What to do when your plans go SPLAT...

Square One, my dear old nemesis. It appears we meet again. And here I thought I had finished you off. My bad, for counting my chickens before they got "official" job offers from HR...

Driving alone across the country from Denver to GA is never fun. But it's even less fun when your future employer calls you as you slog it across Never Ending Missouri to tell you that the position meant for you has been cut from the budget for next year. Is it a bad idea to keep driving when your eyeballs dissolve? (more on that later)

Well, I went through all the appropriate stages of grief, and I'm glad to say that I involved God in all of them. Hey, if this is what needs to happen to clear the way for Him to work something jaw-dropping then I'll suck it up and wait. I must say, though, that it is nice to know that it's not my talent that is being rejected, it's my salary. Makes the soul feel better, although my wallet sure smarts...

***

What exactly does "Seek first the Kingdom of Heaven" mean to you? I mean the exact words. 5 1/2 more hours in the car to FL and the relentless presence of these words in my echoing head had me working those neurons like a South Asian sweatshop. It is a question that begs to be answered, since that is the key to a life with true direction. And as my brief tale above revealed, my trail has recently dipped valley-ward. The horizon, if it is ever clear, is obscured right now and I'm not sure what foot to step with next. That's why I need to fully understand this command. I know Heaven's orientation remains constant. Now, just how do I properly calibrate my compass...?

But Xanga's trying for a comeback!

In an interesting development, just when I thought Blogger had pummelled Xanga's shrimpy little behind, Xanga crawls from the wreckage and offers me a free Premium subscription. Trial-sized, of course. Now, I don't believe that this will change my mind. Truth of the matter is that, when the trial is over, you're still left with the same bland Xanga Normal (or whatever they call it).

Never fear, Blogger, you're still number one.

***

Today is move-out day and I'm dragging my heels. Somehow I have to figure out the one magical configuration that allows me fit 1/3 of my wordly possessions in the body of my Nissan Altima. I've always disliked puzzles. I mean, I have trouble putting shoes back in a shoebox. Don't laugh...spatial intelligence like that has just never been my thing. I bet when I was a tyke I tried for hours to fit that round peg in the square hole. But, alas, puzzle I must. I will be homeless as of 5 PM. With or without my stuff. And for the moment, I choose with.

So, bye Lilly, you loveable lunk of a 3-legged German shepherd. Bye Voodoo and April, you cute meowly furballs. Bye Tobin, and thanks for sharing your lovely little home with me for two weeks. It's time for me to head home, across Kansas and Missouri, Kentucky and Tennessee, to Hotlanta, where the players play and heat could melt tar. It'll be an adventure, driving across the country by myself. I'll have pretzels and my iPod and possibly a riveting book on tape or two. I will hopefully have many fun stories to regale you with soon--Tales of Intrigue, if you will...and I do hope you will.

And it's Blogger by a nose!

As much as I HATE to admit it, Charlie was right. Blogger is far superior to Xanga. I mean, I get to have a parchment background and fancy quill-esque script! Xanga just offers me a few color choices. Sorry, X. Better luck next time. Maybe it's time for some new user options...

So it's Thursday for about 10 more minutes. My last Thursday in Denver. Sniff, sniff. Man, I love it out here. Can anyone visit Denver and not want to live here? And if so, who are you people? I love the neighborhoods, the green space--swing a cat and you'll hit 10 parks, it seems--and the weather. My skin/hair is not looking forward to stepping back into August Atlanta humidity, even if it is temporary.

But what I realized today as I drove down I-25 to CO Springs was that, despite all the effort put into beautifying the area and its public spaces, it seems that no money goes toward road maintenance. None. Zero. I felt like I was driving on tires made of rocks. There's a trade-off, I thought, as I clumped my way down the highway. I can't tell you how much my soul is pleased by the parks. I love all the public art. But right now I'm a visitor. I don't drive these roads everyday to work. Who is deciding that all this tax money should go to build a 30-foot bear statue peering in the glass walls of the Denver Performing Arts Center? I can picture the council meeting now: "So we've got a stretch of highway that is in dire need of repairs. We've received 24 calls today alone complaining that it's like driving on tires made of rocks." "Hmmm...right. Well, we'll get to that. Perhaps next April? But now we have a pressing issue. I've got a guy who can make a 45-foot tall bear sculpture that we can place in front of the new Arts Center." "What? That's ridiculous! You can't be serious." "What do you...oh, I guess you're right. 30 feet tall is plenty." And there you have it, folks--your tax money hard at work. Just remember--the Flintstones drove on tires made of rocks and look how well it worked for them.

Doot doot. Do do doot doot. Do do doodoodoodoo do do doooooo...."WILMA!!!!!"

Shame and agony

"For the LOVE of all that is HOLY and GOOD and RIGHT in this world..."

And with that, I decided to try out a blogger. com blog instead of my current Xanga. It'll be like the battle of the century. Blogger vs. Xanga. Xanga vs. Blogger. A virtual bloodbath of my own verbiage. Stick around to see who the winner will be. It should be quite obvious based on the dates of my postings and whatnot.

I know I'LL be checking back in. The suspense is killing me...