Life Adjusted

Jeebus, I haven't posted since St. Patty's Day?

Well... Some hangovers take longer to heal than others. In this case however, it wasn't a night of heavy drinking that developed into my absence, but more like a mental hangover... Or maybe adjustment works better. St. Patty's Day did play a major part in this mental correction, but only because I missed the holiday completely.

See, I had plans to go out on St. Patty's Day. My friend William has a kilt that he has worn in years prior, and this year he was offering it up to me in lieu of a lime green polyester jumpsuit he acquired at a local thrift consignment shop. The idea was that with me donning his quilt and he in his jumpsuit, we would go out and hit the hot spots and see what kind of  shnenanigans we could get ourselves into, all under the constant eye of a video camera. The idea was to have fun, drink heavily and mingle with strangers, and to have a photo journal of it as it happened. But as was the  case way too often, our plans... Well at least mine... Were foiled by my job, which was becoming an ever looming dark shadow on my personal life. It was getting to a point to where my personal time was getting sucked up by an increased work level, which in turn was making me want to work less and less. I wasn't being financially compensated for this extra effort, and frankly the friendly pat on the back that said I was doing a good job had become non-existent too. So, in a sense I was working for nothing, with no personal benefit, and right around St. Patty's Day the proverbial shit hit the fan. I realized that I was spending less time with my daughter, as I was constantly working during the weekends of her visits. I was missing out on the little things in life too, such as making that video journal of a shenanigan filled Irish holiday. I was growing to resent my job, which wasn't a good fit in a kid-friendly environment.

I realized my need for an adjustment in my life. I wasn't happy. I was working and living in the non-profit sector with kids... Something I love to do... And while that aspect of my soul was satisfied, the personal side of things was deteriorating rapidly. In kind of a leap of desperate faith, I decided to pull the plug on this slow drain and open up the valve to a new life. So, even though we had no money saved up and no real plan in motion, Essie and I decided to pack up and quit.

The move was easy. Things were packed up quickly, and with the help of a few friends with pick-up trucks, we were out of there in a flash. My father offered some garage space as a place for temporary storage, and luckily we had friends and family that were willing to host us throughout April, a month when Essie and I were virtually homeless. I found a job in Des Moines as quick as I could... Ironically in one of the Irish Pubs that I had planned on hitting on St. Patty's Day. The agreement was that I could work as long as I needed to, until I landed something a little more lucrative and stable. Frankly while it would make for a good video journal, a bar full of drunk Irish assholes isn't the epitome of stability... And when a summer mowing gig opened up, I jumped at the chance for the change. We moved from cabin in the woods to an apartment in small town Iowa, and the adjustment while slow, has been towards the positive.

For the first time in two months, I have the urge to write again. I have the Andy Shernoff interview half-way transcribed, and a couple of other ideas I am eager to get started on... I appreciate you hanging around.