Wednesday, December 9, 1998
9:51 PM
I got out of the house again today... Mom had a doctor's appointment in Columbia, so we drove down there; I thought we would do a little shopping and have lunch down there, but it wasn't to be. Yes, we went to Target and a jewelry store; Mom was trying to find me a pair of sapphire studs and I didn't see anything I liked. Target's were 'created' sapphires, and the jewelry store simply didn't have any, though the jeweler said if I brought my remaining stud in, he could probably match up a stone and make me another matching earring, for about half the price. Now I just have to remember where the other earring is.
I told Mom I'd take her out to lunch today, so I didn't eat any lunch before we left this morning, just a piece of cheese to quiet my rumbly tummy. Mom's appointment was at 1:30 and took about an hour, so I thought after that we'd go somewhere in Columbia for lunch. It wasn't to be, though... we went to the jeweler's, and then she decided she wanted to go to the Golden Corral for lunch, but not the one there in Columbia. I had to wait till we got back to town here for lunch, and that wasn't until about 3:30, so I was pretty darn hungry. We both had the buffet, and I stuffed myself, of course.
Mom had wanted to go grocery shopping afterward, but she was tired, so she decided to wait. I was glad to get home, unzip my jeans (the size 10 pair), and take out my contact lenses, which were starting to get irritating, since I've not been wearing them much lately.
Once Jev got home, we fired up netmeeting, and we've been playing backgammon much of the evening, both with each other and against a few others on FIBS. I finally beat him in a single game, and then at the very end, in a five point match. I've been having a streak of bad luck with the dice, so it was nice to finally pull off a win. Jev's a better player than I am though, so I'm going to have to put in some major practice if I want to get my rating back up to where his is.
I think I'm getting better about being able to play and lose and not get so upset. At least in backgammon... when it comes to games like Civilization and Age of Empires though, Jev way outclasses me, and I get extremely frustrated when I get thoroughly trounced, time and time again. We've decided that the best thing to do is to pair up and play against other people, so I'm not competing against him; now we just have to wait for Microprose to finally release Multiplayer Civ II. It was supposed to be out back in August when we were in Minnesota together, but it's still not on the shelves yet... and I really don't see it getting released in the next couple weeks, in time for Christmas.
Jev's off for another on-site interview tomorrow, and he'll be back Friday. Today was the last day of classes, and he found out that he doesn't have to take the final in his writing class, which I'm sure is a nice little extra for him. Just eleven more days until I fly to West Virginia to spend Christmas with him; I can't wait!!!
Midnight
The past couple nights, Jev and I have written our journal entries around the same time, and talking on netmeeting as we do so. Not that we really talk as we write, but we can hear each other breathing and typing. While I like doing it because it's something we can sort of do together, I find that it does have its drawbacks.
For one, I find myself a lot less focused than when I curl up in bed with my pen and spiralbound notebook; and I have a harder time homing in on any specific thought or incident to write about. Another drawback is my "race" mentality. When I was in school, I was almost always one of the first to turn in my test. Now, even though I know the entry-writing isn't a competition, I still feel like I need to get it done and posted by time Jev has his done.
I'd like to continue writing entries when Jev does his, but until I can get myself trained to focus and write on cue, I think I'll come back and add more, later in the evenings, if the mood strikes.
Of course, the mood did strike tonight, which is why I'm still up and writing, rather than trying to fall asleep just yet. The past few days, I've started realizing just how soon it is that Jev will be finished with school, and we'll settle down and start our life togehter.
Leaving the nest is no longer just an escape, in my mind; it's sink or swim. We can spread our wings and fly together, or land with our beaks in the mud. I know Jev worries about providing for us, and making me happy... I just worry, period.
He's been out on his own during his co-op work sessions, and while I've spent time with him off and on, it's never been more than a handful of weeks, here and there. We haven't really worried about budgets, savings, long-term planning, medical care, insurance, car payments, housekeeping, or any of that stuff. And on top of juggling all that, we'll be trying to strengthen our relationship and make up for all the time we've had to spend apart.
There's a lot of responsibility there, and just like Jev, I don't want to do anything to mess it all up.
