chugga chugging along

so, b. is definitely out. looks like i'll be doing Sydney & Melborne by my solo self. it's all good.

buuuut... an old college girl friend, t., might be able to make it for the last third of my trip & meet me in Cairns to dive the Great Barrier Reef & sail the Whitsundays with me. i haven't seen her in years, but i know she's a really independent girl so i'm thinking she'll be a good travel buddy. and that looks like it might be the most expensive leg of the trip, so maybe it'll help cut the cost too...

i honestly don't really care if i travel alone or with someone. i'm just going with the flow.

in other news...

i spent the whole weekend working on photos, videos & images for Side Work, and not only was it fun and creative and we got it all done, but i realized we have all the talent & drive & resources & ingenuity to start our own production company. i mean, seriously folks. let's make it happen.

...after australia. :)

unexpected...

change of plans. first, out of nowhere, i got an email from expedia saying my flights have changed and immediately i thought "oh no, oh no, oh no - what if i have more layovers now or they've switched me to a different airline!?" (can they even do that? i dunno but i was worried) and then i caught myself & said, "that's no way to think" (yes i talk to myself. deal with it) and decided that maybe they'd switched me to a better flight, fingers & toes crossed.

i checked the email against my original itinerary and, lo and behold, it WAS a better flight. nonstop! which means 3 hours shorter - a big deal when you're already in the sky for at least 14 hours. AND, on a hunch, i checked my travel buddy's itinerary and, lo and behold again, we are now booked on the same flight! miracles of miracles.

so i was all warm and fuzzy, believing in the good intentions of expedia.com, thinking that i would have someone to talk to during my flight so my vocal chords & social skills won't be dusty from disuse by the time i step off the plane, when i get an email from b. entitled, "And now I'm mad..."

uh oh.

turns out my travel buddy, b., may not be traveling with me anymore. work had some issues with him taking time off & his bank account had some issues with him buying a plane ticket. "oh nuts!" was my original thought, "now i'm gonna have to strike up a conversation with a stranger on the plane & hope they're not A. chatty-cathy-won't-let-me-sleep, or B. psycho-weirdo-inappropriate-discomfort-guy. dang!" but then i caught myself again & decided that if i end up traveling alone, then there's a reason for that & it's going to be for the best. and then i got excited about doing it all on my own, which was the original plan anyway.

no offense, b.

so, don't y'all worry, i'm still on track - got a nonstop flight to sydney in my very near future, got a backpacker's backpack coming to me in the mail, and i got the will and the attitude to do this by myself, for myself & make it the best trip ever. bring it, australia.

be afraid. be very afraid.

man, i think i am pms-ing. i'm just grouchy. and i keep thinking about everything i've got going on - great stuff, incredible stuff - and just feeling like, "harrumph" (and various other grumpy old man sounds).

once a month i turn into stormcloud jenkins. there's absolutely nothing wrong, and i know it, but i feel uncharacteristically negative. it's a gorgeous day outside - ugh, the sun's too bright! i'm hot so i turn the a/c on & then i'm - ugh why is it soooo f-ing cold!? my radio is coming in static-y - uggghhh, whyyyyyy, i don't waannnaaaaa change the station! with every little inconvenience, i throw cuss words like daggers.

i also feel exhausted, no matter how much sleep i've gotten, so i'm dragging my ass around like some pissed-off zombie, stumbling & moaning, cussing knives, whining about the trials of being un-dead, and feasting on innocent bystanders. watch. out.

but i also have to say, to any men that are reading this, you may think that because i can make jokes about it, i'm ok with YOU making jokes about it. word of warning: WRONG. women can blame their behavior on pms, apologize for having pms, even make a joke about pms & everyone can have a hearty laugh. but if a man, even in the nicest of tones, suggests a woman is pms-ing, the only thing everyone is going to have is a fight, and possibly the silent treatment for a few hours.

you've been warned. proceed with caution.

anyway, i realize this has absolutely nothing to do with anything i've said this blog is about, but it's also my blog so i can write whatever i want. (i'm sticking my tongue out at you) deal with it or don't read it.

today i am happy & grateful for:
~ coffee
~ a clean room
~ internet access at work
~ my sneezes are onomatopoeia - they actually do sound like "ha-choo!!"

xo! n.

no introduction necessary...

Me & Crystal, circa 1999

Crystal & me, 10 years later

one of the greatest things about living in LA (there are lots of great things) is that it's a place everyone comes to visit. whether or not they're coming to visit me is irrelevant, i get to see them. and yesterday i got to catch up with my high school friend crystal - we're the type of friends that, even though we haven't seen each other or really even had a conversation in YEARS, picked right back up as though no time had passed. it was so nice.

she's living in rural N. Carolina in a big house, brewing beer, studying to be a registered nurse (she has a 4.0, so proud of her!) and floating around her giant herb & veggie garden, which i'm supremely jealous of. we talked about old friends & new loves, tattoos & travel, our decade of debauchery & settling into ourselves, and i think we determined that we're exactly where we need to be. we always have been. just look at us, we're still exactly the same, only better.

i am so grateful & happy for:
~ friendship that withstands time & distance
~ memories
~ sitting in the quiet night air with a beer & good conversation
~ my present life

xo! n.

off to a good start...

so today i met for the first time with my travel buddy, B. we've known each other for about a year and a half now, but have not really hung out much -- i know what you're thinking, recipe for travel disaster, but i think it'll be fine. he's a nice guy and we've agreed that we're both cool with going our separate ways if we want to see different things, and meeting back up for dinner. really, i'm his excuse to take a short trip to australia, and he's my way of not having those funky pictures you try to take of yourself but it ends up just one eyeball & half of the thing you were trying to get in the background. :)

he's only got about 10 days there, so he'll be seeing Sydney & Melbourne with me. in LA, he works for a radio station & they're playing with the idea of making his trip an installment of the radio show, which would be so cool! if it happens, maybe i can put a link to the radio show on here so y'all can listen in...

trip plans are going along well - i have my plane ticket, so i've allowed myself to slow down a bit on the planning until after the show i'm in, Side Work, closes in september. i do need to book my bus tickets (deciding on the tour i want to take) and go ahead & get my visa. yowza! it's really happening...

today i am so grateful & happy for:

~ bartending & catering jobs that allow me some living money before i leave

~ taking steps forward

~ confidence in my traveling methods & savvy

~ little opportunities that lead to great adventures

~ being open to whatever comes my way

xo! n.

My classic L.A. Life

I'm sitting outside at Roccos for happy hour, many many pear ciders in my tummy, waiting for a pizza under the setting sun. This is what life in LA is about. Well, besides making our own movies, which is awesome too...

The pic above is of cat & Phil, new friends I love. You can see the cali palms in the background. We're on Ventura boulevard, which still, after 5 years living here, reminds me of the tom petty song. I'm kinda smothered by cigarette smoke which I'm not used to since I left the south, but other than that its a good night.

I'm so grateful & happy for:
~ friends (old & new)
~ sunset
~ laughter

Yup.