the journey's long and I feel so bad

Okay, well, it is Friday, and it has been a marathon of a week. I know people travel like this all the time, but coming home from Seattle last night, all I could think about was not leaving San Francisco for the next year. Of course, that is not in the cards, because next week, I head to the east coast again. So, can I have one day of grumbling? I mean, I have been pretty good this week on the b*tching front, haven't I? Anyway, it's Friday, so y'all are probably off doing something far more enjoyable than reading this drivel. So here comes the sh*t list for the week:

• Because my flight was over an hour delayed at SEA-TAC last night, I had to spend more time with my coworkers than I would have liked. But more importantly, I came home just in time to miss the season premiere of The Office. The rest of my b*tching may actually be a direct result of this mishap.
  
  
• I have said it before, and I will say it (oh so inappropriately) again- why can't I be one of those people who loses her appetite during times of high stress? This afternoon I ate half a package of Mint Milanos for no good reason. And now I can feel my arteries hardening, and I already grimace thinking of the state of my stomach when I go running tonight. I never learn.
  
  
• My coworker IF turned to me yesterday and remarked, "You really need to go on vacation. A real one." And while I know this is both true and well-meant, I wanted to jump out of our taxicab onto the freeway. Yes, I would love to wander the earth, or join JP on his two-month meanderings through Europe. Unfortunately, I get three weeks of vacation a year. I have already used a week. I am burning through another one easily with all these trips to the east coast. And I need to keep a week in reserve, in case more trips pop up in my future. Even though I recognize that no one really means me any ill, a slow burn starts in my brain when people tell me I need to just take a vacation, as if a mental block is all that holds me back. Reality, people. Welcome to it.
  
  
• Along the same lines, I am reminded of my cousin S, former teeniac, who had this chant she invented during soccer practice. It became her war cry for everything- soccer, SATs, my other cousins teasing her. "I. Won't. Be. Pushed. Around." She said this with maniacal certainty, punching her fists into the air with each word. While it was rather hilarious and disturbing at once, you may soon see me imitating her in a neighborhood near you. There is really nothing that annoys me more than trying to be coaxed into something I cannot do or do not want to do. I know maisnon and her Partnership for a Guilt-Free America understands this perfectly. My cousin M would understand as well, since she is the easiest target of the classic Guju guilt-trip out there. I am not sure too many other people in my general vicinity understand, however.
  
  
• I know this belongs in the above bullet, but I want it separated, so that it is clearly stated. Seriously. I. Won't. Be. Pushed. Around. The options are really quite binary: either you get the hint, or I will deliver the harsh truth bluntly.

Tomorrow morning, I am dragging my a$$ out of bed early to do some life-coaching for the bro-seph. Okay, that sounds more new-agey than what I actually plan to do. Bro-seph is wigging out trying to juggle various priorities in his life. Finally, my soul-sucking job comes in handy for something- I am going to sit down with him and work through what he can and cannot get done in the next few months. I'm much better at doing this for other people than adhering to it myself. I set all these marks for myself, and miss them without fail. Still. There is something about setting them that is nonetheless helpful.

Oh, and also, for all my ungrateful b*tching, awesome people have been commenting on this site of late, and I got some good news today which means my trip to EBF in October will be extended slightly. So, though I have expelled some pure venom, know that there are roses on the inside.