Beachy Keen

There are so many things going on in my life right now. New job, new outlook on my health and mortality, and an upcoming one-year anniversary with the man I love more than life itself. My wonderful brother offered us the use of his condo in Gulf Shores next weekend for merely the maid's fee. I look forward to snuggling on the balcony.

I spoke with a good friend last night. She is younger than me and is experiencing high blood pressure and cholesterol problems. Damn. When did we all get to the age that we need to worry about eating cheerios instead of waffles, and slowing down to take "me-time" instead of living life in the fast lane? I worry about her. But talking to her has made me realize that yes, we are all evolving into that dreaded word ... adults. I mean real adults. Not the adult that can vote, go to jail or buy beer at the corner store. Not even the adult that has to pay rent, mortgage and power bills. I mean the adult that has to start worrying about gray hairs, wrinkles, and excercising enough to keep the aging monster away. Adults on cholesterol medicine and stress reducing drugs. Whew. I never thought I would grow up.

I talked to Thrifty last night for an hour. For the past few years his life has been an absolute mess. Drifting from rebellion to alcoholism to dependence on friends, and finally, FINALLY to loving himself and realizing that having what he wants sometimes means you have to push some of the pride and rebelliousness to the side and give yourself up to introspection, to knowing you are worthy of love and willing to sacrifice for things that in the end (fingers crossed) will be good for him. I know this won't make sense to some of you who don't know him, but in our conversation last night he really inspired me. I hope he keeps up with thinking about things before jumping in hair first.

I heard a noise last night. Tick tock. I think I have baby fever.

Woefully hopeful

I started a new job last Monday. I have spent the past year and some-odd months in the nonprofit field and I finally got a great job! I am working as the Development Assistant for the Alabama Symphony Orchestra. Now our symphony is no small matter. We have an amazing new conductor with an alluring and very charming British accent, a phenomenol orchestra who should be packing out Carnegie Hall, and a new, glowing review in the New Yorker. As someone who has not had a decent relationship wth my career in the past 10 years, I am woefully hopeful about this one. The Executive Director is young, incredibly smart, shy, and best of all... male. I have had my fill of female bosses. If you have ever had the chance to work for a "female from hell boss" you know exactly what I am talking about!

The new conductor is putting on a program called Radioheadings' from some pieces that one of the members of Radiohead composed (Not Thom Yorke - do you think his lazy eye would aloow him to write orchestral score?). I mean, how cool is that? Plus I get to play 'dress up' on a weekly basis!

I am looking forward to this venture. It will be nice to see that I can stay here for years, make a niche for myself, climb that ladder and attend hundreds of free concerts. Keep your fingers crossed and send good vibrations my way!

I think my dog's gone craaaazy!

Has anyone heard that Eminem song where you can hear his daughter Haley (Hailey, Hailee, whatever the snarf it is) singing in the background "I think my dad's gone craaaazy!"? The first time I heard the song (on the way to the "frister florida trip" with Sammy Ho Ho) I was like, awwwww, her voice is so cute. Then I thought again. Man she's only 9 (or 10, maybe 12 or 16, I don't fucking know). Either way she's talking about her dad snorting cocaine.

My name is Amanda. My dog's name is Magda. I have a great new job, a recent diagnosis of long-overlooked adult ADD, and I am addicted to Peggle, myspace and the CNN website. My dog was named by a good friend of mine, Thrifty Johnson, when she was a puppy. It comes from an A Perfect Circle song called Magdalena. While I love Tool, APC, and the like, I still have a hard time listening to my chien's namesake song without cringing at the blatant God-offensiveness of the words. Yeah. I know. I am a semi-hypocrite who still believes in hope and grace.

I started this blog page to get out of my day to day pretty little world and just express myself. I promise to be boring, nonsensical and occasionally unforgivably flaky. Look forward to it.