Month off

Well, after a one month break, I'm back in action. I'm a few days away from finishing my fourth straight six day work week.

1) I'm one week from returning to NYC. I'm thinking this time I'm not going to spend as much time in Manhattan like I usually do and I'll hang out in Brooklyn instead.

2) I tried painting last Saturday night with my friend Natalie. Not the outside of a house, like I used to do. But we went to an art supply store and bought paint, canvasses, palates, brushes, and a color wheel. The latter of which, I still don't know why we needed it. I already knew red and yellow make orange when combined. But I found an image of a sunset online and went for it. I didn't want to do anything too crazy, I was more concerned about the colors appearing on the canvas add I envisioned them. And I'm pretty pressed with the result. I can see myself getting into it. The only thing is what would I do with the paintings once they're done.

3) It's finally starting to feel like spring in Chicago. Two straight days in the 60s and sunny.

4) The social events which I used to be able to count on happening have just dried up. I've seen this cycle so many times that it doesn't surprise me. I'm just glad that I'm working as much as I am so that it doesn't have to bother me too much.

5) And truth be told, some of these people, I don't even care to spend time with anyway. There was one young singles group in Naperville that I attended a couple of times. Now I realize these type of groups can be clicky. But this one felt very closed. I'm not comfortable interrupting conversations or sitting down at a table where no one knows me but the other people all know each other. The way I was treated, it felt like I was intruding. So I'm really not interested in returning. Maybe it's that I'm almost 35 and have far less tolerance for BS than I used to.

6) Can Bernie Sanders just quit?

7) I'm feeling more and more like I could leave Chicago and be happy. Drastic change isn't something I'm comfortable with, but I'm feeling more and more receptive to it. Not sure where I'd go, but the mid Atlantic region, Dallas, Arizona, and North Carolina are on the list.

8) Part of me wishes I had a dog to go home to. The other part of me knows the dog would be alone 12 hours a day, and I'd be sleeping 6 of the other hours. A dog doesn't deserve to be alone like that.

9) Candied bacon from Honky Tonk BBQ. Stellar.

10) Knowing that I have the ability to get under certain people's skin without even trying is an interesting experience. I've never set out to upset people, unless they offended me or got personal with insults. Once I realized that I just have a knack for getting this one guy frustrated, I didn't expect to have the feeling of power and satisfaction that it gave me yesterday. But then I asked myself how many times have I given that same kind of power to other people over the last three decades? And how many more times did people try to push me just to get a reaction from me? It shows me that it's important to stay in control of my temperament. There are certain situations that continue to challenge me, but when it comes to challenging interactions with other people, I need to maintain control of myself.

Yes, no sports mentions in this post and only one on food. I'm getting more diversified.