New Beginnings

There's the saying if March comes in like a lion, then it'll go out like a lamb--or vice versa. Today is the first of March and so far the weather seems quite lamb-like. Maybe this is an omen for things to come. I also found a heads up penny on the ground. Another good omen.

On the train this morning (by the way, I hate the CTA), there was this eccentric older guy sitting there shuffling a deck of cards. Just shuffling. I wondered if he was nervous and used it as a means to calm himself. Or maybe he's a magician. Or maybe just a freakshow. Anyway, it was a weird observation. Last night I saw The Thermals in concert. It was a pretty good show. My editor from The Onion was there. I hadn't seen him in a while, so it was good to hang out with him. I really need to hang out with Onion people more, that is, if time ever allows it. It made me nostalgic for last summer when I was living in Wicker Park, interning, and attended four major music festivals over the course of a three month period. Soon enough those summer festivals will be upon us again. I've decided I need to attend at least one show a week, especially check out more local acts. There is such a thriving music scene in Chicago and I should take advantage of it more.

I'm beginning to wonder when I stopped paying attention to movie releases. Seriously. I used to know about every movie coming out, but lately, I'm like, huh? Chris Rock has a movie called I Think I Love My Wife coming out. WTF?? And what's this 300 film all about? There are ads all over the place for it. There's some random fairytale movie coming out called The Last Mimzy. Sounds, um, lame. I suppose there's a reason I don't pay attention because 99% of it is simply crap. I just read the new Batman moving will be filming here this summer. Michael Keaton and Dennis Quaid are also shooting films in town. I'm going to send my resume. How ironic Keaton is filming a movie close to the same time as Batman. Hmm..

Today is a glorious day. My roommate has finally moved out and now the chi can be restored. Frenchie will have a room of his own and all will be right with the planets. Now we can put this debacle behind us and move on with our lives. The best part about the situation is now I will have a garage to park my car in. Hip-hop hooray! My roommate moving out got me thinking about relationships in general. Sometimes it's hard to maintain them in a friendship, romantic, and familial sense. I've only had 3 falling outs with friends in my life--at least that's all I can think of. Falling outs meaning a bridge is torched and you never speak to one another again. There have been moments where some of my friendships were on shaky ground, but somehow we worked through it. I believe everyone comes into your life for a reason. There is a reason for every single person you meet in your life. Once you learn what you need to from certain people, they simply disappear from your life. If you are lucky, they will return--even if it's 6 years later. There are definitely friends or family members I do not talk to anymore, but it's the case where nothing in particular occurred--we just grew apart. If we ran into each other, we'd surely stop and chat. Then there are those people who you'd ignore if you saw them. But what do you do about mutual friends after the break up? What's the protocol? Do you remain friends or simply erase all signs of your previous friend? Should these mutual friends remain neutral or take sides? I am still friends with a couple of Ex Boyfriend's friends. I do occasionally see these friends when they come to town, but I also have an amicable relationship with Ex Boyfriend, so it's okay.

I am the kind of person who doesn't like to singe bridges. I admit in the aforementioned falling outs, my initial behavior might have been the impetus but these people took things too far and overreacted in very immature ways. They blew it all out of proportion and made it unbearable for me to be friends with them. If they only calmed down a little, maybe things would've been different. But, I don't want to associate with people who go nuts anyway. It sucks to lose friends, but you realize you're better off without some of them. You realize maybe you didn't really know them at all. This is how I feel about my latest falling out. I guess I didn't have much invested in the friendship since I'd only known this person for a few months. When I met this person, this person disguised their true personality. Slowly, this person's real self came out and it wasn't pretty. C'est la vie. Sometimes you have to leave people behind. The same goes for romantic relationships. I do my best to maintain friendships with ex paramours and for the most part, I've been successful. Even if you don't talk on a regular basis, at least you know you can communicate and it won't be too awkward. I'm on good terms with all my exes except for one, but believe me, I tried my best to rectify the situation but this person wasn't having it. As for family, well, there are family members I do not talk to. I have always had a rollercoaster relationship with one of my cousin's. Just because you're related to someone doesn't mean they have to be in your life. The bottom line is relationships are tricky. If they don't work out, you have to let them go. People come in and out of your life like a revolving door, but the truest people always remain.

March will be a good month. St. Patty's day is coming up along with Nooroz, SXSW, and Bloc Party in concert. Hopefully I will feel more acclimated to my job, the new living situation, and everything else. If nothing else, work will become more interesting because of one of my co-workers. I seem to have a knack for being drawn to co-workers. It definitely makes the day better. It gives you something to look forward to. All those secret IM's, walking out together, conference room escapades. Um, yeah. I'm speaking from both past and present situations. Nothing has quite happened yet, but well, it's just a matter of time, right? It's building up. Then again, I could be completely misinterpreting the whole scenario. It's funny how IMing and texting and Myspace allows you to get to know someone. People don't talk on the phone or get to know one another in person anymore--initially anyway. This is how I've gotten to know a few guys which inevitable led elsewhere. The power of the internet!

A random thought: Why do people still wear Uggs? It's so 2003. Why did this trend ever catch on in the first place? Ughhhh..