There are times I have felt like I was spiraling downward. Not fast like a plane that lost its engines. More like a slow descent down a a spiral staircase. When you start down it may be hard to see the bottom. Each step reveals another step. Sometimes it's a short trip and other times may feel like an eternity. The nice thing about it is reaching the bottom and finding the way to leap the tallest building in a single bound. Well maybe not quite like Superman, but within reasonable circumstances things are not as bad as they were.
Looking down into the spiral staircase without knowing what lies below can be harrowing to say the least. This is why we try to plan ahead. Reading situations that begin to unfold in front of us and staying aware of the choices that enter our lives. I like to stay between the spiral staircase and the top of the tallest building. I see both as having a sudden drop if the choices I make bring me within their grasp.
The month of March, which is ahead of me, will be filled with spiral staircases and skyscrapers. I'll be trying to stay at street level dodging traffic and watching the signs. I am hoping my keen awareness level pays off in the coming weeks and months. Temporary work positions can be rewarding for those who manage to create a field of awareness with former, current and future colleagues. I will be diligent. I have survived before and will survive again.
I arrived home late Friday night and had a good night's sleep. Gin and I ran some errands Saturday morning in my trusty Lumina. 291,000 miles and she still gets the job done. After the morning errands we switched cars for our trip to Charlotte and some time with Caris and Thomas. No, we didn't take the Lumina! I only trust her in town since she has too much road under her wheels.
We met Caris and Thomas at Mary Jo's fabric store in Gastonia. This store is the biggest fabric store you could ever imagine. If you can dream it, they have it. I even managed to pick up a special gift for my Pollyanna recipient. After Mary Jo's we followed the youngsters to Home Depot to drop off their truck. Then we stopped by Steak 'n Shake for milkshakes. After the frosty treats we were off to Charlotte.
Prior to our trip, I looked on-line for interesting museums to visit. You know...free museums. The Light Factory Contemporary Museum of Photography and Film is one of only four museums for photography and film in the United States. It was interesting and a little naked. Well, not that bad! There was one exhibit that featured some nudes that were tastefully portrayed. Other exhibits were self portraits from a high school class and person's family photographs (all clothed).
We tried to take in other museums but we really didn't allow time to do too much of that. We changed gears and headed to the south side of the Queen City and Mama Ricotta's Italian Restaurant. We sat out on the patio and enjoyed pizza. After dinner was a visit to the used record store and then back to Gastonia. We ended the night with Caris and Thomas and made our way back toward home. They had a little shopping to do before the stores closed. We had a good visit which was our first together since Christmas. Time flies when you work and live away from your family.
Sunday Gin and I took it pretty easy. In the morning I played a round of disc golf with my former colleague, JP. His first time at the game yielded a pretty good round. We were done by noon and I was back home for left-over pizza with Gin. We traveled out for a little shopping, then back home to watch the movie "Men With Brooms". The movie was light and funny and well worth the relaxing afternoon to watch. We had dinner at La Paz Mexican restaurant.
Monday was my drive back to Chattanooga. A little after my arrival a fairly large and intense line of storms moved through the area. I ended up having to flee our job trailer for fear of the oncoming cloud of furry and the rocking motion from the straight line winds. The only choice I had was to jump in the car and drive in the clear area away from the storm. Thankfully the VW plant has a large paved lot for the new cars and it was empty. When it was all over, I returned to only minor damage. The underpinning was ripped from the front end, but overall, it managed to stay tied down. This was my second close encounter of the fajita scale in the Chattanooga area. The first was back in October 2010.
Stay safe and keep your eye on the sky!
P@
Sunday Gin and I took it pretty easy. In the morning I played a round of disc golf with my former colleague, JP. His first time at the game yielded a pretty good round. We were done by noon and I was back home for left-over pizza with Gin. We traveled out for a little shopping, then back home to watch the movie "Men With Brooms". The movie was light and funny and well worth the relaxing afternoon to watch. We had dinner at La Paz Mexican restaurant.
Monday was my drive back to Chattanooga. A little after my arrival a fairly large and intense line of storms moved through the area. I ended up having to flee our job trailer for fear of the oncoming cloud of furry and the rocking motion from the straight line winds. The only choice I had was to jump in the car and drive in the clear area away from the storm. Thankfully the VW plant has a large paved lot for the new cars and it was empty. When it was all over, I returned to only minor damage. The underpinning was ripped from the front end, but overall, it managed to stay tied down. This was my second close encounter of the fajita scale in the Chattanooga area. The first was back in October 2010.
Stay safe and keep your eye on the sky!
P@
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