RibFest was last week. It’s always something that I look forward to. Not only for the food but for the entertainment too.

The food … the food … the food. The biggest thing I was looking forward to on the food side of things was the funnel cake. I love me some funnel cake. I’m craving one right now just thinking of it. My funnel cake cravings even got us (me, Lisa, Robin, and Neal) backstage to meet Emerson Drive 3 years ago. This year, I got my funnel cake on Wednesday nite when we (Robin and I) went to see 32 Below. As for the other food, I always go for a brisket sandwich. I got that Thursday nite. The only thing that I didn’t get that I wish I had was cheese curds. There’s always the fair to get those tho.

The music … the music … the music. Who can beat a concert for only $3 (or $5 if you don’t have a discount coupon). They usually always have someone there that I want to see. This year it was 32 Below on Wednesday and Rodney Atkins on Thursday. I’ve seen 32 Below so many times that I’ve lost count. But I will always go see them every chance that I can. Since I’ve seen them so many times, I didn’t take my camera with me. I have enough pics of them as it is.

This was the first time that I’ve seen Rodney Atkins. He did not disappoint. We were fairly close to the front (thanks to the fact that I was there early and staked out a spot), so I took a TON of pics. I ended up with 90 pics. I would have had more, but I deleted the ones that ended up blurry or had hands or heads in the way. The pic to the left is just a sample. You can find more in my photo gallery. I also took 4 videos. Unfortunately I don’t have any software to process the videos to put online. The only thing I have is Windows Movie Maker, and that crashes every time I try to save a video.

Overall, it was a good RibFest this year. And I’m glad the crappy weather waited until AFTER the concerts that I wanted to see. The weather was beautiful on both Wednesday and Thursday nites. There was a while on Thursday where I thought it was gonna rain … it sure did get windy. But no rain fell. I got my funnel cake and brisket sandwich … I got to see 32 Below, October Road (they opened for Rodney), and Rodney Atkins. I can’t wait to see who they get for the concerts next year.

I’m going through a rough patch in my life right now. Hell, who am I kidding? I’ve been going through a rough patch for a while now. And I haven’t been handling it very well … at least not mentally/emotionally. I tend to bottle things up rather than talk about them. I’ve been doing it for years. I don’t really know when it started or why. I’m inclined to believe it was back in high school because of the way that I was treated. But I’m not going to get into that. That is the past … 15 years ago to be exact (damn I’m old … LOL). I’ve left that behind me. But apparently part if it decided to follow me anyways.

I believe that the fact that I don’t talk about things is the reason this patch has been so rough for me. I was using Twitter as a release for some things … but that’s not the right outlet. I’m surprised I still have as many followers as I do. But then again, they probably don’t pay attention to my ramblings anyways.

I’ve decided that I need to get things out somehow. So that is what this blog post is for. I’m warning you now … if you really don’t give a damn, then stop reading now. If you’re curious, then click on the link to keep reading the rest of this post (if you’re on the main page that is). Sure, I could have made this post private or password protected, but I’ve decided not to do that. Who knows … I may come to regret that, but I can always change things later if I want to. So … here’s your last warning. What comes next is going to be me uncorking that damn bottle … well, not fully but at least a little.

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As I type this, I’m sitting out on my balcony enjoying the beautiful 75° weather. That’s the official temp anyways. It’s actually 81° on my balcony … and the sun hasn’t hit the thermometer yet. It’s kinda hard to see my laptop screen … darn glossy screens, but I had to get it in order to get the resolution that I wanted.

But I’m not here to complain (this time anyways). I’m just enjoying this beautiful day. And it’s only gonna last for a day, unfortunately. The high temperature forecast for tomorrow is only 48°, and there’s a chance of snow tomorrow nite. Yes … I said snow. Mother Nature sure is a bitch this year. LOL

But before long (hopefully), the weather will be warm on a regular basis. Then I’m sure I’ll be bitching about it being too hot. But then again, I’m not happy unless I’m bitchin’. LOL

One thing that I have discovered this afternoon is that I need a bigger table on my balcony. I can’t use my mouse … just no room. And it is rather short. It’s perfect for when I’m outside reading … to put my phone and my drink on. But if I wanna bring my computer outside, it just doesn’t cut it. In fact, I ended up moving the laptop to my lap. I can see the screen a little better, but it’s still pretty glare-y. Oh well. It’s too beautiful a day to be sitting inside.

If you won the lottery … if you never had to worry about money ever again … what would you do?

I know that I would have to keep working. There is no way that I could spend my days rambling around the house aimlessly with no purpose. I would go completely insane. I would HAVE to keep working. I have 2 dreams ideas of what I would do with the money.

Idea #1
For some time now, I’ve thought it would be cool to own a coffee shop. Just a small little shop that also sold pastries and sandwiches (like paninis) and such. Of course, it would have to have free internet available to customers … both on computers in the coffee shop as well as wifi. And of course the coffee shop would have a kick ass website that I designed. It would also have a Twitter account … to announce specials as well as to interact with the customers. It would also have a spot for entertainment … not a band with a major sound system or anything like that. But a spot for a musician or 2 to set up and play for a couple hours once or twice a week. Maybe some other sort of entertainment as well … the kind of stuff you would expect to find in a coffee shop.

Idea #2
The other idea I have (which is more recent) is to open up a country bar … an honest to goodness honky tonk. This town doesn’t have one … hasn’t had one since the days of the original Pistol Pete’s Saloon in south Moorhead (by the Safari 7 theater). It would be the kind of bar that I wish I could hang out in. It would have a large dance floor, a big stage, couches, LOTS of stalls in the bathrooms (especially the women’s). There would be live entertainment every weekend (Thursday, Friday, and Saturday). There would be both a men’s nite and a ladies’ nite. And like with the coffee shop idea, the bar would have a kick ass website and a Twitter presence.

No matter which idea I went with (I’m leaning toward #2 … I’ve spent too much time day dreaming of that one to not do it), I would ask my bestest friend in the whole wide world (Robin) if she wanted to manage the place. I can’t think of anyone better to do it.

I’m curious … what would you do if you never had to work ever again?

The start of the new year generally brings about people making resolutions about things they’re going to do or change in their lives. Well, I’m not making any resolutions this year. I never end up keeping them anyways. So why take the time to say “I resolve to …” when I know I won’t. Instead, I’m making life change goals. There are aspects of my life that I know that I need to change. If I “resolve” to change them, it won’t happen. But if I make goals and work up to them … then maybe there is hope.

What do I need to change? Well, here’s my list (thus far), in no particular order.

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How are ya doin’ up there at the North Pole? Are the reindeer all ready for the trip? You better feed ‘em lots of carbs so they’ll be ready for the journey. Either that or lots of energy drinks. LOL

I thought I should get you my Christmas ‘wish list’ since it is getting kinda close to Christmas (just over 2 weeks). I’m not asking for much this year. I know that the economy sucks. And with all of the people in the world, that must be stretching your budget too.

I can always use some techie gadgets. I am a geek. I’d really like an iPod Touch, but I think I might buy that for myself early next year. And you know that I’m a big NASCAR freak. Anything related to Dale Earnhardt Jr, Martin Truex Jr, Paul Menard, or Scott Riggs would be a good bet.

Here are a few other things that are on my list that I think are more manageable in this crappy economy:

• candles
• chocolate … the darker the better
• fleece pjs (probably XL in size)
• gift cards for clothes … I need to try stuff on to know if I like it
• desk lamp … that way I don’t have to turn on all the lights when I’m on the computer at nite

I think that’s about it. Nothing too crazy this year. I did leave a cowboy off of my list this year, but if you can find one, I wouldn’t mind. And if you can find some way to make this contract position permanent or find another permanent position after the contract is up, that would be awesome.

Enjoy the holiday season this year. Don’t work too hard. And be careful on your round the world trek. I’ll be sure to leave out some cookies for you.

Sincerely,
Becky

I think I realized today how I’ve been feeling since I was laid off a month ago. I feel like my life has been put on hold.

Before this all happened, I felt like I had all my ducks in a row. I was doing good financially, for the first time in my life really. I actually was able to put money into savings rather than live from paycheck to paycheck. I was working on saving up enough money to cover closing costs so I could buy a house. My plan was to start house hunting at the end of the summer next year. I was well on my way to achieving this goal. But those darn ducks just wouldn’t stay in that row.

Now I am in a place of uncertainty. I don’t know when I’ll find another job. It’s kinda slim pickings around the area. I’m not finding anything new being listed. But even if I find something in some other town, I’m not home free. I have to give 60 days notice before I can move out of my apartment. And I’m not gonna give notice now because I’m still holding out hope that at least one of the opportunities I’ve already followed pans out or that something new shows up soon. But I can’t wait forever.

So, here I sit … in a state of suspended animation. On hold. I can’t make plans because I don’t know where I’ll be and when. This sucks!

My birthday is next Friday. I had big ideas to go out for supper and to the bar with some friends. But then October 11th happened. That definitely knocked all the wind out of my sails. There are so many unknowns right now. When will I get another job? When will I get another paycheck? Will I need to move to another town to find a job? I don’t know if I should even be spending money right now.

I got my final paycheck on Oct. 31. And I have money in 2 savings accounts that I was planning to use for closing costs on a house. With that last paycheck, I should be fine through the end of this year. I shouldn’t have to dig into savings to pay bills. And I should still have enough money left to buy food … I gotta eat. But after that, I really don’t know. I haven’t looked past the end of this year. And I REALLY don’t want to dig into my savings.

So, I’ve been waffling back and forth as to if I should even go out on my birthday. But dammit … why shouldn’t I? I can’t sit around in my apartment and punish myself. I mean, I didn’t do anything wrong. I lost my job because of the damn economy and not because of job performance. I’ll get another job. I just don’t know when or where.

I’m not being selfish planning a nite out for my birthday when I don’t even know if I’ll have a job by the, am I? Dammit … I don’t care. I need to get out of my apartment. It’s my birthday and I can do whatever the hell I want to.