In the pursuit of cleanliness

 

So now that I am no longer acting in a Nanny capacity, I am currently looking for work.  A task that sounds easier than it is.  At first I was very excited at the prospect of rejoining the public work force.  But over a month later having only one call back out of about 70 applications, I’m feeling a little discouraged.  So today I’ve devoted to cleaning my room and throwing away things that I REALLY don’t need or use anymore.

My bedroom consists of 4 main areas: Entertainment Center, Bed & night stands, closet….and the all feared…..DESK.

Each area is not without its own level of difficulty since the last several months were spent cleaning the house up after the kids rather than keeping on top of my own cleaning.  Let’s face it…after a long day of cleaning up after kids, is anyone REALLY going to  spend extra time doing more cleaning?  HELL NO!  You want to relax after 12 hours of cleaning.  So that’s exactly what I’ve been doing for the last 4 months. 

Now that the termite treatment is finally done successfully (the first treatment didn’t work because the wind blew the tent off the house), I’m finally getting around to doing the cleaning and organizing that I should have been keeping up with.  I started this morning at about 10.  It’s 1PM now and I’m taking a little break about half way through..

Let me paint a simple picture of how things looked before I got started…

The entertainment  center consists of a rolling cart (but made of solid wood, quite sturdy).  On top of this rolling cart “thingy”, I have a wooden shoe rack (also quite sturdy) stacked  so that there are four shelves and on top of that is my flat screen tv.  Above the tv is a shelf holding the audio receiver.  The shoe rack shelves hold my cable box, tivo and blu ray player, The shelves on the rolling cart contained random junk that I couldn’t find a place for, so they became the catch-all for items without a home.  To the left of the rolling cart is my Linux computer which is currently not working. (requires some basic configuring due to a power outage and subsequent battery failure).  To the left of the computer is my super comfy rocking chair stacked with about 6 pairs of jeans, 1 pair of slacks, 3 dress shirts, a hand full of ties, a belt and a bundt pan.  Yes, that’s right, a bundt pan.  All of my pots and pans are in storage, but I will take single items out if I need them for something,  This was the case with the bundt pan.  Rather than putting it back in its box in the closet, it went on the chair.  The second catch-all for items without a home.  On the floor in front of the chair was my big double layered nylafume bag protecting medicine cabinet items from the fumigation chemicals….I’ve still not unpacked it.

My bed is relatively clean (for the time being) because I do, after all, sleep in it every night.  My nightstand is packed full of old magazines that I haven’t read in a long time, cell phone chargers that aren’t even compatible with my current  phone as well as a few random items.  The bookshelf on the other side of my bed is full of stuff, miscellaneous papers and magazines, scentsy bars that are randomly strewn about with no order whatsoever.  Next to the bookshelf is the door…there’s nothing in the doorway.  On the floor on the next wall is a bunch of stuff that I haven’t yet found a home for.  Board games, gifts from a Chicago friend (there are lots of them, he’s a very nice man) 2 computer monitors and empty boxes of things I’ve purchased but haven’t yet thrown away the packaging.

The closet…it’s a small walk-in closet.  Inside I keep my dresser, a spare desk from ikea, a small end table and my 3 drawer rubbermaid container with all my computer cables,  power cords, etc.  Now you can’t even walk into the damn room because I so frequently toss things in there onto the floor to quickly get them out of direct view. Usually because the housekeeper was coming and I wanted my bedroom to appear nice.  There were pillows, shoes, various computer cables, 2 DVD players, a large desk fan, a window fan, the rest of my shoes, a sewing machine, a bowling ball and all of my empty luggage containers.

Finally my desk…. I spend the most of my spare time (when I’m not sleeping) at my desk, so it stands to reason that it would be packed full of all kinds of junk.  Just to name a few things: dvd’s and blu-ray discs that I haven’t put back on the shelf, empty soda cans, a soda cup from wendy’s (also empty) my credit report, a baseball cap, a Father’s Day card for dad, vitamins, a ped-egg, deodorant and MANY MANY more random items.  This will by far be the worst project of the day.

As of now, 1:08pm, I have cleaned the corner chair, night stand and floor between the tv and bed.  The closet is now completely clear of junk and I’ve gone through all my clothes and thrown away any and all clothes that I don’t want/need anymore.  You can walk in there quite easily and I’m loving it.  Any stuff that wasn’t to be thrown away or needed to be replaced into its appropriate spot has been put onto my bed.  This way I HAVE to do it if I have any desire to go to bed tonight.  The bed is mostly cleared off by now, which is a good thing since more things will be going there when I start on the desk.  The floor with all the monitors and boxes is mostly cleared.  I still have to find places for some of the items, but so far it’s starting to look really good. 

I have at least another 3 hours of work ahead of me, in addition to doing all the laundry that needs to be done today.  So we’ll see how things turn out.  But so far I’m extremely happy that my room is starting to resemble something that’s somewhat neat and organized.

Valentine's Day

Oh Valentine's Day. What is there to say about this day... hmmm. I know.... WHAT A CROCK! lol

Yes, I'm jaded at this point and really I'm just somewhat of a downer now. Valentine's Day is one of those special days where you celebrate the love (or like) you have for one another. Some people plan extravagant dinners out followed by dancing. Others, a nice movie night at the theater complete with popcorn and yummy candy.

Mine on the other hand involved two children and somebody that I was really hoping for a future with. We have been on several dates by this point, 5 I think. One of which was dinner, movie and a moonlit walk along the beach with water crashing at our feet.

So here's how dinner went... my Valentine's Day dinner that I planned out in depth with stuffed chicken breasts and chocolate pot du creme for dessert. This guy is a marine. VERY attractive man. He's very nice and I definitely saw us going somewhere. So I invited him to Valentine's Day dinner and he came over at just about 6pm. Perfect timing for dinner. Dinner progresses somewhat quietly. We progressed through dinner without problems and by the end of it, he wanted to go home because he had....wait for it... a headache. Yeah, that's right. My Valentine's Day screeched to halt with an over-used ditch line.

This whole ordeal really reminds me why I stopped dating in the first place...there is so much disappointment to be had.

For everybody else who had a decent day, congrats. You are of the lucky few!

Me...I probably won't stop dating again... I'll keep trying like hell to find somebody that can put up with me. lol

Cheers till next time!

ME

Wow, wow, wow and WOW I'm having fun!

So... ok... i need to live up to that title, don't I? Well I didn't write friday night like I had hoped to, but hopefully this will more than make up for it.

The End











LOL, NO, i'm totally kidding! I've been having a blast here in Maui. Yesterday (friday) I started my day with a 2 hour drive up Haleakala. at 10,000 feet the summit is quite chilly but extremely sunny. It's above the cloudline so you can see and ocean of clouds extending seemingly forever. The crater is HUGE!!! I've come to learn that it is the combined crater of 3 seperate volcanoes that thousands of years ago were actually 3 seperate islands. As they got bigger, they grew together into what we now know as Maui. I took lots of pictures..all of which you can find in my Maui album on facebook. Just a reminder... that's http://www.facebook.com/stephen.farquhar

But now on to the juicyness of my Saturday. I woke up hella early this morning because I needed to be in Lahaina by 8:30 to check in for my zipline tour. Those of you who know me well enough know that zip-lining....NOT something that I would ever do. It's so far out of my comfort zone, that if my comfort zone were to explode, the zipline wouldn't hear the sound for another three days. But alas... I decided that i needed to do something risky and fun for once. So it was that I walked into that store front with a slight amount of fear shaking in my bones.. Only one other person there hadn't done it before. She seemed more scared than me. This made me feel a bit better. I signed my release and waiver form, got weighed in (for safety reasons you have to fall within the range of 80 to 260lbs) and got in the van to be driven to the lines. Now mind you, I had to shed all the stuff that I didn't want to lose...ie. car keys, wallet, cell phone, etc. so with nothing but a camera and my empty pockets, we drove up half way. At the half way point, we got our water bottles, harnesses and helmets and got into another van. Another 10 minute off road (in an econoline van...bumpy) and we were at the first zipline. Me being nervous as hell opted to watch a couple people go before I went. Right hand caribeaner..left hand strap... hold on for dear life and GO! Half way down and I was already a changed man. I knew I was going to want more when it was over. The next 3 lines were similar, getting progressively longer... 500ft on the last one i think. On these we kept our normal hand positions and didn't do anything out of the ordinary. After the 4th line we took a half hour break for lunch. Rotisserie chicken sandwiches and brownies. yummy. The lunch break took place on a scenic lookout approximately 1000ft up on the edge of a cliff. The valley was spectacular. look for my panoramic photo on facebook. After dinner we had a short hike to the next line. This time we were allowed to get a running start and/or only hold on to the carribeaner and hold a camera with our free hand.... i didn't do this until the 6th crossing though. The video of that is ALSO on facebook. Then crossings 7 and 8. The last one was 1200 ft long and was by far the most fun. There was a 5 minute wait for the van to come get us and were on our way back to the office. When we arrived we were greeted with juice and homebaked goodies. And a coupon that gave us 25% off the Haleakala zipline if we booked within the next 30 days.... guess what I went back to my hotel room and did? lol. That's right, I booked a SECOND zipline tour on the cliffs of Haleakala. I made sure to request my tourguide, Luke from today. He was awesome and I'm excited to zip with him agian.

All in all, I'm EXTREMELY satisfied with this vacation. I can't wait for my tour tomorrow. It's a bit longer of a drive but well worth it in my opinion. It's only 5 lines but Luke says the last one is more exciting than the final one in Ka'anapali, so I'm excited.

I will TRY to post about it after I return to the hotel tomorrow. :-)

Rocky start, but all is well

Ok, so the vacation started off a little rocky... but I'm in a much better mood about it, and much better place now. :-) no, i'm not in heaven...though pretty damn close. Let's start from the beginning...

Arrive at airport at 6:15...a little early, but scott had to be at work a bit early for something that he absolutely could not be late for, so I didn't mind getting there early. At first look... the terminal had a coffee cart and a bathroom.. there was a lounge, but it was closed.

I spent the next 3 hours eagerly anticipating what sort of aircraft (or paper airplane) i might be traveling in. The many that I saw got progressively smaller and smaller. The Cessna made me a little nervous, and slightly over 20 seats. But to my surprise, it wasn't my plane...in fact my plane hadn't even arrived at the destination that it was departing from to come get us in HNL. The flight got delayed 3 different times, so my 3 hour wait turned into a 6 hour wait. luckily the bar opened just in time for the airport fire alarms to start going off. Buzzz Buzzz Buzzz constantly. i headed straight to the bar in hopes that a nice stiff drink might help to drown out the constant buzzing. As I finished the drink I started to feel a little bit better... then the sirens started going off too. Time for a pint of beer. Just as i'm finishing the last drops of beer, i heard the boarding announcement. YAY ME!! I got on the plane (in a window seat because I insisted on a good view the whole way. The beer caught up with me just in time for take off.... oh boy did I have to pee. Never mind the fact that I went immediately prior to boarding the plane (seriously within 5 minutes) By the end of the 20 minute flight I was hurting. lol. Pee break at the airport, baggage claim and then on to the car rental place....line of about 50 people. 90 minutes of standing in line later, and I have my car. I drive 10 minutes to my hotel to go check in... the time was 235... check in is technically 3:00. My room hadn't been cleaned yet. so I sit in the car for 25 minutes and go ask again.. I had to wait for another 15 minutes while they had somebody specifically clean my room. So at last, I went to my room, dropped off my bags and went in search of something to eat...because up to this point all I've had is 3 cups of coffe, a jack and coke and a beer.

Enchiladas in hand, i woof them down at the local mall and head to walmart for some vodka and soda. Smirnoff Raspberry is yummy. Later, I grabbed a pizza from the Hut. and I've been in my room relaxing ever since.

One look at the view (posted on facebook) and I fell in love with the place. nevermind the rocky start to it all, I'm on vacation now and I'm happy.

Tomorrow I go check out the the Haleakala Crater up at the summit. I'm quite excited. I'll put more pics on facebook. :-)

Good night everyone, i'll update again tomorrow night.

The Vacation Begins

So here I am. Eagerly anticipating the arrival of the still, mystery aircraft that I'll be travelling on. The least 3 planes I saw got progressively smaller... first a 50 seat...then 40, then 20. I'm getting scared. I don't want to fly to maui on a paper airplane. It's currently 8:15, so I still have about an hour or so before the plane starts boarding. The flight check-in was interesting. I'm so accustomed to being asked the normal barrage of questions regarding my baggage..then they take my checked baggage and I proceed to the security screening checkpoint. This time however was a bit different. First, they never asked me a single question except: "can you sign here please" (regarding my credit card transaction for my checked bag". THEN she said: "ok, now take this bag with you to security and they'll take it from there. Another first. I've never had to carry my own checked bag before. There were two lines... the first one, you just hand your bag over and then you head to the other line and go through normal procedures. The best part was that these were the most courteous TSA employees i've ever met. They smile, they say please and thank you. When I passed through the metal detector, the guy said "thank you so much, have a wonderful trip"... MIND BLOWN! Aside from the absence of any sort of food or beverage in this tiny little terminal, my airport experience here has by far been the best I've ever had.

I'm so excited to finally get to Maui. My rental car is reserved (a chevy aveo, or similar vehicle) and my Hotel is confirmed. 4 nights at the Maui Seaside Hotel in Kahului. On my agenda for this trip is a fantastic 8-line ZipLine tour in Lahaina and I'll be spending a couple of days exploring the Haleakala Crater and surrounding areas. Eventually I hope to make a complete exploration all the way around the island. There's just so much to see and not enough time to see and do it all. I'm possibly going to go check out the Sugar Cane Train, a steam engine train that has a 6 mile route. It takes around 70 minutes round trip, so I figure it'll be something fun to do. I still have a bunch of research to do on fine dining and tourist attractions. But of course, anybody who knows me knows that I hate being looked at as a tourist, so i'll try to blend in as much as possible.

Rain is forecast for today and a bit tomorrow, but I'm hoping that tomorrow can start my exploration of the crater. up at the summit the weather is bound to be different. They warn that it is much colder up there, which is why i brought jeans and a hoodie. There's ever rumor of snow, so we'll see. I'd love to see snow, just so I can tell people that I built a true snowman in Hawai'i.

For the moment, I'm gonna call it a day on this blog. I'm at about 40% battery remaining and I want to save a bit for later. I'll try to keep up the blog on all my vacation destinations. :-)

Wish me safe travels everyone!!! :-)

Stephen

To Date, or not To Date

I know, it sounds like a no brainer, right?  Nobody really thinks that they would ever ask themselves that question….but then it just creeps right up on you. 

 

Here is my situation:

I live in Hawaii, I’m planning on moving in a year.  The only thing that would keep me here is a truly (and I mean truly) phenomenal job OR if I’m in a relationship that I didn’t want to leave.  I’ve recently signed up for Match.com and been answering a number of dating ads.  Now part of me feels like I’m setting myself up for disappointment in the end because let’s say I do get into a relationship that I like.  Is a year enough time to determine if I should stay here for him or is that just not enough time.  Am I better off waiting until I move to California and then attempting to date there?

So here are the prospective dates:

The first guy has been totally sweet in our online conversations together.  We have a lot in common and have very similar interests.  We’re compatible on so many levels.  We’re trying to plan to meet this weekend. 

There’s another guy that is significantly older than me, but shares my ideals and future plans.  But he’s nearly 15 years older than I am. 

Then there’s the guy who wants no sort of relationship whatsoever.  He just wants….let’s say a physical sort of relationship (you know what I mean).  Am I better off with him in the interim while I develop my plans to move?  Or should I pursue something greater in hopes that in a year either I’ll want to stay or he’ll want to come with me?

 

Decisions decisions.  Who should be the winner in this contest?  Or should I even try at all?  Guy number 1 would be my first choice, but I don’t know if I even want to risk the future drama if I decide to leave anyway and he doesn’t’ want to come with me.

 

Opinions please!!!!

The Friends We Keep

It has recently come to my attention that true friends are quite rare. Through the years you meet many, and while you may call them "friend" they are not so at all.

Since my relocation to Hawaii, I have made many "friends". Or shall I call them acquaintances? Let's discuss the difference:

Acquaintances: These are people with whom you might develop a business relationship. You use the term "friend" loosely to describe a form of understanding between people. These so-called "friends" don't ever call you...that is unless they need something. Likewise the other way around. You would never call these people unless you needed something. For example, you worked in a very high up management position in a very reputable company. You made several acquaintances during your time there. People you saw every day and greeted often. You have not worked for this company in over a year... and it's been that long since you've talked to these people. Now lets take this same situation and apply it towards the present. Your dream job is available and you have all the qualifications. I bet you would call these "friends" of yours from your old company to see if they will endorse you as the perfect "man for the job". You've essentially used this person for their credibility. Friends don't do that to friends. Just the same, friends don't allow their friends to do that to them.

And this is where we differentiate between "friends" and true friends. True friends are simpler to define and describe. You wouldn't need to ask a true friend for such a favor because he or she would have already written the recommendation. You wouldn't have to ask a true friend for any sort of help, because he or she would have already offered it. Your true friends know that they can turn to you, no matter what time of day or night when they need somebody to talk to. And a true friend always answers that call.

There are fine lines of trust between true friends. Things that seem so small and harmless can obliterate that trust. So I invite you all to think long and hard about those you call your true friends. Are they really your friends, or just another acquaintance?