Cleaning: Not Just My Coping Mechanism

P left for Houma, LA early this morning and we have no idea how long that job will last. He might be home for Christmas, or he might not... who knows? Although I am mentally prepared for the bitterness of having him gone most of December, I also need a way to cope.
The year I lived with Loni she quickly figured out that I often cleaned when I was upset, and she would kindly ask me if there was anything she could do. It was not until then that I realized cleaning was my coping mechanism.
Naturally, 20 minutes after the rumbling of P's truck had dissipated, my entire apartment was vacuumed.
 [Actually, let me make a tangent to exclaim just how AMAZING my new Dyson vacuum is. I ordered the cheapest one Best Buy had and I couldn't be any happier. It's a tiny, battery powered, lightweight thing with the craziest suction power. Upon using it for the first time, I was both appalled and astounded at how much dog hair was sticking to 10 square feet of carpet. I had to stop there because 1) it was already full of too much dog hair and 2) P was watching TV and refused to be interrupted to jump up and down with excitement about a vacuum. Dyson DC44 Rating: Awesome]

So back to my point, I super-vacuumed everything as soon as P drove off. And then proceeded to clean the kitchen, fold laundry, wipe down surfaces, put P's leftover tools away, and find other reasons to use my Dyson, such as sucking dust out of the AC vents. Worked like a charm.

My second coping mechanism: blogging. Here are my reasons as to why keeping a clean house makes me feel better about everything.

1. It is pleasing to sit in a clean, orderly room. 
2. Cleanliness attracts cleanliness and vice versa. If the place is a mess... I'll make more mess. If it's clean, then I'll want to keep it clean. 
3. Things don't get lost. I have a big rule about having a "home" for everything in the house, plus having one junk drawer per room. It totally works. 
4. Blank slates spawn creativity. For example, when all the dishes are clean and put away, and the fridge is nice and organized I feel like cooking. When my desk is clear of clutter I feel like writing or doing homework. When my clothes are all washed and put away I feel like trying harder than a "jeans and a t-shirt" look. 
5. It reduces my stress level. I've noticed that when I tidy up one room then I want to spend more time in that room and avoid the messy places of the house. That's because I feel more relaxed when I am in a clean environment. 

Alright, so there. With P gone my apartment is so clean and quiet that even Venom is lounging about instead of hyperactively chewing on toys. Now that this blog post is done and there is nothing else for me to clean, I must finally get to working on my awfully long take-home final exams. Ugh. 

Empty Nesting

Is this what empty nesting feels like? Because if it is, then I'm about 25 years too early. Philip left this morning for a job in Newark, NJ and our little apartment has never felt bigger. He's been out in the GoM working at an oil rig off the coast of Louisiana for the past 2-ish weeks, and now he's gone again! He was only in Corpus Christi for about 16 hours, and 8 of those I was at work, 4 were spent sleeping, 2 were spent stuck in traffic, and 2 were spent packing. It kinda sucked, but at least I got to see him.
I dropped him off at the airport this morning; he will be working in Newark, NJ for the next 3.5 weeks! Ugh, being an adult isn't fun sometimes.
BUT, on the other hand... here are the things I get to do in his absence:

1. drive his truck. seriously, I don't think he is ever getting this truck back. finders keepers. 
2. cook foods i love, but he doesn't. like spaghetti and all kinds of soup!
3. decorate like crazy and move furniture around
4. plan for super fun holiday trips like Christmas in New York :)
5. read more books! (I read 3 during the 2 weeks he was out at sea, it was great)
6. spend more time at Barnes and Nobel and less time at Lowe's
7. visit more people everywhere; the Valley, San Antonio, and I might even get wild and show up in Houston, Loni! 
8. give the TV/Xbox a much-needed rest
9. not feel guilty about takeout on the nights when i'm just not hungry enough to make dinner
10. have a fantastic week every month of having my hubby home with no other obligations <3

Ok, coming up with 10 good things about being lonely was more difficult than I thought it would be, but I think this schedule is something I could really get used to. I have tons of things to do while he's away, and I will always have something to look forward to. 

On a related subject, look at these pictures of him working out in the middle of the ocean! 

the basket that lifted them onto the platform

hardly working

and working hard

an almost-sunset 

Hardly Working after Working Hard

So here's the thing: 5 years ago I got a summer job at this amazing, awesome, fun, crazy place called Schlitterbahn. Amazing, awesome, fun, crazy places tend to require a lot of energy out of you, and that's how my summer routine of exhaustion all began. I worked in the Admissions department for two years, and the third year I moved to Corpus, so that tradition didn't last too long. Well... it so happens that the mother of all Schlitterbahns is currently being built here in my beloved Corpus Christi!

I have no idea what made me do it... maybe it was nostalgia, maybe it was the lure of working at a water park, maybe it was the desire to be more active, maybe it was the promise of more money added to my bank account, or maybe it was a combination of all 4, but I applied. Not only was I hired 2 minutes after meeting with my manager, but I was promoted to my old position of Admissions Lead about 20 minutes into my first day there. That was 8 days ago. And since then, I've become a bit of a nut due to a combination of 5 factors:

1. I have a full time job that I am committed to (Great Sage)

2. I have a full time job that I am committed to (Schlitterbahn) 

3. I have a full time job that I am not so committed to, but am responsible for anyway (housewife)

4. I am a full time student and I've become very anal about grades dropping below a 95. 

5. I have just been called as 1st Counselor in the Young Women's Organization 

Looks like I've bitten off a bit more than I can chew, huh? I think so, too. Today I am extremely grateful about the fact that for some unknown reason my subconscious has refused to let me sleep in past 7AM every day for months now, so even when I'm exhausted and I try to go back to bed, I cannot fall asleep. This used to be annoying, but now it's great news! It means that I'll have no option but to get out of bed and go do the things I'm responsible for. 

Yesterday night as we sat in an office doing Admission-y things, my manager broke the silence and said "Dang girl, did you know you've worked 60 hours??" I said "yeah... I know..." and finished my act with a sincere yawn. 

If you think those 60 hours have been over the course of 2 weeks, you are WRONG, my friend. Those 60 hours have occurred during 8 days. Two of those days I was Off. Two of those days I only worked from 6PM to 10PM. You do the math. Want me to do it for you? I worked 40 hours in one weekend, and that's only because I asked for Sunday morning off so that I could go to church. 

Of course, that's only counting one job. I have not yet taken into account how I've also worked 30-some hours at my year-round job, or how I've sat for eternities in classrooms at school. 

Isn't that crazy? I worked about 93 hours in ONE WEEK!!! 

Student loans: Beware. My paychecks and I are ready to make battle! 

So what was the point of this whole blog post?? A few minutes ago I was thinking about how great it would be to lay my head down on my desk and close my eyes just for two seconds. Then, I was rudely awoken by a knock on my office door while I was dreaming about "how I really shouldn't leave my head down for longer than 2 seconds". I bet I was asleep for 10 minutes haha. 

This is how terrible I look like today. My hair is untamed and untamable. My eyes have forgotten what mascara feels like, and the hot, heavy, humid July weather has attacked my facial skin like only summer in Corpus Christi can. After years of a clean face, I have now sprouted 4 pimples and a lavishly decorative collection of freckles all over the place. 

You see them? They're all in a line under my nose. Wonder what's up with THAT. Haha. Whatever. 

Drawbacks to my current life: 

1. Sun damage to skin

2. Tired all the times

3. Hair is forever unruly

Benefits of my current life:

1. Never have trouble sleeping!

2. I wouldn't be surprised if I've lost 5 lbs in a week.

3. Extra money = death to credit card debt 

So my point is: I'm tired. But I'd also like to mention how great I feel. This morning I woke up thinking about how you never really know how much you can do until you're pushed past the limit. It feels awesome to feel tired after a long weekend and know that I did the best I could in every aspect. And so that's my story for today. =)