Tuesday, January 4, 2011

To Wisconsin and Back Again

We went home for the holidays. It was so nice to be back in Wisconsin. I felt like I needed to make the most of each moment. I tried to see as many people as possible given the short amount of time I had and the other obligations I needed to fulfill. I spent as much time as possible with my family in the evenings. I went to Madison for less than seven hours. I drove to Lake Geneva and Johnson Creek to meet up with friends. I got my teeth cleaned (no cavities-yes!). I met with an Art Therapist to talk about the profession. I read a book. I got 5 inches cut off of my hair. I made it to the Comet CafĂ© for beer, bacon, and a good burger. I didn’t get custard… but there will always be other trips. I only got to see a fraction of the people I wanted to. When I left it felt like it was way too soon. And then I promptly got a major migraine when I landed in Florida. J chalks it up to the change in atmospheric pressure, but I think it is because my body was angry at having to come back. We came home to a ton of cat puke and hairballs. Our older cat wouldn’t stop yelling at us, and the next day we found our first (and hopefully last) cockroach. J felt it brushing his foot while doing the dishes and he thought it was a cat. And then he screamed. Ha ha.

J has thrown himself back into training for the upcoming half and full marathons and in his proposal for school work. I am exhausted… all of that running around in Wisconsin tired me out. I’ve just been cleaning and reading and cooking. I’ve also gone back to having unemployment weigh heavily on my mind. I find myself really wishing for a network in Miami right now… maybe then I would have a job and a bit of a social life. We are going to try to have J’s colleagues over for an American dinner as a thank you for the Chinese one we had with them a few weeks ago. I’m not that lonely though… just bored. I like to be alone. I spent my New Year’s Day by myself eating some of my favorite stuff at Panera while writing and reflecting on the past year (an exercise suggested by the magazine Whole Living). I window shopped at the nearby outdoor mall. I really enjoy days like that to myself, but I liked it more in Madison where you didn’t have to pay $6 in parking to eat and wander around and where I also knew my favorite spots. At least the weather is nice here. I went from a winter coat in Wisconsin to shorts here. (I still prefer having seasons and being able to actually wear my cute sweaters…)

That’s pretty much it for now. I figured I should write a little about the past couple of weeks. For now I’m going to watch a movie from Netflix…