Another postcard with chimpanzees..And every one is addressed to me

Hah, I was recently listening to Another Postcard out of the blue. A real blast from the past.. and Barenaked Ladies pop up as a topic on an episode of Community. 

Work has been interesting. A lot of ups and downs. I think it has something to do with it being the first holiday season, so everyone is trying to figure out how to navigate it. We have a solid group though, so I'm not really concerned. Bring it on! The potluck we had planned for Christmas Eve got moved to Thanksgiving Eve. I really hope it's a success, but I gotta make some time to prepare whatever it is I'm going to do. I suppose I'm leaning towards a corn bread. Not the most attention grabbing option, but I feel comfortable making it. Another thing is white elephant and a potential secret santa on top of it. Honestly, I love to give gifts and hang out with friends, but there's just something about that 'mandatory fun' that really takes me out of it. I am glad though that at least it appears like all of our things are planned to be during the shift and not after. 

Something that I'm glad to see is my sister being happy with her partner. They've been together for a while, and he's really been a great addition to the family. He's definitely passed the Gigi test with flying colors. There's some peace of mind there, when it comes to potentially leaving weeks at a time or even moving. I've been talking about assignments outside of Texas for a bit now, and a loooong shot is kinda taking shape. A lot of things have to fall into place, but it's kind of exciting to think about. Denver might be a spot for the end of next year, both temporary and permanent (nothing is permanent, so permanent-ish). I have several friends who live in Aurora, which would make it awesome if it works out. A pipe dream for now, but it would be a sweet gig. In the way shorter term, I am probably hitting San Antonio for a few weeks.. which is a yay? haha I don't know. 

Another interesting development is hearing Beto has thrown his hat in for Governor. I was initially underwhelmed but okay with the prospect of McConaughey (sheesh that's hard to spell), but I think Beto is the right person for the job. He leans further left than a lot of Dems would like. But, it's what we need. I'm honestly so done with compromising towards the center when the right just goes further and further right. Our current governor has been nothing but an atrocity, and the laws being passed are just mind boggling. I've probably said this before, but sometimes I feel like I got dropped off in a parallel universe where common sense is warped. So Beto is an underdog in red Texas, but I have faith he's got the right message and plan to do the unlikely. 

Lots to do.. Lots to do.. and 2021 is expiring at a crazy speed.

- Get any last minute stuff for Thanksgiving.

- Prepare for another winter storm.. don't know how likely it is, but it's making the rounds on the news.

- Begin the process of making room for the Christmas tree (I think we're putting it up this week)

- Start up my Christmas shopping list! I NEED to get this thing going asap.. I don't even have the head count, let alone gift ideas. I can already see December hitting.. also gotta start getting some intel on what Gisella wants. I'm thinking it's time to get her that keyboard, but maybe a new bike or something. I don't really know.. she's not subtle, so it shouldn't be a challenge.

- Get the windshield replaced 

- Get the booster shot at some point. I'm not really sure where things are at with it, but I think I'm up soon.

- And so on and so forth

Anyway, it's been a week or so of being in a funk, but I'm feeling like it's turning out okay. Honestly, it's been a hectic year, but I am definitely grateful to be where I am right now. Onto better days! :-)

Weather: 60s- works for me

Mood: A little more upbeat than earlier

Music: Finesse (Bruno Mars, Cardi B)

Food: Tilapia and Veg (it was alright)

I'm On A Mission, Into Destination Unknown

So, I may have started my day off belting out an explicit song after my shower. Next thing I hear is, "Christian, that's $5!" Gisella has been on top of this deal we have going! It's been effective for the most part though. I have been somewhat better about keeping my language at bay.

Work has been.. work. The last few days have been a little on the dull side. I miss some of my friends who moved to night shift. I'm sure we'll coincide at some point soon though. Karens keep Karen-ing, and alarms keep going off when I walk in during the morning. Blegh, they apparently solved that now. 

Having had an interesting week or two, I've come across something I've never put serious thought into. I had an opportunity to move to Kansas. Although Kansas is less than appealing, it made me wonder why Texas has to be my future. My ties to it are my immediate family, but there's just something about getting comfortable in an uncomfortable place. Ever since I can remember, my mind had one foot out the door, but I never really had the means or motivation. I feel like maybe beginning to test the waters can get me to genuinely consider a literal move in the next couple years. 

So, although I have no clue where I want to go, I know the intention is there. An obvious bridge would be a new location for my current job, but then again I wouldn't expect to struggle finding another job anyway. The grapevine says places like Missouri and Oklahoma are coming next. Fingers crossed on a place like Colorado though. I'd probably jump on that chance if it's offered at work. I've always been fascinated by a place like that. At this moment it's not much more than thinking out loud, and a huuuuge thing for me is my niece. But should I take that step, better believe I'll be making frequent trips to see the awesomest human ever. 

Savings: Some
Car: Check
Motivation: Present
Destination: Unknown

Peace!

Christian Alejandro

Weather: 57 degrees.. love it

Mood: Decent with a side of meh

Music: I Wanna Be Your Slave (Maneskin)

Food: Jalapeno California Roll

Hey hey hoo, you know this is the way to go

So, blew off the blog for a bit. Sometimes I'm just not in the mood, but maybe it's the best time to write. I can ramble away at times, while struggling to put words together at others. I'm not exactly eloquent, but I should be able to write some thoughts!

There's been quite a series of events, but yeah on the mind is what I'm here for. I went through some confusion, some sadness, concern, but also a little relief. As cliché as it sounds, her happiness matters to me even if it means probably sunsetting an idea we tried to roll with. Did the moment pass? Perhaps it's just the timing was off. Maybe a moot point, but hey.. the brain wonders. A joke that came around a bit was that this was very teenage-like. It was. And I was there for it. It was fast, it was fun, and it was brief. The earlier conversation gave me clues, and I began trying to grieve the relationship despite uncertainties. One thing that became clear to me is that I didn't want to give up a friend in the process. So, it's not that I want to dismiss this relationship nonchalantly. I'm not over it by a long shot, because it did hurt knowing it's concluded. With it also goes the illusion of some of the plans we probably jumped the gun on. Do I regret it? Not a chance! But this is more about a friend's world I want to hold on to. So the question becomes can our friendship hold through. I genuinely believe so. We had the hardest conversation to this point, and I felt we handled it. Guarantees don't exist. But I'm confident that we've got this!

We.. Shall.. See

Christian

Weather: Sah-weet

Mood: Pensive but good

Music: We Got U (Lemaitre)

Food: Spicy Chicken Soup