AG I think your plans rock. Petra sounds like a good time. I saw a PBS series on traveling around the world and one stop was Petra then to India. I'd say go for it. Coming from one who financed his parents to visit Alabama before his father died you should do this. Work will always be there and you can get a blackberry with worldwide service. No worries.
From experience the desert can cleanse you and help you set your priorities. This is worth more than 10 trips to the Turks.
Trust me on this one. I loved it when we left the relative safety of the base to live among the snakes and the bad guys in the sand. It really set your priorities until you ran out of coffee. I now know why various tribes elected to reject the relative ease of living of the cities and cling to the old lifestyle.
Go for it. (did I say that?) I like LA but one can find themselves in the desert. Do it in the winter and dress warm cause it gets 125 plus in the summer and so what if it's dry heat. It's hot!
"All I want is a weeks pay for a day's work" Steve Martin
I sent away for travel brochures from the Jordanian embassy a couple of years ago. There is a lot of old stuff there. And Wadi Rum is on the list. I haven't done as much research on Cambodia.
Both Jordan and Cambodia are too hot in the summer - that is why I am planning the trip in December. My father gets to pick. I konw he has wanted to see both Ankgor Wat and Petra. Maybe we will do one this year and the other one the next. I will talk to him this weekend and figure out where we will go.
I am thinking about taking 10 days to do the trip.
As for contact with work - I don't take too many vacations - but when I do - it is always laptopless and cell phoneless!
I didn't think about that. Thanks. I will check into that as I plan the trip. With 10 days - there may be time to go to Israel. Ther is so much history in that region.
I usually spend days at Borders pouring through tour books when I plan trips like this. It has been much too long since I've planned a trip like this.
>>>I think I need to slow down my brain and my head and baby steps.
Yup. Good advice ! :-))
I've learned that taking baby steps in relationships can work. Neither you or the other person really knows with certainty if a relationship can work. All you can do is take it one step at a time. The benefit is that both people learn from taking those steps. .... Soup
And the first step I am going to take right now is to keep putting myself out there. I will worry about the second step when the first step yields results that make me panic!
And repeat to myself over and over again - agreeing to go out on a date with someone is not agreeing to marry him!
So the social calendar for this weekend: (i) Saturday: Wine Tasting Festival with Singles Group; and (ii) Sunday: Class at William Sonoma on how to use my new pots/pan set. I nixed the walk - it overlaps with my cooking class and I don't have as much in common with that group.
My new set has been a challenge. The first time I used it - I did the hot pan cold oil thing, the oil burned there was smoke everywhere! So I read the instructions and you are suppose to do cold pan cold oil and heat both at the same time. And that has been working - but I am a little gun shy of high heat cooking. This weekend all the pan mysteries will be solved.
I also signed up for the comfort food class and cocktail mixology. After all if I am going to get serious about this dating business - cocktail goggles can only help!
The vacation thing: (i) There is a seminar at the end of October (pseudo-break; (ii) Vacation to Petra/Angkor Wat in Decembet; and (iii) Singles cruise in February. I cannot handle sitting still - I really do hope the ship docks at the ports at the right time for me to do some diving.
I will stop by the gym and sign up for the membership. I am finally back in shape again and ready to be a walking mass of pain as I start doing weights. Need to work on those upper pecs to give myself "lift."
Goals for today - need to get my 2007 tax documents to my new accountant. I will look very very serious and wear a black pantsuit when I go - don't want to encourage drunk dialing! LOL! Actually this one is better - a friend that started his own firm recommended him. And I have to get tediously boring argument about why a tediously boring invention is patentable out the door today.
As far as the R-phobia issue, I have gone through a major housecleaning of the friends in my life during the past 5 years. There is far more give and take with my current circle of friends. And I do run away when I meet meanie people. I have gotten much better at identifying them - PC lasted over a year and caused endless angst and self doubt about dumping that friendship - not going to happen again. I ran away from two people at the Resort that I recognized as meanie w/in two conversations.
I talked to my father yesterday and the decision is Angkor Wat! I am slowly getting excited about this vacation! I don't know much about Cambodia -other than I think it was a part of Indochine, Killing Fields and Angkor Wat. I have to go to bookstores and spend lots of time drinking coffee and pouring over tour books to set up the trip - one of my most favorite things!
The last two vacations were to get away from work. This one is not just about what I am getting away from - but also about where I am going.
There is another trip, I might have to consider... One of my counsins is getting married in January. Which means...I might just have to go to India then... I will have to see about that one... Maybe if I nix the seminar in October...
And then the single cruise in February - I guess I will be catching up on my lack of vacations these past 5 years. At a minimum - at 2 weeks off each year - I have 8 weeks of catching up to do. Who would have thought the evilest boss I have ever worked for is me!
There was a time when I thought about getting a life b/c I needed to move on - or survive my D - fill the void - or get a life b/c the life had for awhile during my marriage was gone. Now for the first time in a long time - I making choices and living b/c that is just what one does when one is alive.
Even the dating stuff - it is much like just being single again. I have The Block - and I will get over it in time. That is more about feeling like relationships are a burden - than fear of abandonment or hurt from prior relationships - except for the sock matching phobia. Now that I have figured out the source of The Block - I am ready to call my C.
I am not normal - gave up on that one years ago. However I am starting to feel like my old abnormal self again - and that is a very nice feelings!
It is all rainy and overcast - but well one has to do what one has to do - after my workout - I am off to the Wine Festival with the singles group!
And I am even excited about the class on using my pots/pan set! I love cooking and I need to get to know my pans to control the heat.
Life is very good and silly - especially when one can excited about how to use pots/pans effectively!
So as the singles group meet up time approached - I felt an overwhelming desire to extend my workout, perhaps get caught up at work - may be even clean the grout using a q-tip.... But well a goal is a goal - and even though it was pouring - I went to the Wine Festival to meet with the 9-25 people that had signed up to go... I even put on lipstick! Because if I am going to be serious about putting myself out there - well I need make the effort! LOL!
And when I got there - no one was there! LOL! I had been stood up by 9-25 people! It was pouring rain - I feel like I am being stalked by hurricanes - this was Ike rainfall. BUT the lines were so short and my neighbor was volunteering there and well profits went to our local animal shelter - so I felt compelled to enjoy the festival. Drinking wine to save cute doggies and kitties - what better reason could one ask for to sample a little vino?
I ended up having a great time. The vendors were fun and gave me freebies. And in return I promoted their product - very silly felt like an info-mercial Then after I had enough to drink - I went to the volunteer booth to help out - and it was fun that my neighbor was there. And I promoted cocoa roasted almonds!
In any case - clearly the men in this meet up group would not have clicked with me. It was a muddy rainy event - but being a part of my life involves a lot of silliness and/or patience for my silliness - i.e. rain and mud and wine are fun. Good thing I have my R (avoidance) flowchart - so I can with a clear conscience now strike these men from my "list of eligible men" and give myself an A+ for effort.
I did find out that my neighbor joined a group that caters to all sorts of volunteer stuff. She will send me the link. I like doing that kind of stuff.
I did bump into beer tent man there! I didn't recognize him at first so didn't acknowledge him - and he probably reacted to me not acknowledging him by not acknowledging me. So when I finallly did recognize him - I conveniently perpetuated the non-recognition thing. I think he has finally gotten the message that I am not interested! LOL!
So now I am at home alone feeling quite happy about fulfilling the goal of putting myself out there. I mean really the fact that no one showed up - well that really is just a (convenient) technicality.
Life is good and very sillly - and a mud pedicure means my feet are happy too! I think I am starting to enjoy not working on weekends!
So I read the instructions and you are suppose to do cold pan cold oil and heat both at the same time. And that has been working - but I am a little gun shy of high heat cooking. This weekend all the pan mysteries will be solved.
