21 February 2010

riders on the storm.

I can't stop thinking of that song, by REO Speedwagon no less, that goes, "Riding the storm out," or something similar.  I'm thinking of the song because a question popped into my head earlier, one of those ambiguously gay blog-type vaguely rhetorical questions, it being: If you get into a bad rut (or out of a good routine), how do you deal with it?  Do you just ride it out (this is where the bad 80s rock/pop tune comes in), or do you force yourself into action to counteract said rut?  The reason I ask is because I've been on hiatus from the gym for the past, oh, 2, 3 months.  I'm getting to the point where I'm almost ready to go back, but not quite.  See, I'm the type who just rides it out, lets it pass on thru, like an out-of-town guest who's overstayed his welcome.  I'm virtually powerless to force when it comes to my habits, both good and bad.  I have that stupid authority complex, the one where if you say one thing, and I know the underlying theme is power and control, I'll just do the exact damn opposite.  Very, very stupid, considering that 1. I'm 33, and 2. I'm FULLY cognizant of the tendency, but there you have it.

I've had some blog vibes come in this week.  Yesterday someone left a comment on a post, and I was ever so excited.  Sadly, it turned out only to be a link, similar to the emails that end up in your junk folder, not even anatomically appropriate for my gender.  The other blog vibes were better, one from my aunt, who is a Dietitian/Nutritionist and just started writing a blog in conjunction with her work (http://nutritionoutlook.com).  While at her house this week (cuddling with my favorite bulldog, Diesel), we talked a little about her blog, and some of her colleagues who also blog.  I have to admit, when the blogosphere first started to take off, I hated it a little, mostly because people were blogging about really personal, and sometimes really mundane, topics.  Basically it was just TMI, total oversharing, and kind of boring.  This was the gist of my conversation with my aunt that day, that professional bloggers, if their blogs concerned a topic like nutrition, should probably refrain from sharing all the tedious details of their daily life, if only for the sake of professional integrity.

The second incoming blog juju this week was just today, watching HGTV, a link to www.dooce.com.  This one is intriguing in a whole different way, maybe just because it speaks to the voyeuse in me, because basically I want this woman's life.  I'm sure it's not perfect, and since she blogs about her life, I could probably read it and quickly learn the ways in which it is not, but regardless.  From the outside looking in, what she's got going looks a hell of a lot better/more normal/healthier than where I am @ present.

And speaking of the over-share...  My final thoughts tonight are on a house that I looked at yesterday with my realtor.  It still feels like a joke, looking at houses, like there's no way in hell I could ever be a homeowner.  But it's becoming almost a visceral sensation, this need to have a place of my own, and since renting just seems silly now, home ownership seems to be inevitable.  We looked at 4 or 5 houses, all within my price range.  It was almost laughable though, the first one was almost a thing of beauty, if you could overlook the holes in the walls and spray painted tags in the bedrooms and on the floors.  It had really good bones, or it at least appeared to.  It looked like the house had been pretty well maintained, and looked to be in decent repair.  The basement was mostly finished, and appeared to be dry, no trace of water damage; it had a fireplace on the main level, 2 bedrooms on the upper level and 2 dormer windows.  My favorite feature was the library with built-in shelves just off the main entry.  Argh.  I can't get it out of my mind, even though there was an offer pending.

Can't hurt to think about it a little, and dream just a bit.  The universe never ceases to amaze.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Zut Alors! You might be buying a house? In MN? That boggles my mind. I wasn't sure what the next step was going to be for you, but living in a house in MN isn't necessarily a bad one. I might have to tape some episodes of Prairie Home Companion to help you get acclimated.

-Russ

Anonymous said...

'Isn't necessarily bad' are the wrong words. 'Excellent, prosperous' are more appropriate.

-Russ

above|below. said...

Yes, I agree with your second choice of words ;) Time to come home, Ruskell. There are much worse things than a few extra months of winter, and not much better than impromptu nights with the girls, normal living, and Sunday dinners @ Ma Mag's. I know you know what I mean ;)

above|below. said...

Plus, I figure if I focus more on writing a super cool blog, eventually the travel channel, or the fine living channel (naturally) will come knocking with some amazing opportunity to have a show of my own, where I stay in ice hotels in Norway, and go on safari in Africa somewheres.