J.J.

Another Saturday Night

There was a time, not long ago, that I felt such immense pressure to find something to do on Friday and especially Saturday nights. It was a wasted evening if I wasn't at dinner or a movie or a bar or (God forbid it came to this) a club with my friends. And if I didn't have anything planned for the weekend, I drove home to California and found something to do there!

Now, Friday and Saturday nights have quite the opposite effect on me. I don't want to do ANYTHING. Tonight, for example, I was invited to MIX with a friend of mine. I've never been there, it's supposed to be nice, and yet, it had no appeal to me at all. I fondly wished my friend a fabulous time without me. And the last time I saw Cherry Hill, all I could think of was how I missed Murphy's Pub because you could pull up a table and chat with friends while watching the band instead of being crammed like sardines into a standing-room only bar.

I thought it might be my age -- but no, there are plenty of 27 yr olds who still love the nightlife scene, especially here in Vegas. Then again, it never had the same fun element to me because I don't drink. I couldn't just turn on the insta-party with a few shots; I was usually the designated driver and always the babysitter. Which I didn't mind, don't get me wrong -- if I'm not going to drink then at least I could make sure my friends were safe. But maybe because of it, the novelty of nights out like that just wore off faster.

I don't miss getting in at 4 a.m., or the smoke in my hair and on my pillow, or walking a mile from the parking garage to the far side of the MGM Grand in high heels and a mini-skirt in December. I do miss dancing with Amanda, and going to see the band with all of my ticket office people, and deciding to drive home for Easter from the bar at 3:30 a.m., and having to take drunk Amanda to the Del Taco drive-thru at 3 a.m. for her standard order of tacos & french fries. But do I want to re-live it all? No.

It's Saturday night of Memorial Day weekend in Las Vegas. And there is no place like home. JDM

Goings-on...

My moving date has just been moved up nearly three weeks. Just when we thought the house wouldn't be ready by June 30, they call and tell us they're ready to be paid June 12! The jackass doesn't want to close early because "he already offered that and we refused" -- true, on the grounds that we didn't want to rent our own home back from him at $100 dollars a day (idiot!) -- so he's not interested. I knew this guy was a jackass. But it's ok, we've found a solution that doesn't require the jackass or his money.

I won't hear anything about the promotion until June. Interviewing is apparently going slowly, and my poor boss has way too much to do already! So while I really don't blame her, I can't help but be a little anxious.

I went home for my birthday. Got to spend Saturday with Amanda, shopping and just generally being silly girls. Bonfire on the beach Saturday night -- note to self: any more bonfire ideas require being at beach approximately 7 hours before sunset -- it was crowded!

My boy Jimmie won the all-star race! He's going for four in a row this Sunday...

JDM

May 22nd, 2006 12:06 a.m.

I can't sleep because the birds are too loud outside my window. Why there are birds singing at midnight, I couldn't tell you.

Wow, I'm 27.

JDM

Current mood: anxious to get the hell outta Vegas.

I'm flying home tonight! It's practically tradition now that I don't work on my birthday. Amanda and I have a weekend planned together (or unplanned, rather, as we plan on doing nothing and enjoying it). The only thing keeping it from a perfect weekend is the weather:

Sat 75° 56°
Sun 73° 55°
Mon 70° 53°

Pretty enough, yes, but not exactly beach weather. We'll be doing the next best thing -- going to the beach at night for a bonfire.

Is it 4:30 yet???

JDM

Happy Birthday to ME!

It's not officially until Monday, but I got my birthday present from my parents today...


Yup, I'm a convert! A PC person for so long but c'mon, isn't it gorgeous? And so easy to use! Ok, now I sound like a commercial but really, I love it. And I guess this version just came out today -- the Apple guy told me I was the 3rd person in Las Vegas to have one!

Leaving for Chino Hills on Friday, I cannot wait! A whole weekend with my best friend, and no responsibilities til Tuesday. Can't think of any better way to turn... (sigh)... 27.

JDM

Happy Birthday, Amy!

What I did on my summer vacation...

So today, July exploded.

Here's a peek into my summer: June 17 is the final inspection for my new house. I move in the weekend of June 30. The weekend after that (July 8), my dad's entire side of the family is coming to Vegas for my cousin's 21st birthday, which is turning into a mini-reunion. It's also Amanda's birthday (July 6). The next weekend (July 15) is Amanda's bridal shower. Two weeks after that (July 29) is Josh's wedding -- I really want to make it to Chicago for that! The next weekend (Aug 5) is Amanda's bachelorette party. And somewhere in there I'm supposed to throw a housewarming.

I had my interview today for the assistant manager position of my department. I hope I get it, I'll need the raise just for gas money...

JDM

89074

It finally hit me last night that I'm not going home anytime soon. Don't get me wrong, it had aways been there, lurking in the back of my mind through the whole house-buying process. But it never really smacked me upside the head until last night. And with it, a lot of things surfaced that I didn't even know were upsetting me.

I cannot complain about my life. I have it good, there's no doubt about that. I do not believe that I am spoiled because I am both hard-working and grateful. But lately I've felt less and less like myself and more like who everyone else "thinks" I should be.

I wasn't opposed to moving to Vegas, but it wasn't quite my idea. If it weren't for my mother, I could still be taking useless classes at Fullerton College. I wasn't exactly sure what I wanted to do (though I remember being quite fond of Criminal Justice; we all see where that manifested itself) when she suggested UNLV and their hotel program. It sounded right since I was working in hotels, but I never remember being passionate about it. I'm actually glad that I followed her advice because it finally pointed me in a direction towards graduation. And without my mom, there would have been no college! Once I was enrolled, well, of course I had to finish. I didn't enjoy college, I tried, I really did, but I just didn't have that whole experience. I am, however, fiercely proud of my degree.

I made a mistake last year, and I regret it. I left a good job where people respected me for an opportunity that looked great but wasn't. I couldn't correct the situation but I could sure as hell get out of it, and I did. And I paid for it with a very rough 2005.

Now I'm in a job where I can once again excel, but I also feel like I've taken a few steps backward. In taking this position to gain some stability, I took a step down, which I didn't think I would mind because the pay was nearly the same. But I had no idea the autonomy and responsibility to which I had become accustomed. Thrust into a world where I needed to be clocked in and out and had to check with people before making the smallest decisions, I definitely had second thoughts.

I've settled in now and enjoy my office and truly respect the people I work with. But if there's one ugly truth that has come to light, it's that I don't want my career to be in events. Considering the concentration of my degree (Entertainment & Events Management), I'd say that's not good. The trouble is, I'm not sure what it is I do want to do.

My plan was always to go home after college and try and get back into Disney. 300 miles away, that doesn't seem likely. Maybe I'll be one of those people whose career finds them. But why do I feel like mine is stuck looking for me in Anaheim?

JDM

Taking Care

Went to my first Pilates class at the gym last night. I really enjoyed it and I'll definitely go again. It didn't even feel like you were working out for an hour, and I even managed to get in some of my leg workout before the class. As somone who's never been able to touch their toes, however, I need to work on stretching.

We took a field trip to MGM this morning to check out Corporate Benefits' 10,000 Steps program. We'll be hosting the same thing at The Mirage on Tuesday. Looks like it'll be fun -- I already turned on the nifty little pedometer they gave me and have taken 1,829 steps. Guess I have some work to do!

My parents are coming to visit next week. It'll be the first time my dad sees the new house! I'm thinking of having my housewarming in August, now. Only because July is going to be so packed (no pun intended) with moving and visitors that I might still be living out of boxes for the entire month!

There's so much going on with everyone right now. My dad just came home from Hawaii last night, where he got his scuba diving certification. How cool is that?

Liz had her first spine chemo on Wednesday, which she said didn't go too bad. She has her second regular chemo treatment next week, so she'll be in my thoughts. Oddly enough, she sounds wonderful. I had no idea that she was that strong, I am constantly amazed by her. She is 100% my hero. JDM