Busy Bee

Well, it has been a minute.  When I was in NC I found out one of my co-workers had taken another job so when I got back I would be taking on more duties.  Turns out I have been pretty swamped and had no desire to get on the computer after I got home.  

I have had more of an issue adjusting back to my normal work life for some reason.  Not sure if it's because I am so busy or just that I am over this place.  Maybe both.  There is always a little bit of whiplash but it has taken me longer to get over that feeling this time.  It could also be because it's hurricane season and I know I won't be able to go due to the above circumstances.  At least the days have gone by relatively fast.

I had a phone call with the retirement coordinator/financial planner a few weeks ago.  It was about what I expected.  I really want to be able to retire early but I'm just not sure it's in the cards.  Even if I left at 58 (5 more damn years), but there are just so many unknowns.  He advised me to cancel my life insurance through work and take it out from a private company.  I also need to put more into a roth because the tax hit I would take from my TSP is what would keep me from leaving early.  Is it too little too late?  Well, who knows but if I don't do it at all there will be nothing post tax if I do leave so better late than never.  There are so many unknowns in 5 years.  He did tell me that I am in a good place owning my car outright and only owing like $20,000 on my house.  I asked him if I should focus on paying it off and he said at this point it doesn't really matter because the interest rate is low and it might be better to just invest that in the roth.  So many adult decisions that I don't feel responsible enough to make.  When do you finally feel like a real adult and comfortable in making these kinds of decisions?  I just don't want to retire and have to take a job at Costco to pay my bills.  Kind of defeats the purpose. I really do need to take advantage of having young healthy animals for a change to put some more money into my retirement accounts.

In a fit of extraversion I made a ton of plans and I am hoping my anxiety will let me follow through.  I bought tickets to several events and so far I have only skip one.  It was for the SPCA so I don't feel like my money went to waste.  I just couldn't do it and Dennis let me make the call and was fine with skipping.  I just needed a day.  

This week started with the holiday and I took Tuesday off because I had a dentist appointment and didn't want to ruin the day with work.  I made an appointment to get my nails done and had a chance to go by a new bakery that is blowing up right now.  The lady that owns it recently won the James Beard Award and you either have to pre-order or stand in an hour long line to get anything.  I happened to catch the pre-order open and put in for assorted croissants.  OMG they were best pastries I have ever eaten in my entire life.  Very much worth the hype.  I also got super cute nails.

Wild Brew with my sister was a couple of weekends ago.  It is a fundraiser for the Sutton Avian Research Center that does a lot of really good work.  It's a craft beer and restaurant tasting.  For some reason I never got the paper tickets so we went a little early and ended up getting VIP.  It really doesn't mean much but we got in early and there were a few vendors that weren't open to the general admission.  I wouldn't pay for them but it was nice to have a little seating area once we did a few laps around the place.  My sister wasn't too weird but small doses of her are best for me.  We had good time.  Neither of us drink beer and they didn't have a cider that I particularly liked but I tried enough to remind me that I did, indeed, dislike beer.  I will never understand IPA.

I took my mom to get her haircut for a belated birthday present and to my absolute shock she actually (kind of) liked it.  I had joked with the girl that does my hair that I was going to bring her there, which I would NEVER do.  She told me to just go to ULTA because they have the training and clientele that I could ask the manager that she has really fine and thin hair.  They gave me a name and I made the appointment.  After her appointment my sister called and my mom asked her if she wanted to meet us for lunch.  We ended up meeting her.  The two of them together is like kids fighting but it made my mom happy.  My sister found an event that she wanted to go to with an improve troupe and when she showed me the name I recognized it as being one that the girl that does my hair is in!  So, we ended up going.  Two outings with her in just a few short weeks is a gamble.  I had to go home and take a shower and blow out my hair a little because I couldn't go in with my hair looking a mess if Hayley was going to be there.  She was there but she wasn't performing that night.  It was pretty funny.  It was over about 9:30 and we stood outside and talked.  I asked her if she wanted to go somewhere but we don't do bars and couldn't really talk because it was a Saturday night, plus neither one of us are big drinkers.  I wasn't hungry so we didn't want to go to a restaurant.  We ended up sitting in my car and she talked (yup it was pretty much just her talking) until after midnight when I had to go to the bathroom and made my escape.  That girl is a hot mess and I know she is super lonely but I can only do so much.  She just wears me out.  She spent a good amount of time talking about her near death experience (she refers to it as her NDE, which tells me she talks or thinks about a lot).  Did she die?  There is no evidence of that but she swears she did and saw the other side.  She went into detail about her conversations with what could only imagine would be her 'spirit guide' to which I say whatever helps you get through the day.  I am so skeptical and want to believe her but I just don't.  The big sister in me wants to remind her that she didn't die when she had her aneurism she could have died those aren't the same.  I have no doubt she lived through more pain than I could ever imagine both physical and emotional at the exact same time so I just let her talk.  She did tell me that when her ex found out she was in the hospital in serious condition he assumed she had tried to kill herself because she found out about him being a disgusting pig waste of a human suit.  He can just fuck right off.  I never like him, just want to point that out.  It was a long day.  

This week will be a mess.  I am going to the first show in our broadway series, Kimberly Akimbo.  I saw it in Pittsburg before we knew it was going to be here.  Probably would have gone anyway though.  It isn't my favorite but I am still looking forward to it.  We had to switch our tickets because of a work obligation I have this weekend.  We were able to move the to tonight and got great seats so it was a win.  I haven't seen HMF since before I deployed.  I know A started a new school and she told me a little over text that he got into a lot of trouble over the summer, like handcuffs type of trouble so I am sure there will be a few adult beverages.  The place we go before the show has a prickly pear mule that I can drink like kool-aid.  Normally I would rather just drink a soda for the calories but I have been drooling over this for a hot minute.

Tomorrow Heather and I are going to see Hamilton in the movies.  I really hope it's a sing along because if it isn't I am getting thrown out.  I am not sure about Heather's knowledge of the show as she says she hates musicals but said she likes some.  Since it's on disney I am going to assume she if familiar.  If she hates it she can leave I guess.  I am not afraid to stay by myself.  HMF is my normal musical buddy but she has to attend A's football game.  I told her to skip it but I guess that isn't an option for some reason. Blech, I really dislike football.  

Saturday morning I am leaving bright and early to work the Kansas State Fair water safety booth.  I am not particularly happy about this.  I am getting some flex hours banked up and I really didn't have anything besides the show.  Plus I am so close to diamond at Hilton.  This trip might put me there.  Of course it is so late in the year that it doesn't really matter unless they go by stay history and not calendar year.  I guess I should look into that.  However, hotel points are hotel points.  I will have to work saturday, sunday, monday and tuesday.  I will be out of the office so there is that.  Apparently we have a contract with the fair that says the booth has to be manned and for some reason they (the field office) signed it without thinking that we are so short staffed we had entire projects that didn't open parks this summer.  So, someone from my office is going to have to go.  I can't imagine how much it is going to cost them.  I would think it would be cheaper to just pay out the contract but whatever.  I get paid regardless and will get 12 hours for saturday and sunday.  It was especially aggravating given the extra hoops we have to jump through to travel anywhere.  Not to mention our year end this month is making funds a little hard to come by.  But again, per diem and comp time and a little time out of the office.  I just hope my social meter can handle it.

I should have a little downtime the rest of September but October is packed as well.  The Outsiders tour starts and I might have bought tickets to see it a few times.  I told Dennis he had to go and I found a single front row ticket front and center so I couldn't pass it up.  I just hope they do the gravel and rain like they did on broadway!  They are also doing a Stay Gold Gala the Sunday the show closes to benefit the Outsiders House Museum.  There are supposed to have actors from the show and the band that wrote the music is going to be there to perform.  Seeing Jamestown Revial alone is worth the ticket.  HMF and I got VIP tickets.  We see the show that day so it will be a lot but I am really looking forward to seeing them sing Stay Gold.  So much more but this is already getting really long.

I can't get pictures to upload in a normal way so put some up but they are in random order, sorry about that.  

the start of spooky season nails!!

Wild Brew, not sure why the picture is distorted

best croissant I have ever eaten

Headshots Heather did that I talked about last time.