Maji's blog: "Yup"

Theres a lot of things to love and hate about my job. Spontaniety...I love when there is a smooth transition between think and do, the satisfaction of the leap. Its very important at my place in life.  Unsettledness...the essense of nomadic readiness, and having to rearrange your life and plans on a moments notice to accomodate sometimes, the price.

My love for irony blends those 2 together to usually make it worthwhile.

Had planned to ride out of state to spend the weekend visiting my mom, my brother and few others. My moms bday falling on Easter this year, I felt compelled to spend the day with her, literally a double holiday.

Yesterday at work, talk of a pending site survey suddenly turned green light, and the customer has requested that the inspection occur this weekend due to ship's availability/activity shutdown, etc....nomadic readiness.

Irony...the ship, of all the ship's in the world it could be, is the exact same boat that I just took a cruise on over xmas holiday.  So as the guides are contacting me to familiarize me the layout last minute, & Im instead telling them where things are at. Theyre like "ohhh, well, umm awesome, we'll meet you there!"

The trip down was set for Saturday, with me coming back Saturday night. I intially rejected that itinerary, citing they are already cutting into my holiday plans for Sunday, and theres no way Im going to fly 2000 miles and then get back and jump in the car and drive another 300. So being as thats shot, they just as well book my flight out on the redeye Sunday, then I can walkabout on my own after the survey.

They adjusted that with a whole new flight plan, which they took upon themselves to go ahead and purchase before our review. The flight they bought had me connecting in Atlanta with 35 mins to get on the next flight. The host company that is requesting for me to do the survey rejected that, I didnt even get a chance to, citing that was  too risky and they couldnt chance my incoming flight being late, and with planes closing doors 15 mins prior to takeoff, that left me 20 mins to disboard and get to the other plane. Even if by some miracle it was on the same concourse, and I got to the plane, chances are my luggage would not.

So round 3,...evidently they couldnt get another Saturday flight that would make the survey in time, soooo ....surprise, now they have me leaving today, plus rental/hotel now, no doubt to close the deal once and for all.  ....nomadic readiness.

So just booked flower delivery for Mom, to hopefully pacify my absense. And now Im scrambling getting ready to head to the airport, which I was already warming up for anyway, knowing how things go.

So anyway, looks like Easter in downtown Miami....I can do that. Wait...I AM doing that.  ....*winks*..Spontaniety. :)

Update Sat morning: My point of contact onboard has contracted food poisoning, fainted and gashed his head. So looks like Im gonna have to go it alone for the ship survey. Atop that apparently we cant board til 1100, so I got to chill this morning. Hotel brekky was packed, noisy, not my thing...so I went walkabout and found a nice quaint lil bakery w/sidewalk cafe just a block away. Wasnt disappointed. :)

Cant remember who all is down here, but if ya think of someone from our mutual friends, let em know Im around, and I will check back after Im done today and see what happens.

It would be easy and concise to say what you do for all that know you, we all see that. So instead, each time I sat down at the computer today, I tried to think of something that you have never done, and wrote it down.

Never once...have you needed an incentive to come say hello.

Never once...have you questioned my sincerity and answered it yourself. If you didnt understand something, you inquired to make sure that you did understand.

Never once...have you made me wonder if we're ok, just for sake of watching me struggle to find out.

Never once...have you fed me a doggy treat or patted me on the head simply because I lit up your page and brought others to it. You dont even bother thanking me, because you know you dont need to, you just respond with mutual interest.

Never once...have you passed me by or held me in contempt for being happy. Even if you were not feeling happiness yourself at the time, you always came by to share in and let me bathe you in mine.

Never once...have you avoided me in my times of despair, just because it was ugly and uncomfortable.

Never once...have you implied any level of maintenence to our standing. I know without even thinking about it that we could go months or years without contact and we would pick right up where we left off. There would be absolutely nothing to rebuild.

Never once...have you made me feel I was walking on eggshells to stay in your good graces, or that there were dues of homage to stay in the clubhouse, or that I needed to be anything other than myself. 

Never once...have you made me feel that we were less connected because we didnt share a parallel viewpoint on something.

Never once...have you tried to injure me with deliberate silence or apathy, no matter what the circumstance.

Never once...have you involved me in a melee or made me feel I needed to take a position in such, or presumed that I should have a clue or an opinion. 

Never once...have you betrayed my confidence or pitched my personal business and thoughts out on the tiles, or tried to manipulate with the threat thereof.

Never once...have you measured my attentiveness against what I put out to the rest of the world, nor tried to corral it to make sure you had the most. You emit, admire or become part of the light no matter where it goes.

Never once...have I witnessed you dedicating all your evergy to spinning in place just to create visibility so you can sit and twirl your hair and wait for the influx without having to leave your perch. You actually get out there and touch people (sometimes inappropriately, but touching nonetheless).

Never once...have you ceased to amaze me in your selflessness towards those you care for, instilling confidence and acceptance even in the smallest ways and shortest phrase, speaking up even where others cant be bothered or feel like theyre lowering themselves by doing so, you feel and realize theres no harm at all. Whether it be affectionately or mockingly, concise or verbose, you know instinctively what people need and you bring it. Theres nothing in it for you 
accept the glow that you create. Your heart, is what sets you apart.

And Never once...have you accredited yourself for any of these things. Which is why we are here.

You were one of the first in this place to develop beyond mere acquaintance to what I call friend. Ive probably known you longer than anyone in your cirriculum, and certainly dont know everything about you, and perhaps not even as much as some, but I think I have watched you long enough to know that what you bring out in folks is real, and long enough to know I have the seniority to embarass the living fuk out of you and get away with it here in this little roast. *impish snicker*

Nevertheless, your mainstay being your ackowledgement of others, I thought you in turn need to be recognized. 
And this is not some veiled rant about what everyone else does/does not do or whatever, honestly some dont even make enough of a splash for me to know whether they can even swim, much less how well, so I really cant say if I dont see it. Hell I'm not even sure I can honestly apply all these attributes to myself lol. 

But thats not what this is about,...this is your day, and this is my post, simply to say, that you yourself, never have...Never once. And thats worth pointing out.

You are, beyond all other things to me,...perpetual. And I cant be the only one thats sees that.
Happy Birthday Witchie :) (h)

A coworker took me out to lunch yesterday, quite stoked to turn me on to a hidden discovery tucked away in downtown.

This is one of the graces of getting older, you get really excited about finding good cuisine, lol.

So we pull to this quaint lil french bakery, not much to look at, but with genuine motherland chefs and product.

I had never had pastrami like this before, my exposure being limited to the general storebought pressed crap laced with the lil white fat nuggets, bleh...

These guys even made their own mustard, which had a dijon pungency mixed a bit of vinegar and a slight basalmic tinge. Was fun taking it apart in my head, and it was obviously the thing that really set the meat off, one constantly complimenting the other. Im not a big fan of the hard bread but I easily got past that in exchange for what was in it.

But sandwiches are but a sideline attraction for these guys, after all it is a bakery.

What I have found is this the ultimate breakfast date. I wouldnt think twice about throwing on a hoodie on and driving 25 miles just sample their array of TOP SHELF treats while sippin a cappy made with real turkish coffee. When I say lets light up with a french cigar, I mean light up your fukin taste buds with a thin roll pastry stuffed to the gills with homeade french mousse and sealed with the blackest of strong chocy. But I think my fave is their rums balls. Theyre like 2 inches in diameter, and altho 5 bucks each, I thought nothing of buying 2 more to take home and wake up to this morning.

Most I have tried have been like "ok, so you put a buncha rum and fudge nuggets in some choc cake and rolled it up, big fukin deal". This shit is so omg its like "eaterbating". and me not being a sweet fanatic thats saying alot.

The other thing that sets this place apart, and could be a perk or drawback depending who you are, is these guys like to talk, they want to know what you think. Some folks dont like to be hovered around while theyre eating, but given how shitty and apathetic most service is nowdays, I really didnt mind at all, plus the 2 chefs bust on each other regularly, and seem to have little running bets about new ingredients or mixtures that they tried and want the customers to settle their arguments. Pretty funny to see them taking their craft seriously enough that they would be in contest with each other to pass the time.

I look forward to dropping in on these guys and watch them light up that I came back and brought some friends. :)

...in stupidity.

After slappin the snooze a few times, lethargic from the weekend festivities, I finally got up and hustled about getting myself ready to return to the office and start the new work year.

I was also happy to enjoy at least one day of very light traffic, albiet an increase in parked troopers, still a nice ride, devoid of the usual bevy of idiots playin whats my lane, convinced that their antics will win them any more than 2 spots up in traffic and 30 secs earlier arrival.

30 miles of carefree driving, only to arrive and find....................................an empty parking lot.....

I threw my head back and belly laughed for at least 2 mins. Can you believe this fukin shit right here.

Now given most of our holidays are floaters for us management type folk, unless they take a tally and no one wants to come in, then they will put out an announcement that they are officially closing for business. I dont recall seeing such a memo, but then again I didnt take it upon myself to inquire before making the journey.

Whats also funny is I wasnt the only one. My sauve porshe driving compadre Stephen also whipped in as I was turning around to head back out, so I was able to see his stoic expression as he creeped thru the parking lot, staring at the building & realizing what just went down....hilarious. Then he saw me, and we both did the proverbial hand sheild over face, like "didnt see me, never happened, never speak of this", and we both sped out onto the road heading opposite directions.

So Im back home, and now I dunno what to with myself.

I suppose i should be glad it wasnt the opposite, thinking we were off then coming back to "where were you yesterday?".

Brewed some ice tea last night.My pitcher was soaking, so I used a 2liter Coke bottle I just finished.

Stuck it in the freezer to chill for bit, got sidetracked, forgot.Saw it in there this morning, frozen, so took it out & put in the fridge to thaw.

I get home this evening, kick my boots off, go to mix a rum n coke, and Im like watching it come out the bottle, and thinkin "wtf?, sumn aint right with this Coke, its looks watered down, no fizz at all, wutindeefuk is wrong with this shit? Did I get a defective product?".

So I sniff it cautiously, doesnt seem to have any zing.. *face all twisted up at this point*.

I cant believe how scared I was to dab my finger in there and take a taste, but I just had to solve this mystery,...then it hit me...*arms drop, head goes back* "eeeyouhoohoo stoopid mutha fuker hahahahaha"..first time in awhile I actually lost my breath laughin at myself.

The more I thought about how bummed I was that my drink was all fukd up and I was gonna have to go back to the store, the funnier it got lol.

I think Ima just have a dirty martini...