I did have something different planned for today

… however, life sometimes takes over.

One of my dearest friends, D, has lost her father this evening. She lost her mother two years ago, to the month. She has been through so much, too much, and while I would love to be there for her – another friend and I were already planning to leave for Ohio tomorrow – she’s asked us to not come. And because we love her, we will respect her wishes. But oh, will we worry.

It’s funny, this group we belong to, the hash. It seems like all sorts of fun and fluff, and it is, but when it comes down to it, I have made some of my dearest friends through it. Well, that and the knitting community, which is how I met D, who then introduced me to the hash. Within seconds of my friend and I posting on Facebook that we were thinking about doing it, both communities rallied around D, knowing that we can’t make the situation any better, but wanting to help.

All I can do is splash a shot of bourbon in my tea (oh yeah, I’m sick again) and toast the two people who gave the world their wonderful daughter. We’ll take care of her, not because she needs it, but because we love her… and she’s a member of the Sisterhood. Those bonds are strong.

The drama free zone seemed to work! Woot!

Dear Drama,

I would like to thank you for taking the weekend off – or at least not coming down and joining us on our camping trip in a major way. I really appreciate that.

Thanks,

Klassy and Friends

Yes, all in all it was a drama free weekend, which was a good thing. Considering I started out the weekend in a mood (still not sure why), I don’t think I would have handled all sorts of drama well. (Though this weekend was an eye opener in that I think I know who passed along my blog. It wasn’t who I originally thought, but it makes sense now. Thanks for that.) Lots of drinking, fun, dancing, drinking was had and even a wedding! I know at some point on both Friday and Saturday nights I toasted to this being a “No Bad Decisions Revolution” – and I stuck to that.  Woot! Was interrogated about K (a fair few of the people there are friends of mine on FB) and asked why he wasn’t there, promises were made to bring him down to meet some of my friends down that way at some point. Heh.

A great weekend had, can’t wait to do it again next year! Thanks to all the peeps who worked so hard to put it on (and kept the assholes from joining us)… Love you all! xo

Caution: Drama-Free Zone

Dear Drama,

Please to stay away this weekend… or at least, stay away from me and my friends. I am officially declaring the area surrounding at least 5 tents a Drama-Free Zone. However, you mess with my friends, you will regret it. We all look forward to this weekend and will not have it ruined by your stupid, idiotic drama.

Thank you in advance,

Klassy and Friends

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Things I have learned camping

The second campout of the year is under my belt and D and I made it to the wilds of Pennsylvania and back safely.  This city girl is really not outdoorsy at all, but when it comes to camping, as long as I follow some simple rules, I find that all is good.

1. Go camping with no fewer than 50-80 of your closest friends. Preferably with lots of food and alcohol. Any fewer than that and you’re actually camping for real, and who would want to do that?
2. Set up your tent where you want to sleep and not where you want to party, if you intend to get any sleep/quiet time at all. (In this case, at the bottom of a hill. Which is really only a bitch when the bathrooms and beer are at the top of that hill.)
3. Never leave camp. Some of your friends might be the “athletic” type and go running through wooded areas that might have swamps/poison ivy/whatever else might be crap, they can do that. However, you, don’t leave camp. That way if there are showers, you can have them all to yourselves (hot water being an important commodity) or you can have a quiet campground to take lots of naps in.
4. Bring no fewer than two fans with you. Always. Even if you don’t think you’ll have any need of them. Preferably one that hangs with a light. This weekend was so bloody hot that two fans were necessary – and this is generally the coldest of the trips.
5. Always bring your own liquor stash that only a few people know about. Beer is great, but sometimes a little heavy. (First thing in the morning, after a crazy night before…) Have the small stash that makes the morning sing… and will get you through the rest of the day.
6. Packing enough clothing/things for any eventuality is a necessity. When you start to question why you’re bringing enough clothing for a European vacation for 2 1/2 days in the woods, ignore it and keep packing. Costume changes are essential – especially if the weather is acting a bit wonky.
7. New, strange people don’t bite – unless you ask them to.

These are only a few of the gems that I have learned over the last couple of years and I know I’m missing so many others. Are there stories from the weekend? Perhaps. I might even tell them sometime. Heh.

Shattered

Wow, it’s been a month (practically) since I last blogged?  So much for that “wanting to be a better blogger” thing.  Heh.  Not that anyone really noticed, I’m sure.

Honestly though, I am shattered.  That pretty much sums up the month of April.  Shattered in the oh-my-God-I-am-so-tired-that-I-might-drop-at-any-moment way, not in the -oh-my-God-I’m-going-to-lose-my-mind-way.  It seems like if it’s not one thing, it’s another.  Just as I’m starting to feel normal from whatever that bug was that I had for 3 months, I get strep.  Lucky me!  Happy, happy, joy, joy!  And work hasn’t gotten any easier either, though I think that I may have made a decision there – I just need to write a letter or two.

However, I did have a fun (if not at all restful) start to camping season!  Woot!  Camping season started early this year with a trip down to Fayetteville last weekend.  So. Much. Fun.  So. Fucking. Tired.  Love these people though and need to hang with them all more often!   Oh, and the remedy to exhaustion after a camping weekend?  Another one next weekend, this time in the wilds of Pennsylvania.  No, I am not functional, I’m decorative.  :)

I will be actively trying to post more often, as I have joined the Clever 1000.  This means I might be blogging about products as well (I told them I would love to) or blogging on certain subjects – hopefully, you’ll find them interesting, and I can work on my writing skills as a bonus!  (If you’re at all interested in the Clever 1000, they’re looking for women who are savvy with all types of social media – you don’t have to have a blog. Just click the link above.)

Hello 2010

Oh 2010, you don’t know how good it is to see you. Honestly, 2009 had worn out its welcome. I mean, it all started off okay, then got crappy, then okay again… and then it was shit-tacular what with the passing of my aunt the week of Christmas and all.

Don’t get me wrong, there are so many things I am thankful for from 2009. I made a ton of new friends with all the traveling and camping this year – and I got to know a lot of my old friends so much better. (There’s a lot to be said when you’re with a small group of people, weekend after weekend, in places where there are little to no opportunities to shower (except at Nittany – love them, they build showers) – you really get to know those people. And get to love them. Or, in the odd case, not.) I got to cross more places off my list of places to visit – and discover that I love Colorado. I didn’t think I would. I’ve made more time for me this year. I haven’t really done that in years past, and honestly, I’m not going to forget to do that again. What I need to learn is how not to feel guilty when I am taking time for me… but that’s another thing altogether. I’ve met a pretty nice guy, parted ways for awhile and came back to each other. We’ll see how that goes.

If I had been a better blogger, I might have made a list of the things I’ve done in 2009 and a list of resolutions for 2010. I’m not, though. I’m not really the resolution-type, either – I love the idea, but I always break those resolutions then feel so guilty about it. Why heap on the guilt for the year? Screw it, no resolutions. I do have a few goals, small ones, but that’s it.

• Be a better blogger in the new year. I’m not talking blog every day, because we all know that’s just not gonna happen, but make a more conscious effort to blog. It’s here, I should use it.
• Be better about taking pictures and uploading them. Also, attempt to take a picture every day, Project 365 style. Will I succeed? Probably not, but at least I can try. Maybe even try more self-portraits. And try not to be so damn critical.
• Try to get some organization in my life. Right now, my life is a mess, physically. I need to do something about it.
• Figure out what to do with the shop this year. I’ve been putting off making a decision one way or the other for so long for so many reasons… I need to do something for me.

So, that’s it. That’s my focus for the year. I’ve gotten a start on the organization, since I spent my entire evening rearranging and reorganizing and scrubbing surfaces in my kitchen. It’s a start.

Let me sum up

Let me ‘splain. No, there is too much. Let me sum up.

It’s amazing how I tend to forget about the blog. I keep intending to blog, really I do, but it always seems to be the very last thing on my list of things to do. A valid reason, yes, I mean life is hectic (even just coming back from a vacation), but it’s an excuse nonetheless.

The fast-forwarded version of what’s been going on at Chez Klassy (yes, I decided that moving my blog meant that “She Takes On” was just tired and needed a new name – so, voilá! Klassy with a K it is… but I digress) might still take a while to tell, but tell, I will. I may need to get coffee to try and remember it all, lol.

Coffee procured, we can continue.

When we last met, it was 3 months ago and I was waxing poetic (or not) about honeysuckle. Where to start? It’s been a busy summer with work and with the hash – I’ve done more events this summer than ever. Which has definitely been a change from years past. A nice one. I’ve gotten to watch two of my favorite amateur hockey teams, the Clusterpucks (at Kettler – along with the Red Team, which has a few of my Hockey Boys on it) and the Fairfax Lightning (the Hockey Boys’ main team) do extremely well in their summer leagues – I know the Lightning won theirs, but I was out of town when the Clusterpucks played their game. Anyone know the outcome? (I could just ask on Facebook, but whatev, that actually makes sense and we all know that I am not about that.)

Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know… what most of y’all want to know is the rundown of the Boys of Summer. There haven’t been many, but there might have been a few. Heh.

Boy #1: Running Boy. (He’s also Boy #4, but that’s for later.) A very nice guy in the midst of a bad divorce. He and I get along well (and he’s a good kisser…), but we both have issues with doing anything while he’s still legally married. In May, at the beginning of camping season, I may have drunkenly told him that once things were final, I was claiming him. LOL. Totally my type – yup, that means he’s military. Duh. I mean, I’m just doing my part to support the troops, right?

Boy #2: Camping Boy. This one was a hot mess. It didn’t start out that way, though. He’s a smooth talker. Met him at a camping trip in June and we just clicked. You know that feeling like you’ve known someone your whole life after meeting them for 5 minutes? That’s what it was like. By the end of the night we were finishing each other’s sentences and talking about shows that we loved on NPR. (I may have confessed my desire to have Carl Kasell’s voice on my voicemail. Maybe.) Neither of us meant to hook up, but we did. It was a short, intense relationship that ended a little over a month later when I discovered that he had a big problem: forgetting to tell me he was married. As I mentioned above with Running Boy (RB), I have issues with that. If that’s how you want to live your life and marriage, so be it. Just don’t drag me into it. I would have looked at it as a pleasant mistake that was made if he’d just told me that weekend, but no. Finding out from mutual friends/acquaintances at a barbeque was just wrong. Granted, I know who my friends are and I know that they’ll stick up for me. After the huge blowup – during which he sent me my birthday gift (a not pretty crystal star from Tiffany that I promptly exchanged for something I would like) – we’re on friendly terms. He knows that if he crosses any line again, he’s done.

Boy #3: Bartender Boy. This one was a surprise at the last camping trip of the season. We were doing a Short Bus Trail (aka bar crawl) and we picked him up at the second bar. Apparently, he thought we were so much fun that he and his boss joined us at the third bar. He came back to the camp with us. He’s a youngin’, only 25 years old – and annoying as all fuck while drinking. (As most 25 year olds are. Not all, just most. This could be my wisdom-of-the-ages-almost-mid-thirties ass talking here, but I find it to be true more often than not.) To keep him from annoying the others, I pretended to be interested in what he had to say, then took him back to my tent. (Hey, guys do it all the time, why can’t I?) It’s been awhile since I’ve been 25, and even then I didn’t date 25 year olds, so I’d forgotten about the stamina they have. Bartender Boy (BB) definitely had that and took direction well, except when I said I was done and to go home. His friends came by to say they were leaving and would give him a ride home and BB tells them that he’ll stay. I told him to go, it was fine – it really was, I just wanted to sleep and he was like a kid on too much sugar – but no, he stayed. And was clingy. He tried to convince me to stay in town an extra night – I was like “hell, no! Thanks for the fun, but I’m going home.” I got a lot of shit about him the next day, but that was also because I wasn’t trying to be quiet… Hey, when you have an audience listening outside your tent, you play it up.

Boy #4: Running Boy, again. That just deserves a post of its own. It’s still going on, had a fabulous date while in Denver, spent tons of time together in Winter Park… He’s sweet, makes me laugh, takes care of me while I’m drunk (there was much drinking done in Winter Park), and seemed absolutely delighted when I told him that I was keeping him for a long while. However, the divorce still isn’t final, so nothing more than that yet… But one can hope. He was apologetic when we talked about it and said he hated to ask me to wait, but I said I would. So I will. ::fingers crossed::

And for those who keep track, this one has been around throughout. I gave him the boot while I was with #2, then let him back in after. I’ll be ignoring all texts from him asking for, well, anything. He’s a good friend, but I’m really just done with him. Especially with RB back in the picture.

So, that’s the quick roundup of the guys and the camping and the summer. A more detailed post about my trip to Denver and Winter Park to come. I mean, I should actually work sometime today, right? It’s the first day back and there’s so much to do… More coffee, please!

Valentine’s Day should be just that: a day.

So, this post is a bit late, as it's technically two days after V-day, but whatever. The few people who still check up on this damn blog are probably thinking that any damn post is a bit late in coming! I know I keep promising an update on what's going on, but most of y'all are already friends on Facebook, so eh, you already know.

Actually, V-day wasn't bad at all – at first. (Again, updating Facebook is a handy thing.) A great day at work, getting to see a good friend, and a date to look forward to that evening. What could go wrong? Must learn to not piss off fate by being a cocky bitch. Fate tends to screw you over.

First off, the date-which-turned-out-to-not-be-so-much-of-a-date: I have had a thing for this guy (we'll call him Hockey) for a couple months now, but haven't done anything other than flirt. Partly because I was still peripherally involved with Boat Boy, but mostly because I just wasn't sure if he liked me. I'm a bit dense when it comes to that – unfortunately, so is he. So when he asked me out and made it seem like it was going to be just the two of us, I was very excited. Come to find out, at the last minute he invited two of his friends along – it wasn't anything romantic, just watching the Caps' away game at Front Page and off to a bar that a teammate of his – did I mention he plays on a novice hockey league? – owns, which wasn't a bad thing, just not what I had hoped/expected. Now the question here is: was he nervous and needed "chaperones" or just hanging out with a friend… on Valentine's Day? This is where I wish that for all my tough talking about it just being another day, I hadn't bought into the whole romantic aspect of the day. *sigh*

Anyhow, a good time was had – eventually, as they were late – the Caps won and we headed off to the other bar. We should have stayed. Karaoke was sung by all of us at the other bar, we were taken care of fabulously – until the bar closed. We had an after-hours with the owner which was fun until it wasn't. One of Hockey's friends said something (I still don't know what) that pissed the owner off and he goes apeshit and starts to hit the friend. As we're all yelling at him to stop, he starts throwing shit, then gets pulled into the kitchen – where he's still ranting and then I see Hockey come out of the kitchen with a bloody nose, a cut under his eye and his glasses bent. Apparently, Apeshit decided that for sticking up for his friend, Hockey needed to be slugged. (Oh, and earlier Apeshit had declared that he was on a 10 day bender. Christ.) I cleaned him up and we all got out of there as quickly as possible – I followed Hockey and friends back to his place and continued the nursing. (Steph, you'd be proud of me – that latent nurse you say is in me snapped into action last night and quickly!) All in all, NOT a good way to spend Valentine's Day night! Can I get a do-over on that?

In other news, went on a ski trip with my running friends and I had a blast! I don't ski or board, but I drank. Lots. The only time I was sober was when I tried my hand at tubing – I never knew that it was so much fun! So much so, that Dani and I are heading out to Whitetail in the morning to go tubing again. Incidentally, the trip also was where I was when Boat Boy and I decided to call it a day – for good, this time. Very uneventful, very drama-free (for him, it was almost a grown up breakup). No playing with each other, no nothing.

No promises that I'll post more frequently, but I'll try. Hey, with the universe seeming to send the vibe out that I'm single again, all the boys seem to be coming out of the wordwork – which means I may have dates that I can blog about! Well, there was this one… but why blow my wad on the first post back?

(Um, does anyone who still uses Typepad know why my categories suddenly disappeared? I can't remember what the hell they all were! Dammit! Fuck me. *sigh*)