Thursday, May 8, 2008 | by nathan

Damage

Last night as I was packing my stuff up to leave the office the tornado sirens went off. We all piled into a room downstairs and turned on the television there. Immediately I was struck with a bolt of fear - Brian had left work a few minutes earlier and there was a very actively tornadic thunderstorm headed directly across his route from work to home. The scariest part was that the meterologists were saying that any tornadoes that would come from the storm would most likely be wrapped in rain and fog, and therefore invisible. There was no cell phone signal in the room we were in, and so for several minutes I felt my heart stop in my chest, hoping to God Brian knew what was going on. There is nothing worse than not knowing if someone you love is okay. Nothing worse.

Finally I got him on the phone and he was fine. The storm was nowhere near me - or so I thought - and since I only live a half-mile from my office I declared I’d take my chances and try to get home, which I did with no problem. Later in the evening I went to the gym like I always do, and everything seemed fine.

Little did I know that, half a mile from my house, the straight-line winds had knocked the steeple off the chapel at Oklahoma City University and caused structural damage to the building. Check it out:

Monday, May 5, 2008 | by nathan

Four Days’ Wedded Bliss

Brian and I decided, for our third anniversary, that we would take a break from life entirely. The date was Wednesday, April 30, and we booked ourselves into a room at the Skirvin Hilton Hotel in downtown Oklahoma City. We had done this last year as well, but had forgotten to take the next day off work, and so we found ourselves, on a Tuesday morning, scrambling around in a posh hotel room at 7 a.m. trying to get to work on time.

This year, we were smarter. Anniversary was on a Wednesday; we took Thursday and Friday off work. We arranged for late check-out from the hotel, enabling us to sit around in complimentary bath robes and watch The Price is Right.

First, of course, was our anniversary dinner on Wednesday night. We started off the night with drinks in the Red Piano Bar in the Skirvin. Brian was Talisker on the rocks, I was Brittan martinis (Chopin, dry vermouth, bleu-cheese olives).

Afterward we went to the new Redprime Steak in downtown Oklahoma City, across the street from the apartment we lived in when we first got together. Dinner and the accompanying drinks were amazing, and afterward we went up on the roof of our old apartment building and reminisced. We took some time to be glad we no longer lived downtown, that I no longer worked 7 days a week at 3 jobs while also going to graduate school. We talked a lot about the future and where and how we see ourselves going forward.

The next morning, hung over, we ordered room service and watched gotzy morning television and generally just lazed around for quite some time. We perused an Oklahoma Travel Guide to give ourselves ideas for the Great Oklahoma Road Trip 2008, and checked ourselves out about noon. We spent a fair bit of the rest of the afternoon at home, working in the yard. A trip to Home Depot found me with four wonderful grape tomato plants - my favorite kind of tomato - and a whole bunch of sacks of cow manure and mushroom compost. Brian got some flowers to put down in our backyard bed.

I also decided, in a fit of gardening glee, to plant a blackberry bush:

It all sounds like the least-romantic thing that two people kicking off four days of marital bliss could be doing, but it was so great being out there with him, both of us getting sunburned, both of us working this tiny little plot of earth that we call home, together.

In our significant downtime we played a lot of Mario Kart Wii - I get frustrated when I lose, which is often - and had some friends over for a cookout on Friday night. Saturday we managed to get rid of almost all our extraneous junk in the neighborhood garage sale, and we even had a few offers on Sam, who got something new that you’ll see here on Friday.

The garage sale, unfortunately, took almost all day, and by the time it was over we were sunburnt and tired and we retired back to the Wii. Yesterday I dropped the rototiller on my foot - it wasn’t running, luckily - but overall I’m rested and ready for what’s next, which is summer on the short term, and on the long term, at least 50 more years with this awesome guy and this life I so, so love.

This morning, when I went out to my car to go to work, this was on the steering wheel:

Wednesday, February 6, 2008 | by nathan

To A De-Luxe Apartment In The Sky

Brian’s flight for Austin left at 6:20 a.m. yesterday morning. This meant that he had to get up and around at 4 a.m. in order to finish packing and be out the door. He kissed me goodbye, but I only awoke enough to say goodbye, then fell back to sleep.

His alarm clock is a CD alarm, meaning that at the appointed time it fires up and starts playing a track of whatever CD is inserted in it. When he got up yesterday morning he forgot to turn it off, and so at 4 this morning, I was awakened to THE JEFFERSONS THEME SONG.

Wednesday, February 6, 2008 | by nathan

The Love Of My Life

Wednesday, January 23, 2008 | by nathan

I’m In Love With A Wonderful Guy

Brian’s out of town on business until Saturday afternoon. I always go through such a weird kind of mourning process when he leaves for stretches at a time. I’m sad, and panicked, afraid, and then I enter into a kind of weird acceptance - "maybe some alone time will be good for me" - before just going back to sad and missing him. I turn it all into writing material.

Still, of all the weeks he could be gone, this one is the best, as it’s absolutely crazy for me at work. Last night I had to work late, but not as late as I’d expected, and so I got home, had dinner, and fell asleep on the couch with my computer, fully clothed. I awoke at 1:39 a.m., and the first thing I saw was Sam, staring at me, his usual worried expression amped up a bit, like, "Um? Are you okay? Where’s Sane Daddy?" I put him in his room, turned out the lights, got a glass of water and went to bed. I have a lot of trouble sleeping in our bed by myself, and I didn’t get to sleep until sometime between 2:30 and 3:00.

I had weird dreams, hit the snooze button about ten times, and finally lumbered into the shower at 7:45.

The wonderful part - the part that keeps me going - is that Brian left me flowers, and a card for every day that he’s going to be gone. When we spoke on the phone last night I was told that UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES AM I TO OPEN THE CARDS EARLY. So far Tuesday’s and Wednesday’s cards have been incredibly sweet, and the flowers are beautiful.

It’s been a bad week at work, I’ve been feeling discouraged, and when I go home tonight I’ll sit at my desk for at least an hour, staring at my flowers, and feel a hundred kazillion times better.

Friday, December 14, 2007 | by nathan

Vignette Of A Marriage

via iChat today:

Me: you didn’t happen to see my phone this morning did you?
Me: ’cause I couldn’t find it
Him: it’s in your bag
Me: it is?
Him: your alarm went off this morning and it took me forever to find out where it was coming from - i just silenced it and dropped it back in your bag
Me: sho nuff!
Me: thanks!
Me: (sorry)
Him: no big
Me: i love you

Friday, November 9, 2007 | by nathan

A quart or two should do it.

"I want some booze."

"What?"

"I want some booze, right now."

"You want some booze?"

"Yes." [picks up McDonald’s cup that’s 75% full with Diet Dr. Pepper] "Take this and go put some booze in it."

"How much booze?"

"Enough."

Sunday, November 4, 2007 | by nathan

“Sorry, What?”

Last night I made a pie. Today, this happened: 

"I’m going to have a piece of pie."

"I want a piece of pie! Will you get me a piece of pie?"

"Sure. Do you want me to heat your pie?"

"No, I want to eat it."

"Heat your pie. Do you want me to heat your pie?"

"What’s the point of you getting me a piece of pie if you’re going to eat it?"

[turns and goes back into the kitchen, flabbergasted with his smartass of a husband]

Wednesday, October 10, 2007 | by nathan

My head’s not all in one place, but here’s this:

This week is teh suck. I’m working 71 hours, and all day Friday and Saturday; literally - all day. From 8 a.m. until midnight both days, and then from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Sunday. Even that wouldn’t be so bad except that next week is going to be about another 50 or more hours, and then, hopefully, at the end of it, Brian and I can lock ourselves in our house and not leave again for quite some time. The upside is that, because I’m STILL on contract, I’m billing the CRAP out of my employers, and my next two paychecks are going to be teh awesome.

Brian got home last night. He had texted to say his flight would be about 20 minutes later than we’d expected, so to pass the time I stopped and got stuff for dinner, then at my local polling place to vote Yes! on Maps for Kids. On our way back home from the airport we stopped so Brian could vote. I’m happy to report that I was the 174th person in my precinct to vote AT ALL.

Anyway, I made us a dinner of tuna steaks and acorn squash that was deeply satisfying, and we cuddled on the couch and talked and watched The Simpsons, then lampooned our way through the Republican Debate. We tried to put together all our new Halloween decorations, but had some problems with them not lighting up; it’ getting fixed tonight.

It was kind of a perfect homecoming, especially because of how much harder it was this time to have him gone. Last night was the first time since we left for Dallas that either one of us has slept in our bed.

Two internet things before I go:

1) I’m going to do National Novel Writing Month, more popularly known as NaNoWriMo, next month. I need to get motivated on this novel, and I’m hoping that my ridiculous stubbornness, mixed with a (un)healthy curiosity (can I write a novel in a month? We’ll see!) will be the motivation I need. I’ve pretty much got the whole plot outlined and all my ideas are clear, I just can’t, for whatever reason, get them on the page. Here’s hoping November changes that.

2) My friend Tish just started a new blog. It’s awesome; you should totally go check it out.  

Monday, October 8, 2007 | by nathan

Alone Again, Natura-diddly

I’m alone again tonight; Brian’s in Kansas. His travel season this year has been much abbreviated, but it’s still never easy when he’s gone.

Still, I’m the kind of person who does well on his own. Tonight after work I went to the gym, ran my best 5K yet on the treadmill, mostly because there was incredibly nice-looking and fit guy on the treadmill next to mine, and it irritated me when I couldn’t keep up with him. I tell ya, the 15 minutes I spent in the hot tub after that were some of the most relaxing and rewarding so far in my entire life.

I stopped by Buy4Less on my way home, delighted to find a sale on yellowfin tuna steaks. I found a wonderful recipe for these online, so I made dinner while listening to "Fresh Air." Tuna steak and boiled squash - yum. Ate while watching Heroes, and now I’m trying to get it up to work on the novel a bit before bed. I’m sleeping on the couch again because 1) it’s comfortable, and 2) I can’t sleep in a queen-size bed by myself. Which is absolutely ridiculous. I think if I lived alone again I wouldn’t even own a bed. Which would make dating a pain, but that’s why I’m glad I don’t live alone and REALLY glad I’m not single.