On the road I need...

I love to travel and have acquired both a Shuffle and a Nano to support my drives.  Nothing like tunes or books to listen to while on the road.  Only problem was keeping track of them in the tote bag that I keep in my front seat.  Then I added a Kindle to my life and it's cord was also running loose. AND then there's another camera card and...   This is my solution:

Now they're safe in my bag and I can always feel around (keeping my eyes on the road like a good girl) and find the one I need.

As for the tote bag.  I keep the following in it when I'm off on a road trip:

• iPods, spare camera card, & Kindle cord
• Lyrics for songs I'm trying to memorize
• Spare beverage (though I usually travel with a gallon of water in the trunk)
• Snacks such as raisins, cashews, granola bar...
• The batfolders for the places I'm going (I'll be writing a batfolder entry one of these days)
• Sunscreen
• Extra book in paper in case the Kindle runs out of power.  I like to stop and get out of the car for food breaks and other breaks and sit and read.

In the pockets in my car I keep:

• Tums
• Sunglasses
• Binoculars (2 pairs, the spotting scope rides in the trunk with a couple of spare blankets and a neck pillow)
• Bird identification book
• Kleenex
• Transmitter cord to broadcast the signal of my iPods
• Recharge cord for phone that plugs into the lighter
• Transducer to allow recharging or use of other devices
• Dental floss
• Book light
• Flash light

If I'm on a big road trip (more than 3 days) I'll add a first aid kit, a plastic tarp, duct tape and spare toilet paper to the box in my trunk.

Of course it goes without saying that there are usually suitcases, computer case, occasionally coolers, file boxes and more, cause of course I can't go anywhere without being over prepared.  I did finally stop having just one suitcase for accessories and shoes though.

Notice

After the divorce, I closed this blog.  I started another one and wrote a few items (~25), but that fizzled.  I've decided to merge the two and keep this one, since it has the largest archive.  I'm going to move those posts over here and date the entries to the correct date.

New Life, New Blog

And here we are settling in to our new blog space.  Wondering what to say and how to start.  Do I dig through the past or just focus on the future?  Do I put up organization ideas or travel notes or just random thoughts and questions?   Like almost everything else in my life I am starting at square one, rebuilding a life, reworking long term goals and short term realities.  All the cards got shuffled then tossed into the air.  What will my life look like now?  And the bigger question, what do I want it to look like.  Stay tuned for the ongoing adventures of me.

Once upon a time a friend gave me the personal motto "Audeo" meaning "I Dare" somehow while I have been married I lost some of that verve some of that fearlessness.  My own motto had been "If you don't risk you don't win."   I want more of that old me back, the fearless, the passionate, the vibrant and alive.  It took a bad fall, a damaged leg and two surgeries to crack the cocoon of fear. And then there was the thing that had scared me the most, a divorce.  It happened, and I have survived and perhaps even thrived as I have intentionally and with great care mourned and tried to be present in my recovery.   Hooray for therapy, yoga, meditation, prayer, good friends, sisters and most of all my daughter.

More to come soon.

Endings and Beginnings

Nick asked me for a divorce first part of August.  I was sitting in a restaurant in Boise on my way home from somewhere.  I still can't believe that instead of owning up and facing it and our troubles he just walked away from us.  My food arrived as I hung up the phone and I just had them box it up.  Applebees gave me my dinner for free. And I went back to my hotel to cry and wonder WTF.

Fast forward to now. Many people came forward once they heard I was getting a divorce with all kinds of stories about his past misdeeds and how I was "better off without him".   The saddest part is that I think those deeds contributed to his walking away.  He couldn't own up to what he had done.  I thought this marriage, our marriage could weather anything and was worth the efforts necessary to do so.  But apparently that was only my point of view and I still believe that in Aug if he had stood up for us we'd still be together. That's not to say it would be all sunshine and flowers, we had problems that needed serious work. But wouldn't it have been worth it?  16 years and it's over.

Another thing that has ended is this blog.  I just have no heart for anything called the Semenza Chronicle.  That's no longer who I am.  

I have a new life, new goals, new vistas to explore and people to meet.  If you know me and want to continue to follow my adventures drop me an email.  I am starting a new blog, elsewhere...