Another sad day... my favorite sandwich/coffee shop is closing today.

When a small local business closes, the entire community loses. So many townspeople do not realize what they are losing after today.

I suppose there are many reasons for people not trying it out. The location wasn't great... but it actually is close enough to downtown for anyone to grab lunch and be back in thirty minutes. The building is kind of hidden from the street and there is no signage out front.

Admittedly, i knew about the place for several months before trying it... but after that, i was hooked! This place makes the healthiest sandwiches in town.

As well as the best hamburger. The hamburger is marinated in espresso, and is so fresh and juicy. And NO grease!

They recently added a patty melt to the menu. Again, NO grease! Not even on the bread... but it is still sooo good!

As much as i do love their patty melts, my favorite has got to be the Raspberry Ham sandwich, which features ham, swiss cheese, fresh spinach, raspberry preserves, walnuts and light mayo on whole wheat. They also have one called Napa Valley, which has turkey, swiss, shredded carrots, red grapes (yes, grapes), romaine lettuce and raspberry vinaigrette on lightly toasted whole wheat.

Both taste experiences are fabulous! The fruit really adds to the flavor of the sandwiches!

Today for lunch, i'll have a sandwich there and order another to take home for the weekend... then that will be it. I'll hold on the the menu so i can make the sandwiches myself... no one else in town has a menu like this.

I also bought a coffee mug (even though i don't drink coffee) so i can remember the place existed.

So, today is a good day to support your favorite small, local restaurant... for who knows where they'll be tomorrow?

Bon appetit!

What i'm listening to:

If God Could Talk
Meat Loaf
Bat Out of Hell III:...

On the other hand, Reese is back on the market.

I guess everything does balance out, doesn't it? =^)

Time to turn on the charm!

What i'm listening to:

Hung Up
Madonna
Confessions on a...

Shit!

It is days like this when i'm not surprised i can have such a negative attitude about what i do and what i can (or cannot) accomplish.

Either the university changed their advance registration policy, or i've just been 'lucky' the last several semesters.

Anyway, i missed my window of opportunity to register for spring courses. I tried to do it on Monday evening when i had a spare moment and was notified that i cannot register at this time and i need to check the schedule.

So, i look at this schedule they provide... seniors with last names in my alphabetical range could register on Tuesday and Wednesday. For whatever reason, i assumed that was a starting point... not a defined window.

Tuesday is my weekly busy day... i leave the house at about 8 and don't return 'til after midnight most Tuesdays.

Last night, i had another obligation that kept me away 'til after midnight.

So, this morning i get a spare moment before work and i get the notification that i cannot register at this time and i need to check the schedule.

And now i wait 'til after Thanksgiving and hope that my two online courses aren't full by then... and i get to wait for the Juniors, Sophomores and Freshman to advance register.

Shit!

What i'm listening to:

Easy Come Easy Go
Winger
In the Heart of the...

This morning, a dawning realization hit me.

I don't know why it took so long, but it did. I can't think of many successful people who aren't morning people. Maybe a couple, but they are also classified in the "don't require sleep" category.

So, it is time to transition into a morning person. This morning, i awakened as if something were wrong. I just laid there and tried to sleep... burying myself further and further beneath my luxurious sheets.

My eyes kept popping open... which is something i'm used to at night when it's bedtime. However, for me it is a rare occurrence in the morning. I've always been one of those people who gets the best sleep either in the early morning or during a mid-afternoon/early evening power nap.

Who am i kidding, i've always been one of those people who could be happy with 12-14 hours of sleep a day.

So, you can see the conflict. Here i am, trying to make my life more fulfilling/rewarding and yet my worst, seemingly harmless habit is potentially my downfall. It could conceivably blow everything apart.

And with all the changes i'm juggling right now, everything could shatter in the wink of an eye.

"Life is the ultimate experience. But you have to live it if you are going to write about it."

Thus begins another adaptation in my life. This one will be major, but i think the payoff is worth it! =^)

What i'm listening to:

Sorry
Madonna
Confessions on a...

You went to Las Vegas in a $20,000 car and came back in a $200,000 Greyhound bus.

Oh, sorry... that was a rather old game moment.

Actually, my weekend wasn't nearly that exciting. I managed to get the bathroom clean, and the bedroom, and i moved some boxes to the basement.

Yeah, really exciting.

I did get to spend some time last night at the laundromat... which is one place i didn't think i'd ever go to.

However, while washing my bedding last night, i noticed my clothes washer saw fit to deposit some black, greasy substance (probably, grease) in globs and streaks all over my mattress pad.

So, rather than risking it doing the same to my 1000-thread count cotton sheets, i loaded all of the bedding up and drove to the laundromat.

You know, i may just do that whenever i wash bedding from now on. There was a cute girl there doing laundry and talking on the phone. Also, there was a DQ in front of the laundromat... so i enjoyed a blizzard while i was waiting for my bedding in the commercial washer.

There were cute girls at the DQ too. =^)

I burned out during Saturday's workout, so i figured i'd better take a couple of days off. I had worked out five days in a row, so i guess it's not surprising that i'd need to take a break. I think every other day will be a good plan for now.

My trainer had warned me to take time to let my body recover after a workout. Figures i wouldn't listen, eh? I was just feeling so good...

So, tonight i'll hit the weights again.

Anyway, i suppose there is work to be done.

What i'm listening to:

The Boxer
Simon & Garfunkel
Bridge Over Troubled Water

Ok, i'm hesitant to call myself a "sucker." I don't suppose i ever really expected her to call... but then, i didn't expect her to call last night either.

Anyway, i still went to the casino. Played my usual five bucks... even won a bit so i could keep playing a while. Nothing significant like those recent nights though. Eventually the entire twenty was gone.

I did have fun though. I did see some people win pretty big... it's always exciting to see that.

Besides, they will probably use the money better than i anyway. =^)

So, i guess i just won't expect too much from the current ladies in my life... someday (maybe soon) i will meet someone who won't make it so difficult to spend time with her. Then i'll know something is right.

And if T₂ does call again? Well, i'll just take that relationship day-to-day... and reap the rewards of the fun had when we do spend time together.

What i'm listening to:

Hard to Say
Dan Fogelberg
The Innocent Age

Time will tell the tale of what i may have gotten myself into.

So, last night, my cell phone rings. Of course, i stopped carrying it long ago, so no one was around to hear it.

It's too bad too. It isn't often i get a call from someone who has a special ring assigned to her. Hell, who am i kidding? It isn't often i get a call!

Anyway, T₂ called 'cos she wanted to see me. We tentatively have plans to go out tonight.

I say tentatively, because we've made plans before that were never realized.

However, there was that morning at the driving range...

So, initially she wanted me to meet her somewhere at 3-ish. If only i hadn't run myself out of vacation time and pushed the envelope on tardiness during my grieving period... i would have gladly said, "Yes." However, i had to say, "Maybe."

I wanted to find a way to jockey my time around to meet her, but it would have been difficult at best... and i probably don't want to "give in" too easily to her every whim.

However, i know what it is like to have a busy, busy schedule... which is why i was hoping i could find a way to swing it.

Then we came up with an alternate plan. We're going to have our date at the casino. That's where my "what have i gotten myself into" remark comes from. I don't have a gambling problem, and i don't really have a money problem... but i don't know her well enough to know if she does. I could see this night going sour very quickly if she decides to ask me to invest in her dance with Lady Luck.

Maybe i'm overexaggerating... i suppose that's why i need to take more chances and not be uber-cautious. I can't possibly get burned every time. Nobody's THAT lucky!

Yet, i'm troubled because that statement still seems to lack logic. I suppose the safest road will be to take a "wait and see" attitude. Besides, on the up side, the casino does have a hotel! =^)

So, this weekend has potential to be interesting at least.

I'm also troubled because i seem to be conflicted. I feel like i'm at a crucial turning point in my recovery into "single-hood" and i'm a little nervous about my judgement and rationality at this point.

I've been single a while... and at least for right now, i don't like it. It just doesn't fit me. So, i keep getting these feelings and talking about them. I'm afraid it sounds like i'm missing C, but that's not what i'm trying to say. I don't really miss her... but i miss having a girlfriend.

And since she's the most recent girlfriend, i feel like it could be interpreted that i miss her, when in reality, she's gone. Even if we were to hook up, she's not the same sweet, innocent girl i fell for. She's gone.

At this point, any lucky contestant could fill the role of "girlfriend" and maybe someone will get lucky tonight!

What i'm listening to:

Red Light Fever
Liz Phair
Liz Phair

Have i mentioned lately how much i love my iPod?

Interestingly, by constantly putting new stuff on my 20GB iPod, the older music just seems to get "lost."

And the new stuff can get boring.... so, last night i created a "smart" playlist that contains music that i haven't listened to in at least six months. I named the list "Lost & Found."

I should have named it "Buried Treasure." I have found some great music on here that i had forgotten was on it. Amidst all the angsty music from the spring and the pop music from the summer (i won't call it "bad" pop, because really all pop music is intolerable to a point)... i have some fantastic music from the 70s and 80s.

A rather eclectic mix, actually. =^)

What i'm listening to:

Dreamtime
Daryl Hall
3 Hearts in the...

Well, this morning i discovered that i'm not the heavy sleeper i suspected yesterday.

My alarm has decided not to go off. Its reasoning why, i'm not sure... it isn't speaking. =^\

What is frustrating is the way "she who must not be named" keeps invading my dreams. Does this mean i'm really not over her? Not able to move on?

Does it just mean she's there because she's my most current frame of reference for a woman in my life?

Is there even a reason to try to interpret a dream?

Probably not.

Anyway, it is probably a good thing she was there since my alarm didn't go off. After all, she was the one who woke me up.

So, last night at the club i received an education in bitchiness.

No, at least i wasn't the recipient... just a casual observer. Anyway, last night the new bartender bought a shot for J and her friend (who's name i don't recall... probably because she's not terribly friendly), which i thought was a nice gesture.

He said the shot was called "Cherry Cheesecake," to which J commented, "We like cherry cheesecake."

I thought it sounded good too... like the jelly doughnut, it's probably healthier than the real thing!

Anyway, after they slam the shots, the first thing "friend" says is, "Wow, that tasted like vomit!"

And now i understand why there are people no one is ever nice to. No "thank you," and no sugar-coating to try to spare someone's feelings... this young woman will probably never be happy.

It makes me wonder what she's looking for. What will she do when she finds it?

There are so many ways to find happiness... and to be fair, there are also so many ways to never find happiness. I don't think being mean and nasty to everyone except those close to you is a good way to go through life.

Which is weird coming from me... because i'm not exactly known for being a social butterfly. Hmmm... maybe i am growing as a person.

Anyway, after witnessing this, i decided to have a Jelly Doughnut... and i thought about buying one for J, but knowing what reaction i would get from friend... i figured that would be rude to buy one girl a shot and not one for her friend.

So, i bought one for another bartender (who is really cute in a Jessica Simpson kind of way)... and toasted to more sleep.

Wow, i truly am going crazy... when i started writing this i had no idea it would come full circle! =^D

What i'm listening to:

Too Little Too Late
JoJo
The High Road