Mazatlan (can't make the thing over the last "a")

Ever wake up and think to yourself  "I'm fucking tired and burned out and need a vacation and I'm turning 43 next week and still don't know how to fucking surf"?

Me too.

That's why I decided on Thursday to go to Mazatlan to learn to surf. I'm leaving tomorrow. Luckily my manager and projects I'm supporting took the news well - normally I have to schedule vacation 6 months in advance. One project manager sent me an email that said "Look out sharks! Franki + surfboard = shark injury".

Ha. Ha. Ha. It's not easy being an uncoordinated jew.

I realized talking to my friend Cam last night that the last vacation I took where I didn't do any work related stuff was December 2000. But, I was on crutches and had just had knee surgery so it wasn't a super great vacation.

In other news I decided to buy a bathing suit since I don't have one and they're kind of critical to laying on the beach and looking good. I let Kristin at swim n sport talk me into buying a bikini (Cherry Creek mall, she is so awesome - figured out first try what size I needed and I bought the first thing I tried on). I have never, ever, worn a bikini. Chaos may ensue. But it's cute, hot pink with little ruffly flowers on it (I didn't buy this bottom though, I got this one).

I look like a fucking birthday cake, fuck yeah!!!!

My manager from two companies ago died unexpectedly of a heart attack on Tuesday. He was just a few years older than me, in great shape, and the day before he died we were exchanging emails about doing a century bike ride together in California (I'd like to think I was somewhat of an influence on his daughter, who is studying engineering).

Life is short. Fuck it. Take a vacation.

oops, got my aspie score wrong

This is the result of an aspie test a doctor had me take after a woman in my writing group, who's writing a book about asperger's, suggested I might have it:

I should never tell my friends I'm an aspie

Asperger's. Yeah. Great for engineering work. Not so great when you have friends and you read their emails really fast.

Friend:
Don't read the text, just quickly look at the picture and answer the question if which chocolate bar you would give the kid.

 

Me:
I picked the milky way. Don't know why. I think they're gross. Actually, the midnight ones aren't bad. But that puffy crap freaks me the fuck out. What is that puffy crap? It's in snickers too.

Friend: 
You're not too far on the spectrum of Asp., they don't know which one the kid wants... From a book on decision making I"m reading.

Me:
So which one did the fucking kid want? If he wanted something else why is he looking at the milky way (weirdly, after you said I was wrong I looked at the pic again to see why I might have picked the milky way - I realized I hadn't looked at the kids face and was picking more due to the placement of the candy bars - but I must have subconsciously noticed him eying the milky way that he apparently doesn't want - fucking kids)? See, that's what's wrong with people. I would look at the candy bar I wanted. Doing anything else is illogical. Anyway, all those candy bars suck. I like gummi bears.

For the record, I'm a 220 out of 225 on the aspie scale and 25 out of 225 on the neuro normative scale. The doctor didn't believe me when I told him I was a consultant.

(note that I interpreted my friend's response as me picking the wrong candy bar for some reason - was distracted)

Friend:
You're good at hiding the differences.... That's from a cool book about decision making and how our heuristic processes work, cool.

Me:
But which candy bar was the right answer?????

You're killing me!

Friend:
You got it "right," the kids eyes were pointing toward it as you note!

(for some reason I interpreted the "" as not as right as I could have been) 

Me:

But it wasn't the right answer? What's the right answer?

Aaaaahhhh!!!

My friend has not responded. Maybe I drive my friends crazy.

flowers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ever since I moved into my place I've wanted to do a flower garden on the upstairs deck.

Done.

That only took 7 years. Sheesh.

I texted my dad because the line at home depot was insane. He told me that mother's day is the busiest day at home depot. Nice. Take your mom/wife to a hardware store on her big day.

Flowers in their planters. Not sure what's going on with flower number five from the end. It looks like it's retching. Too much to drink last night or maybe doesn't approve of my color scheme. I was in mad "just buy some shit and get the fuck out of here!!!!" mode so it wasn't until I got home that I really looked at what I bought.

There are some cool annuals. Can't believe I have to replant all this shit next year.