Here, You Babies

A special blog posting from a unique location: Boston Logan International Airport! Don’t pee in your pants, it’s not that exciting. I thought maybe I would post while on my trip in Maine, but that didn’t happen. We’re on our way back to Detroit, and although we had a direct flight on the way to Bangor, we have to change planes in Boston this time. At least I can say I was in Massachusetts, for whatever that’s worth. Don’t you wish you were in Boston, in an airport, at 7:00 on a Friday night? That’s right, I’m here and you’re not.

I have noticed and seen a few interesting things though:
1) Boston’s airport is very un-ergonomic. I think I dislike this airport more than Atlanta. So far, Greenville/Spartanburg wins the best airport in the world award.
2) We walked past a gate with tons of red headed people speaking in Gaelic accents and I realized it was for an Aer Lingus flight to Dublin
3) I ate Chinese food twice today, lunch and dinner. Lunch was boneless ribs and dinner was General Tso’s chicken. My fortune at lunch said “out of hard times comes opportunity”. That was a good one, considering I may not have a job much longer. More on that later.
4) Traveling with my boss was pretty good. We played racquetball at Gold’s Gym last night and that was actually a lot of fun.
5) I got to see my favorite manufacturing engineer in the whole wide world at our plant in Maine. This lady is the BOMB. I told my boss she should be hired in Northville as a comedienne. She’s one of the funniest people I’ve ever met, and laughing so hard my cheeks hurt yesterday was a good feeling.
6) I’m reading Harry Potter, the 1st book. I think I would live in the Ravenclaw house, but Leslie said Griffendorf.
7) Right now I’m listening to Death Cab For Cutie: Where Soul Meets Body.
8) Paul (roommate Paul, not Hart or little Miska) called today and said he worked from home, and let Walter stay outside and the lady who lives behind me came over and said she didn’t think Walter should stay outside that long…she was concerned. It was in the high 40’s there today. He’s fine.
9) I miss Leslie

Gosh lists feel good to write. Just glance up for a minute. Go ahead do it. No, up, above this; those numbers 1-9. Those look organized don’t they? Yes, they do. What else…what else is there to say? Oh yeah, job stuff. It’s really so screwed up right now I’m not even worried. There are rumors of 10% salary cuts (which means after 2 years of experience I would essentially go back in pay to LESS than I did right out of college) so that’s awesome. Then there’s layoffs. I’m really not scared of losing my job to be honest. I have always had above average reviews, and I’m a degreed engineer. We have people in our group who are not degreed engineers, who have bad reviews, and contractors, so those would have to go first.

My Time Up North

I just got back from a famous Michigan "up north" weekend. That's what people here say when they go to their weekend cabins 3 hours away. It's like southeast Michigan is the metropolis and people all leave on a Friday and go north and come back on Sunday. It's sort of like going to the Jersey Shore, but in Michigan. And funner and there's not garbage.

Leslie and I left Friday evening to drive to Frederic, MI which is close to Grayling, but in reality there's nothing there but trees and snow and native northern Michiganers, which are a little scary. It was an AMAZING weekend. Friday we left her house around 6:30 and got to her aunt and uncle's cabin around 9:30. There wasn't really any snow around here, but when we got north the snow was definately there. Saturday was snowmobiling. Leslie's aunt and uncle own 2 snowmobiles, and her uncle and I went out first for a 2 hour ride.

This is how snomobiling works. You ride on the road, and on trails, but never in the open woods. There could be barb wire which has decapitated people. Then, there's random bars in the middle of the woods packed with snowmobiliers. You go inside, and it's PACKED full of them. That's the thing, you snowmobile then go to a bar, then repeat.

Later, Leslie and her uncle and I left around 6:30 to go eat dinner. So we drove the snowmobiles to a restaurant in the middle of the woods, then we snowmobiled out in the woods until 11:30. That was amazing, and probably the most romantic thing Leslie and I have done. Being in the middle of NOWHERE at 11:30 on a snowmobile flying down a trail going 60 mph with snow covered trees is HOT. It was a really, really great time. We actually stopped, and turned the snowmobiles off and it was pitch black, and so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Definately one of the funnest winter things I've ever done, and being with her was great.

To make it even better, Leslie's aunt and uncle told both of us (individually) that we made a really great couple and looked very natural with one another. We always get that comment from people...that we seem to be naturals together. I love her so much!

It was an amazing weekend. I have to go to Maine this Tuesday - Friday for work so I'm sure I will do lots of updating while there, because what else is there to do in Maine?

Success! A NEW Record!

She loved it :)

See below.

Dear St. Valentine, Make This Day Great

Valentine's Day Weekend!

I'm so excited. Leslie and I have been teasing each other all week, keeping "top secrets" and not telling each other anything about what we're going to do for each other, but hinting at things. I'm making mine really hard to guess. I even told her I was working on it at 7:00 in the morning one day this week, which I was. She's so stumped. It's going to be awesome!

This is the first Valentine's Day of my life where I've had a REAL Valentine (other than a family member) and I'm really looking forward to it!

I am prepared with her favorite types of candy (which are random, I still could never find that pesky Nerds rope), a book, a picture of us, and a scavenger hunt/walk through the house with cards. I can't wait! Suprises kill me, I have a very hard time keeping a secret.

I'll post back with the results!

This Will Be Good

I'm in love. I really, really am. I've always wondered how you know, like really know you're in love with someone. Some people say they knew from the moment they saw the other person, some say they grew to love the person. For me, this is sort of my story.

I can't say I was looking for love, but what I was looking for was a girl to date, someone to have a relationship with. The last two were sort of duds, and I wanted something a little more like real relationship. eHarmony really did work for me. I'm not sure how much stock I put into the actual "matching" of it, but we were two people compatible who found each other.

How do I know I'm in love? For me, it's waking up every morning and the first thought being about Leslie...everyday. It's thinking about her multiple times, throughout the day. It's wondering how her meeting with her manager is going, or wondering if her day is going well. It's my mind being on her, and not work. It's looking forward to seeing her for any reason, no matter what the activity is. It's looking forward to each weekend with her. It's thinking of ways I can make her smile, or make her happy. It's being thankful we get along so well, and laugh at the same stupid things. It's her family, and how well I get along with them. It's just her, I can't put it into words, because I've never felt this way. It's thinking about how I'll make her Valentine's Day special even though it's still not here.

I have a plan, a good one. I'm going to do a scavenger hunt, in my house. I'm going to write out small notes telling her what I love about her, and chronicle some of the experiences we've had. I'm going to scatter them through the house like clues and let her find each one. This will be good, I think she's going to love it.

I'm happy.

Moving Right Along

Saturday Leslie and I finally used the "L" word. We love each other! It was pretty evident earlier, but the words were finally said Saturday and it was awesome. Things are going really, really well. After the hour long episode of the best show on TV (The Office) I found this clip of Phyllis and had to post it here.

25 Random Things About Me

You were supposed to do this on Facebook, but I'll post it here instead. Here are 25 Random Things About Me you might like to know.

1) If I could go anywhere in the world I'd go to Isreal
2) I love thermodynamics, to the point I got excited about going to that class in college.
3) Moving to Michigan was the hardest thing I've ever done in my life, but rewarding in many ways
4) I love passenger airplanes, Boeing planes especially
5) Pikmin is my favorite video game
6) Other than family and friends the three things I miss most about South Carolina are Clemson, NewSpring, and sunshine
7) I prefer cold to hot
8) I struggled deciding between engineering and secondary education as a major in college and sometimes wonder if I chose ther right one
9) My dream, since a child, was to be able to look at a car on the road and say I designed something on that car
10) Arrogance is one quality (yes, I can get by the rest) that immediately turns me off to a person
11) California is my favorite state
12) I think Europe is overrated, and the Caribbean is underrated
13) I once drove 100 mph in Kentucky when it was dark and nobody was around
14) I love sweet tea, but I hate grits
15) Blue is my favorite color
16) People tell me I ask too many questions but that's how I learn
17) I can't help from laughing when people trip or fall
18) Lifehouse is my favorite band
19) I firmly believe the Saturn S series was the best car ever made
20) Soccer is my favorite sport
21) Household chores like cutting grass, raking leaves, or shoveling snow for some reason are an outlet for me to think
22) I think the muscle pain from exercising feels good
23) Mango is my favorite fruit
24) I think the "green" movement should not be attached to politics
25) Watching a movie, however simple that sounds, is a good source of enjoyment for me