Working Hard for the Money

The first shutdown is finally over. Two long months of 12 hour days, constant shift switching, and several lost weekends. It took most of the first week to get use to working graveyards (6pm-6am) and by the time I was finally getting into the routine I was back on days =) ... But it was a great experience. I was able to see and learn about parts of my plant that are usually sealed up with toxic gas and acid flowing through them.
I am looking forward to my first long weekend of the year and getting to see Tim as he comes down to spend the Easter weekend. I'm also excited because I think Tim has been here enough where we won't have to do the tourist gig and we can just hang out. Play some wow, Smash Bros with the Hindu...maybe and just chill at home. For those who might be worried about how I will survive four whole days away from work, don't be the next shutdown starts this coming Wednesday and lasts for another three weeks =)

Recollection

I had a cup of hot chocolate recently. The cheap kind that mixes with water and tastes distinctly different from hot chocolate made with milk. Anyways, as I drank the water downed mixture, I was reminded of a long long...gosh it really has been a long time ago. It was the Christmas season and Tim and I were doing our part to spread the word of diversity and the true meaning of Christmas, stop laughing all of you. And what was this activity you ask...why none other than the Garden of Hope. The Garden of Hope was atop a hill in the coldest part of our hometown. Booths were setup to share the stories of Christmas around the world. There were warm houses for Sweden where our friend Sam worked, warm caves for the story of Jesus, warm brick homes for the Germans, and then there was a tent... a cold brown tent. And who was in this cold brown tent spreading the story of Kwanzaa, none other than Tim and me. Each night for a week or several weeks...it’s hard to remember. We would go out there read our script and play Star Wars with the wooden staves they had given us as props. Every night we would warm our bodies and drown our sorrows in an endless supply of water downed hot chocolate. I can clearly remember both of us swearing we would never drink another cup of hot chocolate in our lives and every time I do I think back to that time. We both seem so much different now then we were on that hill. And I guess we are. But I can assure you this, if someone handed us both wooden staves no one would find it surprising if we suddenly burst out into a game of Star Wars.

Abby's Request

I stood entertained for a good 20 mins tonight watching Tucker's encounter with a frog on our nightly walk. First he got up real close and sniffed at it. Then he jumped back startled as the frog started hopping. Tucker always out ran him to his next destination and gave him a good lick. For a while I watched amazed at how patient the frog was. At times he didn't even move...just stood there like a rock even as Tucker nudged him with his nose. Then...Tucker turned on his back and squashed the little guy with 65 pounds of puppy power. It looked like he was doing the backstroke in the grass right on top of the poor little frog. When he was done I couldn't find the frog. I like to think the little guy got away, though he may have just been deep enough in the grass that i didn't see his mangled and deformed froggy body. Sigh...