1-1-11

It's almost 10pm and I'm sitting here with Jack watching Eclipse (yes, I'm a sucker for the Twilight series...read all of the books). Went to see Burlesque with a few friends earlier...entertaining. I'm kinda dreading having to go back to work next Monday, but it will only be for 3 months, thank goodness. Yesterday I learned a few valuable things from my friend "G" who is helping me with my house. We worked some more upstairs and I continue to be amazed at how good he is at what he does...and with his patience for my lack of 'handyman' skills. But I learned how to hammer nails out of a board, remove trim from a window, and remove staples from the floor. How lucky I am to have this man as my friend. I'm blessed with several of them since entering this new phase of my life (about 5 years ago). And although I struggle daily with where I am in my life right now, I take solice in the fact that I have true friends...that I can be myself with...no bullshit, no lying, no worrying about being fake...or what the hell I did the night before (that someone would have to fill me in on...usually Randi, poor thing).
Today, while at the gym, I was confronted with a smell that took me back to a very difficult time in my life. I was serving my weekends (45 of them) from my 2nd DUI in 2005 and most of them were at the Phoenix Training Center at 10th & Lehigh. It was a work-release program for women in prison and the sent 'weekenders' there as well. Some of the girls would spray themselves with this sickeningly sweet body spray (or whatever the hell it was) and the stink of it would even wake me up sometimes. Ew, ew, ew...I couldn't stand it. So whenever I smell something like it, it takes me right back to that place. So today, although the stench of it made me want to vomit, it also made me so extremely grateful...grateful for my life and my freedom and my friends...my true friends...