Three Things

1. So I am at this career fair the other day. I wasn't looking, I was selling. I was trying to get kids to sign up for Job Corps. Anyway, as I set up my booth, I look across the way and there is Halliburton. Now, normally this is fine, Halliburton is always at career fairs in Colorado. However, since they laid off some 150 people last month and another untold amount this week, it seems like a weird place to see them. I think about it, and then I do exactly what I am thinking. I walk over to the booth and say to the men working the booth, "Hi, how's it going?"
They give the proper hellos and how are yous and that sort of thing and then I say, "Okay, we are all looking at you, and we are all thinking the same things. I'm going to go ahead and say what we are all thinking. What are you guys doing here? Seriously. 150-something-layoffs, and we are all wondering what you guys are doing here."
They tell me things about Halliburton across the country and specialized niches like engineering and telling people to go to college to be an engineer and then working for Halliburton and besides, it can pick up any day now. They then confess they are terrified of answering their phone when it is Halliburton because they suspect they may be next as well. I just feel proud of myself for getting that question out and in the open. It's weird, and I'm okay saying it.


2. So, appppaaaaarently, (you have to draw that out in a sarcastic manner) since we already eloped, no one seems to feel like we should have a ceremony. I don't think people get it...we eloped. It was quick, and no one was there. My dad didn't walk me down the aisle, my mom didn't cry, I didn't wear an expensive dress, and I didn't get to throw a bouquet. Yes, we are married, but we didn't have a ceremony. It's just more official living together. We both still want a ceremony. We want to share this event with our family and friends.
Anyway, now the wedding party feels like they shouldn't dress up or have to be part of it or whatever. We are pretty much be shoved around in our wedding plans (like a cousin/bridemaid is thinking she doesn't feel she should wear an orange bridesmaid dress because, hey, we're already married. She could have turned it down and I would have given the place to one of my old friends, instead of Cam's family who Cam HAD to have in the wedding.) Now, since we are all ready married, I am supposed to be downgrading to...whatever summer dresses my bridesmaid choose? I was already letting them choose their styles and pick which color and choose their own shoes...I've been crazy laidback and accommodating and have asked for nothing. I already knew no one was going to hold a bridal shower for me or any of the traditional junk, and I was okay. But because we pretty much decided to live together, but do it the right way, now we don't deserve to have the ceremony and magical pictures and memories these people already have. Awesome. Fuck off.


3. Got in a car accident yesterday, as a result of some slippery roads. Anna Honda is in bad shape. The good news is my insurance company is being awesome and making this easy. I apparently even have rental car service. Awesome. The bad news is that this is going to make me like the excitable lady in the Progressive commercials.

Residual Eloping Stuff

Brklln asked me if I had any negative response to the elopement...and it got me thinking. Okay, you know those people in your life who should be close to you, but usually aren't? Say a brother, sister, high school best friend, or something like that? You know that you could be close, and you should be, but stuff happens... You get busy, you are working a lot, you have some stuff to do, you'll call next week, well maybe the week after that...but gosh it will be a long phone call, maybe later....
Okay, so most people were really happy for us and our decision. And lots of people totally got it, and those who were a bit hesitant in their reaction (they thought we were joking or something...) really warmed up when we took the time to explain why we did the whole thing. The only people who have been a little distant and awkward about it are the in that category of people who should be close. They think we are joking and they need some time to think about it and never really call us back.
I totally hadn't thought about it until Brklln asked her question, but now that I think about it, it makes sense. These are the people who felt they should have known instantly. But we didn't tell people ahead of time, except my parents. But they live in town, and they would have figured it out. Plus, we needed them to watch the dog while we went to do it. And we wanted some feedback on if this was a good or horrible idea. On top of that, feuds with my parents devestate me. Oh, and my mom's a bit psychic and she would have known and it would have really caused some commotion. Okay, so only my parents knew.
Anyway, so these people seem a little put-out by our decision, but I think it's really that it is a subconscious wake-up call that they aren't as close to Cam (or me, but actually most people who have known me aren't that surprised...) as they thought they were. They are suddenly facing that Cam can do things they don't expect, keep a big secret, and not tell them everything. So, they don't totally get it, but the uncomfortable feeling has nothing to do with Cam and I, it has to do with their relationships and a subconscious push to examine them.
Eh, just a theory.

When this guy got hit...

I have five minutes before I need to run to fedex and then an appointment, so I'll take a second to tell you guys about the CRAZY thing I saw the other day.
Cam and I were driving over to Hastings to go get a movie (I broke up with Blockbuster...called them for closure and everything...), and are about to pull into the parking lot when we see this homeless looking dude coming our way. We wait to make the left hand turn, because we aren't sure where he is going, and he pulls into the parking lot as well.
We slowly turn and are watching as he rides through the parking lot, when this young chick drives up. She is on the wrong side of the road (parking lot road...those rules don't count, right?) and then pulls a sudden left hand turn into the Good Times--without looking--and HITS THE DUDE! He kind of sees it coming, so he swerves a bit and doesn't get hurt, but she still bends up his rear tire. She says something, he says something--we can't hear what--and then she pulls into the Good Times and--get this--gets ready for her shift?!? He walks his bike away. Cam and I park. We run over to the dude and ask him if he is okay. He has the look of someone who has been beaten down by the system far too long, and he mumbles that it isn't his bike. We offer to help, say we saw the whole thing. We tell him to wait and Cam runs to the Good Times. He demands to see the girl. She dillies and dallies and eventually comes up. He tells her to go talk to the guy and pay him or something because it was DEFINITELY her fault. She slowly walks over there.
The co-workers there tell us she was blaming him. We tell them what we saw, and then follow her.
The bike dude has walked far away, we can see him, but he clearly wants no part of any help. We determined that he probably has had a life where he has been blamed for everything. Dumb Good Times girl goes back to work, with only a little damage down to her reputation.

Another What If I Was a Celebrity Daydream...

I had another one of those retarded thoughts of "If I was a celebrity..." and what if the paparazzi was coming after me? I know what I would do. If I went outside and started to get mauled with the flashing of lightbulbs, I would go back inside real quick. I would run to my digital camera. I would go back outside and start taking pictures of them taking pictures of me. Reason #1: It just seems funny to me. Like when I made an abstract painting of an abstract painting. Reason #2: As soon as they started putting my picture on those awful tabloids, I would create a website. It would be of my pictures of the paparazzi. If they said mean things about how fat I am, I would say mean things about them. It would be childish, but amusing to me. If they asked me rude questions, I would return the favor. Eventually some people would catch on to my website, and then people would understand why I am famous. It's not because I am wicked hot or super skinny, it is because I am so darn funny in a strange way. The few people who get my sense of humor would admire me all the more, and who cares about the others?
By the way, glad you guys liked my calendar. And I'm not sure I want Melissa pulling out my hair...you claim it's for DNA art, but I'm thinking you just want to clone me...I mean, I am pretty cool.

Brklln may be amused...

I get stuck on the phone a lot, or sometimes I will just be waiting for an appointment to show up, and I don't want to get too involved in anything or have social security numbers sprawled across my desk when they show up. So I sit...and doodle. By the end of the month, my desktop calendar is quite a piece of art. This is March, and it's only halfway through the month. Anyone who remembers my high school doodling might be mildly amused by this daytime diversion.

The Elopement Story

Okay, I just got called out for not blogging. Yup, you are right...but come on, you know how it is...I was busy with work, and with secretly eloping, and well, you can't blog if you are scared you might blow the news on your secret elopement. Hey, let's talk about the elopement...
The trouble actually began back in November or so when my television broke. I was playing video games on the Game Cube when suddenly the TV flickered and then there was no more. I haven't admitted this, but I am pretty sure I broke it by overwatering my plant. (I had a plant that I would forget to water sitting above the TV on the stand, and so it's dry soil was unprepared for the amount of water I tried to give it to save it...thus overflowing water and I suspect splashing water into the electrical socket....)
With no TV, suddenly I had much less to do at my place. Then, I decided to get a treadmill for Maebe and myself. We decided to put it at Cam's house because he has a working TV...and now I am spending even less time at place.
Suddenly I am becoming frustrated about paying all these bills for a place I only sleep in, and having to clean two places....which brings us to the stove...
The stove was leaking for some time, and had been replaced multiple times. Around my birthday, it started to leak carbon monoxide fairly significantly. I had a heating guy over who blamed the stove...and a stove guy who blamed the heating unit. All the while, my carbon monoxide tester was going berserk. Something needed to be done.
Meanwhile, Governor Ritter was signing various house bills and COGCC rules...Halliburton responded by cutting hours and all overtime from their employees. Cam was beginning to realize that he was going to have a hard time paying the bills...

That is what brought us to a time to make a decision...we talked about moving in together...but we knew that my parents would be pissed, but more than that, we knew we wouldn't be thrilled with that decision. It would be against what we believe, and we would also have to hide it from those who share that belief. Not good.
Which brings us to January 18, the day after my birthday. My family (my parents, my cousin and her family, my aunt and uncle, plus Cam and I) are all assembled to celebrate Aunt Ger's and my birthdays. Oh...sorry, need to rewind...
I heard rumors some time ago that my cousin and her husband secretly eloped a few months before her wedding. Her mother had told me, but also told me that her daughter didn't know that she knew...(did you get any of that? Don't worry, it's not that important...)
As various people segment into conversation, I isolate the cousin and husband, and ask them to tell me the truth. She shushes me, fearful of her mother overhearing and finding out, to which I laugh that her mother is the one who told me. The cousin and cousin's husband then tell Cam and I everything. They didn't want to live in sin, but she needed to get out of her place...and they thought it was one of the best things they had ever done. It removed all the stress of the wedding day. No concerns of whether her husband would show up, no jitters, no stress over details going wrong. They were even able to take it all in and enjoy themselves. They made it sound so good.
Cam and I were hooked. We went out to dinner to talk about it, and got so absorbed, Cam accidentally stole a cup from the restaurant. We determined that 10 days later we would run off to Vegas and do it.
Three days later we broke down and told my parents what we were considering. They were in favor of it and even bought me a cute dress for the event.
1/29/09: We drive to Vegas, and go straight to the marriage license place. It takes less than 10 minutes to get the license we need. We go to the hotel to change, and then head up the strip in a taxi looking for the ideal location. The driver recommends the Little White Chapel. We arrive, and within 20 minutes the chapel has assembled our reverend and our photographer/witness. The ceremony is short, simple, and very sweet. I cry. The funny Italian photographer takes many pictures for us. We get in a limo and head back down the strip.
We spend a short weekend in Vegas, just celebrating our secret marriage. On our way back, we stop in Mesquite for the night and see the Oasis is shut down. Suddenly our plans are a mess and we have decisions to make.
We think for 6 weeks about whether we should tell people or not, whether we should change the location, whether we should have a wedding, or just a reception, or maybe just an exotic honeymoon. Finally, we decide to have a wedding as planned, and have an exotic honeymoon, but also to go ahead and tell everyone. I am to look for a wedding dress today. That is the story of what and why, pretty fast and not particularly well told. But now you know. (And knowing is half the battle!)
By the way, the Little White Chapel is where Michael Jordan and Brittany Spears got married. But not to each other.