On a roll...

OKay, so the next leg of Mo's New Adventure is to acquire her a Florida Driver's License. *Gasp* I KNOW!! How in the world did I get to be 42 years old, and still not have my drivers license, you ask?! Well, it's pretty simple, really. For the best part of my life, since I've been of driving age, I've lived here, on this barrier island, and really, have found very little neccessity in crossing the ditch. So, since everything at the beach is pretty much in walking, biking or stumbling distance - if it isn't, I'm prob'ly goin' with someone else, anyway, - I just never had to make it a priorty.

Until now. Because I *would* like to get myself back into some sort of employed capacity, and maybe need to widen my search - it takes money to make money, and all that - and because I would like to take some classes, and well...JUST BECAUSE, I've decided that it must now *become* a priorty.

Are you, my dear reader, aware that if one is a first time driver in the state of Florida, one must take a written test, refered to as D.A.T.A. (Drug, ALcohol, something, something...) BEFORE you can take the *actual* test for your driver's license?! Yes, and this priveledge is not *free*, my friend, oh, no! One must pay $30 to be allowed to participate. Of course, you can take this test over and over (and, over) again if you need to, but you MUST take and pass it (can you say "revenue" boys and girls?) before you are allowed to test for the license. Oh, yes...and this is a four-hour test. FOUR. hours. Regardless, if you can read this material in one, and answer every, single question correctly, too blasted bad for YOU. YOU *will* spend four. hours., because we will time each module and not allow you to move on to the next until our computer says you have spent the allotted time. BLAH!!! Re-DIC-u-lous!!! Is it just *me*, or should not the emphasis to this little exercise at least APPEAR as though it's about the actual information being disseminated and not the length of time that elapses in which to do it??! \

So. I took the test. I answered 38 of 40 correctly, and I *still* believe one was missed due to an error on *their* use of the english language. (Something about the length of reaction time increasing or decreasing with each drink...I said the reaction time would DECREASE with each drink, in that you would react slower. they claim it would INCREASE meaning that it would take longer *to* react...so, I'm not stupid, I just apparently have poor reading comprehension.) Umm, the other was that I thought there were seven types of neurotransmitters effected by drugs & alcohol, when there are apparently only six. So, that was good enough to pass the blessed thing, so I am now awaiting the certificate of completion in the mail, so that I may present it to the DMV, so that I might actually, legally, be allowed to drive a large piece of machinery down a paved path at 60 mph, while gawd-knows-who is manuvuering one right back at'cha!! Yeah!!! Can't hardly wait.

Let's DO This!

Here we are once again at Mabon, the Autumn Equinox; a balancing of things light and dark...a time for assessment and contemplation.

Well, my inner self must be perfectly aligned with the universe right now, because I've been doing a whole LOT of assessing and contemplating as of late, and in doing so, have come to a few conclusions based on the observations I've made;

1. I believe that sometimes we can become too comfortable with our lives, and so what we may believe is 'happiness', is really just simply 'comfort' and 'familiarity'. Sometimes, it's important to step out of our comfort zones in order to expand them. Picasso had that right: "I am always doing that which I cannot do, in order that I may learn how to do it."

2. A good friend of mine recently gave me some very sage advice, and it really struck home with me. She said "Besides Mo, when anyone gives you ANY advice (me,anyone) just remember that that person can ONLY advise you on how to be like them because being them is the only experience they have. So when someone gives you advice, just look at their lives to see where their decisions have taken them and ask yourself, is that where I want to go?" And so, I take away that the only person who can make you happy is *you*; what others look upon as the 'perfect life' or the 'American Dream' isn't necessarily going to be *your* picture at all.

"Follow the grain of your own wood" ~ Howard Thurman

and,

3. I've decided that I'm ready, once again, for a Mo MakeOver. Let me tell you a little story, my dear reader; You might not know this, but when I was just a young lass of seventeen, I packed up my meager possessions, my small fiscal allotment (thank you, grandma) and my gal-pal cohort & I left our small hometown in the hills of Pennsylvania - and, everyone and everything we had ever known along with it - and headed for the beach, some seven states away. Personally, I never really looked back. That was a fun and exciting time in my life; I like the idea of new horizons, and all that. Then, about seven years later, after one marriage, one divorce, several jobs, a little heartache and LOTS of fun, I once again, packed up what little I had and headed up to Virginia Beach, where I worked a little, played alot, made new friends... then headed back to Florida immediately following my first winter there! lol...So, after a decade or so of playin' party girl, I had my next "MoMakeover" as the adult professional type...I settled down personally, and got a "grown-ups" life; climbed that corporate ladder to become the Director of Operations for a Private Investigations firm, dealing with the big wigs of both national and international firms, the whole package. That got me through 8 years or so, until I decided that the whole package was just too stressful; too back-biting and too...serious for my taste. *That* decision resulted in the MoMakeover to 'the happy housewife'. For the last seven years, not only have I been out of the workforce, but upon some serious reflection, I find that I have allowed myself to get 'comfortable' with every single aspect of my life, the whole time thinking I have been completely happy...when, really, I may have simply been conveniently complacent.

Perhaps I'm over stressing the point, huh? Or, perhaps one can't stress it quite enough, I don't know. I do know that I'm ready for Mo's Next Excellent Adventure...I am going to realize, reflect on, re-evaluate and re-invent every aspect of my life which needs an overhaul, and maybe just put some 'spit & polish' on those aspects that just need the cobwebs dusted off, ya know?! And *you*, my lucky reader, are going to traverse my new trail with me, what'ya say?! Let's maybe take some new classes, embark on a new career, find a new hobby, quit some bad habits and begin some good ones, make some new friends, get a social life, and have some FUN, shall we??! And, just to show you that I'm serious about which I talk...a new look to go with the new attitude:

Before:

After:

~ And We're OFF! ~

America Remembers

How I spent my summer

<-peeks in->

Wow...it seems like a rather long time since I last posted to my little blog(s). I suppose I should tell you of all the wonderful summer adventures that have kept me from my keyboard; about the *perfect* part-time job I've recently started, or the exciting road-trips we've been exploring; all about the house projects that we've undertaken and completed, or even the wonderful novels I've had my nose in...

Thing is, none of that would be true.

Not that it's been a particularly terrible few months or anything, just your typical same ol', same ol'. I didn't drop out of the blogsphere with any intention, really, I just had nothing to say. I will say now, however, that I was extremely touched by several folks who reached out to say they missed my ramblings here (And, Fishy, my friend, thank you so much for being you!). I am (obviously) alive and doing well, just a bit bored; and, as my mother always said "Bored people are boring"..or something like that....so, when I have nothing to say, I try not to say anything.

Thing is, folks, I *still* have very little to address. I guess I could chat about all the birthday's I missed...mom (Happy Birthday, Mom!), eldest nephew (Happy Birthday, C!!), long-lost cousin (Happy Birthday, Scott....call me!), my little manx (the little nub-bug just turned 5!)....

Lot's of cultural happenings too...the return of Scott Speicher; the death of Jacko; Ted Kennedy's passing...

Pre-season football is underway; that's always a topic of interest around this blog! Course, the Jags are 3-0 for the preseason, so not really much to talk about there (see, that's what happens when you trade out half your star players in the off-season!)...my beloved Steelers are headed up that Stairway to Seven, tho, and I am looking forward to THAT, for sure!

The Axemen, Jax's Rugby team, went to the National Champoinships with an no-loss record. Course, they played Saturday (in New York), and since no one in this country really knows what Rugby *is*, no one is reporting on whether we won or not...Anybody out there able to fill me in on that score?!

Finances - or, the lack thereof - have put the kabosh on any home-improvement projects getting accomplished, so nothing there for discussion fodder....

I'm happy to report that my coffee plant bloomed this year, and we even got a few beans off of it! I never did get around to putting in a veggie garden last season, but we're still harvesting green peppers off of those plants we planted a year ago; let's not talk about the puny tomato plants this year....

With the Mister's schedule still kind of wonky this month (4/10hr., then 5/9hr., then 6/10hrs, and throw in an overnighter to Milwaukee...) we haven't really had much time TO DO anything...we've watched a few movies, but nothin' to write home about(ha!)...I finally got him to read "Blasphemy" by Douglas Preston, and he apparently enjoyed it as much as I thought that he would! (Now, don't say anything, Vicki, cause I didn't recommend "The Descent" to you..HE did! - I, too, luv'd it, but figured that you...well, not so much. LoL) My reading has been fairly steady, but again, nothing there that really stands out...Well, that's not entirely true...I recently read my first Caroline Preston novel, "Lucy Crocker 2.0", which is billed as a "thinking" womans fiction...gotta say, it was extremely engaging and her characterizations are very true-to-life. Was a bit disappointed in the way certain bits were concluded, but that's also true-to-life, I suppose, is it not?

Again...we're all in good health and good spirits in our corner of the world; poor in coin, but rich in spirit. 'Til next time...

"The main problem with this great obsession for Saving Time is very simple: You can't save time, only spend it...And by trying to save every bit of it [you] end up wasting the whole thing." ~ Benjamin Hoff ('The Tao of Pooh' pg.108)

"Z" is for...

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"Y" is for...

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