What I Like About Spring

There are actually quite a few things I hate about Spring. I know you're thinking I'm crazy, but you see, I have allergies during this time of year, and they really affect my energy level. Anyway, this post is not about what I hate about Spring. It's about what I LIKE about Spring. I just need to pep myself up for this time of year, so I'm doing it by looking at the positives:

1. I've been inside all Winter, so the sun is refreshing!
2. I can begin to recreate outside by walking, hiking, playing croquet, biking, going to parks, etc.
3. Camping without freezing is feasible!
4. Flowers.
5. Movies start coming out in the theater that I want to see.
6. The outdoor vendors open, such as shave ice shacks and barbecue places.
7. I can wear sandals without freezing my toes!
8. Sometimes I take vacations in the Spring!
9. The sound of lawnmowers.
10. People seem happier in the Spring.
11. Produce seems to start to get much better in the Spring.
12. My appetite ebbs (which is bad this year, but whatever).

Ah, Spring.

Déjà vu

My life is like one extended déjà vu experience. I seem to consistently have experiences where I feel déjà vu. I've even felt it when walking in the door of my house. Of course I walk in my door basically everyday, but sometimes I just feel like that particular day I had had that day's experience before.

I also run into people all the time from earlier periods in my life. Just the other day I went to a wedding in another city, and a guy from a completely different wedding in the same building approached me and told me that I looked familiar. It didn't take too long to figure out that we had known each other fifteen years ago. FIFTEEN YEARS. The funny thing is that a lot of times this happens when I'm out of town. I'll see or run into people that I haven't seen for a long time.

I used to have a game with my siblings where we'd guess how many people we'd see that we know when we'd go on vacation. The funny thing is that I've run into people I know in places far and wide. It really is a small world, and I think it's amazing when I run into someone I know in Israel or China or wherever I am.

And since I live in the same town where I went to high school you'd think that I'd run into people from high school all the time. Well, I don't, really. There are probably some people who have lived here the whole time that I have who I haven't seen since high school. Sometimes you never hear from them again. I guess you can never tell who/when people will crop back up in your life.

Does this ever happen to you, or is it just me?

Sandwiches

I like sandwiches. I could probably have a sandwich nearly everyday and be perfectly happy. I can have so many different kinds of sandwiches prepared in so many different ways that it's like eating a different thing. I can have the same thing everyday, yet it is different everyday. This is why I like sandwiches. That being said, I've noticed that at various sandwich restaurants, I tend to order one sandwich more than the others. It's like I have a favorite sandwich at the various sandwich places.

Since I am all about lists on here, this is my list of sandwiches that I tend to order:

Subway

Spicy Italian

One time I ordered the Italian BMT, but I told them that I didn't want the ham. They were like, so you want the Spicy Italian? It was brilliant, and I felt stupid. I usually get this on wheat with no cheese, but I do get lettuce, tomatoes, extra tomatoes, pickles, olives, and I switch up the sauces. Sometimes it's mayo and mustard, sometimes it's honey mustard, and sometimes I get another one that I can't remember right now. It's kind of sweet.

Gandolfo's

West Side Story

I don't typically like ranch stuff, but this sandwich blends so nicely. I think it's the green chili that gets me on it. I think I prefer this hot, but I haven't had it in a while, so I'm not positive. Does anyone want to go here with me soon? Also, sometimes they don't make the sandwich very carefully. I've been to Gandolfo's before when I felt like all the meat was in one spot and they didn't divvy out the fillings very evenly at all. I think that each bite should be a delicious blend of ingredients. If you work at a sandwich place, remember this.

Jimmy John's

BLT

I get this with Dijon mustard. I used to really like the vegetarian, but without the sprouts, the vegetarian is just not the same. I really think that they need to bring back the sprouts here. It makes a world of difference. I also get the Big John somewhat regularly here.

Quizno's

Veggie Guacamole

I get this on wheat with most of the vegetables. I like it toasted. I am stuck in a rut at this restaurant with this sandwich. I don't think I would order anything else ever again because I like it so well. Maybe I would if I'm feeling carnivorous. Sometimes I feel exceedingly carnivorous.

Some additional stats about my preferences with sandwiches:

- I like creamy peanut butter, and I like about an even amount of peanut butter with my jelly.

- I like things in my grilled cheese sandwiches. I like onions or tomatoes in there. Basically, I like it if it's not just cheese.

- To me, a hamburger is really just a sandwich with a hamburger patty in it, but I will do a post about hamburgers another time.

- Quesadillas are basically a grilled cheese sandwich, only with a tortilla.

- Yes, I have eaten a peanut butter and jelly quesadilla before. There was no queso. It was just on a tortilla.

- One time someone swore to me that peanut butter and ketchup sandwiches were good. They lied.

- Tuna fish sandwiches are good, but I like it with other stuff on it, like tomatoes or pickles.

- There's this place in my town that makes this turkey sandwich with brie cheese and cranberry chutney on it, and it's divine. It is so good. It makes my mouth water to think about it.

- Cold cut meats aren't my preference on sandwiches. If the sandwich can be made with actual chunks of the meat, it is so much more preferable. I have an especially hard time with non-real ham.

- I like egg salad sandwiches and fried egg sandwiches. Don't be surprised.
- There's this other place in my town that makes a spicy chicken sandwich. I don't like their bread very much, so I just eat the insides. It's a little embarrassing to me that I pick out the insides, but it's what I like, so I just go with it.
- A lot of times I feel like the more stuff on the sandwich, the better. I like lower quantities of meat and cheese and a higher quantity of vegetables and fruits. I'm counting tomatoes as fruits here. I love tomatoes on sandwiches.
- I am now craving a sandwich.

I'll Do It Later

We all only have 24 hours in a day. The reality is that time is scarce, and if you're like me, you have many more interests and goals than time to accomplish them. Sometimes I face reality and have to accept the fact that I'm probably not going to do everything that I want to do. Also, another reality is that there are times and seasons in peoples' lives. I think it's important to acknowledge what time and season you are in so that you don't unnecessarily become unhappy if you're not meeting unrealistic goals and expectations that you have for yourself.

For instance, I used to be a little jealous of people when I was at the university when they would take these awesome trips during spring break or even on the weekends. I guess I was a poorer and busier college student than they were because I always remember thinking about how much homework I had to get done over the break, and I didn't have the funds that everyone else had in their bank accounts. It was like other people had money and time growing on trees, and I didn't. Anyway, I didn't feel badly for myself at the time; I was just puzzled as to how people did it. And now I get to travel! Maybe not as much as some people travel, but I get to go enough for me to feel pleased with my situation. And maybe they get to travel, too, but maybe not. Who cares? I am happy that I get to travel now, no matter what other people are doing.

I've been thinking about this because sometimes I think of things that I will do later when I have more time. Realistically, I know I won't really have more time unless I make it a priority to do these things (i.e. I should probably try to fit them into my life right now), but at least they are on the list of desires I have. So here is my partial list of things that I always say I'll do later:

1. Read lots of books - I just never make consistent time for this. It's not like I can pull out a book and read it at work. A lot of times I end up binge reading, like dropping off the face of the earth and reading a book over the course of a day or a few days. Traveling and reading books is also good, and I tend to read more over holidays or on my vacations. I always imagine having babies and reading while I feed them, since my mom always says that she used to do that all the time when she fed us. Speaking of...
2. Have babies - Yeah, I totally don't have any. I figure I can do that later. I know that there is only so much time when females can physically have babies, so maybe I should work on this sometime.
3. Date - This comes way before having babies. I should have listed this before babies. Anyway, I seriously think to myself somewhat frequently: I don't have time to date. I can date in a few months when I will have more time. I don't want to flirt with _____ right now because I don't have time to date him if he asks me out. I will flirt with him later. You can see how I have a problem.
4. Get married - This should come before having babies, too. I always project myself at least two or three years away from getting married. The time never ticks down, though, in my mind. It's always two or three years away.
5. Do more family history - I have a lot of desires to do family history research, and I do a little here and there, but I would like to do it more frequently than I do. Much more frequently. I always hope that someday in two or three years when I get married and then have babies that I will be staying at home raising kids and doing family history and reading while feeding the baby. The problem here is that I've never heard any parent say that they have plenty of time for everything. In fact, most parents seem really busy like they are running here and there and everywhere and not getting done everything that they want to do. They seem kind of crazy sometimes or like a good portion of their life is spent in crisis mode of having to take care of immediate kid problems, like poop and vomit. It seems really relaxing. That was sarcasm.
6. Travel to all the continents and U.S. states and to outer space - I have a confession that I would love to space travel on a vacation. This is not realistic. I understand this. I understand that while I have many years probably still on this earth that my traveling will probably deteriorate if I do #4 and #2 from this list. I also understand that currently space travel probably isn't in my budget. I think it's pretty pricey still, and I'm just getting older. I bet that when space travel is a little more common for average people and vacationers that there will be some kind of medical and fitness exam that people will have to pass to be able to participate in it, sort of like SCUBA diving. I am only getting older, so the likelihood of passing whatever physical is necessary to go to space dwindles with each passing year. This is reality that I have to face, and when I daydream about it as I lie in bed to sleep, I really wish that I could do it someday. I'll do it later.
7. Exercise regularly - I exercise on occasion (I tend to do better during this time of year), but I'm not one of those people who has a strict routine. I always think that I'll start exercising regularly someday when I'm not single and my life has become boring and routine. As a single person, I really like the fact that I can generally do whatever whenever I want. I don't have many routines because single people shouldn't have to have routines, right? RIGHT?!
8. Buy things - Sometimes I just don't get around to buying stuff that I want. It's not that I can't afford them, but it is that I don't take the time to shop for them. Like clothes. I should buy more clothes, especially dresses and skirts because I am really sick of my current selection. And pants and shirts and shoes. It takes a lot of effort for me to find what I want in this department, so I always tell myself that I'll do it later. Also, I want a nice TV stand and outdoor furniture for my back porch and other cute decoration stuffs. I'll find this stuff later. Maybe I wouldn't have money if I did buy this stuff, though...
9. Visit people - I love people. I want to hang out with my family and friends who live away from me, but I don't seem to make the time to travel to see them as frequently as I'd like to see them. I know realistically that I physically am unable to visit everyone as often as I'd like to visit them, but I still want to do it. I have the desires. I am thankful for things like phones and blogs and email and Facebook that allow me to at least keep up with people in a little way, even if I'm not visiting them, especially since I always think I'll visit people later and rarely do.
10. Hobbies that I love - Since I have acquired a love of hiking, I have a long list of hikes that I want to try. I have a long list of plays and operas I want to see, concerts to listen to, foods to try, sporting events to watch or participate in, museums and art pieces to visit, new hobbies and crafts to learn experience, and there are just a thousand activities that I want to do. I will do them all later.
11. Service - There are a lot of ways that people need to be served. There are people to feed and house, hearts to lift in trials, people to educate or help find jobs, good news to share with everyone, places to beautify in the world, etc. I want to do them all. I want to help everyone have every good thing. I will do it later.

So you can see the puzzle. So many dreams and desires, and not enough time and/or means. I will do them all later. Or maybe I should figure out how to do them now.

Passion

Over the course of my life I've noticed something about myself. I'm not a very passionate person. A lot of people have something that they're really into, be it sports, cooking, art, music, crafts, their occupation, other various hobbies, etc. I'm just not very passionate. In fact, in a lot of ways I'm really fickle. So maybe I enjoy bacon. But guess what? I really don't want to eat bacon all the time. I only want it sometimes. I've noticed that it's hard for people to really anticipate what I like or what I'll think. They expect me to have constant feelings or opinions about a topic, but the fact of the matter is that I just go with how I feel at the time. I reserve the right to change my mind at any minute.

Yeah, I see how this is problematic, but there are also advantages to it. While I'm not very passionate about anything, I find that I am interested in a great many things. I think that I am a good and supportive friend for other people's passions. So maybe I'm not passionate about something, but the likelihood is that I am at least interested enough to support or go along with someone else in their passion. I think that's a good thing. And it's not that I don't know myself. I do know myself. I know that I'm not passionate and that I like variety and that I like to try a great many new things.

So anyway, where I'm going with this is that I was thinking about my travel plans for this year. I have none. I am wide open here. And I'm trying to decide what type of trip I want to take. Here are some options:

1. Go someplace with a lot of history: I had a coworker one time who thought I was stupid for taking trips to Europe. He couldn't comprehend how I could possibly have fun going to old places or museums. Well, I like these types of trips. I think you learn a lot about humanity by visiting different cultures and learning about history. I still have a lot of places to go and people to meet. I think I will always enjoy this type of travel. Also, I usually think when I visit Europe that I could live there. I really could.

2. Go someplace beachy: These trips are pretty popular because you can hang out in the sun, get a tan, play around in the water, and just all around relax. I definitely enjoy the activity aspect and relaxation aspect of these types of trips, and let's face it: I could totally use a tan.

3. Go someplace to see nature: This could be seeing wildlife or seeing something awesome about the face of the earth, as is the case with National Parks, waterfalls, vegetation, and other amazing aspects of the earth. I like to see what the world has to offer. There are so many incredible things all around us, and it's fun to take hikes or walks if necessary to see it.

4. Go where the activity or event is: Sometimes there are concerts or plays that people really want to see. I have wanted to see an opera in the Sydney Opera House, and there are sporting events that I think would be really cool to see in person. There is probably something that you've always wanted to do or see that you can't do or see where you live.

5. Go to amusement parks/major tourist attractions: I find amusement parts to be amusing and enjoy visiting them on occasion. Sometimes people just like to be touristy with other tourists. This can be a real vacation because it can really take you away from reality since the idea of these places is to be unreal and to let you escape.

6. Go someplace for the food: This is totally part of the reason I went to Japan. I love going places and eating their food. It's one of my favorite parts about traveling: trying the food.

I enjoy all of these types of travel, so the question here is: which type of trip would you pick, and why? And are you a passionate person? What are you passionate about?