Mi Vida Loca

My crazy life....yeah, I haven't been here in a couple of months.  I would like to attribute it all to the craziness in my life, but let's face it...the only part of the craziness that isn't "normal" for me was the move.  I did finally get moved, albeit to temporary quarters in the improved basement of some very generous friends.  I call it The Dungeon.  heehee  It will work out just perfectly for me for a few months so I can save up some money and decide what and where is next.

So, I work my regular Monday through Friday, 8-5 gig...two or three nights a week I work extra duty jobs for extra cash to make ends meet and almost every weekend that I am not on call for work I am at my parents' place, aka "The Ranch", working my butt off.  So I do stay fairly busy...one might say Crazy Busy.  ;-)

But honestly, I have time at the extra jobs to sit and peruse Facebook or read a few chapters of a book or pay bills or whatever I choose to do to occupy the extra time.  It's easy to sit and blog a bit....I'm doing it right now, as a matter of fact.  I just have not felt inspired or motivated to write about anything in a while.  Truthfully, I am not feeling very inspired tonight either...I am just tired of getting nagged about not writing one in a while.  I have some bitchy little nagging ass friends that just will NOT leave me alone about it!!  You KNOW who you are....hahahahaha!!!

That is it for tonight.  No frills, no information, nothing beyond my silly ass rambling.  I know, it is pretty freakin' lame, but what can I say?!?  Any deep thought I had today (if there was one at all) left my mind several hours ago. 

Peace!!
Ang

Life...

...has kinda been sucking for me lately. Whatever...that's the way it goes, right? But I have caught myself several times over the last week or so in "poor me" mode. Now, I know if I caught myself at it, then others have noticed it, too. That pisses me off!! Nothing is more annoying to me than someone who is constantly feeling sorry for themselves and refusing to see anything positive to turn their focus on...and that's not me!! So it REALLY pisses me off when I catch myself in that frame of mind!!

Now, I am ALL about the self-deprecating humor...I love it!! It is nearly always funny, and is a great way to lighten the mood when that is called for. No one can make fun of themselves much better than I can. I mean, the material is endless!! heeheehee

It is still surprising and amazing to me what a huge difference my group of friends make in bringing me through the dark times.  A text, a phone call, a voice mail, an e-mail...man, they can turn my day around in a heartbeat!!  It's a powerful feeling knowing that even when I don't FEEL loved, I AM loved.  Even when I feel lonely, I know that I am not alone.  I have a fabulous and supportive family as well, but my friends "complete" me, to quote a corny movie line.

What brought all this mushiness forth from me?  A phone call from my BFF.  It seems that she always knows when to call or text or somehow get in touch.  I am not the best about "reaching out" when I need it.  (Y'all can stop laughing now at THAT understatement of the year.  LOL)  I miss her terribly, and don't get to see her very often since she lives in Arizona.  But when we have our "catch up" sessions, it is like no time has passed.  I can "see" her facial expressions and hear her state of mind in her voice...yes Trace, I know when you are rolling your eyes at me, dammit!!

Anyway, earlier this week when she called and we were catching up, I was struck by how much her friendship means to me.  We can talk about anything, and I mean ANYthing...lol  There is incredible comfort in her unconditional love and support, the lack of judgement and the camaraderie I feel with her.  I LOVE YOU MORE TRACY(even though you are WAY older than me...hahahahaha)!!!!!

My BFF Tracy and I when I surprised her in AZ for her 40th

Now mind you, Tracy is my BFF and I wanted to acknowledge that with this post, but I have a lot more really close friends that make a huge difference in my life and in my outlook on life.  You all know who you are, and just know that I love and appreciate each and every one of you for who you are!!    I do NOT know what I would do without you ALL!!!

Peace!!
Ang

PS--I am adding a video to this post to see if I can make it work.  It is in honor of Tracy, because the song will always, always remind me of her!!  It's hard rock and quite vulgar, so don't listen if you don't want to.  When I hear the song I laugh out loud nearly every time, but always have a huge smile on my face!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z6Uin-1bSTk

Hahahaha.....

So I am entering ANOTHER post to explain the previous post. I now have another resident expert (Auntie Pat) who explained how to fix the initial post. Now you can disregard my last post, since I was able to change the date on the "Been Thinkin'" post to the actual date I posted it, and it now shows up in the proper order.

By the way...she swears I am not a dumbass, but I am not inclined to agree at this point!! heeheehee

Thanks Auntie Pat, I think you will be my resident expert from now on (kickin' Sue to the curb(but I still love ya)...haha)!!!

***This will get really interesting when my family and the folks that really know me start wondering when I got an Auntie Pat!!

I'm a blogger dumbass...lol

This is just a note to show off my ignorance with the business of blogging. I posted a blog a couple of days ago that I had been working on off and on for a while. While still working on that one, I had posted an update on the truck. So when I finished the most current entry, I published it thinking that it would show up on top of the truck blog and all would appear normal. Yeah, not so much...LOL

I will admit to a few curse words when I did not see the blog and thought I had deleted the work instead of publishing it. After re-loading the page numerous times, I finally scrolled down the page...lo and behold, there was the entry. It had been placed there by the date I started writing on it. UGH!!

Okay, so there must be some little setting that needs to be changed to fix it, right? I look around on all the editing pages...nothing. I even ask my resident expert, my friend Sue...she doesn't know but she'll look. All the while, I am still poking around the site trying to figure it out. Sue and I are still chatting when I find it, inadvertently. I had seen a box that asked if I was using the old editor or the updated editor. There's an updated editor?

My curiosity made me want to see what I was missing by using the old editor (which is apparently what you get by default when you start a blog). I clicked to see the features of the updated editor and am reading and thinking to myself that the update doesn't seem all that different from the old one. And then there it was, near the bottom of the page...the updated editor now lists your posts by published date. Sweet!! So I am now using the updated editor!! Woo hoo!!

Now I told that long, tedious story to get to a point...there is a post that is dated April 22nd and titled "Been thinkin'" and it is BELOW the truck update. You'll have to scroll down to see it, because apparently changing to the updated editor does not auto-correct the layout. **insert a rolling of the eyes here**

So, now that you all know what a dumbass I am (cuz I KNOW you never thought that before now...heehee), you can return to your day and feel better knowing you are not alone...LOL!!!!

Have a great weekend!!
Ang

Been thinkin'...

I titled my blog "A Wandering Texas Girl wonders..." because I have wandered around a lot on my bike for the last 7 or 8 years, trying to see as much countryside as I can. But I have been slacking off the last couple of years, and I have been trying to figure out why that is.

Okay, so there's really not a lot to figure out, truthfully. I have several things that have worked against me in the "motorcycle travels" department. First and foremost, after my brother was murdered I lost a lot of the passion that I had for riding. Whether that was due to feeling my mortality more, not wanting to risk my parents going through the loss of another child or just that I plain did not care about a lot of the things I cared about before...I don't really care to dissect it that much (scary). I just don't have the same passion for it today that I had a couple of years ago.

Another large part of it is simply financial. I just do not have the same amount of disposable income that I had prior to changing jobs. I work extra, so I have less vacation time to burn as a result, as well...

So here's my plan...I am going to try and get in one decent length ride this summer or fall and see if I can renew my passion for it. I believe it will, just because experience has shown me how peaceful a long ride is. I need to find some peace, that's for damn sure!! LOL

There really is no feeling like it. I cannot explain how free and peaceful I feel when I'm out riding... I remember that, and want to get it back, but I just haven't been "feelin' it". We will see what comes of that.

I know there will be a LOT of short trips and commuting this summer, due to the truck situation. The bike and my county car will be my only means of transpo for a few months. The added miles on short runs may help me get my riding legs back and help me get back to what it was before. I have made so many new and life-long friends as a result of riding, I will forever be grateful and I certainly hate to think of losing out on making even more.

Time will tell how this all works itself out....the suspense is killing me!! LOL

Update on the truck situation...

Yep...more bad news in the world of Ang!! After the leaking radiator and water pump were replaced, it was time to trade vehicles back with Mom and Dad. (I had borrowed Mom's Suburban when mine broke down, just to have a way to get home and get around. Thank goodness I was blessed with such awesome parents!!)

So we were going to meet up halfway between us to have dinner and trade out vehicles...and as I was getting ready to leave my house to head that way, I got a call from Dad. Yep, the truck over-heated on the way to meet me and they were headed back home. No need to try and come meet them, they would take it back to the mechanic and figure out what was wrong...

The next call I got was the bad news...the block was cracked and will have to be replaced. Which means a whole new engine!! Are you freakin' kidding me??!! What have I done in the realm of Karma that has brought this huge thunderstorm down upon me??? Ugh!! So now, not only is there NOT a light at the end of the tunnel with my finances, but that tunnel has become more like a deep, cavernous pit of doom!! I know, a bit dramatic for me, huh? :-P But I do feel completely overwhelmed by it...

I'm stuck with the truck because I am still making payments(bought it used in '07 after a deer killed my perfectly good former truck that was completely paid for). If I scrap it and go get something else, I still have to finish making the payments on this one...counterproductive. So, I am going to be on my bike through the summer and hope I can make enough with the extra jobs over the next few months to get the damn thing fixed by fall/winter.

In the meantime, I will be buying a lottery ticket here and there and hoping for the best!! Y'all keep your fingers crossed that I hit it!! One can only imagine what kind of party there would be if THAT ever happens...LOL

Can someone tell me why....

Why, at every point where I SEEM to be getting control of my finances and reaching an even keel, SOMEthing happens? I know that everyone says this, but it really is frustrating for me!! As most of you know, I work a couple of "extra jobs" and I have been putting in lots and lots of hours at both of them lately, in an attempt to regain control.

One of the extra jobs is pretty steady and has served as an equalizer, basically filling the gap in my salary when I changed jobs. If not for working this first extra job, I would not have been able to stay at my present employer for the time frame that I have. The pitiful salary that comes with my job simply does not pay the bills. I knew this going in, and CHOSE to work at a place where I actually enjoy going to work as opposed to a job where I was miserable but made a decent living. I would make that same choice again tomorrow...

But that being said, the bills still have to get paid, so I do what I have to do. No big. Not looking for sympathy. I am a grown ass woman who made a conscious decision....

All the extra work had begun to pay off and I was just about to get caught up enough to start making a serious dent in my debt. Seeing a light at the end of that tunnel is HUGE in order to keep pushing forward and struggling with the added hours, lack of sleep and just general fatigue that comes with all that extra work time. AND THEN my truck breaks down...and it is going to cost between $600 and $800 to fix it! OUCHIE!!!

On the surface, I thought "No sweat, I have a extra job paycheck coming that should cover it". Which is true...it would...had I not made a double payment on another bill THE DAY BEFORE the truck broke down. LOL So here I am, wondering how I have induced this Karma upon myself...and wondering how to shake that off and find the good kind of Karma for a change!!

I know I will get it taken care of, because that's what we do. I guess I just wish that it wasn't so damn hard all the time!!

Okay....vent session complete. Onward and upward!!

Laterz,
Ang