Isaac Sinnett

The weekend is here! I can’t believe it. It actually arrived. There were times over the past week when I thought it might be nearly impossible for the weekend to start. Perhaps it might just be skipped over all together. The weekend has become my treasured time. The time where I can stand back and do the things that I want. I can write a blog, read a book, do some laundry or hang out with friends. You name it, it can happen. Back when I was in school I thought that I really looked forward to the weekend. But once you are finished with school, you realize that you had more free time than you thought. You didn’t have the pressures of the work week. Yeah, there were other pressures and they were hard too, but they are not the same. Looking back, school was easy. Gone are the afternoon strolls down university avenue to sit outside the coffee shop and do some homework or read a book. Gone are the days that you could sleep in cause you didn’t have an early class or have to work in the morning that day. Gone are the days that you get done early. That is why the weekends are so important now. They are all of those things that you use to be able to do at the drop of the hat. Yeah, you had schedules and deadlines but there always seemed to be some time you create if you wanted to. The key there is that if you wanted to you could create the time. You can’t just say, well, I’m going to leave work now because I feel like I need a stroll down the street.

Don’t take this blog the wrong way. I’m not complaining. I really enjoy my job and I actually like to go to work. Let’s get back to the focus, weekends. I got home from work tonight and new that whatever I chose to do, I wasn’t pressured by the time frames of work and deadlines. It was wonderful. I have had the most enjoyable evening just sitting here at the desk, listening to some music and relaxing.

So I have purchased some books and been reading some articles online, preparing myself for the upcoming election. I need to know who and why I am going to vote. I have long held the belief that I have a right not to vote. This typically turns out not to be a very popular line of thought. In fact, most people get angry about it. But what if you have done the research and your educated decision is not to vote. There just simply isn’t a candidate that you feel you can vote for. People then argue that you should still vote, even if you check the other box and vote for yourself or anyone else. But how is that better than not voting at all? Seems to me you are accomplishing the same result. This year, I may not really agree with all of the ideals of different candidates but feel that after I have educated myself I can make a decision that I’m happy with and place my vote. And to me, that’s what it’s about. Finding a candidate that you can agree with their general philosophy. Everything is going to change once they get into office, but you hope their general philosophies stay true.

Everybody must have that place where they can go and relax. It’s an essential part of life. You work so hard all of the time, but shouldn’t you relax and enjoy life just as much? The resounding answer should be a yes. I really like getting up and going to put in a hard day of work. When you work hard and you see the accomplishments, there is a since of pride and fulfillment that only that situation can bring. That day turns into a week or maybe a month. You spend a lot of time working hard so you can get to that coveted weekend or simply any day off. It is all of that time spent working that makes that time off that much more enjoyable. If you are already sitting back and relaxing all of the time, it’s pretty hard to sit back some more and relax more.

For me, that place is coming up to Michigan. It’s less than two hours drive and when I arrive it’s nothing but relaxing till I leave. I come up here an hangout with my brothers and friends that are still in the area. This morning we went out for breakfast and had a nice time sitting there, talking. “Shooting the shit” have you. Let conversation take the natural ebb and flow that it desires. A few verbal challenges here and there are great. That’s what keeps you on your toes and either questions what you are doing and believing in or solidifies your stance.

This conjures up memories of the wonderful times I had in Tucson. So I’ll add a picture.

A lot has happened since the last time I blogged, while I was home sick from work.  I’m definitely feeling much better and getting back to the norms of a healthy life but, am just not back to 100% yet.

There was yet more snow that came down on Wednesday night.  It was the really wet, nasty snow that would be better not falling in the first place.  Not to mention that this snow’s predecessor was a nice, afternoon long, thunderstorm on Monday.  As I have mentioned before, I am just amazed at the volatility and craziness of the weather this winter.  Needless to say, before I could leave for work on Thursday, I had to scrape about 2 inches of snow and ice off of my car.  This left the same amount of snow/ice on my hood, roof and trunk.  The engine heat melted the stuff on the hood.  The rest was left up to chance and some rather interesting times.

I was headed to a meeting downtown and pulled up to a stop light when all of the snow/ice that was on the roof of my car slid down and now was inconveniently sitting on my windshield.  Now, I’m sitting at  light downtown with 2 inches of snow/ice on my windshield.  At least I was stopped and not driving when this happened since I could not see a thing.  The snow was so heavy that it made my windshield wipers jet out in all sorts of weird directions (if there are all sorts of directions for a windshield wiper to go).  I had to put the car in park, put the flashers on and get out and clean off the car so that I could see and finally make it to my destination.

All week long my phone had been giving me a lot of problems.  One day, the keypad wouldn’t work so I couldn’t call or text anyone.  The touchscreen still worked so I could answer phone calls, but that was it.  On Thursday when I was downtown, my phone either wouldn’t make phone calls or when it did, the people on the other line couldn’t hear me.  I was about ready to punt the dumb thing right into Lake Michigan.  The phone just couldn’t win like that and I was not about to let it.  So, like a rational human being, I walked into the Apple store and bought myself an iPhone.  Best purchase I’ve ever made. (I’ll put the MacBook Pro that I’m typing on up there too just so it doesn’t get mad at me and stop working)  ((this is like one giant Apple commercial)) (((can you keep adding parenthesis when you want to make another side comment on top of another)))  ((((I’m going to go with NO so I’ll stop after this one))))  Needless to say, I’m like a giddy little kid with my new phone and it is awesome!!!

I’ve really been wanting to get back into exercising again.  I was doing so good with running and all this past spring.  Then I moved to Chicago and it all went down hill.  Before, I could walk out of my front door and run wherever I wanted.  Now, I had to run in the city, find my way down to the lake front or join a gym.  All either extremely inconvenient, annoying or way out of my budget.  Thankfully though, with my new job, I was able to get access to a gym. I went last night for the first time and it was great.  It was so nice to get some exercise in and I felt great after.  Its one of those nice gym/health club venues.  Amenities everywhere.  Not to mention, a spa and any other thing that one could possibly imagine and not need.  But, after I go there a few times, I too will see them as a need.

Today I left work and had to come home sick. I have been sick more times since moving to Chicago last May than I think I ever have. It’s so weird. It’s as though my body thinks that since it’s been healthy for a little over a month that it’s time to get sick again. What is up with that? I woke up Monday morning feeling pretty much like garbage. I went to work and then took it easy when I got home and went to bed really early. Even slept through the night. However, this morning was greeted by feeling like complete garbage. Quite the upgrade from the day before. I’m not one to take days off from work unless I really can’t make it. So, like a crazy man, I set off to work thinking that I could make it through the day. When my eyes were completely watering up on the way to work, I questioned if going in was the right call. I did not heed those thoughts. After working for a few hours, it became clear that making it successfully through the day was not to be in the cards. To write full circle, I arrived at home for many cups of tea, O.J. and water coupled with a nap that my body desperately needed.

I don’t know if you are one of those people, but when I take a good long nap in the afternoon, I wake up very groggy. Sort of that feeling that makes you wonder if you had been better off not taking the nap in the first place. Today, was no exception. After having roamed the house for a few hours like a zombie, it seems as though I have rebounded like a camp. That is if I must say so myself, and of course, I must. While sitting here and writing this blog, I am able to report that I feel much better, but still with a little way to go in the health department.

Friday started a new phase in my life. I’m a newly, fully covered, individual. Meaning that I now have health, dental, vision, life and whatever other kinds of things you can have. It was a very exciting time for me. To go with that, I have a gym membership which I am very excited about. The plan was to go there last night and get everything set up, but without giving the details of the previous two paragraphs, that didn’t happen. I am trying to decide if I want to head to the gym before I go to work or after I go to work. If before, than that means incredibly early mornings. If after, than getting home late. It might up end up being a mixture of the two.