I've got too much...time on my hands

I've made a habit over the last couple of weeks of working ridiculously long hours (not by my choice of course), but now that its kind of over I don't really know what to do. I just spent about 2 weeks straight of waking up at 6:30, going to work, coming home between 9-10, then going straight to bed. If I had to do that for one more week I was about to start looking for another job, but thankfully now things are back to normal. I guess I shouldn't complain about it too much, I just don't ever want to be in a position where my job runs my life instead of the other way around. It's times like these that make me wish I was teaching instead, but I figure I'll give the career with a big company a shot for at least a few years and then have an early mid-life crisis and career change later on.

Do you remember those career tests you took back in high school? I totally want to take one of those just for fun again. I think the tests are subjective and results can change at different stages of life, but it would be fun to see how close (or totally far off) I am right now. Joni said her results told her to be a dancer or a cattle rancher, take your pick, they sound the same to me. Actually, I laughed really hard because after researching what a cattle rancher does it was clear that they are free spirits that don't enjoy being told what to do...maybe those career tests are pretty accurate after all. Is a job really just a job? How many people out there are truly doing what they WANT to do? I think the biggest and best excuse is that once you are far enough along in school, you don't want to have to start all over, so you settle on whatever pays the bills. Its a good excuse, but its also really sad if you think about it. Maybe that's why schools are in horrible shape right now around the country. There are some great teachers out there (my mom was one of them) but there could sure be more of 'em.

When I try to think about my dream job it involves making my own schedule, managing others, completing projects, having contact with people, and seeing physical results. Joni wants a job where she can be creative and focus her attention on her artistic side. I guess when it comes down to it, I just want to learn how to do everything. If money didn't matter, I think I would spend all my time learning how to fix cars, or play an instrument, or build something cool...is there such a job out there? I guess we can all dream, but that's what hobbies are for too. Maybe I'm that way because I haven't had a lot of stability as far as living in one place for a long time, or holding one job for a long time. Who knows? I've got some solid foundations in my life, one of them is my wife, another is my family, and another is my church. If all else fails on the career front, at least I have these things.

I just bought a book called "How Starbuck's Changed my Life". I haven't even read it yet but I'm already recommending it to you. When I read the description it really hit home, it was one of those things that just jumps out at you. I'll let you look it up, but don't tell me how it ends because I haven't read it yet, its a true story. I heard Tom Hanks is already working to make it a movie. Anyways, thats enough deep ramblings from me for one day. If any of you figure it out let me know.

Weekend in New York

One of the perks of living 2 hours from NYC is that you can go down there for a day or a weekend and its no big deal...or so we thought. We had a blast, but we did waaaaay too much for a weekend. We took Andrea down there for her first time to celebrate her birthday and get to know our neighbors in New York a little better. Next time I think we'll focus on just a couple things at a time. We took the train down to Grand Central Station in the heart of Manhattan, and hitched the subway to our hotel. Our room was just big enough for a queen bed, and a roll-a-bed and we shared a bathroom with some foreigners. It was totally worth the money we paid for it, and it actually wasn't so bad sharing a bathroom. The hotel was a couple blocks from Central Park and right next to a subway station, so it all worked out pretty well.
I couldn't stop thinking about how I didn't want to hold onto the metal bars on the subway, but when it was crowded we didn't have much of a choice. I am terrified of metal handrails ever since I was at the musuem of natural history and my hand slid across a gigantic squishy booger...that just gave me the chills just thinking about it.

We ate breakfast sandwiches on a rock in Central Park (you can tell which pictures were taken with our good camera and which ones were with the cheaper one, but a picture is a picture)
...And hung out in Belvedere's tower...we walked down Wall Street, through Chinatown, Little Italy, Soho, Rockefeller Plaza, Times Square, and went inside some old churches. The pizza we had in Little Italy was awesome. I thought it was so crazy that walking just a couple blocks would take you into a completely different neighborhood where people dressed, looked, talked, and acted differently...so wierd. Joni had tons of fun with the camera, I really think she's got an eye for all things artistic...

One of the things I love about New York is that no one really cares or notices what you look like, how you dress, or if you are walking by yourself singing about "My Little Ponies". Craziness and uniqueness are just a way of life, and nobody pays much attention to anyone. If you park your car long enough in one spot, someone will even give you a unique new paint job.
While in Soho, which is kind of the modern artsy district, we went to this place called the Earth Room that our friends told us about. You had to push a buzzer for someone to let you in, then we walked up some creepy stairs and into a massive 2nd story room covered in 3 feet deep of dirt. How they got it up there I'll never know, but its been there since 1977 and they pay a guy to water it, rake it, and guard it every day. It was the craziest thing I've ever seen. They didn't allow pictures, but thats okay because it wouldn't do the place justice.

One of my favorite places was FAO Schwartz. I forgot how cool toy stores can be, but these guys go all the way. In one area they have women dressed as nurses carrying life-like babies, and then if a little girl wants to "adopt" one they have to fill out the adoption papers like its all real. There's also a place where you can create your own muppet, kind of like with build-a-bear but with Muppets (the only place in the world you can do this). I'm totally doing it sometime, coolest idea ever.

We got back at about 10pm on Sunday night, and now we are feeling the effects of a long, event-filled weekend. We're going to take a couple weekends off before we go somewhere again, but we are definately going back to the city soon.

I am so excited for March Madness! Both of our Aggies are playing, and one of them is playing the evil Cougars. We have some friends coming over to watch that one, hopefully we can still be friends afterwards...haha. Good luck Aggies! I need something to cheer for given all the drama with my Broncos right now.

Finger Dancing

When Andrea comes for a visit, you just never know what kind of stuff her and Joni will come up with in the middle of the night with nothing else to do...