love me
That I’ve tried to find you before
And failed

Outside, they say I’m foolish
Stupid for following you
This is a mindless sham
Coercive, discriminatory, hypocritical
Why don’t you rely on yourself?

But only you can
Make me whole
Take away my pain
Heal my heart and
Fill it with love

Only in you can I find rest
My soul is leading me towards you
Knowing I will be complete then
Only in you can I
Truly be home.

©Richelle Maciej, 2008

In other news, I ran the TC 1 mile on Thursday, finishing it in 7 minutes and 25 seconds (7:25).  I think that's the fastest I've ever run.  Wow!  I pushed myself hard!

Also, I broke up with Mark recently.  Mark is a great guy, but I realized that he wasn't the right person for me.  I just knew in my heart, despite the fact that he is a good person.  I hope he finds himself a woman that's deserving of him.  I take full responsibility for what happened.

Here's what I did on May 4 during my trip to Spokane:

http://www.krem.com/video/bloomsday-index.html?nvid=241962 (You'll need to turn the volume up on the video after the 15-second ad finishes)

This past weekend, one of my best friends, a woman I've known since the eighth grade, got married to a great guy.  If you've looked at my Facebook profile lately and perused the pictures I posted, you'll know that Roxy (lilrox16) got married on Saturday, on a snowy, blustery day at Camp Ripley Chapel in LF.  The weather may have been crappy, but the wedding was absolutely beautiful.  Throughout the wedding, memories of my friendship with Roxanne flashed through my mind--meeting her in Mr. Hanowski's social studies class, watching her perform at high school speech meet finals, the countless plays we were in together, choir concerts, prom, graduation, weekends when she and Mary would come visit me in Morris while I was attending college out there.  What a friendship we've had!  Reliving those memories made it hard for me to believe that she was getting married.  It's weird to think about--you're friends getting married, that is--but that's life.  We all grow up and enter into new life experiences.  Congratulations, Roxanne!  I know your marriage to Jake will be strong and wonderful.  And I hope you two have lots of kids!

Highlights from the wedding:
-Roxanne's dress was gorgeous--long, flowing, a bit sparkly, and lacy.  The veil was also long and lacy.
-The wedding ceremony (duh!).  I liked that when Roxy and Jake kissed each other for the first time as a married couple, they rushed each other so furiously that the Jaws of Life couldn't tear them apart.
-During the dinner, Beth (one of the bridesmaids) and I kept clinking our glasses to make the happy couple kiss.  At the end of dinner, Jake came over to us and asked, "Alright, which one of you is on the automatic timer?"
-Roxy's brothers performed the beautiful instrumental tune they played for the couple's first dance together.  If I get married, I should ask them to play at my wedding dance.
-For the Father/Daughter Dance, Roxy and her dad danced to, I kid you not, "She Thinks My Tractor's Sexy."  Gary Block, the DJ, commented at the end of it that that was the best Father/Daughter Dance he'd ever seen.  They certainly had a lot of fun out on the dance floor.

Tomorrow, I leave for a long weekend trip to Spokane to visit my friend, Ryan.  We're running the 32nd annual Bloomsday Run, and going to Idaho on Saturday to attend the church he's been attending the past few months, but other than that, other events for the weekend are tentative.  We might check out a sushi place, a bar named The Viking, and go salsa dancing (you know me--I love to dance, and tore up the dance floor at Roxy's wedding).  I'll update with the highlights of the weekend upon my return.

For the past couple weeks, any weeknight excursions involved seeing films at the Minneapolis/St. Paul International Film Festival.  Mark and I saw three films: the Danish film Clash of Egos, the Czech film Empties, and the Israeli film Jellyfish.  We liked Clash of Egos the best--its storyline was the most entertaining of the trio.  Luckily, some of the films that we didn't see during the festival will be shown at some of the independent theaters in the Cities in the coming weeks.  I'm looking forward to seeing The Unknown Woman and Then She Found Me.  Oooh... I should convince Maggie to see the latter with me.  She loves Colin Firth. :)

Spokane, here I come!

You Should Live in a Big City

You don't want anything in particular out of life... you want it all. You crave new and exciting experiences. And you get bored fairly easily. Only very big cities can keep you entertained and stimulated.

In the past two weeks, I celebrated my 24th birthday.  I'm one year away from hitting my quarter-life crisis. ;-) j/k!

Actually, I had a great birthday.  It was on a Saturday this year, and although I have two jobs, I wanted the entire day off.  So, I didn't work my bartending job.  I started out the day participating in the Run the Valley 10K in Golden Valley.  I took almost three minutes off my previous best 10K time by finishing in 53:08.  But the best part of the event was when I got a text message from Mark two minutes before the race started, stating that he had a hard time finding parking.  He got up early and drove to Golden Valley just to watch me run and cheer me on as I crossed the finish line. :)  What a sweetie!

Later on that morning, after a shower and change of clothes, Mark and I drove up to the Surly Brewing Company in Brooklyn Center.  Mark was hoping to treat me to a brewery tour, but they're not being offered until May.  Luckily, the gift shop was open, and Mark bought me a 64-oz growler of Surly Bender and a Surly pint glass.  I'd say those gifts fit me quite well, being a bartender and a small-time beer snob. :)

Mark took me out to lunch at Genghis Grill in Eagan, then we spent the afternoon hanging out together, going for a walk in a park close to my house to enjoy the beautiful 60-degree weather.  Later on, Seth hosted a dinner party for me at his apartment.  He made his famous chicken alfredo, which my fellow seven guests and I devoured ravenously, and we drank a lot of wine and played Boxers or Briefs.  I'm so blessed to have such great friends.  Thank you to all who attended. :)

I'm very excited that spring is finally here to stay.  It's hard to believe that just a few days ago, a good chunk of MN was hit by a snowstorm.  I drove up to LF Thursday night, as I took Friday off and had rescheduled the final bridesmaid's dress fitting from Saturday to Friday.  When I woke up Friday morning, LF was blanketed in 12 inches of snow.  My car was covered with so much snow that I could only see the license plate and bumper.  Luckily, Dad woke up early to plow out our driveway with the tractor, and the main roads had been plowed, so I was able to go to my appointment.  Later that day, I went to St. Cloud for Roxanne's bachelorette party, which was a lot of fun.  We all purchased lingerie for her, which we separated into brown paper bags.  She had to guess who gave her each item, and if she guessed incorrectly, she had to put the item(s) on over her clothing.  At the end, she had on three thongs, two or three panties, two nighties, a bathrobe, and some underwear on her head.  I got a great picture of the bride-to-be in all that get-up!

Tonight, I'm enjoying a rare relaxing evening at home, enjoying the two free iTunes songs I received for ordering tickets for the June 6 Stone Temple Pilots show at Roy Wilkins Auditorium.  Score!